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France bans TikTok, Twitter from government staff phones

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:38:16 GMT

PARIS (AP) — France announced Friday it is banning the “recreational” use of TikTok, Twitter, Instagram and other apps on government employees’ phones because of concern about insufficient data security measures.The move follows similar restrictions on TikTok in democratic countries amid fears about the popular video-sharing app’s Chinese connections. But the French decision also encompassed other platforms widely used by government officials, lawmakers and President Emmanuel Macron himself.The French Minister for Transformation and Public Administration, Stanislas Guerini, said in a statement that ‘’recreational” apps aren’t secure enough to be used in state administrative services and ’’could present a risk for the protection of data.”The ban will be monitored by France’s cybersecurity agency. The statement did not specify which apps are banned but noted that the decision came after other governments took measures targeting TikTok. Guerini’s office said in ...

Russia puts ex-Putin speechwriter on wanted list

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:38:16 GMT

MOSCOW (AP) — Police in Russia placed a former speechwriter for President Vladimir Putin on a wanted list for criminal suspects, the latest step in a sweeping crackdown on dissent. Abbas Gallyamov wrote speeches for Putin during the Russian leader’s 2008-12 stint as prime minister. Gallyamov later became an outspoken political consultant and analyst who was frequently quoted by Russian and foreign media. He has lived abroad in recent years. On Friday, Russian news outlets and an Associated Press reporter discovered Gallyamov listed in the Interior Ministry’s database. His entry said he was wanted “in relation to a Criminal Code article” but did not include the law he was accused of breaking. Russia’s Justice Ministry added Gallyamov last month to its register of foreign agents, a designation that brings additional government scrutiny and carries strong pejorative connotations aimed at undermining the recipient’s credibility.The ministry said Gallyamov “distri...

Denver Broncos ask for fan feedback on potential new stadium

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:38:16 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- Since the new ownership bought the Denver Broncos last year, there have been many conversations around the possibility of building a new stadium - and now it seems there may be action in that direction.Many people awoke to an email Friday morning with a survey about building a new stadium for the team and what they would like. What is the future of Empower Field at Mile High? The email was seemingly sent randomly to people who have bought tickets, including season ticket holders, but not everyone received it."Your feedback matters and will help shape future decisions regarding Empower Field at Mile High," an email introducing the survey says.After a few questions about demographics, the survey begins in earnest with a slide saying, "The Denver Broncos are exploring the possibility of constructing a new state-of-the-art football stadium..."The current stadium was approved by Denver voters in November 1998, with construction beginning the next year and the first gam...

BSO arrest woman in intentional hit-and-run

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:38:16 GMT

A woman is in custody after investigators said she intentionally ran over a woman, Friday morning.Broward Sheriff’s Office responded to a hit-and-run near the 2600 block of Northwest 13th Court. Upon arrival deputies located a female victim that showed injuries consistent with being hit by a vehicle. A preliminary investigation showed that two females were involved in an ongoing disturbance since at least Thursday night that resulted in the hit-and-run, Friday.Tina Gore is the victim’s mother and said the two women involved are childhood friends. The victim was transported by paramedics to a local hospital with serious injuries. “First she ran her over then she dragged her all the way, like a block or two from my house. She came again to ran my daughter’s head over. Also, she has a big open gash on her head. I want her to go to jail, and I want her to do the maximum time,” said Gore.According to investigators, the driver of the vehicle fled the scene bu...

Scientists create mice from two dads after making eggs from skin cells

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:38:16 GMT

(CNN) — Scientists have created mice with two biologically male parents for the first time — a significant milestone in reproductive biology.The team, led by Katsuhiko Hayashi, a professor of genome biology at Osaka University in Japan, generated eggs from the skin cells of male mice that, when implanted in female mice, went on to produce healthy pups, according to research published March 15 in the peer-reviewed journal Nature.The proof-of-concept research, the culmination of years of pain-staking lab work, could expand the possibilities for future fertility treatments, including for same-sex couples, and perhaps help prevent the extinction of endangered animals.However, scientists warn there’s still much to learn before cultured cells can be used to make human eggs in a lab dish.“It is expected that application into humans takes a long time, maybe 10 years or more. Even if it is applied, we never know whether the eggs are safe enough to produce (a) baby,R...

Massachusetts House speaker rejects audit of Legislature

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:38:16 GMT

BOSTON (AP) — Democratic House Speaker Ronald Mariano said Friday that the House won’t meet with state Auditor Diana DiZoglio about an audit DiZoglio has launched into the Legislature.DiZoglio, a Democrat who served as both a state representative and senator, described the audit as the first such review in a century of the Legislature that she hopes will “increase transparency, accountability and equity in an area of state government that has been completely ignored.”Mariano said in a letter to DiZoglio Friday that the House’s financial accounts are already public.Any “performance assessment” by DiZoglio of House actions including “active and pending legislation, committee appointments, legislative rules, and its policies and procedures” would violate basic separation-of-powers principles, he said.Any such assessment is the sole responsibility of the House, he said, adding that voters are the final decision-makers of the performance of elected officials.“Therefore, given...

Former Boston bouncer honored for tackling man in flight attack

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:38:16 GMT

EXETER, N.H. — An airline passenger who helped tackle a man trying stab a flight attendant with a broken metal spoon was honored Friday by his hometown police department.Jeff Neil, a former bouncer who now works for a software company, received the “Citizen Award” for his actions earlier this month, which were caught on video by another passenger.At a ceremony in Exeter, Neil said he doesn’t consider himself a hero but acknowledged the significance of what happened.“I truly was in the right place at the right time,” he said.Neil’s wife Libby was sitting with him on the plane. She said she wasn’t surprised he jumped into action.“We both knew that he would be getting up,” she said.Francisco Severo Torres, 33, of Leominster, was arrested and accused of attacking a flight attendant and attempting to open the door of United Airlines Flight 2609. The plane was about 45 minutes from Boston when the crew noticed the door handle had been ...

Regular exercise can slow physical decline, provide community for seniors

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:38:16 GMT

Regular exercise can help senior citizens slow down age-induced muscle and bone decline and preserve aerobic capabilities, and a doctor has advice and encouragement for seniors who either want to start or continue exercising.According to Sport and Exercise Medicine Specialist Matthew Kampert of Cleveland Clinic’s South Pointe Hospital in Ohio, it is best to start exercise while young and continue throughout life.For people looking to start exercising as seniors, he said to “start where you’re at,” consult with a doctor and focus on building up endurance.Kampert compared physical fitness to retirement, noting that it’s important to start investing early for better results later. Seniors who started earlier should continue exercising as they age in order to lower aerobic and muscle decline.“The earlier you start the better it is, because you can build more muscle mass and bone density and it’s easier to improve your cardiorespiratory fitness when you’re young,” he said.Kampert explain...

Johns Hopkins study highlights promise of IV mistletoe extract for cancer therapy

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:38:16 GMT

Angela Roberts | The Baltimore SunIvelisse Page already had 15 inches of her colon and 28 lymph nodes removed to treat her colon cancer, but in the winter of 2008 she received more devastating news.The cancer had spread to her liver.Page’s doctor, Dr. Luis Diaz – an oncologist at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York and professor at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine — gave her an 8% chance of living for more than two years.Since chemotherapy and radiation wouldn’t increase her chances of survival, Page decided not to undergo either of the intensive treatments. Instead, she and her husband considered another treatment suggested by an integrative practitioner at Baltimore’s Ruscombe Mansion Community Health Center: mistletoe therapy.Though European mistletoe extract isn’t approved as a cancer treatment by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, it’s one of the most commonly prescribed therapies used to treat cancer in Europe and has been used for centuri...

Heat’s Kyle Lowry ‘looks fantastic’ in current role, Spoelstra says

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:38:16 GMT

Since veteran point guard Kyle Lowry returned to the court on March 11, he has been steadily improving while playing in a reserve role for the Heat.Lowry, who was listed as questionable for Miami’s crucial matchup with the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday due to left knee soreness, has been working his way back to full health.“It’s clear he’s moving way better than what he was doing before,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “He was grinding through it. You have to respect his toughness, his competitiveness. But if your body isn’t right in this league — it’s so competitive, the athletes are world-class, the speed and the quickness — you want to be able to move the way you’re capable of moving.”Lowry missed 15 games in February and March, and Miami went 7-8 in that stretch. He returned earlier this month and played 36 minutes in an overtime loss to Orlando, but since then, he has played between 19 and 25 minutes.In his fi...