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R U 4 Eel? Belgium smashes slippery trafficking ring

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:39:22 GMT

Three people were arrested in Belgium in a probe into a trafficking network smuggling glass eels into Asia, the Belgian ministry for public health, safety of the food chain and the environment said Monday in a statement.150 kilos of glass eels, which are considered a delicacy in some Asian countries, were seized.The Belgian bust was part of a wider operation in France, Spain and Poland, in which 27 people were arrested in total and “deals a serious blow to the trafficking of this regulated species,” the French police said in a statement.The EU banned the export of glass eels, which are threatened with extinction, in 2010. But the demand remains high in Asia, where these can be sold for more than €5,000 a kilogram on the black market — compared with around €800 in Europe.Investigators estimated that the European trafficking ring was responsible for exporting more than 4 metric tons of glass eels to Asia between 2021 and 2023, making over €1.1 million in profit, the French...

Elon in Paris: Macron rolls out red carpet for Tesla boss amid green drive

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:39:22 GMT

PARIS — Call it the Musk paradox. As Twitter CEO, Elon Musk gets no love from European politicians. As Tesla’s boss, he’s welcomed with open arms. That dynamic was on full display Monday in Paris, where one of the world’s richest men arrived in a Tesla to meet with French President Emmanuel Macron, amid France’s push to attract investments in electric cars. “With Elon Musk, we talked about the attractiveness of France and the significant progress in the electric vehicle and energy sectors,” Macron tweeted.The two men mentioned “several topics of common interest,” an official from the Elysée palace said after the meeting, “including the European and French response to the [U.S. Inflation Reduction Act].”Le patron de Tesla, Elon Musk, reçu par Emmanuel Macron à l'Élysée pic.twitter.com/0ayikvu8vC— BFMTV (@BFMTV) May 15, 2023Musk’s visit comes as Macron hosts CEOs from all over the world at the Château d...

Driver extricated from vehicle, taken to hospital via MedFlight after overnight rollover crash in Brockton

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:39:22 GMT

A driver is recovering after being pinned under a car after a rollover crash in Brockton, according to officials.The Brockton Fire Department said the driver was found after crews were called to Route 24 around midnight for a report of a vehicle that had crashed and rolled over in the area.First responders were able to locate the car in question, which appeared to have “rolled, went through a guard rail, down an embankment and traveled 25′ into the woods,” according to the department’s Facebook page.Authorities said the driver was pinned under the car and needed to be extricated. From there, the driver was transported via MedFlight to a hospital in Boston, Brockton FD said.No additional details, including information on the condition of the driver, were available.

J&J Covid-19 vaccine no longer available in the US

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:39:22 GMT

(CNN) — The Covid-19 vaccine from Johnson & Johnson is no longer available in the United States, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.All remaining doses expired last week, and the CDC directed providers to dispose of any that they had left over.About 19 million people in the US have received the J&J vaccine since it first became available. But more than 31.5 million doses have been delivered to states and other jurisdictions, leaving about 12.5 million doses unused, according to CDC data.Last year, the CDC limited the emergency use authorization of the vaccine to adults for whom other vaccines aren’t appropriate or accessible due to risk of a rare and dangerous clotting condition called thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS) after receiving the vaccine.Only about 7% of people who are vaccinated in the US got the J&J vaccine as their first shot.The mRNA vaccines from Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna represente...

Charlie Baker’s son pleads ‘not guilty’ to OUI charge after allegedly blowing 0.15 on breath test

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:39:22 GMT

The son of the state’s last governor blew nearly twice the legal limit after state police arrested him and administered a breath test late Saturday evening, according to court records.Andrew “AJ” Baker, the 29-year-old son of former Gov. Charlie Baker, was in Peabody District Court Monday morning to answer an Operating Under the Influence charge stemming from that evening, when police say they found Baker driving erratically on Route 95 and stopped him.Baker, dressed in a well tailored blue suit, did not speak during court while his attorney pleaded not guilty on his behalf or when walking out of the building after quietly accepting the stipulation for his release that he not operate a vehicle without a valid license.“Mr. Baker you are being released on personal recognizance. You are ordered not to drive without a valid license. If you violate any law of the commonwealth or violate the terms of the release your personal recognizance may be revoked and you can be held for up to...

Yankees trending upwards after weekend battle against Rays: ‘I think this team’s coming out of here with a bunch of positive stuff’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:39:22 GMT

It hasn’t been perfect, but it’s better than it was. The Yankees faced off against the MLB-best Rays this past weekend and displayed an inspiring brand of baseball that made the seemingly unbeatable Tampa squad appear on par with what was within their own clubhouse.It’s a long way from where the club was just two weeks ago when they were 15-15 and ranking near the cellar of baseball in runs scored with few bright spots to point to. Now, Aaron Boone’s squad is trending in the right direction. There are still plenty of loose ends to tighten up — three of their starters (Nestor Cortes, Jhony Brito and Clarke Schmidt) own ERA’s north of 5.5 — however, they are at least beginning to earn back the title of the Bronx Bombers.The club is averaging 7.4 runs per game over their past seven games — thanks in part to the Oakland A’s historically bad pitching staff — the best mark in baseball during that span while also owning the top av...

Sheriff: 2 dead, 3 injured in shooting at Georgia motorcycle club event

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:39:22 GMT

AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Two people were killed and three others injured when shooting broke out at a motorcycle club gathering in Georgia, authorities said.The Richmond County Sheriff’s Office said it arrested 10 people in the shootings in Augusta, where a motorcycle club was holding an event Saturday night.“A rival motorcycle gang, yet to be identified, came to that event,” Sheriff Richard Roundtree told reporters. “Words were exchanged and multiple shots were fired.”Richmond County Coroner Mark Bowen identified the dead as Keith Coates, 30, of Valdosta, Georgia, and Germayne Farrell, 51, of Daytona Beach, Florida.All 10 people arrested were jailed on charges of murder and aggravated assault, WRDW-TV reported.The Associated Press

IMF: Sri Lanka’s crisis-hit economy likely to resume growing in 2024 after contracting 3% this year

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:39:22 GMT

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Sri Lanka’s crisis-hit economy is expected to resume growing in 2024 after contracting 3% this year, an International Monetary Fund official said Monday.Krishna Srinivasan, the IMF’s director for Asia and Pacific, said expected economic growth of 1.5% next year hinges critically on the economic reform program Sri Lanka has agreed to undertake, including challenging reforms in five identified areas.“It is now essential to continue the reform momentum under strong ownership by the authorities and the Sri Lankan people, more broadly,” he said.Sri Lanka nearly exhausted its foreign currency holdings last year and the island nation announced that it was suspending repayment of foreign loans. The crisis resulted in severe shortages of essentials such as medicines, fuel, cooking gas and food, leading to angry protests that forced then-President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to flee the country and resign.The IMF approved a nearly $3 billion rescue program in March whic...

EU backs Microsoft buying Call of Duty maker Activision Blizzard. But the $69B deal is still at risk

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:39:22 GMT

LONDON (AP) — The European Union on Monday approved Microsoft’s $69 billion purchase of video game maker Activision Blizzard, deciding the deal won’t stifle competition for popular console titles like Call of Duty and accepting the U.S. tech company’s remedies to boost competition in cloud gaming.But the blockbuster deal is still in jeopardy because British regulators have rejected it and U.S. authorities are trying to thwart it.The deal, sweetened by Microsoft’s promises to free up licensing conditions for cloud gaming, “would no longer raise competition concerns and would ultimately unlock significant benefits for competition and consumers,” said the European Commission, the 27-nation bloc’s executive arm and top antitrust watchdog.The all-cash deal announced more than a year ago has been scrutinized by regulators around the world over fears that it would give Microsoft and its Xbox console control of Activision’s hit franchises like Call of Duty and World of Warcraft.Fierce...

UN migration agency elects American as 1st woman director

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:39:22 GMT

GENEVA (AP) — The U.N. migration agency says Amy Pope of the United States has been elected as its next director general.She will be the first woman to head the International Organization for Migration.Pope currently serves as the deputy of Director General Antonio Vitorino, a former Portuguese government minister, and ran against him in Monday’s election.The IOM said member states elected Pope to lead the Geneva-based agency at a special session. She will start her five-year term on Oct. 1The Associated Press