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Dildos not drones: Ukrainians hack Russian fighter’s account and buy $25k worth of sex toys

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 19:52:48 GMT

KYIV — Ukrainian activists say they hacked the online shopping account of a Russian military volunteer who has been buying drones for Moscow’s forces — and splashed the cash on sex toys.The group Kiber Sprotyv (Cyber Resistance) said they targeted the AliExpress account of Mikhail Luchin — a friend of pro-Russian military blogger Vladlen Tatarsky (aka Maxim Fomin), who was killed in a St. Petersburg café explosion on Sunday. Luchin has been collecting money to buy drones for Russian troops to use in Ukraine.“He is a war criminal, volunteer, blogger and now dildo owner,” the hackers said in a statement, publishing screenshots of them using Luchin’s account with AliExpress, a Chinese-run online store. The Ukrainians claimed they bought $25,000 worth of sex toys through Luchin’s account.They added that Luchin was now the owner of a “unique” collection of “dicks” worth $25,000, money he was “planning to spend on drones for the Russian a...

Police raid EPP offices in Brussels

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 19:52:48 GMT

Belgian and German police on Tuesday raided the Brussels headquarters of the European People’s Party, the largest group in the European Parliament, the party said in a statement.The police search “is connected to an ongoing inquiry in Thuringia, Germany,” the statement read.“The party is cooperating in full transparency with the authorities involved, providing all relevant information and documentation,” it added. The story is being updated.

Boston City Councilors begin discussing potential ‘nips’ ban, critics say bigger issue is discarded syringes

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 19:52:48 GMT

The Boston City Council began discussing a possible ban on small liquor bottles known as “nips” on Monday, with critics arguing that the focus is on the wrong issue. According to some councilors, the more significant issue is discarded syringes.“Someone unsuspectingly, a child, stepping on this, or one of our law enforcement or public safety or public health professionals getting pricked by one of these, that obviously causes a whole other type of trauma and hysteria as opposed to seeing a discarded single on the ground or a bottle that can’t be recycled,” said Councilor Michael Flaherty Supporters say a bottle ban would be a big benefit for Boston. “We have seen proliferation of these singles and nips on the streets, in parks,” said Councilor Ricardo Arroyo, who brought the idea before the council. “The number that we are probably looking at, in terms of total number of these just on the streets, is in the hundreds of thousands here in Boston....

Official written agreement to sell Babe Ruth from the Red Sox to the Yankees up for auction

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 19:52:48 GMT

The official written agreement to sell Babe Ruth from the Red Sox to the Yankees is now up for auction.The lot includes the agreement of the initial deal for $25,000 and a letter detailing the remaining annual installments for $100,000.Bidding for the documents ends on April 22. For more information, visit https://lelands.com.

Finland joins NATO, dealing blow to Russia for Ukraine war

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 19:52:48 GMT

By LORNE COOK and MATTHEW LEE (Associated Press)BRUSSELS (AP) — Finland joined the NATO military alliance Tuesday, dealing a major blow to Russia with a historic realignment of the continent triggered by Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.Finland’s membership represents a major change in Europe’s security landscape: The country adopted neutrality after its defeat by the Soviets in World War II. But its leaders signaled they wanted to join the alliance just months after Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine sent a shiver of fear through Moscow’s neighbors.Finland shares a 1,340 kilometer (832 mile) border with Russia, so its membership doubles Russia’s border with the world’s biggest security alliance. The move is a strategic and political blow to Putin, who has long complained about NATO’s expansion toward Russia and partly used that as a justification for the invasion. The alliance says it poses no threat to Moscow.Ru...

Dolphins quarterback breakdown: Mike White, Skylar Thompson to compete behind Tua Tagovailoa

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 19:52:48 GMT

The Miami Dolphins spoke with their actions and their words in backing quarterback Tua Tagovailoa this offseason.Coach Mike McDaniel and general manager Chris Grier noted a commitment to the No. 5 pick in the 2020 draft for a fourth NFL season since their 2022 season ended. And then they stood by it, passing on such available quarterbacks as Aaron Rodgers and Lamar Jackson and exercising the fifth-year option on Tagovailoa’s rookie contract.Tagovailoa made a major stride in Year 3, showing what he can develop into in McDaniel’s offense with an elite wide receiver tandem of Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. He threw 25 touchdowns to just eight interceptions while leading the league in passer rating and yards per attempt.Concerns remain, however, in Tagovailoa’s ability to remain healthy and available after two concussion protocol stints cost him 5 1/ games, including the wild-card round playoff loss at the Buffalo Bills. Tagovailoa is working on that by doing jiu-jitsu...

Live updates: Donald Trump set for historic arraignment

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 19:52:48 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Live updates on former President Donald Trump’s expected surrender on charges stemming from 2016 hush money payments.What to know:— Prosecutor has arrived at courthouse— Lawyer says Trump will maintain innocence in court— Police brace for protests in Trump’s hometown___PROSECUTOR ARRIVESManhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg arrived at court Tuesday morning in New York ahead of former President Donald Trump’s arraignment. Bragg became Manhattan’s first Black district attorney in 2022, following his election the previous November. He inherited a yearslong grand jury investigation into hush money paid on Trump’s behalf during his 2016 presidential campaign.After taking office, Bragg slowed his office’s move toward an indictment of Trump and said he had concerns about the strength of the case. That sparked a public protest by two prosecutors who were leading the investigation and resigned.But Bragg convened a new grand jury this year after convicting ...

US futures point higher ahead of this week’s labor data

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 19:52:48 GMT

BANGKOK — Wall Street pointed modestly higher Tuesday ahead of the first of three government employment reports this week which could draw a sharper outline of the U.S. employment situation ahead of the Federal Reserve’s next meeting.Futures for the benchmark S&P 500 rose about 0.3%, while the Dow industrials inched up less than 0.2%.On Tuesday, the U.S. reports on the number of job openings in February. That’s followed by the weekly unemployment report on Thursday and the March jobs report on Friday.A strong job market, on top of four-decade high inflation, has pushed policymakers at the Federal Reserve to raise the central bank’s main borrowing rate nine consecutive times since last March. In its latest quarterly economic projections, the policymakers forecast that they expect to raise their key rate just once more — from its new level of about 4.9% to 5.1%, the same peak they had projected in December.At its policy meeting last month, the Fed raised its key ...

Avalanche sweeps away tourists in northeast India; 7 killed

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 19:52:48 GMT

NEW DELHI (AP) — An avalanche swept away a group of tourists in the Himalayas in northeastern India on Tuesday, killing at least seven and injuring 11, officials said.Army spokesperson Lt. Col Mahendra Rawat said rescuers pulled out at least 23 tourists from the snow and took them to a hospital for treatment.India’s Border Roads Organization said the tourists were hit by the avalanche near the Nathu La mountain pass in Sikkim state. A video released by the Indian army showed rescuers digging through the snow to find an undetermined number of missing people swept away by the avalanche down a mountain slope. Nathu La mountain pass is along the border with China and is a major tourist destination.The ecologically sensitive Himalayan region, which has been severely affected by global warming, is prone to avalanches. Last year 27 trainee mountaineers were killed in an avalanche in the northern Uttarakhand region. The Associated Press

France boosts military spending amid war in Ukraine

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 19:52:48 GMT

PARIS (AP) — The French government on Tuesday approved a key budget bill presented as the country’s biggest military spending spree in more than 50 years, underscoring the impact of Russia’s war in Ukraine.The bill foresees 413 billion euros ($450 billion) in military spending or the period covering 2024-2030 – up by more than a third relative to the previous timeframe.Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu said bill’s political, budgetary, military and technological drive is comparable to the huge push in the 1960s that saw France develop nuclear weapons, making the country one of the world’s major military powers.Championed by French President Emmanuel Macron, the bill would notably modernize France’s nuclear arsenal, boost intelligence spending by 60%, double the number of military reservists, reinforce cyberdefense and develop more remote-controlled weapons. It would also boost the arms industry’s production capacity in order to provide assistance to Uk...