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Niger junta revokes military pacts with France

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:00:22 GMT

Niger putschists said Thursday they will end military cooperation deals with France, dealing a major blow to French efforts to combat terrorism in the Sahel region. Junta representative Amadou Abdramane late on Thursday read on national television a decision to revoke five military deals with France dating between 1977 and 2020, Reuters reported. France has about 1,500 troops in Niger under bilateral agreements between the two countries to fight Islamist terrorism in the Sahel region. The U.S. also has about 1,100 troops in the country and has spent $500 million to train and arm the Nigerien armed forces since 2012.The announcement comes a little over a week after a military coup ousted the country’s democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum, who is currently under detention.The coup and subsequent revocation of military pacts have dealt a significant setback to the West and in particular to France and the U.S. as both countries consider Niger to be a strategic country and a ...

London’s Sadiq Khan moves to soften impact of clean air plan after backlash

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:00:22 GMT

LONDON — Mayor of London Sadiq Khan moved to soften the impact of a city-wide emissions reduction scheme after a voter backlash saw the Labour Party fail to make a gain at a crucial by-election.The Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) — which costs drivers of polluting vehicles £12.50 a day to enter — is set to expand to cover the whole of London from 29 August in a bid to tackle the city’s air pollution problem. Khan, Labour’s London mayor, on Friday launched a new £50 million fund intended to ease the impact of the scheme’s expansion on drivers.The funding means all Londoners with non-compliant cars and motorbikes will be eligible for £2,000 towards a new less-polluting vehicle, while businesses will receive a scrappage fee for vans of up to £7,000. In his announcement, Khan noted that 90 percent of cars driven in outer London are currently ULEZ-compliant, but said he was “determined to ensure no Londoner and no small business is left behind.”The expansion o...

Box truck on Storrow Drive strikes BU Bridge, causing lane closure

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:00:22 GMT

A box truck got stuck on Boston’s Storrow Drive Thursday night after it struck the BU Bridge. MassDOT shared a message on social media announcing the crash shortly after 10:30 p.m. The truck involved was traveling westbound at the time and was later seen with its roof peeled off after going under the bridge.The right westbound lane of Storrow Drive was closed as crews cleaned up. . Outside Boston, in Westboro, another truck struck an MBTA rail bridge over Route 30 earlier Thursday afternoon. Route 30 in the area was limited to one lane due to the crash, which left the truck with visible damage. “Expect delays,” the Westboro Fire Department warned in a social media post around 2 p.m.

Investigation underway after open door spotted on moving MBTA Commuter Rail train

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:00:22 GMT

An investigation got underway this week after a door was seen wide open on a moving MBTA Commuter Rail train. The train was reportedly traveling between JFK/UMass station and Quincy Center on Wednesday afternoon. A spokesperson for Keolis, which operates the T’s Commuter Rail system, said the incident was under investigation as of late Thursday morning. The spokesperson continued in a statement, saying passengers should not open any doors on Commuter Rail trains and never stand in a train vestibule. “If a passenger notices that a door is open, they should notify a crew member,” the spokesperson said.

Patriots extra points: Undrafted rookie learning second new position

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:00:22 GMT

FOXBORO — The last time Patriots rookie Malik Cunningham tried to make a tackle, it didn’t go so well.Cunningham, a college quarterback who switched to wide receiver upon signing with the Patriots as an undrafted free agent, will need to work on those skills. The 6-foot-1, 198-pound Louisville product, is working on another new position, gunner, in training camp. He said the last time he tried to make a tackle was after throwing an interception in college.“I tried to tackle somebody and two linemen pancaked me,” he said.Related ArticlesNew England Patriots | Patriots open second roster spot by waiving injured linebacker New England Patriots | Patriots training camp Day 9: Jack Jones stops practicing, Mac Jones keeps rolling, Kendrick Bourne catches on New England Patriots | How Julian Edelman is helping Patriots QB Mac Jones in ‘interesting’ way New England Patriots | Mac Jones ensuring th...

Cyprus allows human COVID-19 medications to be used against deadly virus mutation in cats

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:00:22 GMT

NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — Cyprus’ veterinarians association on Friday lauded a government decision to allow its stock of human coronavirus medication to be used on cats to fight a local mutation of a feline virus that has killed thousands of animals on the Mediterranean island but can’t be transmitted to people.The association said in a statement that it had petitioned the government for access to the medication at “reasonable prices” from the beginning of this year, when the mutation that causes lethal Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP) began to noticeably crop up in the island’s cat population.“We want to assure that we will continue to investigate and control the rise in case of FCov-2023,” the association said.Cyprus Veterinary Services head Hristodoulos Pipis told the state broadcaster Friday that cat owners can receive medication in pill form at 2.5 euros ( $2.74) for each pill at their local veterinarian’s office following a formal examination and diagnosis. The med...

Russia to announce a verdict in Navalny case; the Kremlin critic expects a lengthy prison term

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:00:22 GMT

MOSCOW (AP) — Imprisoned Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny on Friday is due to hear the verdict in his latest trial on extremism charges. The prosecution has demanded a 20-year prison sentence, and the politician himself said that he expects a lengthy prison term. Navalny is already serving a nine-year sentence for fraud and contempt of court in a penal colony east of Moscow. In 2021, he was also sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison for a parole violation. The latest trial against Navalny has been taking place behind closed doors in the colony where he is imprisoned. If the court finds Navalny guilty, it will be his fifth criminal conviction, all of which have been widely seen as a deliberate strategy by the Kremlin to silence its most ardent opponent. The 47-year-old Navalny is President Vladimir Putin’s fiercest foe and has exposed official corruption and organized major anti-Kremlin protests. Navalny was arrested in January 2021 upon returning to Moscow after recuperating in...

A Greek zoo serves up frozen meals to animals to help them beat the heat

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:00:22 GMT

SPATA, Greece (AP) — At first sight, Tiembe studies his frozen breakfast with hesitation: Chunks of red meat and bone packed in a foot-long block of ice.The 15-year-old Angolan lion eventually licks the ice before gnawing pieces of meat free.Animals at the Attica Zoological Park outside the Greek capital were being fed frozen meals Friday as temperatures around the country reached 40 C (107.5 F) and were set to rise further, in the fourth heat wave in less than a month.The extreme temperatures and wildfires — a growing concern for biodiversity in southern Europe — have had an impact on Greek wildlife.A fire on the island of Rhodes burned for 11 successive days, triggering the evacuation of 20,000 people, mostly tourists.The island’s animals were less fortunate.As the fire tore through mountain forests and a nature reserve, an estimated 2,500 animals and beehives were burned, along with 50,000 olive trees, according to Agriculture Ministry officials. Fallow deer, a symbol of Rhodes, ...

Delayed by over a month, the ‘Barbie’ movie will now be released in the United Arab Emirates

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:00:22 GMT

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The United Arab Emirates has approved the release of the “Barbie” movie after a delay of over a month over possible content issues.UAE officials didn’t explain the screening delay, which has also occurred in other Arab nations.“The UAE Media Council has granted the Barbie movie the approval to be screened in the UAE’s licensed cinemas after completing the necessary procedures in line with the standards of media content and the UAE age classification,” the council announced late Thursday.The movie’s inclusion of a transgender actress as Barbie and other messaging on LGBTQ+ issues could be an issue in Arab countries with Muslim majorities that consider homosexuality and transgender identity to be contrary to Islamic religious beliefs.The movie about the world-famous doll stars Margot Robbie in the titular role and Ryan Gosling as Ken. It also features several other actors as “Barbies” and “Kens,” including Hari Nef, a transgender actress from P...

Pope visits a once-troubled Lisbon neighborhood and says true charity must ‘get your hands dirty’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:00:22 GMT

LISBON, Portugal (AP) — Pope Francis visited a once troubled and crime-plagued neighborhood of Portugal’s capital Friday to draw attention to the charitable side of the Catholic Church and the need to protect the world’s most vulnerable people with concrete gestures that “get your hands dirty.”The midway point in Francis’ five-day visit to Portugal began with the pontiff hearing confessions of some young people who were in Lisbon for World Youth Day. The big Catholic youth festival will end Friday with a traditional Way of the Cross procession recreating Christ’s crucifixion.Francis visited a community center in the city’s Serafina neighborhood, which sits beneath a giant 18th century aqueduct that is a symbol of the bounty that gold from Portugal’s Brazilian colony once afforded the country. Two decades ago, drug and crime problems dogged the neighborhood, but it has largely left them behind thanks in part to efforts by church charity groups, including one that wa...