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Mass. father, son sentenced for decadelong, $20 million lottery fraud scheme

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:48:39 GMT

BOSTON (AP) — A father and son from Massachusetts have both been sent to prison for running an elaborate lottery fraud scheme designed to enrich themselves and help prize winners avoid paying taxes on their windfall, prosecutors said.Ali Jaafar, 63, and Yousef Jaafar, 29, both of Watertown, cashed in 14,000 winning lottery tickets over a roughly 10-year period, laundered more than $20 million in proceeds, and then lied on their tax returns to cheat the IRS out of about $6 million, the U.S. attorney’s office in Boston announced Monday.The Jaafars purchased winning lottery tickets at a discount from people who wanted to avoid identification by the state lottery commission, which withholds taxes and outstanding child support payments from payouts.After purchasing the tickets, using the stores that sold them as go-betweens, the Jaafars claimed the full prize amount. Although they reported the winnings on their tax returns, they also claimed equivalent fake gambling losses as an of...

Russia claims it has defeated alleged incursion from Ukraine, a day after attack began

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:48:39 GMT

By SUSIE BLANN (Associated Press)KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian troops and security forces quashed Tuesday an alleged cross-border raid from Ukraine, claiming to have killed more than 70 attackers in a battle that lasted around 24 hours, a senior Moscow official said.It was not possible to independently confirm claims about the armed incursion into Russian territory that began Monday. Nor was it possible to say with any certainty who was behind the attack or what its aims were.Disinformation has been one of the weapons of the almost 15-month war.Moscow blamed the raid on Ukrainian military saboteurs. Kyiv portrayed the incident as an uprising against the Kremlin by Russian partisans. It wasn’t immediately possible to reconcile the two versions.The battle took place in the Belgorod region, about 80 kilometers (45 miles) north of the city of Kharkiv, in eastern Ukraine.Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov claimed the armed attackers were routed by local troop ...

Top 8 tips for parents and teens on social media use: U.S. surgeon general

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:48:39 GMT

Dr. Vivek Murthy, the U.S. surgeon general, is calling for “immediate action” by tech companies and lawmakers to protect kids’ and adolescents’ mental health on social media.But after years of middling and insufficient action by both social media platforms and policymakers, parents and young people still bear most of the burden in navigating the fast-changing, often harmful world of secretive algorithms, addictive apps and extreme and inappropriate content found on platforms such as Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat.So what can parents and young people do now? The surgeon general has some tips.“Our children and adolescents don’t have the luxury of waiting years until we know the full extent of social media’s impact,” Murthy said in an advisory released on Tuesday. “Their childhoods and development are happening now.”TIPS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE— Reach out for help: If you or someone you know is being negatively affected by social media, reach out to a trusted friend or adult for help. Check t...

U-Haul truck driver who crashed into security barrier at park near White House is arrested

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:48:39 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Police have arrested a man they believe intentionally crashed a U-Haul truck into a security barrier at a park across from the White House.The box truck’s driver smashed into the barrier near the north side of Lafayette Square on Monday at around 10 p.m., Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said in a statement. No one was injured. Officers from the Secret Service and the Metropolitan Police Department searched the truck after the crash. Video posted by WUSA-TV shows a police officer at the scene picking up and inventorying several pieces of evidence from the truck, including a Nazi flag. Based on a preliminary investigation, investigators believe the driver “may have intentionally struck the security barriers at Lafayette Square,” Guglielmi said. Authorities offered no additional details about the possible motive and had not released the driver’s identity.The U.S. Park Police said the man was arrested on multiple charges, including threaten...

Tempers rise as German government’s clean heating plans go up in smoke

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:48:39 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — Germany’s government is facing a major test after two junior partners in Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s three-party coalition sparred publicly over a key element in the country’s ambitious climate policy.Economy and Energy Minister Robert Habeck of the environmentalist Greens accused the libertarian Free Democratic Party of backtracking on agreements by refusing to let lawmakers debate a bill for replacing home heating systems with greener alternatives.The bill was approved by Cabinet in March after months of intense haggling between the parties. A major stumbling block was the Green party’s demand that the installation of new oil or gas furnaces should be banned from next year to ensure Germany can meet its target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2045.A compromise saw numerous exceptions and subsidies included in the bill, but the Free Democrats later said they still had misgivings, meaning it is unlikely to be taken up by parliame...

Double amputee Everest climber pledges to work for benefit of people with disabilities

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:48:39 GMT

KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — The first double above-the-knee amputee to climb Mount Everest returned from the mountain on Tuesday pledging to dedicate the rest of his life to helping people with disabilities.Hari Budha Magar, a former Gurkha soldier who lives in Britain, reached the peak of the world’s highest mountain last week.“My main aim for the rest of my lifetime is going to be working to bring awareness about disability,” Magar said on his return to Kathmandu, Nepal’s capital.As a soldier in a Gurkha regiment in the British army, Magar lost both his legs in Afghanistan when he accidently stepped on an improvised explosive device in 2010.Hundreds of supporters and officials, including Nepal’s tourism minister, greeted him at Kathmandu’s airport and offered him garlands.He was taken from the airport in an open truck decorated with flowers and waved at people along the way.“We all have our own weaknesses and disabilities, but instead of the weaknesses we shoul...

NuVista restarts most of its operations as wildfire concerns ease

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:48:39 GMT

CALGARY — NuVista Energy Ltd. says it was able to restart most of its operations over the weekend as more favourable winds and weather helped ease the wildfire situation near its operations in Alberta.Light rain and cooler temperatures slowed down wildfire activity in Alberta over the long weekend and more rain is in the forecast.NuVista says it “shut in” operations at several of its fields on May 5 as a precautionary measure due to the fires. However, the company says daily production has returned to about 65,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day, up from an average about 35,000 from May 5 to 22.If the rain and favourable winds occur as predicted, NuVista says it expects to return to full production of about 80,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day or more as soon as the situation stabilizes fully.The company says it is not aware of any material damage to any company or third-party assets and infrastructure in the area.This report by The Canadian Press was first publish...

Disgraced children’s TV entertainer Rolf Harris dies at 93

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:48:39 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Rolf Harris, the veteran entertainer whose decades-long career as a family favorite on British and Australian television was shattered when he was convicted of sexual assaults on young girls, has died. He was 93.His death was confirmed Tuesday by a registrar at Maidenhead Town Hall, west of London, to Britain’s Press Association news agency.Harris, who had a hit record with “Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport,” was adored by generations of children for his jovial on-screen persona, and was so respected in Britain that he was once granted the rare privilege of painting a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II.But his reputation collapsed in 2013, when he was arrested in Britain in relation to sexual abuse allegations.Many were left in disbelief when in July 2014 Harris was found guilty of 12 counts of indecent assault on four young girls from the 1960s to the ’80s. Prosecutors said he had a “Jekyll and Hyde” personality who used his fame to exploit his victims.Among the victims was a ...

The ignoble end of ‘the world’s worst McDonald’s’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:48:39 GMT

In today’s Big Story podcast, it’s challenging to gain notoriety among the more than 40,000 McDonald’s franchises worldwide, but Ottawa’s Rideau Street location managed to achieve it. With incidents ranging from violent confrontations to general chaos and viral occurrences (like the infamous raccoon fight), this recently closed restaurant earned the moniker bestowed upon it by a former police chief.Amy Dempsey, senior writer at Toronto Star, reported on the reputation and legacy of the Rideau Street McDonald’s.“This story is one that illustrates the challenges downtown business districts and communities are facing–amid a national housing crisis, an epidemic of homelessness, mental illness, and drug addiction,” says Dempsey.However, this McDonald’s story extends beyond crime and online fame. It is a tale that explores public space and who gets to use it, the transformation of cities during nighttime, the provision of resources to those in need, and...

7 people arrested in Spain linked to racial abuse cases against Vinícius Júnior

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:48:39 GMT

MADRID (AP) — Seven people accused of racially abusing Real Madrid player Vinícius Júnior have been arrested in Spain, police said Tuesday.Three were detained in Valencia for alleged abuse against Vinícius in a Spanish league match on Sunday. Four were arrested in Madrid for allegedly hanging an effigy of the player off a highway bridge in January.The arrests come after an outpouring of support for Vinícius after he said he was abused in Valencia. The case prompted widespread reaction from sports figures and government officials in Spain and worldwide.The nation has been criticized for its lack of action in racism cases in soccer. Brazilian government officials, including President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, had publicly expressed their concerns.Vinícius, who is Black, has been subjected to repeated racist taunts since he arrived in Spain five years ago, and especially this season after he began celebrating his goals by dancing.The Brazilian has heavily criticized Spanish soccer for...