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Boris Johnson hit by protests as he says sorry for UK’s COVID-19 ‘pain’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:26 GMT

LONDON — Boris Johnson was heckled by protestors at Britain’s COVID-19 inquiry as he said he was “deeply sorry” for mistakes made by his government during the pandemic.Moments after the former prime minister was sworn in at the Paddington inquiry center, he started to apologize for the “pain, loss and suffering” that occurred during the coronavirus pandemic. But he was quickly interrupted by the inquiry’s chair Heather Hallett, who had ordered protesters in the public gallery to sit down.After they refused to do so, four protesters — who were quiet, but holding signs aimed at Johnson — were removed.Responding after the interruption, Johnson said he could “understand the feelings of these victims and their families” and said he was “deeply sorry for the pain and the loss and suffering of those victims and their families.”He paid tribute to the “hundreds of thousands of health care workers and many other public servants...

New WooSox owner lays out plans for Red Sox minor league affiliates

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:26 GMT

NASHVILLE — Since bursting onto the scene in 2021, Diamond Baseball Holdings has quickly grown into baseball’s largest owner of minor league clubs, buying up nearly a quarter of all MLB affiliates over a span of just two years.That includes the Portland Sea Dogs and Salem Red Sox, and Tuesday the company announced it’s adding a third Red Sox affiliate as well.The Worcester Red Sox, Boston’s Triple-A affiliate, is set to become the latest addition to DBH’s sprawling portfolio, which has now swelled to 29 teams after the company also announced the acquisition of the New Hampshire Fisher Cats and Louisville Bats. The deal is reportedly for approximately $70 million.The WooSox will remain the Triple-A affiliate of the Red Sox and play at Polar Park under the continued leadership of Larry Lucchino as chairman, Dr. Charles Steinberg as president and Dan Rea as general manager. The existing front office staff will also remain in place, and Lucchino and local leaders...

SIU investigating hit-and-run crash in North York that sent 2 pedestrians to hospital

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:26 GMT

Police are searching for a driver and the province’s police watchdog is investigating after a crash in North York that left two people injured in hospital.Emergency crews were called to the area of Keele Street and Highway 401 just before 11 p.m. Tuesday for reports of a two-vehicle crash.Police say one vehicle fled the area before officers arrived. No suspect or vehicle description has been made available.Paramedics say two people were taken to hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries. Traffic services say the two injured people were pedestrians.It remains unclear if the pedestrians were struck before or after the two vehicles collided.The Special Investigations Unit (SIU) is on scene and they have taken over the investigation. Traffic services tell CityNews the SIU was called in due to an Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) officer being involved in the incident.The SIU is an independent agency that investigates the conduct of police officers that may have resulte...

Top US and Chinese diplomats agree to build on recent progress in ties

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:26 GMT

BEIJING (AP) — The top U.S. and Chinese diplomats agreed Wednesday to keep building on recent progress in bilateral ties and work together to keep the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza from spreading.Both Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken referred in a telephone call to last month’s closely watched meeting between the two countries’ leaders in San Francisco following years of frigid ties.“The important task for both sides at present is to continue the positive impact of the San Francisco meeting, implement the consensus reached by the two heads of state, and consolidate the momentum of stabilizing Sino-U.S. relations,” Wang said, according to China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.Blinken also emphasized that the two sides should build on progress at the summit, according to the U.S. State Department. President Joe Biden and President Xi Jinping agreed at their meeting to keep channels of communication open and resume military-to-...

A British financier sought for huge tax fraud is extradited to Denmark from UAE

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:26 GMT

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — A Dubai-based British hedge fund trader sought by Danish authorities for allegedly orchestrating a $1.7 billion tax fraud, considered one of the largest in the Scandinavian country, has been extradited from the United Arab Emirates, officials said Wednesday.Financier Sanjay Shah was convicted in May in Dubai of masterminding a scheme that ran from 2012 to 2015 in which foreign businesses pretended to own shares in Danish companies and claimed tax refunds for which they were not eligible. A court in the United Arab Emirates had cleared his extradition.“It goes without saying that we as a society cannot accept that our state treasury is exposed to it,” Danish Taxation Minister Jeppe Bruus said, calling it “one of the biggest criminal fraud cases in Danish history.” Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen added that Denmark was “sending an important signal that you cannot achieve impunity by staying abroad.”Shah’s British lawyer Chris Waters told Danish b...

NATO member-to-be Sweden and the US sign defense deal, saying it strengthens regional security

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:26 GMT

STOCKHOLM (AP) — On the brink of joining NATO, Sweden has signed a defense cooperation agreement with Washington that will allow the United States access to all of the military bases across the Scandinavian country, saying the deal would bolster regional security.Swedish Defense Minister Pål Jonson said the deal, signed in Washington Tuesday, “will create better conditions for Sweden to be able to receive support from the United States in the event of a war or crisis.”Jonson told Swedish broadcaster SVT that it didn’t mean that “all 17 locations will be used“ but ”where it is most important from a military perspective for them to be able to store defense equipment, for example.”The deal was signed at the Pentagon by Jonson and U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin who said that by adding the capabilities of the Swedish armed forces to NATO, ”we will get even stronger.”The deal “sends a strong signal that we remain committed to addressing security challenges together,” Austin said. Swe...

Biden to sign executive order on federal funding for Native Americans

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:26 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden will sign an executive order on Wednesday during a tribal nations summit that aims to make it easier for Native Americans to access federal funding and have greater autonomy over how to invest those funds. “Tribal nations still face unacceptable barriers to fully exercising their inherent sovereignty, and really too often that occurs because of the way we are administering federal funding programs,” said Neera Tanden, White House domestic policy adviser. Historically, Tanden said, federal policies attacked Native people’s rights to self-governance and caused lasting economic damage. The Biden administration is working to undo that damage, she said. The order in part creates a clearinghouse for Native American tribes to find and access federal funding, and requests that federal agencies ensure that funding is accessible and equitable. The order will be unveiled on the first day of an annual summit, when Biden is expected to address Na...

Former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson admits to making mistakes but defends COVID record at inquiry

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:26 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson defended his handling of COVID-19 on Wednesday at a public inquiry into the pandemic, saying the government “got some things wrong” but did its best.Johnson began two days of being grilled under oath by lawyers for the judge-led inquiry about his initial reluctance to impose a national lockdown in early 2020 and other fateful decisions.Johnson opened his testimony with an apology “for the pain and the loss and the suffering of the COVID victims,” though not for any of his own actions. Four people stood up in court as he spoke, holding signs saying: “The Dead can’t hear your apologies,” before being escorted out by security staff.“Inevitably, in the course of trying to handle a very, very difficult pandemic in which we had to balance appalling harms on either side of the decision, we may have made mistakes,” Johnson said. “Inevitably, we got some things wrong. I think we were doing our best at the time.”Johnson had arriv...

Texas woman asks judge to allow abortion after lethal fetal diagnosis

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:26 GMT

(The Hill) - A pregnant Texas woman whose fetus has a lethal diagnosis is suing the state seeking an emergency court order to allow her to get an abortion despite Texas’s strict ban. The lawsuit is believed to be the first of its kind since the state banned virtually all abortions after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last year. Texas has overlapping abortion bans. The state outlaws all abortions from the point of fertilization and also enforces a “bounty” law that rewards private citizens who sue others who have helped a person get an abortion.  There are exceptions to save the life of the mother, but the law is vague on what constitutes such a risk, and advocates are trying to force the state to clarify. The lawsuit, filed by the Center for Reproductive Rights, asks the court to temporarily halt Texas’s abortion bans as they apply to Kate Cox, a 31-year-old Dallas woman. Cox is currently 20 weeks pregnant, and her fetus has been diagnosed with ful...

Saint Rose women's basketball speaks on school closure following fifth straight win

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:26 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- The College of Saint Rose women's basketball team has shown through just six games they're capable of a putting together a special season. And considering this will be the last basketball season at Saint Rose, doing just that is their primary focus. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! The Golden Knights took down Saint Michael's 59-31 Tuesday night at home for their fifth straight victory.After the game, first-year head coach Will Brown delivered a powerful message of unity amongst the team in the wake of last week's announcement that the college would be closing after the current school year."I think our kids have shown tremendous composure, resiliency," said Brown. "I told them, "Hey, let's control the narrative of this. Let's try to do something special. Let's stick together. Come March, I'll help you find another school." This is difficult - nothing I've ever experienced in my career. I'm consumed with ...