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Former US ambassador to Bolivia charged with being a covert agent of Cuba’s government

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:00:09 GMT

(CNN) — The former US ambassador to Bolivia has been charged in federal court with acting as a secret foreign agent of Cuba, according to court documents unsealed Monday.Manuel Rocha, the 73-year-old former American diplomat, “secretly supported the Republic of Cuba and its clandestine intelligence-gathering mission against the United States by serving as a covert agent of Cuba’s intelligence services,” prosecutors wrote.Rocha served as the US ambassador to Bolivia from 2000 to 2002 and the Deputy Principal Officer of the US Interests Section in Cuba in the 1990s. Rocha also worked for the US embassy in the Dominican Republic in the 1980s as well as the US consulate in Italy, and served in different roles for US embassies in Mexico and Argentina.In several meetings with an undercover FBI employee posing as a member of Cuban intelligence, Rocha repeatedly referred to the US as “the enemy” and praised Cuban revolutionary and politician...

Know the Score: MGH develops ‘Brain Care Score’ tool that promotes brain health, ways to reduce risk of dementia and stroke

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:00:09 GMT

Doctors at Mass General Hospital say they’ve made headway when it comes to figuring out a patient’s chances of developing dementia or a stroke, while promoting ways to reduce risk in general.Recently highlighted in Frontiers in Neurology, researchers with the McCance Center for Brain Health at MGH as well as other collaborators developed a 21-point Brain Care Score system that, based on a questionnaire, can highlight what you can do to improve your brain health and reduce risk for brain diseases.“Protect your brain and your body will be grateful,” said Dr. Jonathan Rosand, a neurologist at MGH.According to officials, the system allows anyone to calculate their risk for developing dementia or a stroke via a series of questions that review your physical health and social life. “The score is our way of translating decades of science into a simple tool that anybody can use to gauge how well they’re taking care of their brain and what steps they’...

Late on your holiday shopping? Bag some last-minute savings

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:00:09 GMT

By Melissa Lambarena | NerdWalletIn popular holiday films, the sense of urgency to shop for last-minute items is a scene inspired by reality. Whether it’s that last holiday ham or toy, money is no object on the screen. In everyday life, it’s a different story, of course.With inflation-hiked prices, there’s only so much you can spend. Still, that eleventh-hour pressure can make it easy to cave in to paying full price for those must-have items. But even when you’re down to the wire, there are still ways to save if you’re willing to be flexible.Here’s how to get more value for your purchases this holiday season.AccommodationsIf you’re jetsetting this holiday season, then the flight has probably been booked by now. But if you still need holiday accommodations, deals may exist.Some websites and apps, like Priceline and Hotwire, offer last-minute deals for mystery hotels if you’re willing to be spontaneous. You don’t get to know the exact name or location of the hotel un...

Former Red Sox Gold Glove outfielder shuts down retirement reports

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:00:09 GMT

Jackie Bradley Jr. hasn’t ruled out retiring, but it’s far from a done deal.“So let’s get this cleaned up a little. I personally have NOT officially retired. I may retire, but that has not been decided,” the longtime Red Sox outfielder shared on X (formerly Twitter), with a raised-eyebrow selfie. He captioned the post with a simple “FYI.”Boston selected Bradley 40th overall in the first round in 2011, and he played nine of his 11 seasons in a Red Sox uniform (over two stints). He was an All-Star in ’16, won a Gold Glove in ’18 (and was a finalist several times, including ’21 and ’22), and has two World Series rings for his contributions to the ’13 – he debuted but only played in the regular season – and ’18 championship seasons. In the latter, he earned ALCS MVP honors by driving in nine runs on three extra-base hits, two of which gave the Red Sox the lead, and a grand slam.For much of the mid-2010s, Bradl...

Teen dies at San Diego border after crossing from Mexico: CBP

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:00:09 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- An investigation is underway after a 13-year-old arrived at the U.S.-Mexico border injured and later died, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) reports. According to CBP and CalFire, the teen arrived at the border fence near Jacumba on Saturday just after 10:30 a.m. with traumatic injuries. No details about what the injuries were or how he sustained them were immediately available. Informational hearing in Chula Vista focuses on cross-border pollution Authorities said border Patrol agents, local Mexican and U.S. first responders started immediate medical care on the teen. CalFire reports firefighters and paramedics arrived while CPR was being performed on the 13-year-old male when they stepped in to begin advanced life support. After 3 and a half years, Ped West reopens for border crossers heading south into Tijuana The 13-year-old, who was not identified, died from his injuries and was pronounced dead on the scene. The San Diego County Sheriff’s Departmen...

Cannabis users to be protected from workplace discrimination in California

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:00:09 GMT

SAN DIEGO (KSWB) — California employers will soon be barred from discriminating against employees or applicants based on cannabis use outside of the workplace.On Jan. 1, a new set of state laws — Assembly Bill 2188 and Senate Bill 700 — that expand the state's Fair Employment and Housing Act to add certain employment protections for those who engage in marijuana use will go into effect.AB 2188 was passed and signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2022. SB 700, which was signed this year, clarified and expanded certain provisions of AB 2188 before it was set to go into effect in 2024. Illegal marijuana grow farms raise national security concerns Under the new laws, it will be illegal for employers with five or more employees to penalize potential or current workers for off-duty cannabis use. SB 700 specified at this protection prohibits an employer from asking an applicant about their prior use of the substance, except if they are permitted to consider a criminal history with cann...

The bodies of 5 young men are found in a car in a violence-wracked city in Mexico

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:00:09 GMT

MEXICO CITY (AP) — The bodies of five young men were found stuffed in a vehicle on a dirt road in north-central Mexico, authorities said. Diego Sinhue Rodríguez, the governor of the state of Guanajuato, pledged an “exhaustive” investigation into the killings. The car and the bodies were found Sunday in a rural area on the outskirts of the city of Celaya, which has seen a spate of drug cartel violence in recent years. The area is located outside a local university.Local media reported the men had been shot to death, but prosecutors did not immediately confirm that. In June, a drug cartel set off a car bomb in Celaya aimed at law enforcement, killing a National Guard officer.National Guard officers were reportedly responding to information about a car parked with what appeared to be bodies inside. As they approached, the vehicle exploded, sending officers flying. Authorities blamed the Santa Rosa de Lima cartel, which for years has fought a bloody turf war with the Jalisco cartel for ...

NDP agriculture critic says he’s not impressed by grocers’ plans to stabilize prices

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:00:09 GMT

OTTAWA — New Democrat MP Alistair MacGregor says he has reviewed the major grocers’ plans to stabilize prices, and he’s unimpressed by what is in them.MacGregor, the NDP agriculture critic, spoke to reporters this afternoon ahead of a committee appearance by Michael Medline, the president and CEO of Empire Company Ltd., which owns Sobeys and other grocery store chains. Medline’s appearance comes after the committee requested that the top execs of major grocers testify before the committee once again on their plans to stabilize prices.Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne announced this fall that major companies, including Loblaw, Metro, Empire, Walmart and Costco, had shared plans to tackle rising prices that included discounts, price freezes and price-matching campaigns.MacGregor says grocers agreed to share the plans with members of the House of Commons agriculture committee.He says that while the committee agreed to keep the contents of the plans confide...

Man who swerved car near pro-Palestinian protester arrested for assault: Victoria PD

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:00:09 GMT

VICTORIA — Police in Victoria have arrested a man they say accelerated his car towards a pro-Palestinian protester near the British Columbia legislature over the weekend.Victoria Police say the man was arrested for assault with a weapon and dangerous operation of a vehicle after driving onto the sidewalk at about 2.p.m. Sunday, nearly striking the protester.The incident on Bellville Street was captured on a video that’s being shared on social media, showing the driver jumping out of his car and arguing with another protester before a police officer intervenes to separate the men.Photographs then show the driver on the ground and being restrained by four officers.Police say the man has since been released pending a future court date, and the protest was able to continue without any other incidents.The National Council of Canadian Muslims says in a statement that it’s “deeply concerned” by the incident, calling it “reprehensible.”“This is the ...

Criminal use of cryptocurrency expected to grow, Canada’s financial intel agency says

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:00:09 GMT

OTTAWA — Canada’s financial intelligence agency says it expects to see criminals increase their use of cryptocurrency to raise, move and hide funds outside the traditional banking system.In its newly released annual report, the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada notes it has been developing strategic intelligence on the role virtual assets play in money laundering and terrorist financing.The agency, known as Fintrac, says the most prevalent form of money laundering involving virtual currencies is the movement of proceeds of fraud and ransomware attacks.Fintrac identifies money linked to illicit activities by electronically sifting millions of pieces of information each year from banks, insurance companies, money services businesses, securities dealers, real estate brokers, casinos and others.In turn, it discloses intelligence to police and other law-enforcement agencies about the suspected cases.Fintrac’s report warns that the use of unregistere...