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Great fight can’t make ‘The Killer’ into thriller

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 16:42:27 GMT

Based on a long running French graphic novel by writer Alexis Nolent aka Matz (“Bullet to the Head”) and artist Luc Jacamon, “The Killer” is a violent film neo-noir from the great David Fincher (“Zodiac”), starring Michael Fassbender as the assassin without a name. Unfortunately, he is also without a heart, a soul or a personality.The action begins in Paris. The killer is a like a monk in his cell, not praying, but waiting in extremely stoic circumstances (a breezy construction site) for his target to appear. We hear the assassin narrate the action in a monotone. He tells us that boredom is his enemy. An electric heater glows by his side. He wears black rubber gloves and quotes Popeye. He practices some form of yoga. He eats from McDonald’s, wears shades and a hat with a drawn-down band in public. In a park, a boy shoots a woman in the head with a toy gun. Is it his mother? His nanny?Ah, the banality of gun violence. Remember when Fassbender was in everything? He’s taken...

Editorial: Boston needs voice of law enforcement on council

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 16:42:27 GMT

Far too often, the public gets a stark reminder of why law enforcement is important.Wednesday night’s mass shooting at a bowling alley in Lewiston, Me.; the gunfire at a Dorchester parade in August that left eight injured, the shootings that shatter the peace of Boston’s streets night and day. These are, sadly, just to name a few.Law enforcement is vital to the central nervous system of this city, and a crucial voice at the table.Unfortunately, it doesn’t have one.The Boston City Council votes on the Boston Police Department budget, makes declarations and proclamations and protestations about neighborhood policing and safety, but none of the councilors knows what it’s like to work those streets as a police officer.Enter Jose Ruiz.The City Council candidate for District 5 has been in the BPD for 29 years. He can speak from experience of what’s needed to make communities safe, because he’s seen what happens when they’re not. And not from the v...

Dear Abby: Death of beloved dog hits BF hard

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 16:42:27 GMT

Dear Abby: I have been dating “Paul” for several years. He lives about an hour away, and we see each other a few weekends a month. I know he loves me. A few months ago, his dog suddenly died from cancer. It was traumatic because “Bruiser” was his best friend.Paul has been different since Bruiser’s death. He has zero interest in anything physical. To me, touch is important — not just sex. There’s shared intimacy in holding someone’s hand or kissing. I feel like a plant that’s wilting with no sun. I know Paul is struggling, but I don’t know how to help him through. We talked about it once, but other than acknowledging he’s struggling, he has done nothing further.I don’t want to force the issue, but time is precious. I know what it’s like to struggle with depression, and I recognize the signs, but he won’t get help. How can I support him through this and get over my selfishness? — In the Dark in N...

Abortion restrictions in Russia spark outrage as the country takes a conservative turn

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 16:42:27 GMT

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — Despite its last-minute scheduling, the meeting at a bookstore in Russia’s westernmost city of Kaliningrad still drew about 60 people, with many outraged by a lawmaker’s efforts to ban abortions in local private clinics.The weeknight turnout surprised and heartened Dasha Yakovleva, one of the organizers, amid recent crackdowns on political activism under President Vladimir Putin.“Right now, there is no room for political action in Russia. The only place left is our kitchens,” Yakovleva, co-founder of the Feminitive Community women’s group, told The Associated Press. “And here, it was a public place, well-known in Kaliningrad, and everyone spoke out openly about how they see this measure, why they think it’s unjustified, inappropriate.”Although abortion is still legal and widely available in Russia, recent attempts to restrict it have touched a nerve across the increasingly conservative country. Activists are urging supporters to make official comp...

South Korean and US forces stage drills for reaction to possible ‘Hamas-style’ attack by North Korea

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 16:42:27 GMT

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korean and U.S. troops have been conducting live-fire exercises this week to hone their ability to respond to potential “Hamas-style surprise artillery attacks” by North Korea, South Korea’s military said Friday.The two forces regularly conduct live-fire and other training, but this week’s drills come after Hamas’ Oct. 7 assault on Israel raised security jitters in South Korea, which shares the world’s most heavily fortified border with rival North Korea.Experts say the North’s forward-deployed long-range artillery guns can fire about 16,000 rounds per hour in the event of a conflict, posing a serious threat to Seoul, which is about 40-50 kilometers (25-30 miles) from the border.The three-day firing exercises, which began Wednesday, involved 5,400 South Korean and U.S. soldiers, 300 artillery systems, 1,000 vehicles and air force assets, according to South Korea’s military.In a simulated response to “the enemy’s (possible) Hamas-style surprise artille...

Survivors of deadly Hurricane Otis grow desperate for food and aid amid slow government response

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 16:42:27 GMT

ACAPULCO, Mexico (AP) — Survivors of the Category 5 storm that killed at least 27 people and devastated Mexico’s resort city of Acapulco are getting desperate amid a slow government response, worrying that the focus will remain on repairing infrastructure for the city’s economic engine of tourism instead of helping the neediest.Despite hopes of incoming aid by many in Acapulco, the coastal city of 1 million once known for its beachside glamour was still in a state of complete chaos by the end of Thursday.Entire walls of beachside high rises were ripped clean off. Hundreds of thousands of homes remained without electricity. People lacking even the most basic resources were emptying stores out of everything from food to toilet paper.Miguel Angel Fong, president of the Mexican Hotel Association told the AP that 80% of the city’s hotels were damaged.Dozens of desperate tourists, tired of waiting for buses out of the city, walked along the narrow sidewalks through the long car tunnel und...

As the Turkish Republic turns 100, here’s a look at its achievements and challenges ahead

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 16:42:27 GMT

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — The Turkish Republic, founded from the ruins of the Ottoman Empire by the national independence hero Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, turns 100 on Oct. 29.Ataturk established a Western-facing secular republic modeled on the great powers of the time, ushering in radical reforms that abolished the caliphate, replaced the Arabic script with the Roman alphabet, gave women the vote and adopted European laws and codes.Turkey has, however, taken on a more conservative character under the two-decade-old rule of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whose party has roots in the country’s Islamic movement and who has become Turkey’s most influential leader since Ataturk. The centennial offers Erdogan, re-elected for a third term in May, a chance to redefine the country and propel it into a new era he has dubbed “Turkey’s Century.” Here is a look at some of the republic’s greatest accomplishments, and controversial realignments as it embarks on its second century.RELIGIOUS ID...

US military says Chinese fighter jet came within 10 feet of B-52 bomber over South China Sea

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 16:42:27 GMT

BANGKOK (AP) — A Chinese fighter jet came within 10 feet of an American B-52 bomber flying over the South China Sea, nearly causing an accident, the U.S. military said, underscoring the potential for a mishap as both countries vie for influence in the region.In the night intercept, the Shenyang J-11 twin-engine fighter closed on the U.S. Air Force plane at an “uncontrolled excessive speed, flying below, in front of, and within 10 feet of the B-52, putting both aircraft in danger of a collision,” the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command said in a statement released late Thursday. “We are concerned this pilot was unaware of how close he came to causing a collision,” the military said.China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but in a similar incident in May, the Chinese government dismissed American complaints and demanded that Washington end such flights over the South China Sea.China has been increasingly assertive in advancing its claims o...

George Santos faces arraignment on new fraud indictment in New York

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 16:42:27 GMT

CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. (AP) — U.S. Rep. George Santos is set to be arraigned Friday on a revised indictment accusing him of several frauds, including making tens of thousands of dollars in unauthorized charges on credit cards belonging to some of his campaign donors.The New York Republican was scheduled to appear at a courthouse on Long Island to enter a plea to the new allegations. He has already pleaded not guilty to other charges, first filed in May, accusing him of lying to Congress about his wealth, applying for and receiving unemployment benefits, even though he had a job, and using campaign contributions to pay for personal expenses like designer clothing.Santos has been free on bail while he awaits trial. He has denied any serious wrongdoing and blamed irregularities in his government regulatory filings on his former campaign treasurer, Nancy Marks, who he claims “went rogue.”Marks in turn has implicated Santos. She told a judge when she recently pleaded guilty to a fraud consp...

The sudden death of former China’s No. 2 leader Li Keqiang has shocked many

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 16:42:27 GMT

HONG KONG (AP) — The sudden death of former China’s No. 2 leader Li Keqiang has shocked many people in the country, and they are paying tribute to the ex-official who promised market-oriented reforms but was politically sidelined. Li, who died Friday of a heart attack, was China’s top economic official for a decade, helping navigate the world’s second-largest economy through challenges such as tensions with the United States and the COVID-19 pandemic.He was known for his advocacy of private business but lost much of his influence as President Xi Jinping accumulated ever-greater powers and elevated the military and security services in aid of the “great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.”A hashtag related to his death on the Chinese social media platform Weibo drew over 1 billion views in just a few hours. On posts about Li, the “like” button was turned into a daisy — a common flower for funerals in China, many users commented “rest in peace” and some said the news was “hard t...