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Romania, Bulgaria set to partially enter Schengen zone in March

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:00:00 GMT

Romania and Bulgaria will join the EU’s passport-free Schengen zone for air and sea travel in March 2024, while an opening of land borders will be discussed in the coming year, Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu announced Wednesday. “We have a political agreement on this!” Ciolacu said in a social media post. “From March next year, Romanians will enjoy the benefits of the Schengen area by air and sea.”Ciolacu also expressed optimism regarding a future agreement on land borders, saying he was “convinced” those negotiations would come to fruition in 2024.Austria had previously opposed the Romania and Bulgaria’s inclusion in the Schengen zone due to concerns over illegal immigration. In mid December, however, Austrian Interior Minister Gerhard Karner announced a softening of Vienna’s stance, offering passport-free travel by plane from those countries in exchange for tighter border security measures.Romanian, Austrian and Bulgarian authoritie...

70-year-old dies near Wellesley College walking path

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:00:00 GMT

Police are investigating the death of a person found unresponsive near a Wellesley College walking path Wednesday morning. Wellesley Police say the 70-year-old was in a slightly wooded area off of Central Street. A good samaritan and officers performed CPR, but the individual died at the scene. Police said they do not currently believe the deceased was connected to Wellesley College.

RI man pleads not guilty of charges in August crash on I-95 that killed 2

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:00:00 GMT

A man charged in connection with a fatal August hit-and-run crash in North Attleboro was in court Wednesday. Joseph Pompei Jr., 50, of Cranston, RI, pleaded not guilty to a number of charges including motor vehicle homicide by negligent operation and leaving the scene of an accident resulting in personal injury or death.Authorities said Pompei allegedly fled the scene of a fatal crash on I-95 on August 29 after he struck an SUV while heading southbound, causing it to veer off the road.The SUV then went through the highway’s median and struck a sedan belonging to Randall Ricketts, 58, of Foxborough, who was on I-95 North. Rickets died later at Sturdy Memorial Hospital in Attleboro. The driver of the SUV that collided with Ricketts’ sedan, retired Rhode Island State Police trooper James Griffin, died from his injuries in early October. Pompei was first arraigned in August, when he plead not guilty to charges related to the crash. Additional charges were added following the death...

Rain & Fog Winning Out

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:00:00 GMT

April vibes in the air today, and not in a good way. Early Spring days can often see wet weather with a northeast wind flatline temps in the low to mid 40s. Today, we’re pretty much stuck in the low to mid 40s with a northeast wind and plenty of rain, drizzle and fog to go around. The rain will be steadiest this morning, through midday, then taper to spotty light showers and drizzle this afternoon and evening. While the evening commute won’t see rain as heavy as this morning’s rain, there will still be plenty of puddles and dampness out there. Tonight, into tomorrow, areas of fog, drizzle and spotty showers continue. As winds start to turn more north to northwest, visibility should be better though, especially midday/afternoon. While not 100% rain free, Saturday starts to offer improvements to the weather as winds shift west. A few spotty showers in the morning will yield to mostly dry times in the afternoon as a few breaks of sun emerge. Temps run up into the mid ...

VW Golf still shines as upscale commuter, GTI powerhouse

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:00:00 GMT

While commuter vehicles are still atop of the food chain with inflated prices these days, manufacturers have to keep basic, entry level vehicles as priced-right as they can. For VW, this has never been a problem as they deliver reliable and dependable entry level vehicles fit for any consumer. Our Tester is just that, a 2023 VW Golf GTI, 40th Anniversary. Sporting Beetle like exterior colors, our tester was wrapped in Pomelo Yellow with a black accent roof, with signatory plaid cloth stitching on the inside.Powering the 40th Anniversary Golf GTI, was a 2.0 TSI 16-valve DOHC turbo 4-cylinder engine that came with front wheel drive and a 6-speed manual transmission. With plenty of get up and go, the Golf GTI was very fun to drive. Although larger than most size commuter cars, the Golf GTI has a long following of enthusiasts who thrive to enjoy them, and for good reason.While the Golf GTI is roomy, comfortable and fun to drive, it does boast some basics that could use upgrades. No Siri...

Indonesia’s navy pushes a boat suspected of carrying Rohingya refugees out of its waters

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:00:00 GMT

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesia’s navy said Thursday that it forcibly pushed a boat packed with refugees back to international waters after the vessel approached the shores of Aceh province.The province that forms part of Sumatra island has seen an increasing number of arriving boats, most carrying Rohingya refugees from southern Bangladesh. Large numbers of Rohingya fled to Bangladesh in 2017 following military attacks on members of the persecuted Muslim minority in their homeland of Myanmar.The Indonesian navy said a coast guard vessel detected a boat thought to be carrying Rohingya refugees entering Indonesia’s waters on Wednesday. A helicopter from a navy ship subsequently spotted a wooden vessel nearing Weh island in north Aceh province, the navy said. The navy ship KRI Bontang-907 located the boat about 63 nautical miles (72 miles) off the Indonesian coast and drove it out, “ensuring that the boat did not return to Indonesian waters,” the navy said in a s...

A Qatari court reduces death sentence handed to 8 retired Indian navy officers charged with spying

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:00:00 GMT

NEW DELHI (AP) — Qatar’s Court of Appeal reduced Thursday the death sentence handed in October to eight retired Indian navy officers on spy charges, the Indian foreign ministry said.Ministry spokesman Arindam Bagchi said in a statement the detailed verdict has not been received yet. “We are in close touch with the legal team as well as family members to decide on the next steps,” he said.India’s ambassador to Qatar and other officials were present in the Qatari court along with the family members and New Delhi will continue providing consular and legal assistance, Bagchi said. “We will also continue to take up the matter with the Qatari authorities,” he said.Qatari authorities provided New Delhi consular access to the eight Indian nationals during their trial.Bagchi said no further comment was possible due to the confidential and sensitive nature of the case. The eight were charged with spying while working at Al Dahra, a consulting company in the oil-rich Gulf sta...

Brampton man charged after pedestrian struck and killed by dump truck near Eglinton and Dufferin

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:00:00 GMT

Toronto police have charged a Brampton man in the November death of a pedestrian who was struck by a dump truck near Eglinton Aveue West and Dufferin Road.Emergency crews responded to the scene just after 10:30 a.m. on Monday, November 13.Investigators say the dump truck was heading westbound on Eglinton when it struck a 53-year-old man who was crossing at the intersection.The man was rushed to hospital where he later died.The driver involved remained at the scene.On Tuesday, December 26, 2023, police charged Rohit Sharma, 31, of Brampton with dangerous operation causing death.

Flag football gives female players sense of community, scholarship options and soon shot at Olympics

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:00:00 GMT

DENVER (AP) — There were times when Jo Overstreet felt all alone as a standout flag football player on boys teams growing up in Texas.Sure, she was accepted. Considered just one of the boys.She longed for something more — a sense of sisterhood.These days, the 40-year-old receiver for Team USA sees a thriving community of females of all ages and all abilities lifting the sport to new heights. It’s an expansion that will only be enhanced with the sport’s recent addition to the Olympic program for the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles.The non-contact game featuring plenty of fast-paced action has really been on the rise for a while, with girls-specific teams and leagues springing up from coast to coast — from continent to continent, too. Eight states have sanctioned girls flag football as a high school varsity sport — more are initiating pilot programs — and college scholarships are now offered for female players on the NAIA level. The NFL has even thrown its weight behind f...

High levels of carbon monoxide, mould found in homes on Ontario reserves: study

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:00:00 GMT

A study has found air inside homes on four remote First Nations in northwestern Ontario contained carbon monoxide, fine particles, mould and other substances that increase the risk of respiratory infections.The report’s author, David Miller, a distinguished research professor at Carleton University, says there are ways to improve ventilation. “This is an opportunity not a black hole,” said Miller.The study published last month tested the air in 101 homes on Lac Seul First Nation, Kasabonika Lake First Nation, Sandy Lake First Nation and Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug First Nation. Three of the communities aren’t accessible by road except during a short time in winter.About 27 per cent of the homes had elevated levels of carbon monoxide. Almost half had visible mould.“Ten per cent of the houses have enough mould damage that they should be fixed today, not tomorrow,” Miller said. He said researchers also found endotoxin levels higher than in any previous study in Canada. Levels of the b...