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Researchers race against time to save South Florida’s coral reefs amid bleaching crisis

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:15 GMT

KEY LARGO, Fla. (WSVN) — Concerns are mounting over the health of South Florida’s coral reefs as extreme heat continues to cause severe bleaching, putting these delicate ecosystems at risk. Researchers and organizations like the Coral Restoration Foundation are working tirelessly to save what remains of the once-thriving coral reefs off the Lower Keys.At Sombrero Reef and Cheeca Rocks off the Lower Keys, the evidence of the crisis is hard to miss. Bailey Thomasson and Alex Neufeld from the Coral Restoration Foundation have witnessed the dire situation firsthand.“Corals are screaming for our help,” said Thomasson. “Corals can really only stay bleached for a couple of weeks until they die.” “This is the worst summer that I’ve seen,” Neufeld said.The effects of rising sea temperatures have been devastating for the corals, leading to widespread bleaching, a phenomenon where corals expel the algae, their main food source, as a stress reacti...

Austrian chancellor: Right to use cash should be in constitution

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:15 GMT

Being able to continue using cash for payments rather than cards or digital currencies should be enshrined in the Austrian constitution, Chancellor Karl Nehammer said.“More and more people are worried that cash could be restricted as a means of payment in Austria,” he said, insisting that people have a “right to cash”. Austria has lagged begind other European countries on digital payments, with people clinging to coins and bills, particularly for smaller, everyday items.“In Austria alone, €47 billion is withdrawn from ATMs every year, and on average, every Austrian carries €102 in cash,” Nehammer said on the social media plattorm X, formerly known as Twitter. He added that 67 percent of payments under €20 are paid for in cash in Austria.Nehammer announced a three-point plan on Thursday, appointing Finance Minister Magnus Brunner to work on it. Under the plan, the right to cash would be protected in the constitution, it must also be possible to pay...

Boston police cruiser involved in crash in Roxbury 

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:15 GMT

Emergency crews were on scene in Roxbury Friday morning after a Boston police cruiser was involved in a crash. Police Sgt. Det. John Boyle said the crash happened around 3:40 a.m. near the intersection of Page Street and Glenway Street. Boyle said a gun was recovered and an arrest was made. No one was injured. Video from the scene showed a damaged fence near the crash site. No further information was immediately available.This is a developing story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest updates.

WNBA star Diana Taurasi becomes first in league history to score 10,000 career points

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:15 GMT

(CNN) — Diana Taurasi, the Phoenix Mercury star who stands atop the WNBA’s all-time leading scorer list, reached another milestone in her highly decorated career by becoming the first player to score 10,000 points in league history.Playing in front of a packed Footprint Center in Phoenix, Taurasi entered Thursday night’s game needing 18 points to reach the historic mark. In the third quarter, the 41-year-old scored the historic basket on a deep three-pointer against the Atlanta Dream.With her arms waved out and the crowd erupting in cheers, play was immediately stopped as Taurasi gathered in a huddle with her teammates near halfcourt to celebrate.“The whole time, I’m like I hope this doesn’t screw up our momentum,” Taurasi told ESPN on what was going through her mind during the moment. “We needed this win pretty bad but it really was a nice feeling, you know when there’s anticipation and it kind of works out your way and what a great night for women’s basketball tonig...

Suspect in Idaho killings will use an alibi defense but doesn’t claim to have been at a specific location, attorneys say

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:15 GMT

(CNN) — Attorneys for a man accused of killing four University of Idaho students last year say they will be using an alibi defense, but do not have one specific location for where he was, they said in a court document filed Wednesday.The defense attorneys for Bryan Kohberger made the statements in an objection to prosecutors’ motion from last week to compel Kohberger to share the exact location of his alibi and the names of witnesses who could testify to his location.Kohberger faces four counts of first-degree murder in the November 13 deaths of 21-year-olds Kaylee Goncalves and Madison Mogen; and 20-year-olds Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin, who were fatally stabbed in an off-campus home in Moscow, Idaho. A not guilty plea has been entered on his behalf, and his trial is set for October.Statements by a surviving witness and other evidence leads investigators to believe the killings happened between 4 a.m. and 4:25 a.m., according to court docu...

2023 Boston Fan Expo opens Friday 

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:15 GMT

Fan fever is set to come to Boston this weekend with the opening of this year’s Boston Fan Expo at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center. The event celebrates all things comics, horror, science fiction and more. It is set to kick off at 4 p.m. Friday and continue through Sunday. Despite the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike, actors are still able to attend the event for planned autographs, photo-ops and panels. While current rules from SAG-AFTRA, the union which represents many actors, require members to not discuss shows or characters by name and to not comment on upcoming projects, actors are allowed to talk about general topics such as their personal lives and other work.Some of those expected to appear at the Fan Expo this weekend include Star Wars actor Hayden Christensen, Star Trek’s William Shatner and Henry Winkler, known for his character — The Fonz. See more information on this year’s Boston Fan Expo here.

Mega Millions $1.25 billion drawing tonight; sixth-largest ever

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:15 GMT

Lottery players will have a shot tonight at an estimated $1.25 billion Mega Millions jackpot that has been growing ever larger after months without a grand prize winner.There have been 30 straight drawings since the last time someone won the game’s jackpot on April 18. That has enabled the prize to steadily grow until it is now the sixth-largest ever in the U.S.The jackpot is so hard to win because of the 1-in-302.6 million odds of matching the numbers on five white balls and a separate mega ball. The odds are better to win smaller prizes, which start at $2.The $1.25 billion prize is for a sole winner who is paid over 30 years through an annuity. Those who opt for a lump sum payout would get an estimated $625.3 million.A big slice of those winnings would go toward federal taxes, and many states also tax lottery payouts.Mega Millions is played in 45 states, Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands.Related ArticlesNation | Mega Millions winner could net $1.25 bil...

Kremlin critic Navalny expects a lengthy prison term as court readies extremism trial verdict

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:15 GMT

MOSCOW (AP) — Imprisoned Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny is preparing to hear the verdict Friday in his latest trial on extremism charges. The prosecution has demanded a 20-year prison sentence, and the politician himself said he expects to receive a lengthy term. If the court finds Navalny guilty, it would be his fifth criminal conviction, all of which his supporters see as a deliberate Kremlin strategy to silence its most ardent opponent. Navalny is already serving a nine-year sentence for fraud and contempt of court. He also was sentenced in 2021 to 2 1/2 years in prison for a parole violation. The extremism trial has taken place behind closed doors in the penal colony east of Moscow where he is imprisoned. The 47-year-old Navalny is President Vladimir Putin’s fiercest foe and has exposed official corruption and organized major anti-Kremlin protests. He was arrested in January 2021 upon returning to Moscow after recuperating in Germany from nerve agent poisoning that he ...

New Jersey to hold three-day state funeral for late Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:15 GMT

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — New Jersey will send off Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver, who died after being hospitalized this week, with a three-day state funeral. Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy said in a statement that Oliver’s remains would lie in state in the Capitol rotunda Thursday, followed by a similar honor in her home county’s historic courthouse on Aug. 11. A funeral is set for Aug. 12 in Newark’s Basilica of the Sacred Heart. Beginning Friday flags on state buildings will fly half-staff in honor of Oliver for the next month. Oliver died Tuesday, just a day after the governor’s office said she was admitted to a hospital with an undisclosed medical issue. No cause was given for her death in a statement from the governor’s office on behalf of Oliver’s family, which asked for privacy.Her death coincided with Murphy’s vacation in Italy and while she was serving as acting governor. Murphy cut his trip short by 10 days, returning to New Jersey on Thursday. He’s s...

UN closes its human rights office in Uganda as government ends an agreement allowing it to operate

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:15 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — The United Nations’ human rights office in Uganda will close this weekend after the East African country decided not to renew an agreement allowing it to operate, the U.N.’s top human rights official said Friday.The closure comes amid concern over human rights violations including extrajudicial killings in Uganda and a new law that prescribes the death penalty for some homosexual acts. The office in Kampala will formally cease operations on Saturday, while sub-offices in Gulu and Moroto closed at the end of June and on Monday respectively.“I regret that our office in Uganda had to close after 18 years, during which we were able to work closely with civil society, people from various walks of life in Uganda, as well as engaging with state institutions for the promotion and protection of the human rights of all Ugandans,” U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said in a statement from Geneva.The closure was prompted by the government’s deci...