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China’s auto sales rise 8.8% in first half of 2023, but growth is fading as economy cools

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:57 GMT

BEIJING (AP) — China’s auto sales rose 8.8% over a year earlier in the first half of 2023 as electric vehicle purchases surged, but growth is fading as an economic rebound following the end of anti-virus controls cools, an industry group reported Tuesday.Sales of SUVs, sedans and minivans rose to 11.3 million, decelerating from 2022’s 9.5% growth, according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers. Total vehicle sales including trucks and buses rose 9.8% to 13.2 million.CAAC earlier forecast this year’s annual sales growth might fall to as low as 3%.Global automakers look to China to propel sales growth as U.S. and European demand flattens and are pouring billions of dollars into developing electrics to meet government sales quotas. They face growing competition from Chinese brands that are developing rapidly, taking market share and starting to compete with global majors in their home markets by exporting to Europe and Japan.China’s economic growth rebounded...

6-year-old victim shares encounter with man arrested in Miami for attempted child abduction, abuse

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:57 GMT

A 6-year-old girl shared her story after a man nearly abducted her as she played outside near her Miami home. The man has been arrested and charged with kidnapping and child abuse following the incident that was reported on July 6.Detectives responded to the scene at 6530 N.E. 2nd Ave. after they were notified of the situation.Ah’Lyric said that while playing with siblings in the apartment complex courtyard, they noticed a white, newer model SUV parked near their residence. As the other children went inside to get a drink of water, the victim remained on the rear stairway of their apartment. According to the victim, the man, later identified as 32-year-old Leonardo Venegas, suddenly grabbed her arm and pulled her toward the rear of the stairs. The 6-year-old fought back and managed to break free from Venegas’s grip, but he then lifted the victim and attempted to carry her away. In an act of self-defense, the child bit Venegas’s arm, causing him to drop her. Venegas...

Miami Review Board considers designating portion of land near Miami River as archaeological site

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:57 GMT

The City of Miami Review Board is set to deliberate on a resolution today that could have significant implications for the future development of a portion of land near the mouth of the Miami River. The proposed resolution aims to designate the area as an archaeological site following the discovery of a prehistoric indigenous settlement during construction activities.Developers working on the 400 block of Brickell Avenue stumbled upon the ancient settlement while constructing residences in the area. The unexpected uncovering of the indigenous settlement has sparked protests over the preservation of historical sites in the rapidly developing city.If the Miami Review Board approves a report that deems the site as historically significant, the city would gain legal authority over the future development of the land, as well as the artifacts unearthed at the site.

Greta’s green activists clash with farmers over nature law

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:57 GMT

STRASBOURG — In competing protests, climate activists and farmers’ organizations clashed Tuesday morning in Strasbourg over whether to kill or save new EU rules aimed at boosting nature restoration.Tuesday’s demonstrations on opposite sides of the European Parliament building were a last-minute push to try to influence the outcome of a crucial — and likely very tight — vote on the legislative proposal scheduled Wednesday in plenary.Star climate activist Greta Thunberg joined the green protest, calling on politicians to “choose nature, to choose people over profit and greed” and “pass the strongest law possible.”“[Politicians] are given many opportunities to get their actions to match their words and they have failed us many, many times, so we hope they prove us wrong,” Thunberg said, asking MEPs to “stand on the right side of history.”Conservative European People’s Party leader Manfred Weber countered during the farmers’ protest that “we are totally committed to taking b...

UK resists pressure to station troops permanently in Estonia

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:57 GMT

VILNIUS — Britain’s prime minister shied away from promising to station British troops in Estonia on a permanent basis — despite pressure to do so from the U.K.’s Baltic partners.A decision by Germany to station 4,000 of its troops in Lithuania in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine has added to pressure on the U.K. to make a similar commitment to Estonia. The U.K. already leads a NATO battlegroup in Estonia and deploys troops there on rotating tours.But asked Tuesday if Britain would follow suit, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak would say only that his government has a “long track record” of supporting Estonia in its defense. Sunak’s comments, which come as he prepares to attend the NATO summit in Vilnius, suggest he is not contemplating a change in the U.K.’s position.“The Estonians are incredibly grateful for our presence and we made some changes last year: We keep a brigade in advanced readiness and we enhanced the lethality of the operation that we have there as well,” the U....

Rishi Sunak says misconduct claims against BBC host are ‘shocking’ and ‘concerning’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:57 GMT

VILNIUS — Allegations that a BBC presenter accused of sexual misconduct was not immediately taken off air are “shocking” and “concerning,” Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said, as he urged the publicly funded broadcaster to move “swiftly” in its investigation. The BBC is facing intense scrutiny this week after the Sun reported allegations that a high-profile host — who has not been publicly named — paid a vulnerable young person thousands of pounds in exchange for explicit images. The prime minister stressed that he had not been told the identity of the BBC presenter, who has been suspended by the broadcaster while it carries out a probe into the claims. Speaking to reporters Tuesday on a plane to Vilnius, Sunak said his culture secretary had been reassured by the BBC that its investigation will be “rigorous” and will be “swift.”“I think that’s the right thing to do, because given the concerning nature of the allegations, it’s right that they are investigated swiftly and...

Tear-filled vigil held in Lowell after desperate search for missing girl has tragic end

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:57 GMT

Dozens of Lowell community members came together in prayer Monday night at Saint Michael Parish in support of the family of a 7-year-old girl whose body was found in the Merrimack River hours earlier.Anna Mburu was reported missing by her family on Sunday afternoon after she took off on her bike. A day later, Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan said divers recovered a body believed to be Mburu’s from a part of the Merrimack River in Tewksbury. “It’s very sad, very frustrating,” said one woman at Saint Michael Parish. “We were hoping that she would be found alive, but that didn’t happen, so it’s actually very, very sad.”Police said Mburu was on the autism spectrum and nonverbal. Continuing through Monday morning, the search for Mburu was large, with personnel from multiple agencies combing the area using K9 teams, drones, a state police helicopter, bicycles, ATVs and members of the public also aided in the search.The DA’s office, in a statement, said state enviro...

WATCH: Shocking video shows gas station worker attacked, robbed in Revere

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:57 GMT

A cash grab was recently caught on camera in Revere as a gas station worker was ambushed, sending dollar bills flying. A group of people could be seen pouncing on the money, racing to pick it up. Days later, the longtime owner of the Gulf Station on Broadway in Revere, Sam Kanj told 7NEWS he was shocked to see one of his employees attacked.“We’ve never had this problem before but, this time, it was bad,” Kanj said. The incident happened on Friday night. Kanj said a group of “young kids” arrived on scooters and said they needed gas. “He was trying to help,” Kanj said of the clerk. “Suddenly, he walks inside to grab something to help them out.” Kanj said the individuals pushed the clerk and snatched money from his pockets. “You can see how they beat him up,” Kanj said, referring to video of the incident.Cameras showed one of the teens snatching money from the station clerk while others dove for cash on the floor. Then, video showed the assault.&...

Rescuers brace for more rain as relentless storms flood Northeast, VT hit hard

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:57 GMT

ANDOVER, Vt. (AP) — Swift water rescue teams and local officials across Vermont braced for more precipitation and flooding Tuesday after persistent heavy rains drenched the state and other parts of the Northeast, unleashing fast-moving waters that washed out roads, trapped residents in their homes and disrupted travel.One person was killed in New York as she tried to leave her inundated house.There have been no reports of injuries or deaths related to the flooding in Vermont, according to emergency officials. But dozens of roads were closed, including many along the spine of the Green Mountains. And the National Weather Service issued flash flood warnings and advisories for much of the state from the Massachusetts line north to the Canadian border.The U.S Army Corps of Engineers said late Monday they expected two dams to release water overnight, causing “severe flooding” downstream likely to affect multiple towns.Rescue crews from North Carolina, Michigan and Connecticut were among ...

No more free sailing for John Kerry, Republicans to grill him Thursday

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:57 GMT

Climate czar John Kerry will finally feel the heat when he’s grilled by House Republicans this week.The House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Oversight and Accountability is set to force Kerry to explain his budget beginning Thursday at 10 a.m. The hearing will be carried live on YouTube, and accessible on bostonherald.com. (You can set a reminder below.)Kerry has been criss-crossing the globe and holding high-level meetings, with little oversight, since being named President Biden’s first-ever Special Envoy for Climate on Jan. 20, 2021. His office has informed the Herald he only reports to the president.The Herald has also been told Kerry won’t divulge his complete office staff, including titles and pay, until October of 2024 — a month before the next general election. An appeal to the U.S. State Department Freedom of Information office has been denied.That lack of transparency is the main reason the oversight subcommittee is hauling Kerry before the panel.“...