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France backtracks on EU-only ammo for Ukraine

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:20:42 GMT

PARIS — Growing worries that the EU will fall short of its pledge to supply a million artillery shells to Ukraine by March is forcing France to do an about-face on its earlier insistence that the ammunition should only be sourced in Europe.However, before resorting to foreign suppliers, the EU needs to actually miss the March target, a senior French diplomat told POLITICO. “As long as we haven’t come to that conclusion, we won’t do it [buy abroad], but if we have to adjust, we’ll adjust,” they said.That’s a significant shift from France’s traditional position of encouraging national governments to buy European arms and ammunition. “We need European preference, because if we don’t encourage companies [to produce], we won’t get out of the cycle. But we know how to be flexible to help Ukraine,” the senior diplomat said.So far the bloc is well short of the million shell mark, sending Ukraine only about a third of that amount. Earlier this month,...

Hungary’s Viktor Orbán threatens to blow up EU’s Ukraine policy

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:20:42 GMT

BRUSSELS — Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is threatening to block all European Union aid for Ukraine, as well as the country’s future accession to the bloc, unless EU leaders agree to review their entire strategy of support for Kyiv, according to a letter seen by POLITICO.In the letter, addressed to European Council chief Charles Michel, the Hungarian leader says that no decision on funding for Ukraine, the opening of accession talks to the EU, or further sanctions against Russia can be taken until this “strategic discussion” happens when leaders gather in Brussels in mid-December.“The European Council should take stock of the implementation and effectiveness of our current policies towards Ukraine including various assistance programs,” Orban writes in the letter, which is undated but bears the stamp of his office.He also asks why Europe should continue to support Ukraine at a time when the United States, which has provided the bulk of mili...

Firefighters battling 3-alarm fire in Chelsea

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:20:42 GMT

Firefighters responded to a three-alarm fire in Chelsea Wednesday morning.Heavy smoke and flames could be seen billowing out of a building on Broadway around 9 a.m. Fire crews could be seen attempting entry through the charred rear of the building and on the roof hammering down. The 4th Street ramp on Route 1 northbound was closed due to the fire, according to MassDOT. Additionally, multiple streets around the site of the fire were blocked off by police. https://twitter.com/MassDOT/status/1727323822653919514?s=20This is a developing story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest updates.

2 charged in high-end brothel operations in Watertown, Cambridge expected in court

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:20:42 GMT

Two suspects facing charges in connection with the operation of high-end brothels in parts of Massachusetts and Eastern Virginia are expected in court today.The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts announced the brothel network’s breakup earlier this month, which officials believe had clients who included “elected officials, high tech and pharmaceutical executives, doctors, military officers, government contractors that possess security clearances, professors, attorneys, scientists and accountants, among others.”Han Lee, 41, of Cambridge, Mass., and Junmyung Lee, 30, of Dedham, Mass., are expected in court today. A third suspect, James Lee, 68, of Torrance, Calif., is under investigation.Citing charging documents at the time of their arrest, the US Attorney’s Office said that since at least July 2020, the suspects had operated an “interstate prostitution network” with brothels in Cambridge and Watertown in Massachusetts, along with locations in Fairfax a...

Boston police make animal cruelty arrest after witnessing suspect kick dog

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:20:42 GMT

A 26-year-old woman from Boston is facing an animal cruelty charge after police say they witnessed her kick a dog while they responded to a report of animal abuse.The Boston Police Department said the arrest came after officers heard the sound of a dog crying while walking in the area of Boston Common on Tuesday night around 8:40 p.m.According to the police department, a passerby told police that a woman was beating a dog near 131 Tremont St., leading to the officers responding to the area and coming across the suspect who they reportedly observed kicking the animal.“Officers were able to quickly separate the suspect from the dog, and moved the dog to a safe location as there was broken glass and unknown liquid on the ground,” Boston PD stated in a news release.Police went on to investigate the incident further and spoke with multiple witnesses who claimed to have seen the woman strike the dog “multiple times,” with officers learning she allegedly struck the ...

A population of hard-to-eradicate ‘super pigs’ in Canada is threatening to invade the US

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:20:42 GMT

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — An exploding population of hard-to-eradicate “super pigs” in Canada is threatening to spill south of the border, and northern states like Minnesota, North Dakota and Montana are taking steps to stop the invasion.In Canada, the wild pigs roaming Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba pose a new threat. They are often crossbreeds that combine the survival skills of wild Eurasian boar with the size and high fertility of domestic swine to create a “super pig” that’s spreading out of control.Ryan Brook, a professor at the University of Saskatchewan and one of Canada’s leading authorities on the problem, calls feral swine, “the most invasive animal on the planet” and “an ecological train wreck.”Pigs are not native to North America. While they’ve roamed parts of the continent for centuries, Canada’s problem dates back only to the 1980s when it encouraged farmers to raise wild boar, Brook said. The market collapsed after peaking in 2001 and some ...

Car dealership rampage: Man suspected of smashing windows arrested

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:20:42 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- A man was taken into custody Wednesday morning following a rampage at a car dealership in Kearny Mesa, authorities said.According to the San Diego Police Department, a call came in around 3:33 a.m. reporting a male suspect was seen breaking windows in a parking lot of at Kearny Mesa Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram, located at 8010 Balboa Ave. Substitute teacher arrested after suspected ‘inappropriate activity’ with teen: police A short time after, police said a security company also called and reported seeing a man on surveillance jumping on vehicles and breaking windows in the lot. They also said the suspect had broken one of the building's windows.According to witness statements, the man was seen "waving his arms and acting erratically."A damaged window is seen Kearny Mesa Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram on Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2023. (KSWB)Officers arrived to the scene and located the individual. The man was arrested at that time. SDPD said this is considered a felony vandalism case...

Passengers ejected in rollover crash in La Jolla, driver fled on foot

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:20:42 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- Three people were injured in an overnight rollover crash in La Jolla, authorities said Wednesday.According to the San Diego Police Department, the incident happened around 12:41 a.m. when a 19-year-old man was driving a 2005 Nissan Frontier westbound on 2200 block of Nautilus Street. Woman arrested after kidnapping attempt in East County The driver reportedly swerved and lost control of the vehicle, in turn, causing it to roll over several times, authorities explained. Two rear passengers were ejected during the crash.SDPD said the driver exited the vehicle and fled on foot. As of 6 a.m. Wednesday, he remains at large. Police believe alcohol was a factor in this incident.Three passengers were transported by ambulance to a local hospital, two with minor injuries and another with life-threatening injuries. SDPD's Traffic Division responded and is investigating the collision. Anyone with information related to the incident is encouraged to call Crime Stoppers at 888-580...

The ‘Oppenheimer’ creative team take you behind the scenes of the film’s key moments

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:20:42 GMT

Impossible is often just a starting point on a Christopher Nolan film and “Oppenheimer,”about the father of the atomic bomb, was no exception. In fact, it’s often where inspiration was born. During one especially stressful stretch, filmmakers lost their White House set five days before they had one day to shoot with Gary Oldman, who was flying in to play President Harry S. Truman. The wild scramble to find and construct a new Oval Office is detailed in a making-of documentary included in the newly available home entertainment release.Looking back on that moment now, producer Emma Thomas can’t help feeling bad about the timing. But she marveled at what the crew accomplished. She told them at the time that if there were ever a zombie apocalypse, they were the people she’d want to be with.“There’s nothing film crews can’t do. They will move mountains if they have to,” Thomas told The Associated Press. “Every day there’s something that happens and you have to figure out a way out ...

Black Friday is almost here. What to know about the holiday sales event’s history and evolution

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:20:42 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — If you didn’t already guess it from a barrage of sales ads in your inbox, the holiday shopping season is upon us. And Black Friday is right around the corner.While Black Friday may no longer look like the crowd-filled, in-person mayhem that it was just decades ago — in large part due to the rising dependence on online shopping that was accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic — the holiday sales event is still slated to attract millions of consumers.The National Retail Federation projects that an estimated 182 million are planning to shop in-stores and online through the five-day Thanksgiving weekend. Black Friday is set to lead the charge, making up for 130.7 million of the potential shoppers.At the same time, economists note that fear of inflation, while down from a year ago, is still a concern looming in consumers’ minds — and could lead to somewhat modest spending this season. The extension of Black Friday sales and growing strength of other shopping even...