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Massachusetts governor eyes statewide missing people unit

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:29:27 GMT

BOSTON (AP) — A new unit to help police improve coordination in handling missing and unidentified people cases has been proposed by Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey amid an ongoing search for a missing immigrant woman whose case advocates say demonstrates a lack of urgency on the part of investigators.The $300,000 Healey has proposed will help fund the unit, which she said will assist local police departments and standardize data collection and reporting in missing people cases statewide.Recent immigrant and Boston resident Reina Morales Rojas has been missing since Nov. 26, 2022. It wasn’t until Jan. 12, 2023, that Boston police issued a missing person alert.In February, six Boston city councilors of color sent a letter to Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and Police Commissioner Michael Cox noting the delay between Rojas’ disappearance and when police issued an alert.“Unfortunately, the type of response Ms. Morales Rojas’ case received reflects a nationwide pattern. Missing case...

Dropkick Murphys to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with a weekend of shows in Boston

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:29:27 GMT

The Dropkick Murphys are celebrating St. Patrick’s Day in Boston with a weekend of shows. The band will kick off the celebration with their first-ever performance at MGM Music Hall Thursday night. They will also perform at MGM on Friday and Saturday nights before moving to the House of Blues on Sunday. Friday night’s show can be streamed for a small fee.

Watch: US releases video of Russian jet dumping fuel on its drone

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:29:27 GMT

KYIV, Ukraine — The Pentagon on Thursday released footage of what it said was a Russian aircraft pouring fuel on a U.S. Air Force surveillance drone and clipping the drone’s propeller in international airspace over the Black Sea.The 42-second video shows a Russian Su-27 approaching the back of the MQ-9 drone and beginning to release fuel as it passes, the Pentagon said. Dumping the fuel appeared to be aimed at blinding its optical instruments and driving it out of the area.On a second approach, either the same jet or another Russian fighter that had been shadowing the MQ-9 struck the drone’s propeller, damaging one blade, according to the U.S. military.The U.S. military said it ditched the MQ-9 Reaper in the sea after what it described as the Russian fighter making an unsafe intercept of the unmanned aerial vehicle.The video excerpt released by the Pentagon does not show events before or after the apparent fuel-dumping confrontation.Russia said its warplanes didn’t...

VIDEO: Dog abandoned outside animal shelter; reward offered for information

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:29:27 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- Security footage captured the heartbreaking moment a dog was abandoned by a man outside of an animal shelter in Rancho Santa Fe on Monday night.The "dumping" occurred shortly before 8 p.m. when an individual is seen parking his vehicle in a nearby parking lot before leading the dog to the front area of Helen Woodward Animal Center.According to center, the dog appeared confused after being left unleashed and uncrated with a bed and some toys. The surveillance video shows the dog wandering around the property before disappearing into the night. Photos: San Diego battered by rain & wind (Surveillance video released by Helen Woodward Animal Center)Those with the organization say they are "devastated by the heartlessness of the act." The center is asking for the public's help in locating the abandoned dog. “The dog looks to be a brownish color, fluffy, and medium-sized,” explained Center Executive Assistant Laura Smith, who first viewed the security footage. “The gait ...

UK bans TikTok on government phones on security grounds

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:29:27 GMT

LONDON (AP) — British authorities said Thursday that they are banning the Chinese-owned video-sharing app TikTok from government mobile phones on security grounds, following similar moves by the U.S. and European Union. Cabinet Office minister Oliver Dowden told Parliament that the ban applies with immediate effect to work phones and other devices used by government ministers and civil servants. He described the ban as a “precautionary move,” and said it does not apply to personal phones and devices. “Given the particular risk around government devices, which may contain sensitive information, it is both prudent and proportionate to restrict the use of certain apps, particularly when it comes to apps where a large amount of data can be stored and accessed,” Dowden told British lawmakers. The U.S. government mandated last month that employees of federal agencies have to delete TikTok from all government-issued mobile devices. Congress, the White House, U.S. armed forces a...

Wall Street opens lower as smaller bank stocks sink again

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:29:27 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks of smaller U.S. banks are continuing to tumble as Wall Street hunts for what may be next to crack in the struggling industry. Overall the stock market opened lower Thursday, but the losses were more modest. The S&P 500 fell 0.3% in early trading following a whirlwind several days dominated by a growing banking crisis on both sides of the Atlantic. The Dow and the Nasdaq also fell. European stocks gave up early gains and turned mixed after the European Central Bank made a big interest rate increase. Treasury yields moved lower as investors sought safer places to park cash. THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.Wall Street drifted lower before the bell Thursday, even as European shares got a boost after Credit Suisse said it would borrow up to $54 billion from Switzerland’s central bank to shore up its finances, possibly easing worries about a bank crisis following the failure of two U.S. lenders.Futures for the Dow Jones Ind...

US jobless aid claims fell last week as layoffs remain low

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:29:27 GMT

Fewer Americans applied for jobless claims last week as the labor market continues to thrive despite the Federal Reserve’s efforts to cool the economy and tamp down inflation.Applications for jobless claims in the U.S. for the week ending March 11 fell by 20,000 to 192,000 from 212,000 the previous week, the Labor Department said Thursday. The four-week moving average of claims, which flattens out some of week-to-week volatility, fell by 750 to 196,500, remaining below the 200,000 threshold for the eighth straight week.Applications for unemployment benefits are seen as a barometer for layoffs in the U.S.In a note to clients, analysts at Oxford economics said there are still few signs that the recent jump in layoff announcements, particularly in the tech sector, is translating to a rise in unemployment. “Many announced layoffs don’t end up happening, and those that have been laid off are quickly finding work elsewhere, reflecting the ongoing imbalance between labor demand and s...

Europe’s central bank backs big rate hike despite bank chaos

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:29:27 GMT

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — The European Central Bank has carried through with a large interest rate increase Thursday, brushing aside predictions it might dial back as U.S. bank collapses and troubles at Credit Suisse fed fears about the impact of higher rates on the global banking system.The ECB hiked rates by half a percentage point Thursday, underlining its determination to fight high inflation. In a post-meeting statement, the bank called the banking sector in the 20 countries using the euro currency “resilient,” with strong finances.It says it’s “monitoring current market tensions closely and stands ready to respond as necessary to preserve price stability and financial stability in the euro area.”ECB head Christine Lagarde said last week that it was “very likely” the bank would raise its benchmarks by a half-percentage point, part of a series of rapid rate hikes aimed at getting inflation down from 8.5% — far above the bank’s target of 2%.That was before Silicon Valley Ba...

UK’s Cleverly tells struggling Moldova: ‘You are not alone’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:29:27 GMT

CHISINAU, Moldova (AP) — British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly visited Moldova’s capital Thursday, where he is set to pledge 10 million pounds ($12.5 million) in financial aid to help the small, embattled country tackle what his office called “malign interference” from Russia.Cleverly met with his Moldovan counterpart Nicu Popescu in Chisinau, where they will discuss efforts to support Moldova, a European Union candidate that has faced a protracted series of crises since Moscow launched its war in neighboring Ukraine.“You are not alone, we, together with international partners will help the Republic of Moldova to face this unprecedented, brutal war on your doorstep,” Cleverly said at a news conference. “With the exception of Ukraine, no other country has felt the impact of Putin’s cruel war more deeply than Moldova.”The British official’s visit marks the start of a regional trip that will also include Georgia, and comes at a turbulent time for the two former Sov...

Wholesale sales up 2.4% at $84.2B in January, led by food and equipment growth

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:29:27 GMT

OTTAWA — Statistics Canada says wholesale sales rose 2.4 per cent to $84.2 billion in January, led by growth in both the machinery, equipment and supplies and food, beverage and tobacco subsectors.The agency says sales increased in six of the seven subsectors, accounting for 84 per cent of wholesale sales.Sales of machinery, equipment, and supplies rose 3.2 per cent to $17.7 billion in January, following a sharp decline in December, while food, beverage and tobacco products sales grew 3.6 per cent to $15.7 billion, marking an increase for the second consecutive month.Motor vehicle and motor vehicle parts and accessories was the only subsector that saw a decline in January, down 2.4 per cent to $13.3 billion, due to a ramp up in sales in the final quarter of 2022 and companies gearing up production for more electrical vehicle sales.Wholesale sales in constant dollar sales grew two per cent in January.Last month, Statistics Canada reported wholesale sales fell 0.8 per cent to $82.2 bi...