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Vacation 1, Election 0: Spain struggles to staff its polling stations

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:38:42 GMT

What happens if you hold an election and there’s no one to supervise the polling stations?That’s the scenario Spain is facing with just two weeks to go before its July 23 national vote, which is being held at a time when more than a quarter of voters are expected to be on vacation.Spanish law dictates that each of the country’s polling stations be overseen by three registered voters who are chosen through a lottery system. The (un)lucky winners of the draw are obliged to serve during the 12 hours that polls remain open and face being fined and up to a year in jail if they refuse. But even with the threat of a prison sentence, authorities are having trouble finding enough people to do the job.“We have hundreds of unfilled slots,” said an official for the city of León’s electoral commission who added that there could be as many as 900 vacant positions at the moment. “We purposely drew nine names per polling station in order to have a large num...

Russia, China ramp up spying on Germany, counter-espionage service warns

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:38:42 GMT

Germany’s military spy agency is warning that Russia and China are boosting their espionage activities in the country.In a new report published Friday, Germany’s Military Counterintelligence Service said that it is of “prominent value” for Russia, hence why a “high number of Russian intelligence operatives” are deployed there. Since Germany started actively backing Ukraine with ammunition and weapons to fend off Russia’s full-scale aggression, it is “being reconnoitered even more intensively by Russian services,” according to the report. Russia’s ability to spy on Germany has been weakened, however, since Berlin expelled 40 Russian diplomats over the last year. Russia is expected to “try to compensate by other methods of obtaining information,” as Moscow seeks to have an advantage over NATO countries. Russia’s ability to sabotage essential infrastructure is also considered “a serious threat” i...

NH man to be arraigned on murder charge in mother’s beating death

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:38:42 GMT

A New Hampshire man accused of killing his mother in Hudson on Wednesday night is expected to face a judge on Friday.Grant DeGiacomo, 26, will be arraigned on a second-degree murder charge in connection with the beating death of his mother, Christine DeGiacomo, 57, who was found in a townhouse on Shoal Creek Road around 9:45 p.m. suffering from “traumatic injury,” according to the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office.Officers could be seen collecting evidence from the home, which was marked off with crime scene tape.Neighbors described Christine DeGiacomo as a kind person who loved her kids. News of the violent crime shocked residents of the usually quiet neighborhood.Officials are also expected to announce the results of an autopsy.This is a developing news story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest details.

Boston police investigating armed carjacking in Roxbury

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:38:42 GMT

Police are conducting an investigating into an armed carjacking overnight in Roxbury.Officers with K-9 units could be seen gathering evidence in the area of Dunmore Street, where a driver flagged down police after they say an armed person forced them out of their vehicle and drove off.The vehicle was located nearby and towed from the scene.No additional information was immediately available.This is a developing news story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest details.

US slowed hiring but still added a solid 209,000 jobs in June in sign of economy’s resilience

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:38:42 GMT

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER (AP Economics Writer)WASHINGTON (AP) — America’s employers pulled back on hiring but still delivered another month of solid gains in June, adding 209,000 jobs, a sign that the economy’s resilience is confounding the Federal Reserve’s drive to slow growth and inflation.The latest evidence of economic strength makes it all but certain that the Fed will resume its interest rate hikes later this month after having ended a streak of 10 rate increases intended to slow inflation.The June hiring figure reported by the government Friday is below the levels recorded in recent months. But it still points to a durable labor market that also features a historically high number of advertised openings. The unemployment rate fell to 3.6% from 3.7%, and is near a five-decade low.The economy is beset by high interest rates, elevated inflation and nagging worries about a possible recession resulting from the Fed’s ever-higher interest rates. Yet many industries are still adding ...

‘A big one in New York.’ Chicago Cubs will close the 1st half vs. the Yankees after settling for a split in Milwaukee.

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:38:42 GMT

It really doesn’t take much for Chicago Cubs fans to get excited.A couple of late-inning wins in Milwaukee, including a game Tuesday that Justin Steele declared “was drunk,” helped alleviate some worries over the Cubs’ post-London slump.And with Marcus Stroman on the mound Thursday for the series finale against the Brewers, the outlook was suddenly sunnier as the Cubs prepared for a three-game series against the New York Yankees.The bright lights of New York, the aura of Yankee Stadium and a reunion with former Cubs legend Anthony Rizzo made it a perfect way to head into the All-Star break, during which Stroman, Steele and Dansby Swanson were selected for the game in Seattle.But a Cubs comeback fell short Thursday in a 6-5 loss to the Brewers — after a five-inning outing by Stroman and 16 strikeouts by the offense — leaving them a season-worst eight games behind the division-leading Cincinnati Reds.“It’s a big one in New York,” s...

Canadian unemployment rate rose to 5.4% in June as economy added 60,000 jobs

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:38:42 GMT

OTTAWA — Canada’s unemployment rate ticked up to 5.4 per cent in June — the highest it’s been in over a year.It marked the second month in a row the unemployment rate has risen as economists watch for softening in the labour market amid high interest rates.Statistics Canada said Friday the increase came as the economy added 60,000 jobs in June, driven by gains in full-time work.But with more people searching for work and Canada’s population growing, the unemployment rate climbed higher.Job gains were concentrated in wholesale and retail trade, manufacturing, health care and social assistance and transportation and warehousing.The loosening of the labour market likely comes as good news to the Bank of Canada, which is looking for signs that its aggressive rate hikes are working to cool the economy.The central bank has said repeatedly that Canada’s hot labour market is contributing to high inflation, raising concerns about the pace of wage growth in particular.However, Statistic...

Belarus shows off a military camp to host Russia’s Wagner mercenaries after a failed mutiny

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:38:42 GMT

NEAR TSEL, Belarus (AP) — The Belarusian military on Friday showed off a field camp it has offered to Russia’s Wagner military contractor if it relocates to Belarus under a deal that ended its mutiny.Maj. Gen. Leonid Kosinsky, an assistant to Belarus’ defense minister, told international reporters that Wagner troops could use the former Belarusian army camp near Tsel, about 90 kilometers (about 55 miles) southeast of Minsk.Journalists were shown rows of empty tents that Kosinsky said could accommodate up to 5,000 troops at the camp in the Asipovichy district that was used by the Belarusian army before it was handed over to the territorial defense forces. Kosinsky said Wagner representatives haven’t yet inspected the camp to see whether it meets their needs. “When the Wagner Group makes a final decision on whether to deploy to Belarus or not, they will see where and how to deploy,” he told reporters.Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said Thursday that mercenary chief Ye...

South Korea vouches for safety of plans to release Fukushima wastewater but citizens’ fears persist

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:38:42 GMT

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s government on Friday formally endorsed the safety of Japanese plans to release treated wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean as it tried to calm people’s fears about food contamination.Seoul’s assessment was based on a 22-month review by government-funded scientists and aligned with the International Atomic Energy Agency’s views. The agency greenlit the Japanese discharge plans this week, saying the treated wastewater would meet international safety standards and pose negligible environmental and health impacts.South Korea’s review focused on any impact the wastewater release might have on South Korea, and “the result showed that its effect on our waters would be insignificant,” Bang Moon-kyu, the minister of the Office for Government Policy Coordination, said during a news conference.Even before Friday’s announcement, South Korean officials were actively working to reduce public unease about the ...

At least 1 dead, 5 wounded after shooting inside Lebanon mosque, security official says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:38:42 GMT

BEIRUT (AP) — A shooting inside a mosque during prayers left at least one person dead and five wounded Friday, a Lebanese security official said. The reason behind the shooting in the eastern town of Bar Elias was not immediately clear.The state-run National News Agency said more gunfire broke out later between Lebanese troops and the shooting suspect, who was wounded in that exchange.A security official, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with regulations, said the man killed and the five wounded were all Syrian citizens. The town is home to many Syrian refugees who fled their country’s 12-year conflict.Lebanon is home to more than 1 million Syrian refugees and anti-Syrian sentiments have been on the rise since Lebanon’s economic meltdown began in October 2019. The decline is rooted in decades of corruption and mismanagement by the country’s ruling class. Three-quarters of the country’s 6 million people live in poverty. Bassem Mroue, The Associated Press