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Spain votes by mail in record numbers, as conservatives feud with the postal service

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:18 GMT

MADRID — Spain’s conservatives have a new boogeyman: The postal service. Ahead of next weekend’s national election, post offices across the country have been mobbed by voters seeking to sign up for mail-in balloting before the deadline for that option expires this Thursday. Spain’s center-right Popular Party, however, isn’t happy — and is accusing the postal service of meddling in the election. According to Correos, the state-owned postal service, a whopping 94,000 Spaniards filed for mail-in voting on Wednesday. Madrid resident Alejandro Rodríguez, who is registered to vote in his hometown of Las Palmas in the Canary Islands, was one of them.“I waited until the last moment, more because of laziness than anything else,” he admitted sheepishly. “But fortunately it was all super straightforward: I came extra early, at 8:30 in the morning, and there was barely any line so I was done within 15 minutes.”It’s the first time that Spain ...

Fossil fuels still ‘elephant in the room’ as COP28 chief lays out plan

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:18 GMT

The COP28 presidency’s long-awaited plan for this year’s climate summit in Dubai spotlights renewables but sidesteps questions over the role of fossil fuels. With less than five months until the conference kicks off, COP28 President Sultan Al-Jaber has come under increasing pressure to outline a clearer vision for the talks. On Thursday, during a visit to Brussels, the embattled COP leader finally presented an agenda — a plan that was widely welcomed as a step forward but criticized for its muddled message on fossil fuels. “Today, I am calling on all of us to disrupt business as usual, unite around decisive action and achieve game-changing results,” Al-Jaber told officials attending the annual Ministerial on Climate Action, a conference co-convened by the EU, Canada and China. Calling on countries to engage in “brutally honest” negotiations at the summit, Al-Jaber said his plan was “guided by a single north star, and that is keeping 1.5C within reach.”He out...

Person suffers life-threatening injuries after daylight shooting in Mattapan

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:18 GMT

Boston police are investigating after a daylight shooting in the city’s Mattapan neighborhood left a victim with life-threatening injuries.The department told 7NEWS officers were first called to the area of 35 Fessenden St. just after 2 p.m. for a report of a shooting.Authorities said a victim was located there and transported to a hospital.Police officers and detectives could be seen taping off the street as an investigation got underway. Additional details on the victim or what led up to the shooting have not yet been released.This is a developing story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest updates.

South Korean zoo celebrates birth of first twin pandas

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:18 GMT

(CNN) — A giant panda at a South Korean zoo has given birth to the country’s first twin cubs.The palm-sized female pandas were born at the Everland Resort theme park southeast of the capital Seoul on July 7, the zoo said in a statement Tuesday.Video posted to YouTube showed their mother Ai Bao picking up the first cub, weighing 180 grams (6 ounces), with her mouth, then delivering the second cub, weighing 140 grams, an hour later.The twins’ birth is considered rare – there’s less than a 50% chance of pandas giving birth to twins – and in the wild, they struggle to survive as mothers can often only care for one of their cubs.Both the mother and her offspring are in good health, the zoo said in a statement, with staff providing postpartum care based on their experience helping the now 9-year-old deliver her first cub, Fu Bao, three years ago.“I am very happy that twin baby pandas were born for the first time in Korea,” said Kang Cheol-won, a zookeeper responsible for setting...

Famed ESPN analyst Dick Vitale diagnosed with vocal cord cancer

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:18 GMT

(CNN) — ESPN analyst Dick Vitale says he has been diagnosed with vocal cord cancer.“I’m sorry to share that I received tough news today from Dr. ( Steven) Zeitels about my throat,” Vitale wrote on Twitter. “The tests on the tissues they removed showed that I have vocal cord cancer and will need six weeks of radiation to treat it. Dr. Z tells me that it has an extremely high cure rate, and that radiation, not surgery is the best path.“I plan to fight like hell to be ready to call games when the college hoops season tips off in the Fall. Dr. Z feels that scenario is entirely possible. I want to say that I have been so touched by the tweets, texts, notes, and prayers, and will ask all of you to continue to send positive vibes.”Vitale, one of the most recognizable voices in US sports announcing known for his bombastic style and love of the game, has previously had lengthy battles with lymphoma and melanoma.He announced in 2021 that he had lymphoma having already had ...

Boston Police respond to Mattapan shooting, victim has ‘life-threatening injuries’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:18 GMT

A shooting victim was transported to the hospital with “life-threatening injuries” after a report of shots fired in Mattapan Thursday afternoon, according to police.Boston Police responded to the area of 35 Fessenden St., in Mattapan for a reported shooting at around 2:05 p.m.The person who was shot was transported to the hospital with “life-threatening injuries,” a Boston Police spokesperson said.The age of the victim was not immediately reported by police.The BPD spokesperson added, “It’s a very active investigation.”Related ArticlesCrime & Public Safety | Boston Police make arrest tied to Mattapan mass shooting, recover loaded gun Crime & Public Safety | Crime Briefs: Girl, 13, shot in Dorchester, Boston Police Department says Developing…

LeBron James says he’s not retiring after openly pondering his NBA future

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:18 GMT

LeBron James isn’t calling it quits just yet.The Lakers star plans to return for a 21st NBA season after openly pondering his future, he confirmed during an acceptance speech at the 2023 ESPY Awards.“I don’t care how many more points I score or what I can and cannot do on the floor,” James said Wednesday night. “The real question for me is can I play without cheating this game? The day I can’t give the game everything on the floor is the day I’ll be done. Lucky for you guys, the day is not today.”The announcement earned a big cheer from the crowd at Los Angeles’ Dolby Theatre, where James was awarded with Best Record-Breaking Performance for becoming the NBA’s all-time leading scorer.James, 38, has spoken about his desire to play with his 18-year-old son, Bronny James, an incoming USC freshman who is draft-eligible next year.But James, a four-time NBA Finals winner, was noncommittal about his return after the Lakers were sw...

As All-Star break nears end without new Camden Yards lease, Orioles and Gov. Moore say they’re ‘determined to make it happen’ before year-end expiration

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:18 GMT

Both baseball season and the calendar year have passed their respective midpoints. The Orioles remain without a long-term lease to keep them at Camden Yards.In February, Orioles CEO and Chairman John Angelos said he would “love to have [a new lease] as an All-Star break gift for everybody, really, in the community.” The All-Star break ends Friday, when the Orioles begin the second half of their season against the Miami Marlins, but no new deal has been struck between the team and the Maryland Stadium Authority, which serves as its landlord at Oriole Park.In a joint statement Thursday from Democrat Gov. Wes Moore and the Orioles, the two sides did not provide particulars on lease negotiations, but said progress is being made on their “vision to expand and revitalize the Camden Yards campus.”“We are determined to make it happen, and soon,” the statement said.Earlier in the week, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said his “view of the future of the ...

Andrew Tate sues his accusers in human trafficking case

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:18 GMT

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Controversial social media personality Andrew Tate and his brother are suing a Florida woman, saying she falsely accused them of imprisoning her in Romania, leading to their arrest there on human trafficking charges.The widely followed former professional kickboxer and his brother, Tristan, are seeking at least $5 million in the lawsuit, which was filed in Palm Beach County against the woman, her parents, another woman who lived at the Tates’ Bucharest estate and a male friend of the woman. The Tates say the five conspired to falsely accuse them of human trafficking and rape, costing them their freedom and millions of dollars in income from their lucrative social media, podcasting and business ventures. The lawsuit says the woman and her parents are residents of Palm Beach County, which is why it was filed there on Tuesday. Romanian officials arrested the Tates in December and indicted them last month, saying the brothers forced seven victims into ...

Top vote-getter in Guatemala’s presidential election suspends campaign in solidarity with opponent

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:18 GMT

GUATEMALA CITY (AP) — The top vote-getter in the first round of Guatemala’s presidential election said Thursday she is suspending her campaign activities in solidarity with her opponent, whose party is being pursued by prosecutors.Sandra Torres said in a news conference that the current playing field between herself and Seed Party candidate Bernardo Arévalo is uneven. “We want to demonstrate our solidarity with the voters of the Seed party and also with those who came out to vote,” Torres said. “As a candidate I want to compete under equal conditions.”Torres’ announcement came the same day that the country’s top prosecutors raided the headquarters of the electoral authority just hours after it certified the June 25 results of the first round of the presidential election.The move by the Attorney General’s Office appeared aimed at stopping Arévalo, whose campaign platform is eliminating corruption, and it immediately sparked objections from within and outside Guatema...