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Russia’s ‘cynical’ actions at border aim to sow discontent, Finland says

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 08:57:21 GMT

Russia’s attempts to flood the Finnish border with migrants are “deliberate, cynical, hybrid actions” aimed at sowing anxiety and discontent, said Finland’s Minister of European Affairs Anders Adlercreutz. “It’s not really about trying to get a lot of people across the border,” Adlercreutz said in an interview Thursday. “It’s a proof of concept, making us aware that it views this kind of hybrid action as a tool that it can use, whenever it feels that it’s appropriate or needed.”On Tuesday, Finland completely closed its border with Russia for two weeks amid growing accusations that Moscow was encouraging asylum seekers to travel across its frontier into the EU and NATO country. Since then, Adlercreutz said, the “situation has calmed down,” with virtually no traffic at the border, which he called another indication that the actions were deliberate.While Adlercreutz said the number of migrants itself was not large enough to overwhelm Finland’s resources — approx...

Calviño’s EIB ‘coronation’ triggers claims of bad practice

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 08:57:21 GMT

BRUSSELS ― The stars have aligned for Nadia Calviño to become the next head of the European Investment Bank. But the saga isn’t over and it’s getting a bit heated.As the Spanish finance minister’s supporters scramble to assemble a coalition of countries to turn a vote next week into a coronation, there are others ― notably those favoring her main rival, Margrethe Vestager ― still refusing to play ball.After months of consultations, Belgian Finance Minister Vincent Van Peteghem, as leader of the selection process, sent a letter to his EU counterparts on Thursday, endorsing the Spaniard for the role, POLITICO revealed. Officials say that while it remains unclear whether Calviño has the backing of the required 18 of the bloc’s 27 countries, let alone the consensus that governments originally wanted, Van Peteghem is trying to unblock the process by putting forward Calviño.“In case you object to this name, please formulate your objection in writing by Mo...

Surveillance video captures smash-and-grab at store in East Boston

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 08:57:21 GMT

A shocking smash was recently caught on camera in East Boston, with surveillance video showing people smashing through a door before also smashing display cases at a local business. The break-in happened around 4:30 a.m. Tuesday. Store owner Juan Posada spoke to 7NEWS on Friday, reacting to the incident and describing the damage left behind. “They just went in with a sledgehammer,” he said. Posada has owned Aries Communications in Maverick Square for decades. In video of the robbery this week, someone can be seen first hitting the store’s door. A short time later, the person is seen kicking the door, eventually breaking it. Two people then enter the store where one is seen breaking a display case. A third person also crawls into the store. The people in this incident are seen grabbing various items and leaving quickly. Speaking with 7NEWS, Posada said he thinks the thieves were teens or young adults. He continued, saying he hopes more is done to k...

Macaulay Culkin celebrated by ‘Home Alone’ mom Catherine O’Hara at his Walk of Fame ceremony

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 08:57:21 GMT

(CNN) — He’s the boy who was left to his own devices in everyone’s favorite holiday comedy, and on Friday he got some recognition in Hollywood.Macaulay Culkin, star of ’90s classics “Home Alone” and “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York” among many other titles, received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame this week. There to congratulate him was his onscreen mom from the beloved franchise, Catherine O’Hara.O’Hara – who famously realized she left her son “Kevin!” home while on a plane to France for Christmas in the 1990 Chris Columbus and John Hughes movie – said on Friday that the reason “Home Alone” was and is so beloved is because of Culkin.“It is Macaulay’s perfect performance as Kevin McAllister that gave us that little everyboy on an extraordinary adventure,” she said.“I know you worked really hard,” O’Hara continued, “but you made acting look like the most natural thing in the world to do.”As Culkin stood beside her, looking suave while decked out in wayfarer shades...

Jayson Tatum ejected, but Celtics survive for wild victory over 76ers

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 08:57:21 GMT

Jayson Tatum had to be restrained. Even well after he said the magic word that got him ejected for just the second time in his career, Tatum continued barking at referee Bill Kennedy – a rare display of emotion from the Celtics superstar – so much so that he had to be held back by coaches Joe Mazzulla and Charles Lee before he headed down to the tunnel.Tatum’s frustrating night – which ended with seven turnovers – had boiled over, and the Celtics were teetering against a 76ers squad without stars Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. The sequence that Tatum was ejected – with one second remaining – led to a lead for Philadelphia. The Celtics’ defense had been absent all night, and as boos rained down at TD Garden following the ejection, it looked grim.But Mazzulla challenged the Celtics to get it together defensively, and they responded. They created havoc on that end of the floor. Without Tatum, everybody stepped up down the stretch. Patrick Beverley and the 76ers gave the Celtics all they...

Las Vegas police search for suspect after 5 homeless people are shot, killing 2

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 08:57:21 GMT

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Five homeless people were shot in Las Vegas on Friday, two of them fatally, and police were searching for a lone suspect, authorities said. The shooting occurred around 5:30 p.m. near a freeway overpass in the northeastern part of the city, according to Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Lt. Mark Lourenco.Two people died and three others suffered non-life-threatening injuries. All the victims were unhoused, Lourenco said. “We believe this is an isolated event,” Lourenco responded in a text when asked if there was an active shooter situation.One shooter was involved, but a suspect had not been captured, he said Friday evening.The shooting comes after police in Los Angeles announced Friday they are searching for a suspect in the fatal shootings of three homeless people in separate incidents last month. The Associated Press

65 years later: The lasting impact of the Our Lady of Angels tragedy

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 08:57:21 GMT

CHICAGO — The Chicago School fire that stunned the nation happened 65 years ago Friday. Our Lady of the Angels fire took the lives of 92 children and three nuns.In part one, we heard from some of the survivors.Now a look at the lasting impact of the tragedy.On December 1st, 1958, 200 firefighters from across the city rushed to Our Lady of the Angels school. Despite all their efforts they were fighting a losing battle. The inferno had won.Less than two months prior, this document shows Our Lady of the Angels had passed its fire inspection, but the school had been grandfathered in with fire codes from 1949.At 11, Luci Mordini escaped by falling out of her classroom window, 25-feet below. She was hospitalized for 24 days with burns to her arm and back.“We were in one of the rooms that had the fire on two sides,” she said.Not long after the fire, the work began to prevent this from ever happening again.Sweeping changes in the fire codes were enforced in schools throughout the U.S. inclu...

Chicago releases environmental report on potential Brighton Park migrant tent site

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 08:57:21 GMT

CHICAGO -- The mayor’s office released a nearly 800 page environmental report on the site where a migrant tent camp will potentially be going in Brighton Park.The Brighton Park community has been fighting the construction of a migrant tent camp at 38th Street and California Avenue with one of the concerns being that neighbors believe the land is contaminated.The consultants that the city hired to do the inspection of the nine acre site found some items that need to be remediated.At one sample location, the consultants found a level of mercury that exceeds what they call "remediation objectives," which the consultants say they removed and disposed of it at a landfill. Elk Grove passes ordinance to help migrants while keeping community safe They also found DEHP, that's identified by the CDC as a human carcinogen that’s used in the production of PVC, in a soil sample. That soil will also reportedly be removed.Another part of the soil was found to have a high level of a two semivolit...

Paul Lisnek on Burke trial, Smollett ruling, and more

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 08:57:21 GMT

WGN Political Analyst Paul Lisnek joined WGN Evening News to discuss several big stories from the week.The topics include the latest on the Ed Burke trial, Jessie Smollett ruling, assault weapons update, George Santos being expelled from Congress, former President Donald Trump trails, remembering Sandra Day O’Connor, Rosalynn Carter, and Henry Kissinger.Read more: Latest Chicago news headlinesTune in on Sundays for WGN-TV Political Report with Paul Lisnek.

Austin Special Olympian takes home national golf title, hopes to inspire others

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 08:57:21 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — For decades, the Special Olympics has been an outlet for athletes to form friendships, learn about sportsmanship and of course compete. There is one local athlete who has done all of the above.They said practice makes perfect, but for Matthew Wright, the game of golf just comes natural-- in fact it's in his DNA."My grandmother was a legendary El Paso Texas golf legend," Wright said.Legend is a word Wright knows all too well. When KXAN asked him what he wanted to be titled in this news story, he responded with, "Special Olympics Texas Golf Legend."He's not shy to tell it how it is, and judging from his medal collection, which numbers in the hundreds, why should he be."From 1999 to the current games," Wright said. Meet the athletes representing Texas in the 2023 Special Olympics World Games Many of those medals were won with his, coach, teammate and good friend, Drew Widney."Over the last decade we have been doing Special Olympics together and it has been the best fr...