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Rishi Sunak resists Boris Johnson pile-on at COVID inquiry

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:17:57 GMT

LONDON — They may be bitter Tory rivals, but Rishi Sunak rose above it all Monday as he resisted several chances to take potshots at his predecessor Boris Johnson.Sunak, now the U.K.’s prime minister, spent Monday being grilled by the independent inquiry about his time as Johnson’s top finance minister during the coronavirus pandemic. But he declined to join the Johnson pile-on, even after a host of witnesses described chaos in No. 10 Downing Street.Instead, Sunak — known for his occasionally tetchy demeanor under questioning — largely kept his cool during hours of probing. He faced tricky questions over the Treasury’s push to reopen parts of the British economy as the virus raged.Here are POLITICO’s five key takeaways from the prime ministerial interrogation.1) No go on BoJoJohnson has faced heavy criticism from the inquiry’s various witnesses over his style of management in No 10. But Sunak didn’t take the bait Monday — despite being the man who helpe...

Anger erupts as fossil fuel ‘phaseout’ is dropped from proposed climate deal

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:17:57 GMT

The prospect of a deal to end fossil fuels faded on Monday in the oil-rich United Arab Emirates, when organizers of the U.N. climate summit released a draft proposal that merely suggested reducing them instead.That outcome falls far short of the demands that environmental groups, the U.S., EU and vulnerable island nations had set before the summit in Dubai, with some activists saying the talks would be deemed a failure if they did not call for phasing out the production of coal, oil and natural gas.But summit president Sultan al-Jaber urged the nearly 200 governments assembled to be flexible and make a deal. The “world is watching” after almost two weeks of discussion, said al-Jaber, who is also the CEO of the United Arab Emirates’ state-owned oil company.Meanwhile, as ministers and their staff gathered in the plenary at the Expo City campus on the outskirts of Dubai, protesters stood outside chanting: “This text is bullshit.”Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore unloaded on the propos...

Dutch PM Rutte presses for EU to reach €50B Ukraine finance deal

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:17:57 GMT

BERLIN — EU leaders should back Ukraine with significant extra financing this week to avoid a “double block” to support for Kyiv on both sides of the Atlantic, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte warned Monday.“With the problems in the United States, where the fresh money is blocked, it’s quite crucial that we don’t have a double block against Ukraine,” Rutte said at the Hertie School in Berlin.The U.S. Congress is deadlocked over fresh funding for Ukraine, while the EU is yet to come to a deal on an extra €50 billion in financing for Ukraine and over the future of the off-budget European Peace Facility (EPF), a pot of cash used to partially reimburse states for arms deliveries to Kyiv. The call is for a €5 billion one-year addition to the EPF rather than €20 billion for four years pitched earlier this year.EU leaders meet in Brussels on Thursday and Friday to hash out a financing proposal.But with Germany in a budget crisis and Hungary threatening a veto, the ou...

Massive emergency response underway at Waltham medical facility

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:17:57 GMT

Emergency crews have been working to evacuate and clear a medical facility in Waltham, after authorities say a fire was reported on 2nd Avenue Monday morning.The Waltham Police Department said 2nd Avenue and Bear Hill Road were closed as firefighters and other emergency personnel responded to the area.The department did not mention a specific building, though SKY7-HD spotted what appeared to be patients, medical staff, and others being evacuated from the Mass General Brigham Health Center, where firefighters could be seen going in and out of the facility and its parking garage.Details on whether there were any injuries or the nature of the fire have not yet been released.This is a developing story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest updates.https://twitter.com/WalthamMAPolice/status/1734254830804181056

9 left homeless by 2-alarm fire in Brockton

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:17:57 GMT

Brockton Fire responded to a 2-alarm fire in a building on Waverly Street that left nine residents homeless and one firefighter injured. Heavy smoke and fire damage was visible on the second and third floors as well as the attic and roof of the building.https://twitter.com/scooperon7/status/1734250465016115554A barber working down the street first noticed the flames and, along with a nearby police officer, got into the building and knocked on apartment doors to make sure residents got out safely. The two helped a woman and her small children were able to get out of the second floor before the fire got worse. One firefighter was seen taken from the scene on a stretcher.https://twitter.com/scooperon7/status/1734262549808341217The cause of the fire is under investigation, and residents of the building are working with the Red Cross. This is a developing story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest updates.

Special counsel Jack Smith asks Supreme Court to rule quickly on whether Trump can be prosecuted

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:17:57 GMT

By MARK SHERMAN and ERIC TUCKER (Associated Press)WASHINGTON (AP) — Special counsel Jack Smith on Monday asked the Supreme Court to take up and rule quickly on whether former President Donald Trump can be prosecuted on charges he plotted to overturn the 2020 election results.A federal judge ruled the case could go forward, but the Republican former president signaled he would ask the federal appeals court in Washington to reverse that outcome.Smith is attempting to bypass the appeals court. The request filed Monday for the Supreme Court to take up the matter directly reflects Smith’s desire to keep the trial, currently for March 4, on track and to prevent any delays that could push back the case until after next year’s presidential election.The earliest court would consider the appeal would be Jan. 5, the date of the justices’ next scheduled private conference. Underscoring the urgency for prosecutors in securing a quick resolution that can push the case forw...

Israel battles in Gaza’s main cities, with civilians trapped in the fighting

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:17:57 GMT

By NAJIB JOBAIN and SAMY MAGDY (Associated Press)DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Palestinians dug under crushed buildings Monday to recover the bodies of families killed in strikes around Gaza as Israeli forces battled Hamas in the territory’s two largest cities, where many thousands of civilians are still trapped by the fighting.Residents said battles went on in and around the southern city of Khan Younis, where Israeli ground forces opened a new line of attack last week. Battles were also still underway in parts of Gaza City and the urban Jabaliya refugee camp in northern Gaza, where large areas have been reduced to rubble.Israel has pledged to keep fighting until it removes Hamas from power, dismantles its military capabilities and gets back all of the hostages taken by terrorists during Hamas’ Oct. 7 surprise attack into Israel that ignited the war. The Israeli campaign has killed thousands of Palestinian civilians and driven nearly 85% of the territory’s 2.3 million people fro...

Endangered species list grows by 2,000. Climate change is part of the problem

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:17:57 GMT

Climate change is worsening the planet’s biodiversity crises, making environments more deadly for thousands of species and accelerating the precipitous decline in the number of plants and animals on Earth, according to an international organization that tracks species health.Species of salmon and turtles are among those facing a decline as the planet warms.Atlantic salmon isn’t yet threatened with extinction, but its population dropped by nearly a quarter from 2006 to 2020, the International Union for Conservation of Nature, which tracks biodiversity around the globe, said on Monday. It’s now considered near threatened. They live in fewer places and face human-created hazards like dams and water pollution. Climate change is making it harder for the fish to find food and easier for alien species to compete, according to the group. Although there are some signs of hope: their numbers ticked up in Maine this past year.The news was announced at the United Nations climate conferenc...

Rapper Quando Rondo charged with federal drug crimes. He was already fighting Georgia charges

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:17:57 GMT

SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — The rapper Quando Rondo has been indicted on federal drug charges in Georgia, where he also faces state gang and drug charges filed six months ago.Chatham County jail records show the 24-year-old rapper, whose real name is Tyquian Terrel Bowman, was booked in the federal case Saturday after being arrested in his hometown of Savannah. He was scheduled to appear Tuesday before a magistrate judge in U.S. District Court.A federal indictment unsealed Monday charges Bowman with conspiring with others to possess and distribute drugs including methamphetamine, fentanyl, cocaine and marijuana. The charge carries a sentence of up to 20 years in federal prison. The indictment doesn’t accuse Bowman of directly possessing or selling illegal drugs.Bowman was already facing state charges in Chatham County Superior Court, where a grand jury indicted him in June. He’s charged in the state case with being a manager of an illegal street gang and conspiring to sell mari...

Brain sample from Maine gunman to be examined for injury related to Army Reserves

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:17:57 GMT

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — A tissue sample from the brain of a gunman who killed 18 people and injured 13 others in Maine has been sent to a lab in Massachusetts to be examined for signs of injury or trauma related to his service in the Army Reserves, officials said Monday. The state’s chief medical examiner wants to know if a brain injury stemming from 40-year-old Robert Card’s military service could have contributed to unusual behavior he exhibited leading up to the Oct. 25 shootings at a bowling alley and at a bar in Lewiston .A spokesperson for the medical examiner’s office characterized the extra step as a matter of thoroughness “due to the combined history of military experience and actions.”“In an event such as this, people are left with more questions than answers. It is our belief that if we can conduct testing (in-house or outsourced) that may shed light on some of those answers, we have a responsibility to do that,” Lindsey Chasteen, office administrator, wr...