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Holiday scam alert: Beware of crafty impersonations by fake delivery drivers

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:04:27 GMT

‘Tis the season for gift-giving, but authorities are warning holiday shoppers about scammers posing as delivery drivers. Celia Surridge of the Better Business Bureau (BBB) in Northeast California cautioned consumers in an attempt to protect their bank accounts.“You really need to stop and think. That’s really what it comes down to,” said Surridge. “Scammers are constantly becoming more savvy to what gets people to respond.” From Amazon to the postal service, scammers are using sophisticated tactics to trick unsuspecting shoppers.Surridge advised shoppers to avoid clicking on links in texts and instead use official delivery service apps directly. She warned against trusting links that may appear legitimate but could lead to phishing sites.“These crooks are getting sophisticated. They’re getting tricky, they’re getting more crafty with each and every scam,” added Amar Gandhi, a spokesperson for the Sacremento County Sheriff&#...

USPS offers inside look at holiday operations, issues package theft warning

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:04:27 GMT

The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) granted 7News an exclusive inside look at their West Miami-Dade plant, revealing the dedicated efforts of employees sorting through a surge of envelopes and packages. Officials emphasize potential problems, with a primary focus on package thefts during this busy holiday season.Blanca Alvarez, a USPS inspector, warned against the most common problems to mitigate risks. “Don’t leave your mailbox overnight,” she said. “If you’re not going to be available to pick up your mail, after it’s delivered or within a few days, then ask a trusted person to pick up the mail for you or ask the post office to hold the mail for you.”As Christmas is just days away, the Postal Service provides crucial shipping dates:USPS Ground Delivery: December 16USPS Priority Delivery: December 18USPS Express Delivery: December 20FedEx Ground Delivery: December 15FedEx Express Delivery: December 19FedEx Overnight Delivery: December 21UPS 3-Day...

Putin says Macron stopped calling him

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:04:27 GMT

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday accused French President Emmanuel Macron of cutting ties with him, but left the door open to rekindling the relationship. Before the war in Ukraine, Macron cast himself as a negotiator between the West and Russia — the French president traveled to Moscow weeks before Russia’s invasion in a last-ditch effort to de-escalate tensions. Photos of Macron sitting at the opposite end of a long table in the Kremlin became a much-shared meme and an ominous foreboding of Putin’s unwillingness to negotiate. On Thursday, in a Q&A with the press and public, a journalist from the French channel TF1 asked Putin about the current state of the two leaders’ relationship. Putin said they had enjoyed a “quite good working relationship and we were ready to cooperate with France further” on bilateral and global issues.But he added: “At some point the French president stopped the relationship with us. We didn’t do it, I didn’...

Taiwan’s China syndrome: elections test crucial relationship with China and the West

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:04:27 GMT

Listen on Spotify Apple Music Google Play EN_Google_Podcasts_Badge Created with Sketch. Acast Amazon Music In Taiwan, political parties are entering the final stint of a lively campaign as voters prepare to go to the polls in a presidential election on January 13. With a population of 23 million, Taiwan is at the precarious juncture of the South and East China seas, buffeted by geo-...

Draymond Green suspended indefinitely from NBA after wild swing on Jusuf Nurkić as Warriors lose to Suns

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:04:27 GMT

(CNN) — Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green has been suspended indefinitely following an on-court altercation earlier this week, the National Basketball Association (NBA) announced on Wednesday. The 33-year-old was ejected during his team’s 119-116 defeat to the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday.During the third quarter while being guarded by the center, Green spun around and struck Jusuf Nurkić in the face with his right arm, dropping him to the ground.The officials reviewed the incident and deemed it a flagrant 2 foul, which results in an automatic ejection from the game.Green asserted after the game that the hit was accidental.“I am not one to apologize for things I mean to do, but I do apologize to Jusuf because I didn’t intend to hit him,” Green said after the game. “I was just selling the call because he was grabbing me and pulling my hip, so I spun away and, unfortunately, I hit him.”The NBA said it “takes into account Green’s repeated history of unsportsmanlike...

In India, AI-enabled cameras are sending out tiger alerts in real time

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:04:27 GMT

(CNN) — Silently padding through the jungle, the tiger slinks between tree trunks and hanging vines, her stripes a seamless veil among the dappled shadows on the forest floor. Hard to spot for a human — harder still if you’re a deer — but not so difficult for artificial intelligence.Developed by US-based NGO Resolve, TrailGuard AI is an innovative camera trap that is designed to detect specific species and transmit images of them instantly.While the technology was originally developed to combat poaching — the camera’s first field-test was in a reserve in East Africa in 2018, where Resolve says it led to the arrest of 30 poachers — conservationists in India saw potential for its use in managing human-tiger conflict.TrailGuard uses an advanced vision chip with embedded AI that can recognize up to 10 species — such as tigers, leopards, elephants and humans — and transmit the data in real-time to park rangers via cell phone signal or long-range radio. ...

Giannis Antetokounmpo drops career-high 64 points as post-game scuffle mars Milwaukee Bucks victory over the Indiana Pacers

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:04:27 GMT

(CNN) — Giannis Antetokounmpo was involved in a heated post-match altercation with the Indiana Pacers after dropping a career-high and Bucks franchise-record 64 points in Milwaukee’s 140-126 victory on Wednesday.The ‘Greek Freak’ was unhappy that the Pacers took the game ball from his historic night, leading Antetokounmpo to charge from the court towards the visitors’ locker room in search of it.Antetokounmpo was then involved in a fiery exchange with Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton when he came back out onto the court.After the game, Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle told reporters there had been a “misunderstanding” and that they had taken the game ball to give to rookie Oscar Tshiebwe, who scored his first official NBA point in the contest.“We always get the game ball. We were not thinking about Giannis’ franchise record,” Carlisle said post-game. “So we grabbed the ball and, a couple of minutes later, several of their players ended up in our hallwa...

Are the Chicago Bears suddenly one of the NFC’s better teams? 12 eye-catching numbers for their Week 15 game against the Cleveland Browns.

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:04:27 GMT

Dreams are growing in Chicago. Playoff chatter is amplifying. With a recent stretch of quality play and wins over the Carolina Panthers, Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions over the last four games, the Bears are allowing themselves to imagine a storybook ending to their once-dispiriting season. Players and coaches know a microfocus will be needed, specifically toward Sunday’s game against the Browns, to keep such dreams alive. But hey, life has begun to feel more fun again at Halas Hall and around Chicago.As we head for Week 15, here’s a snapshot look at 12 notable facts and figures.12Rank of the Bears defense, which has allowed 314.5 yards per game this season. That’s a major improvement from a year ago, when the Bears ranked 29th in total defense (375.9 ypg). Over the last five games, the Bears have climbed from 23rd to 12th in total defense and 13th to second in interceptions. They also own the No. 2 rushing defense, allowing 83.7 yards per game.1NFL rank of th...

2024 Mazda CX-90 is icing on the cake

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:04:27 GMT

You know when a house on the block gets a new car, neighbors either attempt to keep up with the Jones’ and buy a new car as well, or they think, wow, that is really really nice; why didn’t I think of that? Well, the all new 2024 Mazda CX-90 is just that and what a beauty it is. First of all, let’s start with the exterior, the styling is superb with its extended front nose and widened shark line grille, the CX-90 shows off both luxury in style, while the Mazda color options are what keeps consumers interested in what Mazda has to offer. Our Black Cherry looking Artisan Red Metallic was unfathomable; what a color.On the interior, hang on to your hard hat, did Mazda get luxurious on us? Well in the 2024 CX-90, they sure did. As Car & Driver mentions in their most recent analysis of 3rd row SUVs, the Mazda CX-90 topped the chart in driver comfort, 2nd-row comfort, interior styling, and an array of powertrain and chassis accolades. That is very impressive and proves...

Naval officer jailed in Japan in deadly crash is transferred to US custody, his family says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:04:27 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — A Navy officer jailed in Japan over a deadly car crash that killed two Japanese citizens has been transferred into U.S. custody and is being returned to the United States, his family said Thursday.Lt. Ridge Alknois had been serving a three-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to the negligent driving deaths of an elderly woman and her son-in-law in May 2021.“After 507 days, Lt. Ridge Alkonis is on his way home to the United States. We are encouraged by Ridge’s transfer back to the United States but cannot celebrate until Ridge has been reunited with his family,” the family, based in Dana Point, California, said in a statement to The Associated Press. “We appreciate the efforts of the U.S. Government to effect this transfer and are glad that an impartial set of judiciary eyes will review his case for the first time.”It was unclear where in the U.S. Alkonis is heading or whether upon his arrival in the country he might be required to spend any additional time b...