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Finland’s ex-EU commissioner Olli Rehn apologizes for albino remark

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:18:57 GMT

Olli Rehn — the governor of the Bank of Finland, a former European commissioner and a contender to be his country’s next president — has apologized after joking about being albino.Rehn apologized on social media for equating having gray hair “with a hereditary disease” and added that he had also apologized to the Finnish Albinism Association.Rehn made the remark during a panel discussion on Wednesday, Finnish tabloid newspaper Iltalehti reported.During the talk, moderator Tapio Nurminen asked Rehn if he planned to change his style during the presidential campaign because of a perceived lack of charisma.  “Yes, I’m not gray, I’m an albino,” replied Rehn, who does not have albinism, referring to the color of his hair. “It’s a completely different matter. And if grayness refers to reliability, judgment and composure, then I don’t think those are bad qualities at all for the president of the Republic of Finland.”The commen...

Investigation underway after man found dead at Breakheart Reservation in Saugus

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:18:57 GMT

Police are investigating after a man was found dead at the Breakheart Reservation in Saugus on Wednesday, officials said.State police say the person who died was a 65-year-old Saugus man who was known to hike the reservation.State troopers and local police could be seen gathered at the scene. Officials say his body was found around 6:05 p.m. yesterday by a family friend who, along with family members and other friends, had been searching for him. His name has not been released. The man’s body was found a few hundred yards into the reservation adjacent to a large rock formation that rises to a height of 30-plus feet. Whether he fell from the higher location remains part of the ongoing investigation. No additional information was immediately available.This is a developing news story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest details.

Pentagon review calls for reforms to reverse spike in sexual misconduct at military academies

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:18:57 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. military academies must improve their leadership, stop toxic practices such as hazing and shift behavior training into the classrooms, according to a Pentagon study aimed at addressing an alarming spike in sexual assaults and misconduct.U.S. officials said the academies must train student leaders better to help their classmates, and upend what has been a disconnect between what the cadets and midshipmen are learning in school and the often negative and unpunished behavior they see by those mentors. The review calls for additional senior officers and enlisted leaders to work with students at the Army, Navy and Air Force academies and provide the expanded training.Several U.S. officials described the report on condition of anonymity because it has not yet been publicly released. They said that too often discussions about stress relief, misconduct, social media and other life issues take place after hours or on the weekends. The report recommends that th...

Driver slams into restaurant in Lynn

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:18:57 GMT

Police are investigating after a driver left the road and slammed into a restaurant in Lynn on Thursday morning.Officers responding to a reported crash on Commercial Street found a vehicle against Pollo Royal and significant damage to the front brick wall.The vehicle has since been removed from the scene and the city’s Building Inspector is checking the stability of the restaurant.The cause of the crash remains under investigation.This is a developing news story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest details.

With AL’s best record, baseball’s best farm system, Orioles ‘set up for many, many years’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:18:57 GMT

The start of Ryan O’Hearn’s major league career in many ways coincided with the beginning of the Orioles’ rebuild. His debut for the Kansas City Royals came July 31, 2018, the same day Baltimore completed its series of teardown trades. O’Hearn’s first full season was 2019, the same year the Orioles and Royals respectively made the first two picks in the draft.Four years later, Kansas City remains one of the majors’ worst teams, while O’Hearn is a key member of a Baltimore team that has grown into one of the best. This week, MLB Pipeline recognized the Orioles as baseball’s No. 1 farm system for the fifth straight rankings — with Baltimore once again possessing the top-ranked prospect — while the major league team holds the American League’s best record. Despite five straight top 10 draft picks, Kansas City was 29th of 30 teams in the rankings and is second worst in the AL standings.“When a team struggles for a f...

Another free 'Dump Day' event takes place this weekend

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:18:57 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- Finishing up some summertime cleaning and clearing projects? Dispose of your unwanted items for free at this upcoming "dump day" event in San Diego County.On Saturday, Aug. 19, Caltrans says the public is welcome to bring non-hazardous, unwanted household items to their Clean California Dump Day in Kearny Mesa.Officials say staff will be on-site at the Caltrans Kearny Mesa Maintenance Yard to accept approved waste and debris free of charge. That address is 7179 Opportunity Rd. in San Diego. Former Santee USPS mail carrier sentenced for stealing mail The "dump day" event will take place from 8 a.m. to noon, or until capacity is reached at the site.San Diegans are asked not to bring hazardous waste like batteries, paint, oils or flammables. Other undesired items include e-waste like televisions, computers, microwaves, stereo equipment and electronics, or construction debris like concrete, dirt, asphalt and asbestos.More information on prohibited items can be found&...

Israel clinches largest-ever defense deal with Germany for $3.5 billion after securing US approval

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:18:57 GMT

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s Defense Ministry said Thursday it has secured its largest-ever defense deal selling a sophisticated missile defense system to Germany for $3.5 billion after the United States approved the deal. Although Israel has long had close economic and military links with western European countries, the deal with Germany could draw the attention of Russia, which Israel has maintained working relations with throughout the war in Ukraine. Israel has repeatedly rebuffed requests to sell arms to Ukraine for fear of antagonizing Russia. Germany will buy the advanced defense system, coined Arrow 3, which is designed to intercept long-range ballistic missiles. Israel sought approval for the deal from the U.S. State Department because the system was jointly developed by the two countries.“The American approval marks a momentous milestone in the strategic relationship between Israel and the United States,” Israeli defense official Daniel Gold said in a statement. “The jo...

Blue Jays’ Kevin Kiermaier rushed to help young fan who fainted

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:18:57 GMT

While he’s arguably been the Toronto Blue Jays’ best offseason signing, Kevin Kiermaier continues to prove that he might be an even better person off the field.The 33-year-old is known for making superman-like catches in centerfield, but he made a different kind of heroic effort this week when he rushed to help a young fan who fainted.CityNews sports reporter Lindsay Dunn recalled the scene at Rogers Centre on Tuesday ahead of the team’s home game against the Philadelphia Phillies.“There was a large group of fans watching batting practice and it was pretty hot out,” recounts Dunn. “While Kiermaier was signing autographs there was a bit of a commotion.”“I’m about 100 feet away and I look over. A kid, around 10 to 13, had fainted.”Just a quick note on how truly nice Jays' Kevin Kiermaier is. Today during BP a young fan fainted while he was signing autographs (it was hot out). He ran and got help and water for the kid and ...

Stock market today: Wall Street begins to bounce back after a slow start to the week

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:18:57 GMT

BEIJING — Wall Street pointed modestly higher before the opening bell Thursday after two straight days of losses with the U.S. economy appearing to chug along despite the odds that the Federal Reserve is not done raising interest rates.Futures for the S&P 500 rose 0.2% before the bell Thursday and the Dow Jones Industrial Average inched up 0.1%.Minutes from the Fed’s latest meeting released Wednesday suggested that board members are unsure of their next move after raising their key lending rate to a two-decade high. Traders had hoped the board would decide inflation was under control and last month’s rate hike was the last.Inflation has slowed significantly since the central bank started its rate-raising campaign a year-and-a-half ago, but with consumer prices up 3.2% year-over-year, it’s still higher than the Fed’s target of 2%. Despite the furious pace of rate hikes, the labor market is robust and Americans remain the economic engine for the U.S. as the...

U.S. jobless claims applications fall as labor market continues to show resiliency

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:18:57 GMT

The U.S. labor market continues to flex its muscle as applications for jobless claims fell again last week and remain at healthy levels in the face of high interest rates and inflation.Applications for unemployment benefits dropped by 11,000 to 239,000 for the week ending August 12, down from 250,000 the previous week, the Labor Department reported Thursday. The four-week moving average of claims, which softens some of the week-to-week volatility, rose by 2,750 to 234,250.Jobless claim applications are seen as a proxy for the number of layoffs in a given week.Overall, 1.72 million people were collecting unemployment benefits the week that ended August 5, about 32,000 more than the previous week.——Matt Ott, The Associated Press