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In a spin: Downing Street defends Rishi Sunak over latest short-haul helicopter trip

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:15:36 GMT

LONDON — Rishi Sunak’s spokesperson insisted there is “a lot of pressure” on the U.K. prime minister’s time after he took a helicopter to Southampton instead of making the short train journey there from London.Sunak — who has attracted criticism in the past for taking publicly-funded flights around the country — traveled to the southeastern port city Tuesday to launch a plan aimed at cutting waiting times for doctors’ appointments.But No. 10 faced a grilling Tuesday evening after the Mirror tracked Sunak’s flight and found a train journey would have taken around the same time.The outlet reported that a government helicopter departed RAF Northolt at around 8:53 a.m., travelled to Westminster to pick up Sunak, and then touched down at Southampton Airport at 9:47 a.m. A train from London Waterloo to Southampton would have taken less than an hour-and-a-half, it pointed out.Fielding questions from reporters, Sunak’s official spokesperson said the...

Erdoğan gives public workers 45 percent pay rise in Turkey’s tight election race

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:15:36 GMT

ISTANBUL — In a sign President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan realizes he needs to pull out all the stops before Turkey’s too-close-to-call election in five days, he announced a 45 percent pay hike for hundreds of thousands of public workers on Tuesday. The decision affects more than 700,000 public workers, who will now be paid a minimum monthly wage of 15,000 Turkish lira (€700).The announcement is seen as a move to attract voters in a tight election race dominated by the economy. Erdoğan’s economic policies, once one of his main selling points, are unpopular, largely due to high inflation and a tumbling lira. “Within the framework of this collective bargaining agreement, we are raising wages by 45 percent, including the welfare share, thus increasing the minimum wage of public workers to 15,000 lira,” Erdoğan said in the capital Ankara.Erdoğan signaled the government would also raise the wages and pensions of civil servants.The announcement was a tren...

Norwood PD welcomes newest officer: an 8-week-old Golden Retriever in need of a name

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:15:36 GMT

The Norwood Police Department welcomed a new, furry addition to the force this week and plans on asking local schools and the public for name suggestions.Norwood Police Chief William Brooks swore in an eight-week-old Golden Retriever puppy Tuesday morning, which will be assigned to School Resource Officer Geoffrey Baguma and take part in a “Police ‘Pup’ Academy.”Image provided by the Norwood Police Department“She comes highly recommended for her pawsitive people skills and passed her Good Girl background check with flying colors,” the police department said on social media.The department stated the puppy will undergo extensive training before working within Norwood schools and the community to “create peace and calm for whoever may need it.”Image provided by the Norwood Police Department“After completing her academy with SRO Baguma, she will be able to assist in de-escalating stressful situations and individuals in crisis with th...

Woman and 17-year-old girl killed, 3 children hurt in suspicious New York apartment fire

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:15:36 GMT

Click here for updates on this story NEW YORK (WCBS) — A woman and teenage girl are dead, and three other children are hospitalized following a suspicious fire overnight in East New York, Brooklyn.Police say someone set fire to the first floor stairs, and an accelerant was found in the hallway.Firefighters responded around 2:15 a.m. to a three-story building on Fountain Avenue near Calhoun Street.“You just see the flames, you see the fire truck, you heard kids screaming,” neighbor Lashanna Bray told CBS2.A 36-year-old woman was pronounced dead on the scene. A 17-year-old girl also died after being rushed to the hospital in critical condition.Three other children — two girls, ages 14 and 10, and a 9-year-old boy — were also hospitalized with critical injuries.Neighbors say the victims were well known in the community and owned a deli down the street.“That’s my family, I love them to death, and this just blew my mind,” said neighbor Mich...

Newly seated Arlington Heights trustees get rundown on Bears plans to move to Arlington Heights: ‘We’ve still got a long, long way to go’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:15:36 GMT

Arlington Heights officials looked ahead to coming milestones in the Chicago Bears’ proposed redevelopment at Arlington international Racecourse during a meeting Monday night, but stressed that the process is still in very early stages.Village staff held a Bears-oriented presentation for newly seated and returning trustees at the Village Board Committee of the Whole meeting Monday night, walking through actions over the last two years’ at the racetrack, which is also known as Arlington Park.“[The Bears] can ask for whatever they want,” Mayor Tom Hayes said while responding to a public comment on whether and how tax dollars would support the project. “But it will be subject to discussion and public input and a vote by somebody.”The Bears officially purchased the 326-acre site in February, more than a year after signing a $197.2 million purchase agreement for the property. The team’s opening volley for redeveloping the racetrack is a domed NFL...

Judge seems skeptical of Tiger Woods’ ex-girlfriend’s claims

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:15:36 GMT

By TERRY SPENCER (Associated Press)STUART, Fla. (AP) — A Florida judge appeared skeptical Tuesday to arguments made by an attorney for superstar golfer Tiger Woods’ ex-girlfriend Erica Herman, who is trying to invalidate a nondisclosure agreement that would require the ongoing legal disputes between the two be decided privately by an arbitrator. During a 45-minute hearing, Circuit Judge Elizabeth Metzger repeatedly questioned why the mandatory arbitration clause in the couple’s disputed agreement wouldn’t invalidate Herman’s lawsuit against Woods. She even appeared to agree with Woods’ attorney, J.B. Murray, that even the question of whether Herman actually signed the August 2017 document or her signature is forged should, for now, be left to an arbitrator.Neither Herman nor Woods was present. Herman, 39, is suing both Woods, 47, and the trust that owns his $54 million Florida mansion, seeking $30 million from the latter amid unspecified allegatio...

Stock market today: Wall Street dips amid quiet trading

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:15:36 GMT

By STAN CHOE (AP Business Writer)NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks are drifting lower on Wall Street Tuesday following some mixed earnings reports. Several beaten-down banks are also weakening after a brief respite from a brutal run. The S&P 500 was 0.4% lower in midday trading. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 60 points, or 0.2%, at 33,557, as of noon Eastern time, while the Nasdaq composite was 0.6% lower. Paypal fell 11.4% despite reporting better profit and revenue for the latest quarter than expected. Analysts pointed to its forecast for how much profit it expects to wring out of each $1 of revenue, which may have disappointed some investors. Electric automaker Lucid Group dropped 8.2% after reporting a worse loss than expected for the latest quarter. Skyworks Solutions sank 5.3% after reporting profit for the first three months of the year that matched forecasts. The company’s comments about weakness in demand from China for Android phones may have frightened in...

National emergency alert system being tested Wednesday in much of Canada

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:15:36 GMT

Canada’s national emergency alert system, Alert Ready, will be conducting a test on Wednesday that will include all provinces and territories, with the exception of Alberta and Quebec.Public test messages from the emergency alerting system will be sent to all TV and radio stations, as well as wireless devices.In Ontario, the test is scheduled for 12:55 p.m. ET. The test times vary for the rest of Canada.The testing sound will simulate an emergency alert, beginning with the alert tone. The message will indicate that it is a test and does not require action.These tests are usually conducted twice a year, in May and in November. Alberta and Quebec don’t have a test scheduled in May.Canadians do not have the option to opt out of the test or actual alerts.RELATED: What’s Ontario’s criteria for issuing an Amber Alert and how does the system work?Emergency alerts are issued for kidnappings (Amber Alerts) and other policing-related situations, as well as in the event of biologic...

El Chapo’s son, Sinaloa members face sanctions over fentanyl

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:15:36 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States on Tuesday sanctioned a son of Mexican drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, three members of the powerful Sinaloa cartel and two Mexican-based firms, alleging they trafficked fentanyl and other drugs into the U.S.The sanctions came the day Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador was to talk with President Joe Biden by phone about immigration and the fentanyl crisis.The Treasury Department designated El Chapo’s son Joaquin Guzman Lopez and others for financial sanctions, including a freeze on American-owned assets and bank accounts and a ban on Americans doing business with them. A Culiacan, Mexico, chemical and lab equipment company and a real estate business also were targeted for sanctions.The latest penalties by the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control follow a set of April fentanyl trafficking charges brought against three other Guzman sons, Ovidio Guzmán López, Jesús Alfredo Guzmán Salazar and Iván Archivaldo Guzmán S...

Robert De Niro, at 79, becomes a father for the 7th time

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:15:36 GMT

Robert De Niro has welcomed another child. The 79-year-old is now the father of seven.A representative for De Niro confirmed the birth to The Associated Press on Tuesday but said no other details or statement were expected.The Oscar winner is also a parent to Drena, 51, and Raphael, 46, from his first marriage; and twins, Julian and Aaron, 27; Elliot, 24; and Helen Grace, 11, from his second marriage.De Niro is currently promoting the new comedy “About My Father,” which opens on May 26.De Niro is a two-time Oscar winner for his supporting role in “The Godfather: Part II” and best actor in “Raging Bull.” In 2011, he was also honored with the Golden Globes’ Cecil B. DeMille Award for his impact on the world of entertainment and awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom five years later.The Associated Press