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Wildfires in Greece close highways and threaten an oil refinery, as the EU sends firefighting planes

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:29:45 GMT

By THANASSIS STAVRAKIS and DEREK GATOPOULOS (Associated Press)MANDRA, Greece (AP) — Fast-moving wildfires swept across hills in the searing heat outside the Greek capital on Tuesday, forcing authorities to close highways to help protect an oil refinery. Water-dropping airplanes and helicopters flew low though a blanket of smoke tinted orange by the sunset to try and contain two wildfires to the west of Athens before nightfall. The European Union pledged additional assistance, while forecasts indicated more extreme heat was on the way.Italy and France were each sending two firefighting planes to help Greece cope. The planes and their teams are part of an EU civil protection mechanism, and they will join some 30 Romanian firefighters already stationed in Greece as part of a seasonal EU fire program, European officials said Tuesday.Fire Service spokesman Vassilis Varthakoyiannis said that the main fire near Athens rapidly became a major crisis. “The Fire Service had to inte...

Ticker: Consumer spending up; Flex-work firms hiring faster

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:29:45 GMT

Americans increased their spending last month as inflation eased in many areas, and the job market remained remarkably strong.Retail sales rose 0.2% from May to June, following a revised 0.5% increase the previous month, the Commerce Department reported Tuesday.The figure matched the pace of consumer inflation in June from the prior month, underscoring that shoppers are just about keeping up with pricing pressures.While the headline number of 0.2% was a bit weaker than expected, economists focused on data that excludes volatile autos, gas, building materials and food services, which rose a solid 0.6% in June. That 0.6% figure is used to help calculate overall economic growth in the U.S., and it was a pretty strong showing in June.Flex-work firms hiring fasterCompanies with flexible in-office policies are hiring faster than those that have fully returned to pre-pandemic attendance rules. But landing a flexible job still comes with challenges.New research from Scoop Technologies Inc.,...

City opens applications for School Committee seat

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:29:45 GMT

Applications for a new appointed Boston School Committee member are now open, the city announced in a release Tuesday, again stoking the elected vs. appointed school committee debate.The mayoral appointee would serve out the remainder of former member Lorena Lopera, ending on January 1, 2024, with the option to then reapply for a four-year term.Lopera announced she would be leaving the committee and taking a vice president position with the local nonprofit EdVestors at the June 21 School Committee meeting. She was appointed to the position by Mayor Kim Janey in 2021 after two members stepped down amid a text message scandal and reappointed by Mayor Michelle Wu for a full term later that year.The new appointment process comes in the midst of a long-running push to return to an elected school committee, which the city overturned in 1991. Boston’s remains the only school district in the state with a non-elected governing board and one of the few left among major U.S. cities.Asked...

As the planet warms, scientists worry that cases of infectious diseases could spike

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:29:45 GMT

By ZOYA TEIRSTEIN, GristNEW YORK (AP) — People around the world are living longer, healthier lives than they were just half a century ago. Climate change threatens to undo that progress. Across the planet, animals — and the diseases they carry — are shifting to accommodate a globe on the fritz. And they’re not alone: Ticks, mosquitos, bacteria, algae, even fungi are on the move, shifting or expanding their historical ranges to adapt to climatic conditions that are evolving at an unprecedented pace.These changes are not happening in a vacuum. Deforestation, mining, agriculture, and urban sprawl are taking bites out of the globe’s remaining wild areas, contributing to biodiversity loss that’s occurring at a rate unprecedented in human history. Populations of species that humans rely on for sustenance are dwindling and getting pushed into ever-smaller slices of habitat, creating new zoonotic-disease hotspots. Meanwhile, the number of people experienc...

Electrical fire at State House forces evacuation, building closed for the day

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:29:45 GMT

An electrical fire in the basement of the State House Tuesday afternoon forced an evacuation of the building and kept it closed for the rest of the day because of high carbon monoxide levels.Lawmakers, staffers, and members of the public swarmed out of the building just after 2 p.m. when fire alarms started blaring for the second time in the day. But an apparent false alarm earlier was replaced with a real fire sparked by burning high voltage wires that fed a transformer, Boston Fire Department Commissioner Paul Burke told reporters.“The transformer did not catch on fire but the feeds to it did so we had NSTAR come. It was quite a lengthy process to get [firefighters] down in the manholes,” Burke said. “They have to go down and isolate the transformer by shutting off the power so that’s what’s taking so long.”Any hopes to get back into the State House to grab personal belongings like keys, wallets, and phones at one point seemed dashed. Lawmakers and staff members huddle...

US soldier who fled to North Korea had served 2 months in South Korea prison on assault charge

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:29:45 GMT

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — An American soldier who had served nearly two months in a South Korean prison, fled across the heavily armed border into North Korea, U.S. officials said Tuesday, becoming the first American detained in the North in nearly five years.Private 2nd Class Travis King had been held on assault charges and was released on July 10 after serving his time. He was being sent home to Fort Bliss, Texas, on Monday, where he could have faced additional military disciplinary actions and discharge from the service.According to officials, King, 23, was taken to the airport and escorted as far as customs. But instead of getting on the plane, he left the airport and later joined a tour of the Korean border village of Panmunjom. He bolted across the border, which is lined with guards and often crowded with tourists, on Tuesday afternoon local time in Korea.The Army released his name and limited information after King’s family was notified of the incident. But a number of ...

Judge signals December may be too soon for Trump’s classified documents case, but doesn’t set date

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:29:45 GMT

FORT PIERCE, Fla. (AP) — A federal judge signaled Tuesday that December may be too soon to begin former President Donald Trump’s landmark criminal trial concerning the mishandling of classified documents, but did not say whether she would agree to Trump’s request to put the trial off until after the 2024 election.Judge Aileen Cannon said she would issue a written order “promptly” after the nearly two-hour hearing in federal court in Fort Pierce, Florida, where lawyers for Trump pressed for an indefinite delay of a trial date. Trump’s lawyers say they need more time to prepare for what they describe as a complex case with a huge amount of evidence to review. They also argue the former president can’t get a fair trial ahead of the 2024 election, in which he is seeking to reclaim the White House. Prosecutors have proposed that the trial begin in December, saying the case is not complex and there’s no need for a lengthy delay. Prosecutor David Harbach told the judge that Tru...

Big-ticket dreams spurred by $1B Powerball jackpot, but expert warns: Take it slow

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:29:45 GMT

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — With the Powerball jackpot topping $1 billion for this week’s drawing, millions of people across the country will be lining up at convenience stores, grocery and gas station counters hoping to hit it big.HOW DOES THIS LATEST POWERBALL JACKPOT STACK UP?The new jackpot for Wednesday’s drawing would be the seventh highest in U.S. history and the third largest for Powerball. If a sole player picks all five numbers plus the Powerball number drawn, they have the option of taking the $1 billion prize in yearly increments paid out over 29 years or a $516.8 million one-time lump sum before taxes. The last time someone won the Powerball jackpot was April 19 for a top prize of nearly $253 million. Since then, no one has won the grand prize in the past 38 drawings. The jackpot will keep growing until someone wins.WHAT CAN YOU BUY WITH $1 BILLION?Pretty much anything you want. A billion dollars could buy you around 200 Bugatti Mistral Roadsters, dozens of eight-seater pr...

Pearson airport says 10,000 new hires, better technology have improved service

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:29:45 GMT

Toronto’s Pearson International Airport says a staffing boost has significantly improved service, and issues that sparked chaos at Canada’s largest airport last summer have been addressed.The Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA) says the 10,000 new employees hired since last summer have helped increase baggage system reliability, cut wait times at security and customs checkpoints, and decreased holds on board aircraft — all by more than 90 per cent since last year.GTAA president Deborah Flint says, “new investments we made in staffing” have elevated Pearson’s performance.“The tangible improvements in Toronto Pearson’s performance go beyond mere recovery but lead us toward a future airport with more choices and excellent customer experiences, Flint said.“Day in and day out, employees across the ecosystem show Toronto Pearson’s unwavering commitment to delivering a seamless and enjoyable air travel experience.”The ...

Fargo police officer’s funeral scheduled; 2 other officers remain hospitalized after shooting

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:29:45 GMT

Funeral services have been scheduled for the Fargo, North Dakota, police officer killed in a shooting that also left two other officers injured.The funeral service for Jake Wallin, 23, is set for 10:30 a.m. Saturday at Pequot Lakes High School in Pequot Lakes, Minnesota, according to an obituary. A private service will follow graveside at a cemetery in Nisswa, Minnesota.Fargo police say Mohamad Barakat, a 37-year-old Fargo resident, fatally shot Wallin while police and firefighters were responding to a traffic accident Friday on a busy street in south Fargo. Barakat also is accused of shooting and injuring officers Andrew Dotas and Tyler Hawes before officer Zach Robinson shot and killed Barakat, according to police. A 25-year-old Fargo woman also was shot, but authorities have not said who shot her.Wallin served in the Minnesota Army National Guard and was deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq from November 2020 to July 2021. He and Hawes were sworn in less than three months ago, and we...