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Relocating 70 of Pablo Escobar’s ‘cocaine hippos’ to cost around $3.5 million

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:21:22 GMT

(CNN) — Colombia’s plans to relocate 70 “cocaine hippos” descended from drug trafficker Pablo Escobar’s private menagerie will cost approximately $3.5 million, officials said in a press conference Wednesday.It will form part of a deal that the local Antioquia government signed with various institutions including the Colombian Agricultural Institute, the Colombian Air Force and the Ostok Sanctuary in Mexico where 10 hippos will be transported, a statement released on Wednesday said.A sanctuary in India will provide a new home for the other 60 hippos since it is impossible to transport them back to their native Africa and risks upsetting the local ecosystem there.The deal will allocate resources to build boxes and cover air transport costs for the hippos, whose population has boomed despite the efforts of authorities to control it using castrations and “shots” of contraceptive darts.There are now between 130 and 160 of the hippos, according to...

Enjoy Virtual Vacation Day from the comfort of your couch

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:21:22 GMT

If you’ve been longing for a break but are hesitant to spend a fortune on travel expenses, you’re in luck! March 30 marks Virtual Vacation Day, the perfect day to indulge in your wanderlust without breaking the bank.Thanks to free virtual reality apps, you can explore the vacation destination of your dreams without leaving your couch. From taking a stroll on a tropical beach to wandering through ancient ruins, the possibilities are endless. For an even more immersive experience, virtual reality headsets offer a realistic and interactive way to explore the world.To make the most of Virtual Vacation Day, National Day Calendar suggests trying out different virtual reality tours, from visiting famous landmarks and museums to going on a thrilling adventure or attending a virtual concert. There’s something for everyone, no matter what your interests are.

EU Parliament moves to end gender pay gap — this time for good

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:21:22 GMT

The European Parliament on Thursday approved binding pay-transparency rules in a bid to tackle the gender salary gap across the EU. That will put pressure on employers, who will now have to take more responsibility in being transparent about salaries and fixing gender-based inequalities.Under the new rules, employers will have to provide employees with access to information on how they determine salaries, broken down by gender. “Companies with more than 100 employees will have a reporting duty,” Samira Rafaela, a Dutch lawmaker from the Renew Europe group and lead MEP on the file, told POLITICO. If the reporting shows that the gender pay gap exceeds 5 percent, the company will have to rectify it. Member countries will be able to fine employers violating the new rules and workers will have a right to compensation, the legislation says.The adopted directive, which was proposed by the European Commission in March 2021, will now have to be formally adopted by the Council of the EU this ...

France & Germany on strike — Commission Legal Chief, Daniel Calleja Crespo

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:21:22 GMT

Listen on Spotify Apple Music Google Play EN_Google_Podcasts_Badge Created with Sketch. Stitcher .st0{fill:#EB8A23;} .st1{fill:#FAC617;} .st2{fill:#612368;} .st3{fill:#3792C4;} .st4{fill:#C33727;} Acast The worst strikes and protests in decades bring both France and Germany to a standstill this week. Is this just the beginning of Europe’s cost of living crisis? Our special guest is Director General o...

Corbyn row looms large as Labour’s Starmer launches local elections campaign

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:21:22 GMT

SWINDON, England — Labour’s Keir Starmer insisted his top team is fully behind his decision to exile former leader Jeremy Corbyn, as he launched the party’s local elections drive.“The shadow cabinet stand full square behind the changes that we’ve made to the Labour Party,” Starmer told POLITICO after rallying party activists in a speech that kicked off the opposition party’s prep for the crucial May test. The Labour leader launched his campaign at a community hub in the English town of Swindon, alongside his deputy Angela Rayner and Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves. It comes in a week when Starmer has grabbed headlines after moving to stop Corbyn, the left-wing predecessor who led the party for four tumultuous, from running as a Labour candidate at the next general election.The U.K. opposition — currently riding high in the polls — hopes to make thousands of gains in the local authority vote taking place on May 4. Some 230 councils across England a...

School on lockdown in Ashburnham after suspect flees from police and drives into woods nearby

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:21:22 GMT

A school in Ashburnham has been placed on lockdown after a suspect fleeing police drove into a wood line across from the campus and refused to exit, according to state police.The Massachusetts State Police said their Special Tactical Operations Team and Crisis Response Unit was called in after a suspect fled a stop initiated by Winchendon police.https://twitter.com/MassStatePolice/status/1641446945905582080Authorities said the suspect went on to drive into a wood line off of Route 101 in Ashburnham, across from Cushing Academy and, as of 10:30 a.m., was refusing to exit their vehicle.State police said while their response continues, the private school that serves some 400 students had been placed on lockdown.This is a developing story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest updates.

Plants make popping noises that sound like bubble wrap bursting, study says

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:21:22 GMT

(CNN) — Plants make popping sounds that are undetectable to the human ear, according to recordings made in a new study — and they make more sounds when thirsty or under other kinds of stress.The research shakes up what most botanists thought they knew about the plant kingdom, which had been considered largely silent, and suggests the world around us is a cacophony of plant sounds, said study coauthor Lilach Hadany.She said she had long been skeptical that plants were completely noiseless.“There’s so many organisms that respond to sound, I thought there was no good reason for plants to be deaf and mute,” said Hadany, a professor at the School of Plant Sciences and Food Security and program head of the George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences at Tel Aviv University.The first plant Hadany recorded, using an ultrasonic microphone, was a cactus in her lab six years ago, but she couldn’t rule out that the sound she detec...

Minnesota derailment spills ethanol, prompts evacuations

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:21:22 GMT

By JOSH FUNKA train hauling ethanol and corn syrup derailed and caught fire in Minnesota early Thursday and nearby residents were ordered to evacuate their homes, authorities said.The BNSF train derailed in the town of Raymond, roughly 100 miles (161 kilometers) west of Minneapolis, about 1 a.m., according to a statement from Kandiyohi County Sheriff Eric Tollefson. This latest derailment happened as the nation has been increasingly focused on railroad safety after last month’s fiery Norfolk Southern derailment that prompted evacuations in East Palestine, Ohio, near the Pennsylvania border. Residents in that town of about 5,000 remain concerned about lingering health impacts after officials decided to release and burn toxic chemicals to prevent a tank car explosion. State and federal officials maintain that no harmful levels of toxic chemicals have been found in the air or water there, but residents remain uneasy.The major freight railroads have said they plan to add about 1,0...

Orioles finalize season-opening 26-man roster

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:21:22 GMT

Hours before beginning their 2023 season, the Orioles put the finishing touches on their 26-man roster for Thursday’s opening day matchup at Fenway Park against the Boston Red Sox.Baltimore’s roster had featured 31 players since the cuts that followed Monday’s spring training finale, with a swap of bullpen candidates taking place Tuesday to keep that figure in place. Needing to reduce it by five, the Orioles placed four veterans — pitchers John Means (60-day), Mychal Givens (15-day) and Dillon Tate (15-day) and catcher James McCann (10-day) — on the injured list and optioned right-hander Joey Krehbiel to Triple-A Norfolk.It’s been known throughout spring that the Orioles would open the season without Means and Tate. Means isn’t expected to return from last year’s Tommy John elbow reconstruction surgery until July at the earliest, and executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias announced Tate’s right forearm strain ear...

Top Massachusetts court backs Boston in COVID-19 vaccine mandate fight, throws out lower ruling

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:21:22 GMT

The state’s top court has ruled in favor of the city in the battle over its COVID-19 mandate, throwing out the preliminary injunction against the Wu administration and clearing the way for future versions of such policies.Supreme Judicial Court Associate Justice Elspeth Cypher wrote the opinion issued Thursday, throwing out an appellate judge’s order not to enforce the vaccine-mandate police from December 2021 — a policy under which no one’s ever been disciplined.“The defendants’ policy decision to amend the COVID-19 policy was based on concerns not only for the health of their employees, but also for the residents of the city, for whom the defendants were obligated to provide continued access to public safety services,” Cypher wrote. He added that “the potential harm to the city and the public resulting from the spread of COVID-19 clearly outweighed the economic harm to the employees.”This fight stems from the start of the omicron-var...