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The largest male specimen of the world’s most poisonous spider has been found in Australia

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:12:04 GMT

SYDNEY (AP) — With fangs that could pierce a human fingernail, the largest male specimen of the world’s most poisonous arachnid has found a new home at the Australian Reptile Park where it will help save lives after a member of the public discovered it by chance.The deadly Sydney funnel-web spider dubbed “Hercules” was found on the Central Coast, about 50 miles north of Sydney, and was initially given to a local hospital, the Australian Reptile Park said in a statement Thursday.Spider experts from the nearby park retrieved it and soon realized it was the largest male specimen ever received from the public in Australia. The spider measured 7.9 centimeters (3.1 inches) from foot to foot, surpassing the park’s previous record-holder from 2018, the male funnel-web named “Colossus”. Sydney funnel-web spiders usually range in length from one to five centimeters, with females being generally larger than their male counterparts but not as deadly. They are predominantly found in ...

¿Dónde está el hielo? La capa de hielo de los Grandes Lagos es casi inexistente y alcanza su nivel más bajo en 50 años

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:12:04 GMT

(CNN) — Un comienzo cálido de la temporada invernal ha dejado a los Grandes Lagos prácticamente sin hielo y con su capa de hielo más baja en un comienzo de año en al menos 50 años.El día de Año Nuevo, sólo el 0,35% de los Grandes Lagos estaban cubiertos de hielo, el nivel más bajo registrado para la fecha, y muy por debajo del promedio histórico de casi el 10% para este punto del invierno, según datos del National Oceanic y el Laboratorio de Investigación Ambiental de los Grandes Lagos (GLERL) de la Administración Oceánica y Atmosférica (NOAA).La falta de hielo de este año en los Grandes Lagos se suma a una tendencia creciente de enfermedades invernales que azotan a EE.UU., desde la disminución de las capas de nieve en el oeste hasta una sequía de nieve en curso en el noreste, todas ellas cada vez más comunes debido al aumento de las temperaturas causadas por la crisis climática.Desde que se comenzaron a llevar registros en 1973, los investigadores han descubierto que los Gran...

Photos: Rent this exclusive Vail home for $19K a night

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:12:04 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — One of the most expensive homes in Vail is now available to rent for a dream ski vacation, that is, if you have $10,000 to $20,000 lying around.The home, known as "The Crown Jewel of Vail," sold for $57.25 million in 2020, and was the most expensive home sold in Vail, according to The Wall Street Journal. The house was Vail's highest real estate transaction at the time. Now, it's available for rent. Want to buy a house in Denver? Here’s how much you need to earn to afford one The house is divided into two parts: Ethos and Opus.Home in Vail (Photo credits: Triumph Mountain Properties)Home in Vail (Photo credits: Triumph Mountain Properties)Home in Vail (Photo credits: Triumph Mountain Properties)Home in Vail (Photo credits: Triumph Mountain Properties)Home in Vail (Photo credits: Triumph Mountain Properties)Home in Vail (Photo credits: Triumph Mountain Properties)Home in Vail (Photo credits: Triumph Mountain Properties)Home in Vail (Photo credits: Triumph Mountain P...

Man arrested at MIA for disorderly conduct, assaulting officer

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:12:04 GMT

Miami-Dade Police arrested a man who appeared to be intoxicated and engaged in disruptive behavior at Miami International Airport on Wednesday night. According to police, a supervisor of a TGI Fridays inside the airport called authorities to report a fight involving five people just before 8 p.m. Lee Edwards, identified as one of the passengers involved in the brawl, was allegedly yelling racial slurs at the manager and accused her of cutting his finger. said a police report. The manager reportedly asked Edwards to calm down before Edwards walked toward garbage cans and returned with bloody hands. When police arrived at the scene, they put Edwards in handcuffs after he resisted arrest, even kicking an officer in the chest, stated officials. Video footage showed officers escorting Edwards onto the tarmac inside Gate D, where he continued to resist. As the situation escalated, Edwards was transported to the hospital for an evaluation before police booked him into jail. He now faces a ...

Ukraine says Russian hackers penetrated major telecoms network for months

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:12:04 GMT

Russian hackers were inside Ukrainian telecoms giant Kyivstar’s system from at least May last year in a cyberattack which crippled its services in December, Ukraine’s top cyber spy said. In an interview with Reuters published Thursday, Illia Vitiuk, head of the Security Service of Ukraine’s cybersecurity department, said: “This attack is a big message, a big warning, not only to Ukraine, but for the whole Western world to understand that no one is actually untouchable,” adding it wiped “almost everything,” including thousands of virtual servers and PCs.The attack caused more than 24.3 million Kyivstar customers to lose phone reception, with banks reporting disruptions to their services and Ukrainians in the country’s eastern war zone being left without a connection. Vitiuk has attributed the attack to Sandworm, a Russian military intelligence cyberwarfare unit which has been linked to cyberattacks in Ukraine and elsewhere.R...

The Gaza war is escalating. How bad will the Middle East crisis get?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:12:04 GMT

On October 7, Hamas fighters launched a bloody attack against Israel, using paragliders, speedboats and underground tunnels to carry out an offensive that killed almost 1,200 people and saw hundreds more taken back to the Gaza Strip as prisoners. Almost three months on, Israel’s massive military retaliation is reverberating around the region, with explosions in Lebanon and rebels from Yemen attacking shipping in the Red Sea. Meanwhile, Western countries are pumping military aid into Israel while deploying fleets to protect commercial shipping — risking confrontation with the Iranian navy.That’s in line with a grim prediction made last year by Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, who said that Israel’s counteroffensive in Gaza meant an “expansion of the scope of the war has become inevitable,” and that further escalation across the Middle East should be expected. What’s happening?The Israel Defense Forces are still fighting fierce battles for contro...

Ukraine and Russia carry out largest prisoner exchange since beginning of the war

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:12:04 GMT

(CNN) — Ukraine and Russia have each exchanged over 200 prisoners of war in what Kyiv called the largest prisoner swap between the two countries since the war began in February 2022.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced the news in a social media post Wednesday, heralding the return of over 200 Ukrainian soldiers and civilians from Russian captivity.The two sides have exchanged prisoners throughout the conflict but this is the first major swap since August.Among the group are seven soldiers who defended Snake Island, a rocky island in the Black Sea which became an evocative symbol of Ukrainian resistance in February 2022 when Ukrainian defenders managed to fend off a takeover from Russian soldiers.Soldiers who defended the besieged southern city of Mariupol and its Azovstal steel plant were also exchanged alongside POWs detained in the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, according to the Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine,&nb...

TGI Fridays abruptly closes 36 ‘underperforming’ restaurants

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:12:04 GMT

New York (CNN) — Some fans of TGI Fridays were likely surprised this week when they found their local restaurant permanently closed because the chain abruptly shut down dozens of locations around the US.The chain said in a release that it closed 36 “underperforming” restaurants as part of its “ongoing growth strategy,” which also includes also a shakeup of its executive ranks and selling some restaurants back to its former CEO.TGI Fridays didn’t release a list of closed locations, but local media reports indicate that New Jersey was most affected with seven locations closed, six in Massachusetts shuttered and five in New York also gone. Some locations in California, Colorado, Florida, Texas and Pennsylvania were also reportedly closed.Prior to the closures, TGI Fridays had about 270 US locations — a footprint that has dwindled in recent years. About 80% of “total impacted employees” were offered transfer opportunities, the company said.“Our top priority has alway...

‘I have plenty of time’: Novak Djokovic plays down injury concerns ahead of the Australian Open

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:12:04 GMT

(CNN) — Novak Djokovic says he has “plenty of time” to fully recover from the wrist injury that hampered him during his surprise defeat to Australia’s Alex de Minaur in the United Cup on Wednesday.The world No. 1 was beaten 6-4 6-4 – his first defeat on Australian soil since 2018, a run stretching 43 matches – and received treatment from the trainer on his right wrist for the second straight match.Australia won the tie 3-0 to advance to the United Cup semifinals.“I knew that probably [I was] not going to be at 100% physically, emotionally, mentally game-wise in the opening week of a season,” Djokovic told reporters, per Reuters. “Neither did I expect that.“I was not on my level, but it was just one of these days where I didn’t feel my best on the court and [my] opponent played very well.“I think I’ll be okay, to be honest,” Djokovic added. “[The wrist injury] did have quite an impact, particularly on the forehand and serve. I have plenty of time, I think enough t...

Iowa voter’s question at a town hall shows how GOP candidates have avoided taking on Trump

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:12:04 GMT

Waukee, Iowa (CNN) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and his allies have hammered former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley on the campaign trail and the airwaves – and she has fired back – as the two seek to emerge as the strongest alternative to former President Donald Trump.But at least one Iowa voter wanted to know — why isn’t more of that energy being directed at the front-runner?“Why haven’t you gone directly after him?” Chris Garcia, a voter who plans to caucus for DeSantis, asked during a town hall here on Wednesday. “In my viewpoint, you’re going pretty soft on him.”The question sparked an extended back and forth between Garcia and DeSantis, who argued that he has made an effort to explain the differences between himself and the front-runner, but refuses to “smear him personally.”The exchange highlighted how a potential race for second place, intensifying for months, has left Trump largely unscathed and in a lane of his own – mu...