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Swedish investigators: ‘Difficult’ to confirm who blew up Nord Stream

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 16:58:11 GMT

It will be “difficult” to confirm who was behind last year’s attacks on the Nord Stream gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea, Swedish authorities investigating the incident said.In a statement Thursday, Mats Ljungqvist, the prosecutor leading the Swedish investigation, said his team hoped “to be able to confirm who has committed this crime,” but that the circumstances were “difficult to investigate.”Ljungqvist said it was still most likely that a state actor was responsible for the incident. “We don’t rule out anything, but that it is a state actor who is directly or at least indirectly behind this is of course our absolute main scenario,” he said.He also cautioned that the incident had “become an open arena for different influence attempts.”Explosions on the undersea pipelines in September 2022 caused severe damage, and triggered separate investigations in three different countries. The pipelines connect Russia and Germany.The incident, which Swedish authorities have p...

Fear of economic ‘lost decade’ hangs over world leaders in Washington

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 16:58:11 GMT

WASHINGTON – Global finance ministers and central bankers will descend on Washington in the coming days amid economic turmoil that could tip the world into recession. And they will struggle to mount a coordinated response.The war in Ukraine, stubbornly high inflation, rising interest rates, a fragile banking system and slower growth in China are all looming threats.There are also growing tensions among nations, with wealthy countries furiously hiking interest rates to kill soaring prices but creating crushing debt burdens in the developing world. China is competing for influence with the U.S. and the EU, which are facing their own conflicts over trade. And Russia’s geopolitical role continues to sharply divide governments.“It’s going to be chaotic,” said Douglas Rediker, who represented the U.S. on the board of the International Monetary Fund from 2010 to 2012.Underscoring the budding fears, the World Bank last month warned of a looming “lost decade” for the economy that could sap m...

Nurse practitioner gets 7 years for cheating insurers out of almost $12M

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 16:58:11 GMT

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — A nurse practitioner who defrauded health insurers and Medicare out of nearly $12 million by seeking payments for patient services that were never performed has been sentenced to seven years in prison.Alexander Istomin, 57, submitted fraudulent claims for in-person patient services that he falsely claimed to have performed at offices in Rhode Island, New York and Florida, the U.S. attorney’s office in Rhode Island said in a statement Wednesday.In some cases, patients that Istomin claimed to have met in person were in another country at the time. Some visits took place at a ghost office in East Greenwich, Rhode Island, that Istomin claimed was part of his medical practice when it was used solely for the purpose of receiving mail, prosecutors said.He also used patient names and other information to get prescriptions filled, which he would keep and then distribute to others, prosecutors said.He also waived copayments for some Medicare patients, which is pr...

Jurors’ names in NH crash trial won’t be released, judge rules

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 16:58:11 GMT

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — A judge denied a newspaper’s request for jurors’ names in the case of a truck driver who was acquitted of all counts for the deaths of seven motorcyclists, saying Tuesday that the panel endured harsh criticism from many, including the governor, and feared for their safety.The Boston Globe sought the names following the August 2022 trial of Volodymyr Zhukovskyy. The jury acquitted him of causing the deaths in a head-on collision in New Hampshire in 2019 that exposed fatal flaws in the process for revoking licenses across states.New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu and Attorney General John Formella criticized the verdict. Sununu said he shared in the “shock, outrage, and anger that so many have expressed” since the crash.“The Fallen Seven did not receive justice today, and that is an absolute tragedy,” he said, referring to the victims.The jury deliberated for less than three hours after a two-week trial during which prosecutors argued that Zhukov...

Man charged after platypus is taken from the wild and onto a train

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 16:58:11 GMT

(CNN) — A 26-year-old man has been charged with allegedly removing a platypus from its natural habitat in Morayfield, a town in Australia, Queensland Police said on Thursday following a hunt for the suspect and animal.Police allege that the man, accompanied by a woman, took the platypus from a local waterway on Tuesday and traveled by train to the nearby town of Caboolture where they entered a shopping mall and showed the animal to members of the public.The man, who has not been named, was charged with one count of taking a protected animal and a restriction on keeping or using a protected animal. Such charges can carry a maximum penalty of 431,250 AUD (about $289,000), police added.The platypus’ current condition is unknown. Although police were advised that the animal was released into the nearby Caboolture River, it has not yet been located by authorities.Queensland Police cautioned that a platypus can become sick or die while out of its natural habitat and ...

Dolphins NFL draft options: Offensive line

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 16:58:11 GMT

The South Florida Sun Sentinel continues its eight-part series previewing top players in the 2023 NFL draft (April 27-29) with offensive linemen. The offensive tackle selection is top notch while the interior offensive line selection is decent. The Dolphins, such as most teams, could use help at a few offensive line positions. Two keys for the Dolphins are starting right tackle, which protects quarterback Tua Tagovailoa’s blind side, and a backup left tackle for Terron Armstead.Peter Skoronski, OT-G, NorthwesternSkoronski (6 foot 4, 313 pounds), a left tackle in college, could play either guard or tackle. The problem is he has short arms (32.25 inches), which means he’s better suited for guard than tackle. Still, technique-wise he’s NFL ready at either position.Paris Johnson, OT, Ohio StateJohnson (6-6, 313) played left tackle last season after playing right guard in 2021. He’s probably a better run blocker than pass blocker. His long arms — more than 3...

‘23 RAM Rebel is overbudget

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 16:58:11 GMT

Welcome back RAM to Grasso’s Garage!For the vast array of trucks in the consumer23 Dodge Rebel Power Wagon. Photo By Marc Grasso23 Dodge Rebel Power Wagon. Photo By Marc Grasso23 Dodge Rebel Power Wagon. Photo By Marc Grasso23 Dodge Rebel Power Wagon. Photo By Marc Grasso23 Dodge Rebel Power Wagon. Photo By Marc Grasso23 Dodge Rebel Power Wagon. Photo By Marc Grasso23 Dodge Rebel Power Wagon. Photo By Marc Grasso23 Dodge Rebel Power Wagon. Photo By Marc Grasso23 Dodge Rebel Power Wagon. Photo By Marc GrassoShow Caption of Expandmarket, RAM has always been a favorite in Grasso’s Garage as their comfort tops all manufactures. This week ,the 2023 RAM 2500 Rebel Crew Cab is back and looking for a slice of the review pie. Can their past excellence continue?Our tester, the RAM 2500 Rebel Crew Cab 4WD is one for the books, but that is because of the price tag… Our tester although came with a realistic $68K base price tag, optioned up ended over $91K; unrealistic for the everyday c...

China’s Xi calls for Ukraine peace talks to resume

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 16:58:11 GMT

BEIJING (AP) — Chinese leader Xi Jinping called Thursday for peace talks over Ukraine after French President Emmanuel Macron appealed to him to “bring Russia to its senses,” but Xi gave no indication Beijing would use its leverage as Vladimir Putin’s diplomatic partner to press for a settlement.Xi gave no sign China, which declared it had a “no limits friendship” with Moscow before last year’s attack, had changed its stance since calling for peace talks in February. But he added his personal authority by repeating the appeal at a joint event with Macron in front of reporters.“Peace talks should resume as soon as possible,” Xi said.Beijing, which sees Moscow as a partner in opposing U.S. domination of global affairs, has tried to appear neutral in the conflict but has given Putin diplomatic support and repeated Russian justifications for the February 2022 attack. Xi received an effusive welcome from Putin when he visited Moscow last month, giving the isolated Russian president a poli...

John Kerry’s Gmail account ‘discouraged’ but still defended by State Department, sort of

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 16:58:11 GMT

The U.S. State Department argues Climate czar John Kerry can use a personal Gmail account for government business — despite the risky practice being “discouraged” in the very manual they cite.The “Foreign Affairs Manual” referenced, particularly section 5 FAM 434, does not support outside messages.“All Department personnel with an official State Department email account are discouraged from using a personal email account(s),” including Gmail, the manual reads. That section goes on to add Gmail can be used in “very limited circumstances.”It also clearly states “convenience is not an appropriate reason” to use outside email.The State Department’s push-back on Kerry’s behalf comes after the Herald reported Sunday that the former Massachusetts senator and onetime Democratic presidential candidate was cc’d a Climate memo to a Gmail account.It’s all part of an ongoing struggle by the Herald and watch...

New exhibit explores significance of Mexica’s lunar goddess

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 16:58:11 GMT

MEXICO CITY (AP) — A new exhibit hosted by Museum of Templo Mayor in Mexico City marks the 45th anniversary of the discovery of a monolith depicting Coyolxauhqui, the Mexica lunar goddess. The finding was a milestone for Mexican archaeology, as it shed light on Mexica civilization before the Spanish conquest.“Coyolxauhqui: The star, the goddess, the discovery” displays more than 150 archaeological objects focused on the mythology, symbolism and scientific research around this deity (whose name is pronounced Koy-ol-shauw-kee). The exhibit runs through June 4.For almost 500 years, the exact location of Templo Mayor remained a mystery. The religious complex was demolished shortly after Spanish conqueror Hernán Cortés ordered the destruction of every building in Tenochtitlan, capital of the Mexica empire, around 1521. Patricia Ledesma, archaeologist and director of Museum of Templo Mayor, said that her predecessors undertook the task of rescuing the traces of the Mexica civilization aft...