
African serval on the loose in North Carolina
The Swansboro Police Department in North Carolina said an African serval is on the loose in the area after escaping from its owner's home. File Photo by Ken Bohn/UPI | License Photo
June 26 (UPI) -- Police in North Carolina said an African serval cat is on the loose in the Swansboro area after escaping from its owner's home.
The Swansboro Police Department said in a public notice that the serval resembles a small leopard, but it is domesticated and is not believed to be a danger to humans or pets.
"If you spot this serval, please do not attempt to approach or catch it yourself," the notice said.
Police urged anyone who catches a glimpse of the cat to contact Onslow County Animal Control.
"Your help is appreciated -- let's work together to reunite this pet with its family," police wrote.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


UPI
30 minutes ago
- UPI
NYC incumbent Mayor Adams launches re-election bid
1 of 9 | New York City Mayor Eric Adams speaks at his re-election campaign launch event on the steps of City Hall in New York City on Thursday. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo June 26 (UPI) -- New York City Mayor Eric Adams kick-started his re-election bid as an independent candidate on Thursday. Adams was joined by about 100 supporters on the steps of the New York City Hall as he announced his candidacy and laid out a case for another four years as the city's mayor. "It's a choice between a candidate with a blue collar and one with a silver spoon," Adams said of his background versus that of Democratic Party candidate and self-avowed socialist Zohran Mamdani. Mamdani, 33, surprised many in the political establishment by winning Tuesday's Democratic Party primary over former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who conceded the loss and announced he would continue running as an independent. Adams, likewise, was elected to the mayoral office as a Democrat in 2021 but since has left the party to become an independent. "This is a city not of socialism," Adams told supporters on Thursday. "There's no dignity in someone giving you everything for free," he said. "There's dignity in giving you a job, so you can provide for your family and the opportunities that you deserve." Adams said New York is "not a city of handouts" but instead helps people improve themselves and their lives. Adams has challenged the prior Biden administration's immigration policies and supports the Trump administration's efforts to oppose illegal immigration. The Biden administration filed federal charges accusing Adams of bribery, wire fraud and conspiracy, which the Trump administration dropped earlier this year. Adams said the charges against him were politically motivated due to his opposition to the Biden administration's immigration and border policies. "Despite our pleas, when the federal government did nothing as its broken immigration policies overloaded our shelter system with no relief, I put the people of New York before party and politics," Adams told media after he was indicted on Sept. 27. "I always knew that if I stood my ground for all of you, that I would be a target," he said. "And a target I became." Mamdani has proposed government control of grocery stores, free public transportation, free childcare, freezing rents and eliminating tuition at city universities, among other proposals. Mamdani is a New York state representative who was born and raised in Uganda in 1991 and became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 2018. He has a bachelor's in Africana Studies from Bowdoin College and, if elected, said he would use his power as mayor to "reject Donald Trump's fascism, to stop [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] agents from deporting our neighbors and to govern our city as a model for the Democratic Party." His mother, Mira Nair, is an Indian-American filmmaker who is known best for "Mississippi Masala." Mamdani's father, Mahmood Mamdani, is a Ugandan and former professor of colonialism in India, African history and political violence at Columbia University and other institutions. He is the director of the Makerere Institute of Social Research in Uganda.

Miami Herald
4 hours ago
- Miami Herald
Argentina launches FBI-style federal investigations agency
June 26 (UPI) -- President Javier Milei has approved the creation of the Federal Investigations Department (DFI), a strategic step aimed at transforming the Argentine Federal Police (PFA) into a specialized federal criminal investigation agency. The department's primary mission is to lead investigations into drug trafficking, organized crime, human trafficking, financial crimes and terrorism, replacing routine patrols with specialized investigative units. National Security Minister Patricia Bullrich said Argentina needs a modern force with the real capacity to dismantle criminal organizations. Bullrich said the DFI will be the core of the new federal police, which will no longer function as a uniformed force. It will be supported by state security and diplomatic protection services. "It will focus all efforts on one key task: getting to the root of every criminal organization that seeks power and money in this country," she said. The National Security Ministry will retain the National Gendarmerie, Airport Security Police and Federal Penitentiary Service as uniformed forces. Bullrich said the new federal police will gradually become a force of detectives and specialized investigators serving the federal judiciary nationwide. She likened the DFI to the FBI. The DFI will coordinate operations of the Superintendency for Drug Trafficking Investigations, the Federal Crimes Investigation Unit, regional and federal agencies, criminal intelligence units and other tactical support teams, including firefighters and Special Operations. The DFI has been granted broad authority. One of its main roles is investigating drug trafficking networks in border provinces that have become major entry and exit points for large-scale shipments -- cocaine from Bolivia and marijuana from Paraguay. Another priority is combating transnational organized crime groups, including Brazil's Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC), Venezuela's Tren de Aragua and Italian and Russian mafias known to be active in Argentina. A controversial provision allows the new force to monitor public digital spaces -- such as social media platforms and websites -- for preventive purposes. The new law governing the federal police provides a legal framework for investigating complex crimes, including technological surveillance, "while also guaranteeing respect for civil liberties and preventing abuses," the ministry said. The department is also authorized to detain individuals for up to 10 hours to verify their identity if they cannot confirm who they are and are suspected of being wanted by the courts. It is further empowered to launch investigations without prior court approval and will have access to both public and private databases. The new law aims to professionalize both current and future personnel. Modeled after criminal intelligence agencies such as the FBI, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and counterparts in Israel and the European Union, the department is expected to recruit university graduates, IT specialists and criminologists. Political opposition and human rights groups have criticized the reforms. The Center for Legal and Social Studies (CELS) warned that the lack of clarity in many provisions could open the door to criminalizing social organizations, suppressing protests, conducting mass digital surveillance of dissenters, and taking law enforcement action without judicial oversight. Copyright 2025 UPI News Corporation. All Rights Reserved.


UPI
4 hours ago
- UPI
African serval on the loose in North Carolina
The Swansboro Police Department in North Carolina said an African serval is on the loose in the area after escaping from its owner's home. File Photo by Ken Bohn/UPI | License Photo June 26 (UPI) -- Police in North Carolina said an African serval cat is on the loose in the Swansboro area after escaping from its owner's home. The Swansboro Police Department said in a public notice that the serval resembles a small leopard, but it is domesticated and is not believed to be a danger to humans or pets. "If you spot this serval, please do not attempt to approach or catch it yourself," the notice said. Police urged anyone who catches a glimpse of the cat to contact Onslow County Animal Control. "Your help is appreciated -- let's work together to reunite this pet with its family," police wrote.