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British destroyer to police Red Sea as part of US task force

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 22:02:01 GMT

The United Kingdom has deployed a naval destroyer to the Red Sea as part of a coalition to counter attacks by Iran-backed Houthi rebels from Yemen on commercial vessels sailing through a major trade chokepoint, Defense Secretary Grant Shapps said Tuesday.The HMS Diamond has already been active in the area to bolster efforts to protect merchant vessels, but will now formally join the United States-led Operation Prosperity Guardian aimed at safeguarding navigation in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, a critical shipping lane for oil and container traffic. More than a tenth of global maritime trade passes through those waters with more than 23,000 sailings a year through the Bab-el-Mandeb strait between Yemen and the Horn of Africa, according to the British government.Over the weekend, HMS Diamond shot down a drone with a Sea Viper anti-aircraft missile as attacks on merchant vessels ramp up. At present, three U.S. destroyers are in the region alongside a French warship, the Minis...

More than 120,000 still without power as recovery from Monday storm continues

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 22:02:01 GMT

More than 120,000 residents were still without power Tuesday morning, waking up the day after a wet and windy storm rocked southern New England. Many schools are closed Tuesday due to continued issues with power; Cohasset, Duxbury, Marshfield, Norwell, Pembroke, Millis, South Shore Christian Academy, and Southeastern Regional Vocational Technical, and Foxborough Regional Charter are closed all day. Scituate closed schools for Tuesday morning. At the storm’s peak, around 12:30 p.m. Monday, the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency reported more than 285,000 outages statewide, with South Shore communities among the hardest hit.“Our crews worked throughout the day today, where safe to do so, and will continue throughout the night and around the clock to restore power to our customers as quickly and safely as possible,” Tim Moore, National Grid’s Vice President for Electric Operations for New England said Monday night in a statement. &...

Services for MA airmen killed in helicopter crash to be held this week

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 22:02:01 GMT

Staff Sergeant Jacob Galliher, of Pittsfield, will be laid to rest this week. Galliher was among the eight crew members killed in a Nov. 29 Osprey helicopter crash off the coast of Japan, which occurred during a training mission. His remains were returned to the United States and to his family last week. A wake will be held Tuesday from 2 to 6 p.m. at St. Agnes Catholic Community , 489 Main St. in Dalton, and Galliher’s funeral will take place Wednesday at 11 a.m. at the same location. “Our hearts are filled with love and loss as we honor our beloved Jacob today and tomorrow,” the Galliher family said in a statement. “We are beyond grateful for the outpouring of support from those who loved Jake most, from throughout the Berkshires, from his Air Force and military family, from across Massachusetts and from around the world. Your love and support have brought us tremendous comfort, strength and solace during these unbearably difficult times.”Galliher, 24, is s...

The FAA will convene a new panel to address air traffic controller fatigue following repeated close calls, sources say

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 22:02:01 GMT

(CNN) — The Federal Aviation Administration is taking a new step to address its overworked and chronically understaffed air traffic controller corps, CNN has learned.The agency is expected to announce this week that it is convening a special panel to review the impact and safety risks of on-the-job fatigue facing air traffic controllers, two sources familiar with the announcement said. The FAA declined to comment.The move follows a string of near-collisions this year involving commercial flights on or near the runways of major airports. Short-staffed air traffic control towers was among the issues cited in a report last month from an expert panel the FAA assembled to address the close calls.In a near-collision at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas in February, the air traffic controller involved was working an overtime shift during a six-day workweek, according to investigative findings released last month by the National Tra...

Coronavirus subvariant JN.1 growing fast in US, already dominant in the Northeast

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 22:02:01 GMT

(CNN) — The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that the coronavirus subvariant JN.1 is now causing about 20% of new Covid-19 infections in this country, and it’s the fastest-growing strain of the virus. It’s already dominant in the Northeast, where it is estimated to cause about a third of new infections.JN.1 is descended from BA.2.86, or Pirola, a subvariant that came to the world’s attention over the summer because of the large number of changes to its spike proteins: more than 30. Scientists feared that it was so mutated that it would completely escape the protection of vaccines and antibodies against Covid-19, perhaps sparking another tidal wave of illness the way the original Omicron variant did in 2021.That never happened, but BA.2.86 hung around, growing very slowly in some countries, including the US. Some studies suggested that it never really took off because it may have lost some of its ability to infect our cells.Enter JN.1, which...

Florida man pleads guilty to threatening to kill a Supreme Court justice

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 22:02:01 GMT

(CNN) — A Florida man pleaded guilty last week to threatening to kill a Supreme Court justice.Neal Brij Sidhwaney, 43, of Fernandina Beach, Florida, called the Supreme Court on July 31 “and left an expletive-laden, threatening voicemail message” for a member of the high court, according to a Justice Department news release.Sidhwaney was arrested in August, court records show. He pleaded guilty on Friday to transmitting an interstate threat to kill.The Justice Department did not identify which justice was the target of the threatening phone call, but online court documents revealed the threat was made against Chief Justice John Roberts.“The identified official is Chief Justice John Roberts whom he allegedly contacted by phone call and threatened to kill,” according to a competency assessment of Sidhwaney filed online with a federal court in Florida.CNN has reached out to Sidhwaney’s attorney.The US Supreme Court Police Protective Intelligence Unit investigated the case...

Column: Chicago Cubs Convention reminder leaves White Sox fans wondering about SoxFest

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 22:02:01 GMT

The announcement of Cubs Convention events Monday helped Cubs fans temporarily forget about the team’s lack of any offseason signings, while simultaneously reminding White Sox fans that SoxFest remains on hiatus.Fan fests have been an annual winter marketing tool for our two teams since the Cubs invented the genre in 1986 as a way to get people interested in the upcoming season and maybe sell a few tickets. The main difference between the two local fan fests is that Cubs fans generally want autographs and to be close to the players, while Sox fans want their pound of flesh from management for the team’s inadequacies.This would’ve been a nice chance for first-year general manager Chris Getz to get his first official grilling, though it’s hard to imagine the genial Getz barking back like his predecessors.Oh well. Maybe next year.Whether these fan fests are an outdated idea in 2024 is debatable, but traditions in Chicago are worth preserving, so for the Cubs, th...

4 takeaways from the Chicago Bulls’ victory over the 76ers, including Nikola Vučević’s scoring and Alex Caruso’s return

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 22:02:01 GMT

Over the course of three weeks, the Chicago Bulls seem to have found the resiliency they’ve been seeking for the past three seasons.Monday’s 108-104 win over the 76ers in Philadelphia captured the tectonic shift that has lifted the Bulls into a 6-3 streak over the last nine games.The Bulls scrabbled back from an early 16-4 deficit in the first quarter, regaining a one-point lead by the end of the frame on the back of Coby White’s decisive play at the rim. And when the 76ers regained the lead for the first time with 7:33 left in regulation, the Bulls stuck to what appears to be their new mantra — bend, but don’t break.Absorbing the fourth-quarter force of a championship-contending team — and the star power of Joel Embiid — required a balanced approach.Patrick Williams scored a pair of 3-pointers and swatted away a shot by Tyrese Maxey. DeMar DeRozan forced his way to the line twice in the final two minutes. Nikola Vučević sank anoth...

Statistics Canada reports record population growth in Q3, population grows by 430,000

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 22:02:01 GMT

OTTAWA — Canada’s population grew by more than 430,000 during the third quarter, marking the fastest pace of population growth in any quarter since 1957.Statistics Canada released its population estimates as of Oct. 1, which shows Canada’s population topped 40.5 million.It says country’s total population growth over the first nine months of the year has already surpassed the total growth in any other full year, including the record set in 2022.The record-high population growth has been fuelled by international migration, with an increase in non-permanent residents making up most of this increase.The report shows the number of non-permanent residents increased by about 313,000 over the three-month period.The federal agency says the increase in non-permanent residents was driven by work and study permit holders, and to a lesser extent, refugee claimants.This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 19, 2023. The Canadian Press

Man charged, $1M in drugs seized after officers discover pill lab at Richmond Hill townhouse

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 22:02:01 GMT

A man is facing several charges after police discovered a drug lab at a Richmond Hill townhouse last week.In a release, York Regional Police said officers were called to a home near 16th Avenue and Bayview Avenue around 9:30 p.m. on Dec. 11 for reports of unknown trouble.Officers arrived and found a man inside a townhouse unit. Police allege a further investigation revealed the residence was being used as a secret drug lab that “was actively pressing hundreds of pills suspected to be oxycodone.”Officers returned the next day with a search warrant and seized 23 kilograms of various powders, 781 litres of liquids, more than 34,000 and pill-making paraphernalia. Police also seized rounds of 9mm caliber ammunition.The total street value of the drugs seized is more than $1 million, according to the police release.Police say 35-year-old Richmond Hill resident Zoltan Mootoo is facing eight charges, including three counts of drug possession with the purpose of trafficking. Polic...