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Curious whale follows kayak as Australia revels in bumper annual humpback count

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:32 GMT

(CNN) — Nearly 5,000 humpback whales have been spotted in Australian waters during a record annual migration census, a conservation group said, with one curious cetacean seen following a kayaker just off Sydney’s famed Bondi beach.Each year, experts and members of the public head to the coast of New South Wales to conduct an annual count and Sunday’s census resulted in a highest ever 4,792 whales, adding to a rare “megapod” sighting in 2021 that previously enthralled whale watchers.Many of the whales were spotted just yards from the shoreline, according to Steve Trikoulis, vice president of the Organization for the Rescue and Research of Cetaceans (ORRCA) .“They were traveling to Queensland and Hervey Bay to make babies,” he told CNN. “It was exciting for people (on shore) to see them… jumping around.”Better weather and cleaner water were just some factors that contributed to the rise in the number of whales this year, he added.“The numbers are healthy and have definitely increased,...

FBI and Homeland Security ignored ‘massive amount’ of intelligence before Jan. 6, Senate report says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:32 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The FBI and the Department of Homeland Security downplayed or ignored “a massive amount of intelligence information” ahead of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S Capitol, according to the chairman of a Senate panel that on Tuesday is releasing a new report on the intelligence failures ahead of the insurrection.The report details how the agencies failed to recognize and warn of the potential for violence as some of then-President Donald Trump’s supporters openly planned the siege in messages and forums online.Among the multitude of intelligence that was overlooked was a December 2020 tip to the FBI that members of the far-right extremist group Proud Boys planned to be in Washington, D.C., for the certification of Joe Biden’s victory and their “plan is to literally kill people,” the report said. The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee said the agencies were also aware of many social media posts that foreshadowed viol...

Jordan Westburg records first MLB hit in debut as Orioles top Reds, 10-3, in rain-delayed game: ‘It was really cool’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:32 GMT

Brandon Hyde said he doesn’t have words of wisdom for young players making their major league debuts.Instead, the Orioles manager wants to be “relaxed,” hoping that energy rubs off on the player achieving a lifelong goal.Either that strategy worked Monday, or Jordan Westburg, who brings a consistent and even-keeled reputation to Baltimore along with his talent as a top 100 prospect, didn’t need to be calmed down, as the 24-year-old looked plenty relaxed in his debut Monday.Westburg did a little bit of everything to help lead the Orioles to a 10-3 victory over the Cincinnati Reds in a game twice delayed because of rain.“Just soak it in,” Westburg said about his approach. “Tried to really block out as many emotions as I could and just try to lock in and focus on the game. But at the same time, I just wanted to kind of look around, take in the atmosphere, the environment, the people. This is something I’ve never been a part of before, so ...

Great white sharks along Cape Cod take center stage in Nat Geo’s Sharkfest: ‘Really rare footage… pretty riveting’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:32 GMT

Hundreds of great white sharks hunting seals close to shore along Cape Cod, and how local researchers are hoping to predict shark behavior, is the focus of a new National Geographic special for Sharkfest next week.The documentary Return of the White Shark includes “really rare footage” of three great whites feasting on a seal, and an apex predator attacking a seal in the surf zone.The Cape shark researchers in the show also revealed how many sharks have visited the region in a recent 5-year period, which is much higher than expected.“There was never a population estimate for white sharks in the Northwest Atlantic,” Atlantic White Shark Conservancy staff scientist Megan Winton said during the special. “It’s one of the most mysterious populations of white sharks on the planet.”The team of researchers, which includes Winton and Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries marine biologist Greg Skomal, now estimate that 800 to 900 individual shark...

Editorial: Mayor Wu must stop politicizing public safety

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:32 GMT

Mayor Michelle Wu should stop politicizing public safety. Today.Hire good police and fire commissioners and let them do their jobs. She’s doing the opposite.Calling the response to a South Boston overdose death two weekends ago tainted by “conspiracy theories” and “rumors” is doing more harm than good.It is a fact a 28-year-old died in an apartment at the Mary Ellen McCormack housing complex of a suspected drug overdose.That does not qualify as a “conspiracy theory.”It is a fact that four children, ages 5 to 10, were found in a back bedroom by first responders.That’s not a “rumor.”It is a fact those kids are now in the custody of the state Department of Children and Families after a 51A neglect report was filed once firefighters got a look inside that squalid apartment.That also does not qualify as a “conspiracy theory” or a “rumor.”It is a tragically simple story: suspected drug abuse in a housing c...

Battenfeld: Healey’s Ireland junket puts Kim Driscoll in the Corner Office, sort of

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:32 GMT

Don’t look now but our acting governor this week is Kim Driscoll, the understudy who was supposed to be a key part of Gov. Maura Healey’s administration.Driscoll so far has turned out to be an adequate functionary and stand-in the way most lieutenant governors are destined to be. Not a powerhouse.Don’t expect Driscoll, the former Salem mayor, to go rogue this week while Healey is out of the country on a junket to Ireland. No surprise vetoes or late-night budget maneuvers.She will be quiet and do what Healey wants her to do, which is not much.Despite the hype about Driscoll when she was hand-picked by Healey, she has no statewide elective experience. Running a small city like Salem and keeping order during Halloween is not the same.She’s not ready for prime time so she shouldn’t touch anything major. Don’t get too used to that Corner Office.Stick to signing proclamations or running the Governor’s Council meetings.The fact is that nobody elected Driscoll to be governor, and she should...

Embattled Tennessee bishop resigns after priest complaints, abuse-related lawsuits

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:32 GMT

VATICAN CITY (AP) — The bishop of Knoxville, Tennessee, resigned under pressure Tuesday following allegations he mishandled sex abuse allegations and several of his priests complained about his leadership and behavior, sparking a Vatican investigation.Pope Francis accepted Bishop Richard Stika’s resignation, according to a one-line statement from the Vatican. At 65, Stika is still 10 years below the normal retirement age for bishops. The Vatican didn’t identify a replacement in its statement, but the U.S. conference of Catholic bishops said the archbishop of Louisville, Kentucky, the Most Reverend Shelton Fabre, was named temporary administrator to run the diocese until a new bishop is installed.Stika’s departure, after 14 years as bishop of Knoxville, closes a turbulent chapter for the southern U.S. diocese that was marked by a remarkable revolt by some of its priests, who accused Stika of abusing his authority and protecting a seminarian accused of sexual misconduct. T...

3-year probe into encrypted phones led to seizure of hundreds of tons of drugs, prosecutors say

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:32 GMT

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Investigations triggered by the cracking of encrypted phones three years ago have so far led to more than 6,500 arrests worldwide and the seizure of hundreds of tons of drugs, French, Dutch and European Union prosecutors said Tuesday.The announcement underscored the staggering scale of criminality — mainly drugs and arms smuggling and money laundering — that was uncovered as a result of police and prosecutors effectively listening in to criminals using encrypted EncroChat phones.“It helped to prevent violent attacks, attempted murders, corruption and large-scale drug transports, as well as obtain large-scale information on organised crime,” European Union police and judicial cooperation agencies Europol and Eurojust said in a statement.The French and Dutch investigation gained access to more than 115 million encrypted communications between some 60,000 criminals via servers in the northern French town of Roubaix, prosecutors said at a news conference in...

The women’s tennis tour plans for its players to earn the same as men at more events

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:32 GMT

It took more than three decades after the founding of the Women’s Tennis Association for all four Grand Slam tournaments to agree to give the same prize money to female and male players. Now the women’s tour is pledging to make sure its athletes also get identical paychecks at some other top-tier events in the coming years.The St. Petersburg, Florida-based WTA announced Tuesday that it is revising its season calendar and rules about which players must enter certain tournaments, while also setting up what it called a “pathway to equal prize money.”The plan is to have matching payouts across all rounds of singles at the joint WTA-ATP 1000 and 500 events — the two levels right below the four Slams — by 2027, and to make sure that single-week WTA-only 1000 and 500 events that are being played at the same time, but at different sites, as their ATP-only 1000 and 500 equivalents are offering the same money as those counterparts by 2033.All changes will need to be approved by the WTA Board ...

New York City drivers will pay extra tolls as part of the effort to reduce congestion

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:32 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — New York has received a critical federal approval for its first-in-the-nation plan to charge big tolls to drive into the most visited parts of Manhattan, part of an effort to reduce traffic, improve air quality and raise funds for the city’s public transit system.The program could begin as soon as the spring of 2024, bringing New York City into line with places like London, Singapore, and Stockholm that have implemented similar tolling programs for highly congested business districts.Under one of several tolling scenarios under consideration, drivers could be charged as much as $23 a day to enter Manhattan south of 60th Street, with the exact amount still to be decided by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which is overseeing the long-stalled plan.The congestion pricing plan cleared its final federal hurdle after getting approved by the Federal Highway Administration, a spokesperson for New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said on Monday.“With the green light fro...