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EU countries cut firefighter jobs despite climate crisis, new data shows

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:32 GMT

The number of firefighters in the EU is declining, even as the bloc faces more wildfires as a result of climate change.The bloc counted a total of 360,000 firefighters last year — 2,800 fewer than in 2021, according to new data released by EU statistics office Eurostat.“Cutting the number of firefighters in the midst of a climate crisis is a recipe for disaster,” Esther Lynch, general secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation, said in a statement Tuesday.“The increased fire risk caused by climate change has been clear for all to see this summer and we need to ensure our fire services have the staff and resources they need to do their life-saving work,” she added, calling on countries to boost investment in their firefighting fleets.According to Eurostat, 10 countries cut firefighting jobs between 2021 and 2022, with the largest drops recorded in France, Romania, Portugal, Slovakia, Bulgaria and Belgium. The number of firefighters in France dropped b...

Yankees believe playoffs are ‘doable’ despite growing hole: ‘We’re gonna be right in it’

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:32 GMT

The Yankees believe they can reach the summit, even as their playoff odds plummet.Following a 5-1 loss Monday night to the Chicago White Sox, the Yankees fell a season-high 5.5 games out of the third and final American League Wild Card spot. They entered Tuesday with 49 games remaining and a 10.7% probability of qualifying for the postseason, according to Fangraphs.“It’s doable,” ace Gerrit Cole said after taking the loss Monday. “Mountains are different sizes. The goal is just to get to the top, so whatever it takes.”Coming off a 99-win season and an AL East title, the Yankees entered the 2023 campaign with similar core players and 81.2% odds of making the playoffs. Those odds stood at 56.5% going into last month’s All-Star break, when the team was only a game out of the last postseason spot.The Yankees have faced their share of challenges. Reigning AL MVP Aaron Judge has missed nearly half of the team’s games, first with a hip strain and t...

Dear Abby: Date-rape photos bring back haunting memories

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:32 GMT

DEAR ABBY: My daughter was repeatedly date-raped at the age of 16. Her predator threatened to kill her if she ever told, so she kept it to herself until she could get away from him. It was a very scary time in her life, but with the help of counseling she is working through it and moving on with her life.The problem is, while visiting with my in-laws it was pointed out to us that my mother-in-law had made a collage of pictures and included in it the person who raped my daughter. In all, there are five pictures of him in group settings. When my husband asked her calmly to remove them, she refused. She says it would punish the other grandchildren if she removed the pictures, and it would “ruin her collage.”We have asked her three times, but she refuses to budge. She says we all need counseling and that the request is completely out of line. Do you think our request was out of line? — APPALLED IN ILLINOISDEAR APPALLED: Of course not! Was your mother-in-law aware of wh...

A tale of two teams: ‘Teletubby’ O’s players are having fun; autocratic ownership wants script approval | COMMENTARY

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:32 GMT

In less than one week’s time, two distinctly different images of the Baltimore Orioles have been presented to their fans. One is the widely-shared photograph of four of the team’s young stars walking through a tunnel at Camden Yards dressed in brightly hued track suits that were color coordinated to match their cyclops-style sunglasses, a look labeled “futuristic Teletubbies.” The other was news that MASN’s Kevin Brown had been suspended from his duties providing play-by-play during Orioles’ TV broadcasts for the past two weeks. Why? Apparently, for daring to acknowledge that the team has been losing quite a few games in recent years — specifically against the Tampa Rays.We leave to our readers to figure out which event is more temperamentally suited to nursery school.Ordinarily, we would be inclined to ignore internal disputes within the local baseball franchise, particularly when it’s so unrelated to the product on the field. Brown i...

Tornado warning issued for Cape Cod, flash flood warning for eastern Massachusetts

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:32 GMT

The National Weather Service issued a series of tornado warnings across eastern Massachusetts Tuesday morning, with the latest twister warning for Cape Cod.Residents were told to take cover around noontime, as radar indicated rotation over Barnstable.“Flying debris will be dangerous to those caught without shelter,” the National Weather Service wrote in an alert. “Mobile homes will be damaged or destroyed. Damage to roofs, windows, and vehicles will occur. Tree damage is likely.”“TAKE COVER NOW!” NWS added. “Move to a basement or an interior room on the lowest floor of a sturdy building. Avoid windows. If you are outdoors, in a mobile home, or in a vehicle, move to the closest substantial shelter and protect yourself from flying debris.”The tornado warning was expiring at 12:30 p.m., but damaging winds remained likely and a severe thunderstorm warning remained in effect for the area.Tornado warnings were issued in Middlesex and Worcest...

Woman seriously injured by rare shark bite off NYC’s Rockaway Beach

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:32 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — A woman was seriously injured after a shark bit her on the thigh while she was swimming at a New York City beach, officials said, a highly unusual attack that appears to be the first recorded bite on the city’s shoreline in decades. The 65-year-old woman, whose name has not been released, was swimming off Rockaway Beach just before 6 p.m. Monday when a shark bit her on the left leg, the city parks department said in a statement.Lifeguards pulled the woman from the water and administered first aid. The woman was taken to Jamaica Hospital in critical but stable condition with severe lacerations to her thigh, a police spokesperson said.A photograph of the woman’s injury shared by lifeguards showed a deep gash above her knee, with several inches of outer thigh missing and blood around the wound. The bite appeared to be far more serious than many of the other shark encounters reported in the region, which often involve the predators lightly nibbling the swimmer to determi...

DeSantis replaces his campaign manager as he continues a reset of his 2024 presidential bid

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:32 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis is replacing his campaign manager as the Florida governor continues to reset his stagnant presidential campaign. The Florida governor is bringing on James Uthmeier, his chief of staff from his state office, to serve as his campaign manager, replacing Generra Peck, who led DeSantis’ reelection campaign last year before jumping into the same role on his presidential bid.Peck will stay on as a strategist.The changes come after DeSantis made two big staff cuts in the past few weeks, laying off about a third of his staff in late July as the campaign faced financial trouble.“James Uthmeier has been one of Governor DeSantis’ top advisers for years, and he is needed where it matters most: working hand in hand with Generra Peck and the rest of the team to put the governor in the best possible position to win this primary and defeat Joe Biden,” campaign spokesman Andrew Romeo said in a statement.Politico in October obtained ...

Anti-discrimination group Kick it Out celebrates 30th anniversary with call for more action

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:32 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Celebrating its 30th anniversary, anti-discrimination group Kick It Out says 73% of soccer fans feel the sport has become more inclusive in that time but that even higher numbers believe more still needs to be done to tackle abuse in stadiums and online.Kick It Out’s Impact Report was released Tuesday to mark the organization’s landmark with an event held at Wembley Stadium. The group, which was founded in 1993, said it spoke to a total of 2,503 fans for its report, with more than two-thirds having been fans for 30 years or more. Its report also said that 76% of fans polled are concerned about the impact of online abuse on inclusivity in the game, and 85% said more needs to be done to tackle discrimination toward fans in stadiums. That rises to 87% over the need to do more to tackle abuse toward players at stadiums.The report said 70% of those surveyed believe they would probably or definitely call out a friend if they witnessed them engaging in discriminatory behavior...

Supreme Court reinstates regulation of ghost guns, firearms without serial numbers

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:32 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court is reinstating a regulation aimed at reining in the proliferation of ghost guns, firearms without serial numbers that have been turning up at crime scenes across the nation in increasing numbers.The court on Tuesday voted 5-4 to put on hold a ruling from a federal judge in Texas that invalidated the Biden administration’s regulation of ghost gun kits. The regulation will be in effect while the administration appeals the ruling to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans — and potentially the Supreme Court.Justices Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Clarence Thomas would have kept the regulation on hold during the appeals process.The Justice Department had told the court that local law enforcement agencies seized more than 19,000 ghost guns at crime scenes in 2021, a more than tenfold increase in just five years.“The public-safety interests in reversing the flow of ghost guns to dangerous and otherwise prohibite...

A longshot Republican is entering the US Senate race in Wisconsin against Sen. Tammy Baldwin

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:32 GMT

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A longshot candidate for U.S. Senate in Wisconsin who has never run for office in the state before plans to launch her candidacy Tuesday, becoming the first Republican to officially get in the race against Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin.Rejani Raveendran, a 40-year-old college student and chair of the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point College Republicans, planned to announce her candidacy for the 2024 election at an evening event in Stevens Point, according to her campaign. Several other higher-profile Republicans have decided against taking on Baldwin as she seeks a third term in a presidential election year. U.S. Reps. Mike Gallagher and Tom Tiffany have both opted against a run. Other Republicans considering getting in the race include Madison businessman and 2012 Senate candidate Eric Hovde, Franklin businessman Scott Mayer and former Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke.Raveendran declined to comment ahead of the campaign launch event to The Associated ...