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Finland to join NATO on Tuesday 

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:50:39 GMT

Finland will formally become a full-fledged NATO ally on Tuesday, the alliance’s Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Monday. “This is an historic week,” the NATO chief told reporters. “Tomorrow, we will welcome Finland as the 31st member of NATO, making Finland safer and our alliance stronger.” A ceremony marking Finland’s accession is set to take place Tuesday afternoon. “We will raise the Finnish flag for the first time here at the NATO headquarters,” Stoltenberg said, adding: “It will be a good day for Finland’s security, for Nordic security, and for NATO as a whole.” The move comes after Hungary and Turkey ratified Finland’s membership bid last week, removing the last hurdles to Helsinki’s accession. Sweden’s membership aspiration, however, remains in limbo as Budapest and Ankara continue to withhold support. Speaking ahead of a meeting of NATO foreign ministers, Stoltenberg reiterated that he believes Stockholm is still on its way to ultimatel...

‘Follow your heart’: 102-year-old woman receives college degree

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:50:39 GMT

A resident at a senior living facility in Ohio has proved it’s never too late to follow your dreams. Nancy Power Hodous, 102, has her lifelong dream of receiving a college degree come true. Hodous was thrilled to be given an honorary Associate of Public Service degree from Zane College. “Like they say, follow your heart,” Hodous said. “If it’s something you can, go ahead and do it.”The honor comes just ahead of Hodous’ 103rd birthday in April.

Boston Ballet, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute partner to present ‘La Mer’

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:50:39 GMT

The ocean and the ballet come together in the upcoming production of La Mer at the Citizens Bank Opera House. Choreographer Nanine Linning created the ballet to show the beauty of the deep sea and discuss the dangers of pollution. The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution heard about the show and thought it was a great opportunity for education.“I contacted the Boston Ballet because I thought that Nanine and some of the other artists might be interested in talking to some of our researchers,” said WHOI Senior Scientist Larry Pratt“I wanted to educate myself and learn more and spend more time as an artist on this topic, because it’s so relevant, it’s urgent, it’s important, and it’s magnificent,” Linning said.La Mer takes the stage starting April 6 and will perform shows for nine days.

NASA set to unveil the crew of astronauts for moon flyby mission, 2 New England natives being considered

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:50:39 GMT

(CNN) — Four astronauts — including three Americans and one Canadian — will be tapped by NASA to complete a generation-defining mission to the moon’s orbit, returning humans to deeper into the solar system than has been reached in five decades.On Monday, the public will finally learn the crew members’ names.Scheduled to launch in 2024, Artemis II will be the program’s first crewed mission to orbit the moon, flying farther into space than any humans since the Apollo program. It will pave the way for the Artemis III crew to walk on the moon in 2025, all aboard the world’s most powerful rocket and at a price tag that by then will approach $100 billion.Following months of closed-door decision making, NASA officials plan to unveil the names of the crew members in a ceremony scheduled for Monday at 11 am ET.Though officials have remained tight-lipped about their choices, CNN previously spoke with nearly a dozen current and former NASA officials...

A breakdown of every remaining Heat playoff/play-in possibility

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:50:39 GMT

With the NBA stepping aside for a night to provide Monday’s basketball stage solely for the NCAA championship game, the league’s latest round of results offered the Miami Heat a sobering reminder of what is gone, what is slipping away and the work that still remains.For example, with the New York Knicks’ Sunday victory over the Washington Wizards, the Heat were blocked from the opportunity to finish higher than No. 6 in the Eastern Conference.And with the Brooklyn Nets, Toronto Raptors, Atlanta Hawks and Chicago Bulls also winning Sunday, it means Erik Spoelstra’s team could have to work all the way into Sunday’s season finale against the visiting Orlando Magic to determine when and where their postseason begins.At 41-37 and No. 7 in the Eastern Conference, the Heat close out their regular season Tuesday night in Detroit, Thursday night in Philadelphia, Friday night in Washington and then Sunday’s finale at Miami-Dade Arena against the Magic.The t...

Wall Street starts quarter flat as oil renews inflation fear

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:50:39 GMT

BANGKOK (AP) — Wall Street is starting the second quarter nearly flat as losses by utilities and the technology sector offset big gains in energy stocks. The S&P 500 is down less than 0.1% and the Nasdaq is off 0.5% at the open Monday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average is up 0.3%. Exxon and Chevron soared nearly 4% after Saudi Arabia and other major oil producers said they’ll cut production by 1.15 million barrels per day from May until the end of the year. That sent oil up nearly 6% as of 9:35 a.m. ET. Investors worry that higher prices for gas and other fuels could add to upward pressure on inflation.THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story appears below:Oil prices soared nearly 6% on Monday after Saudi Arabia and other major oil producers said they will cut production by 1.15 million barrels per day from May until the end of the year. Shares in Asia were mixed. U.S. benchmark crude oil rose $4.24 to $79.91 per barrel, or 5.6%, in electronic trading on the...

Celebrity birthdays for the week of April 9-15

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:50:39 GMT

Celebrity birthdays for the week of April 9-15April 9: Actor Michael Learned (“The Waltons”) is 84. Country singer Margo Smith is 81. Actor Dennis Quaid is 69. Humorist Jimmy Tingle (“60 Minutes II”) is 68. Keyboardist Dave Innis of Restless Heart is 64. Talk show host Joe Scarborough (“Morning Joe”) is 60. Actor Mark Pellegrino (“Dexter”) is 58. Actor-model Paulina Porizkova is 58. Actor Cynthia Nixon (“Sex and the City”) is 57. Singer Kevin Martin of Candlebox is 54. TV personality Sunny Anderson (“The Kitchen”) is 48. Singer Gerard Way of My Chemical Romance is 46. Actor Keshia Knight Pulliam (“The Cosby Show”) is 44. Guitarist Albert Hammond Junior of The Strokes is 43. Actor Charlie Hunnam (“Sons of Anarchy”) is 43. Actor Jay Baruchel (“Knocked Up,” ″Tropic Thunder”) is 41. Actor Annie Funke (“Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders”) is 38. Actor Jordan Masterson (“Last Man Standing”) is 37. Actor Leighton Meester (“Gossip Girl”) is 37. Singer-actor Jesse McCartney (“Summerland”) is 36...

With no peace in sight, NATO countries eye more Ukraine help

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:50:39 GMT

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine’s Western allies have sent the country 65 billion euros ($70 billion) in military aid to help thwart Russia’s full-scale invasion, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Monday, and with no peace negotiations on the horizon the alliance is gearing up to send more.“We cannot allow Russia to continue to chip away at European security,” Stoltenberg told a news conference in Brussels, adding “there are no signs that (Russian President Vladimir) Putin is preparing for peace. He is preparing for more war.”NATO foreign ministers meeting in Brussels on Tuesday “will discuss how we can step up our support, including by continuing to strengthen Ukraine’s armed forces,” Stoltenberg said. “Our support is for the long-haul.”Analysts suspect Putin plans to dig in and hold out against a possible Ukraine counteroffensive in coming months, hoping that the West’s costly support for Kyiv will unravel.Putin’s invasion in February 2022 backfired in some key respects. I...

Police: Man in Puerto Rico steals ambulance after accident

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:50:39 GMT

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — A man involved in a car accident Monday in Puerto Rico’s capital fled the scene in an ambulance that had arrived to help him, police said.Police pursued him from San Juan to the nearby city of Caguas but found only the abandoned ambulance, authorities said. Police were searching for the suspect.The accident occurred on one of Puerto Rico’s busiest highways. It was not immediately clear if other people were involved in the accident.A police lieutenant investigating the incident could not be immediately reached for comment. The Associated Press

Saputo signs deal to sell two milk processing plants in Australia to Coles Group

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:50:39 GMT

MONTREAL — Saputo Inc. has signed a deal to sell two milk processing plants in Australia to supermarket giant Coles Group Ltd. for about $95 million.The Canadian diary giant says the fresh milk processing facilities are in the Australian states of Victoria and New South Wales.Saputo says the deal is expected to close in the second half of the year and is subject to customary conditions, including clearance from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.Coles Group includes grocery stores, liquor stores, fuel and convenience retailers, a loyalty program and financial services.Saputo says the sale will help streamline its operations and allow it to reinvest in other areas of its business.CEO Lino Saputo says the company is continually working to ensure it has the right manufacturing footprint and product offering to enhance its position as a high-quality, low-cost processor.“This marks an important step in executing our long-term vision for success in Australia as we maintain...