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Rishi Sunak grills London police chief after pro-Palestine demo gets green light

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:21:48 GMT

LONDON — Rishi Sunak vowed to hold the chief of the Metropolitan Police “accountable” after the London force gave the go-ahead to a controversial pro-Palestine protest scheduled for this weekend.Met Commissioner Mark Rowley pulled out of a planned appearance at a Westminster think tank Wednesday and is instead meeting the U.K. prime minister to discuss the demonstration, which will coincide with Armistice Day in the U.K. on Saturday. That’s a day before Remembrance Sunday commemorations for the country’s war dead take place in central London.The protest has sparked a heated debate in the U.K. about the trade-offs between free speech and security amid the Israel-Hamas war. No.10 Downing Street denied Sunak was applying pressure to the police force.The protest’s organizers — the Palestine Solidarity Campaign — have said they have “no intention of marching on or near Whitehall, in order not to disrupt events at the Cenotaph,” a key war memorial...

Denmark to make ‘generous’ pledge for climate damage fund, minister says

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:21:48 GMT

Denmark is preparing to make a significant pledge toward a new climate disaster fund, breaking ranks with other developed countries. The Danish government became the first United Nations member to earmark funding for victims of climate disasters last year, even before countries at the COP27 climate summit agreed to establish a dedicated fund. “We were the first country to pledge money last year before there was a decision. And we will also be ready to do that again now,” Denmark’s Global Climate Policy Minister Dan Jørgensen told POLITICO and a group of European newspapers on Wednesday when asked if his country would contribute to the new fund. “There will be a generous pledge from Denmark, of course,” he said, adding that details could not yet be made public. Last week, negotiators reached a fragile agreement on what that new fund should look like — but no country has promised any money until now. Jørgensen is the first government official to say a financial con...

Colorado funeral home owner, wife arrested on charges linked to handling of at least 189 bodies: FBI

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:21:48 GMT

DENVER (AP) — The owner of a Colorado funeral home and his wife have been arrested after the decaying remains of at least 189 people were recently found at his facility.Jon and Carrie Hallford were arrested in Wagoner, Oklahoma, on suspicion of three felonies: abuse of a corpse, money laundering and forgery, authorities said in an email to aggrieved families.The Hallfords couldn’t immediately be reached for comment Wednesday. Neither has a listed personal phone number and the funeral home’s number no longer works.Jon Hallford owns Return to Nature Funeral Home in Penrose, a small town about 100 miles (160 kilometers) south of Denver. The remains were found Oct. 4 by authorities responding to a report of an “abhorrent smell” inside the company’s decrepit building. Officials initially estimated there were about 115 bodies inside, but the number later increased to 189 after they finished removing all the remains in mid-October.A day after...

The National Zoo’s panda program is ending after more than 50 years as China looks elsewhere

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:21:48 GMT

(CNN) – The three giant pandas tumble around in their enclosure at the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington, DC, munching on bamboo shoots and leaves, climbing branches and generally looking adorable.For the steady stream of visitors, it’s their last chance to see Tian Tian, Mei Xiang and their youngest cub, Xiao Qi Ji, before the black-and-white bears head back to China on Wednesday.Their departure marks the end of more than 50 years of Chinese pandas being housed at the zoo, which was the first US zoo to showcase the bears as part of what’s been called “panda diplomacy.”Zoo staff call it a “hiatus” in their five-decade wildly popular panda program; Chinese officials have yet to say whether it will continue.And with relations between the two superpowers in a constant state of flux, these national treasures may be finding themselves part of the extension of the diplomatic chaos that has taken over the relationship between the two countr...

J.C. Jackson won’t travel with Patriots to Germany due to ‘reliability’ questions

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:21:48 GMT

The Patriots will be shorthanded at cornerback when they take on the Colts in Frankfurt, Germany on Sunday.Cornerback J.C. Jackson won’t travel with the team to Germany, NFL Media reported first Wednesday morning.Related ArticlesNew England Patriots | Patriots comfortable keeping Mike Onwenu in new role moving forward New England Patriots | Patriots expect offensive line coach out ‘a little while’ with health issue New England Patriots | OBF: Only a changed Bill Belichick can hang onto his job New England Patriots | Where does Patriots’ Tyquan Thornton go from here after Week 9 benching? New England Patriots | Patriots coach trying to change the ‘narrative’ on apparent cornerback benchings “With questions about his reliability, the decision was made to have him stay home, get through the bye and return in a better place,” NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport reported Wednesd...

Patriots comfortable keeping Mike Onwenu in new role moving forward

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:21:48 GMT

FOXBORO — The Patriots officially have a new right tackle.Head coach Bill Belichick said Wednesday morning that the Patriots are comfortable with starting Mike Onwenu at right tackle moving forward. Onwenu has been playing the role since Week 7, but Belichick wouldn’t confirm at the time that he would be sticking at the position.Related ArticlesNew England Patriots | J.C. Jackson won’t travel with Patriots to Germany due to ‘reliability’ questions New England Patriots | Patriots expect offensive line coach out ‘a little while’ with health issue New England Patriots | OBF: Only a changed Bill Belichick can hang onto his job New England Patriots | Where does Patriots’ Tyquan Thornton go from here after Week 9 benching? New England Patriots | Patriots coach trying to change the ‘narrative’ on apparent cornerback benchings Onwenu moving to right tackle has allo...

Why did Chicago White Sox decline Tim Anderson’s 2024 club option — and what’s next for the team at shortstop?

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:21:48 GMT

Chicago White Sox general manager Chris Getz had to have a difficult conversation with shortstop Tim Anderson.“What Tim Anderson meant for the organization, there is not enough time to go through the impact he’s made on the organization, the city, his teammates, the game,” Getz said during Tuesday’s MLB general managers meetings at a resort in Paradise Valley, Ariz.“A guy that was drafted, went through the system and performed at the major-league level. So a decision like that needs to be as thorough as it possibly can. There was a lot of factors involved.”The Sox declined the two-time All-Star’s $14 million club option for the 2024 season on Saturday. He receives a $1 million buyout.Getz discussed the decision with reporters Tuesday.“He’s my son’s favorite player as well so not only is TA disappointed in me but so is my son,” Getz said. “With the direction we’re going, and unfortunately a decision on a TA...

Patriots expect offensive line coach out ‘a little while’ with health issue

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:21:48 GMT

FOXBORO — It sounds like the Patriots will be going to Germany this week without offensive line coach Adrian Klemm.Patriots head coach Bill Belichick confirmed Wednesday that Klemm, who wasn’t available to the media in Tuesday’s assistant coach video conference call session, will be out “a little while” with a health issue. Klemm, a Patriots 2000 NFL Draft pick, was hired this offseason from the University of Oregon.Related ArticlesNew England Patriots | J.C. Jackson won’t travel with Patriots to Germany due to ‘reliability’ questions New England Patriots | Patriots comfortable keeping Mike Onwenu in new role moving forward New England Patriots | OBF: Only a changed Bill Belichick can hang onto his job New England Patriots | Where does Patriots’ Tyquan Thornton go from here after Week 9 benching? New England Patriots | Patriots coach trying to change the ‘...

Man wanted in sexual assault of woman at TTC subway station

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:21:48 GMT

A man is wanted by Toronto police following the alleged sexual assault of a woman inside an elevator at a TTC subway station.Authorities responded to a sexual assault that occurred at Sherbourne Subway Station in Toronto’s St. James Town neighbourhood just before 10 p.m. on November 2.It’s alleged that a woman exited a TTC subway train at Sherbourne Station and a man followed her into an elevator, where he sexually assaulted the victim. Related: Man, woman arrested after 14-year-old girl forcibly confined, sexually assaulted in Toronto’s east end Police said the man then fled the station.The male suspect is described as five-foot-seven with a medium build, 40 to 50 years old, with short black hair and a moustache. He was last seen wearing all dark clothing and a camouflage shirt.An image of the suspect has been released.

Minnesota town is believed to be the first to elect a Somali American as mayor

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:21:48 GMT

ST. LOUIS PARK, Minn. (AP) — A suburban Minneapolis town became what is believed to be the first in the U.S. to elect a Somali American mayor when 27-year-old Nadia Mohamed was chosen to lead St. Louis Park, Minnesota.“This is a milestone. This is not the destination,” Mohamed told supporters after the results came in Tuesday. “As mayor, I want to ensure people see themselves reflected in our policies.”Mohamed won handily over retired banker Dale A. Anderson, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported. She had served on the City Council since she was elected at age 23 in 2019.Deqa Dhalac of South Portland, Maine, was the first Somali American to serve as mayor of an American city, but she was selected by that city’s six-member council in 2021, not elected by the voters.Mohamed campaigned in support of investing in community policing and programs to make homeownership more affordable. Mayor Jake Spano did not seek re-election, and he endorsed Mohamed.Mohamed spoke Tuesday night about her ...