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Keir Starmer slams ‘shallow men of Westminster’ in Labour conference pitch

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:52:12 GMT

Labour leader Keir Starmer railed against Westminster’s “shallow” political class and promised a “decade of national renewal” in a party conference speech designed to pitch him as the U.K.’s next prime minister.Addressing delegates in Liverpool, Starmer — whose party has a commanding lead in the polls ahead of an expected general election next year — shrugged off an angry protest that preceded his speech, and tried to tap into voters’ anxieties about the cost of living, the state of public services, and scarce housing supply in the U.K.Positioning himself as the man to fix a country “ruined” by 13 years of Conservative rule, Starmer set out plans to boost housebuilding, hand more economic power to local leaders, increase neighborhood policing, and double down on green investment.Voters, said Starmer, are “looking to us because they want our wounds to heal — and we are the healers.”“People are looking to us ...

Finnish pipeline leak points to ‘external activity,’ president says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:52:12 GMT

A leak in a Baltic Sea gas pipeline over the weekend suggests “external activity,” Finnish President Sauli Niinistö said Tuesday, in comments likely to stoke fears among EU countries worried about threats to their critical infrastructure.Finnish gas system operator Gasgrid reported a leak early Sunday morning after the 77 kilometer-long Balticconnector pipeline that links the countries via the Gulf of Finland saw an “unusual” drop in pressure.“The damage to the underwater infrastructure has been taken seriously and its causes have been investigated,” Niinistö said in a statement, adding that “what specifically caused the damage is not yet known.”Finnish telecoms operator Elisa also said Tuesday it had detected a malfunction at a sea cable it uses to verify communication connections at around the same time as the gas leak, even if services were not disrupted.Niinistö said Finland would conduct its cooperation with the help of Estonia, and said NATO “was ready to assist wi...

Biden interviewed as part of the special counsel investigation into handling of classified documents

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:52:12 GMT

By DARLENE SUPERVILLE and ERIC TUCKER (Associated Press)WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden has been interviewed as part of an independent investigation into his handling of classified documents, the White House said late Monday. It’s a possible sign that the investigation is nearing its end. Special counsel Robert Hur is examining the improper retention of classified documents by Biden from his time as a U.S. senator and as vice president that were found at his Delaware home, as well as at a private office he used after his service in the Obama administration.Biden has said he was unaware he had the documents and that ” there’s no there there. ”Ian Sams, a spokesperson for the White House counsel’s office, said in a statement that the voluntary interview was conducted at the White House on Sunday and Monday as Biden and his national security team grappled with their response to the surprise weekend attack on Israel by Hamas militants and as t...

Soldiers asking for donations to help with housing, food costs: memo to Gen. Eyre

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:52:12 GMT

OTTAWA — The military’s chaplain-general says many soldiers are struggling with the high cost of living and morale is the lowest it’s been in recent memory. Chaplains say in a briefing note written to the chief of the defence staff that more Armed Forces members are asking for help to make ends meet. The briefing note was sent to Gen. Wayne Eyre last month based on information gathered by chaplains in the first six months of the year.It says that some soldiers have said they’re considering releasing from the military to avoid postings in certain locations.Recent changes to the military’s housing allowance mean that more junior members will get help, but more senior members say they’re struggling to find housing.The memo also says staff shortages at many bases and wings have led to “ever-present” tensions and conflicts in the workplace.This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 14, 2023.The Canadian Press

4 Britons who were detained in Afghanistan are released by the Taliban

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:52:12 GMT

LONDON (AP) — The Taliban released four Britons who were detained in Afghanistan on allegations that they broke the laws of the country, the U.K. government said Tuesday. The Foreign Office said in a brief statement that it welcomed the release of the four Britons, and expressed apologies on behalf of their families “to the current administration of Afghanistan for any violations of the laws of the country.”“The U.K. government regrets this episode,” it added. The Foreign Office didn’t provide details on who the four were or what laws they allegedly broke. It wasn’t immediately clear if the four were still in Afghanistan or returning to the U.K.Scott Richards, co-founder of the U.K.-based nonprofit Presidium Network, which was involved in negotiations to help secure the Britons’ release, said one of the four was Kevin Cornwell, who had been working with the United Nations in a medical capacity.Cornwell was detained in January in a Kabul hotel housing nonprofit workers, a...

New California law aims to force people with mental illness or addiction to get help

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:52:12 GMT

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — More Californians with untreated mental illness and addiction issues could be detained against their will and forced into treatment under a new law signed Tuesday by Gov. Gavin Newsom, a move to help overhaul the state’s mental health system and address its growing homelessness crisis.The new law, which reforms the state’s conservatorship system, expands the definition of “gravely disabled” to include people who are unable to provide themselves basic needs such as food and shelter due to an untreated mental illness or unhealthy drugs and alcohol use. Local governments say current state laws leave their hands tied if a person refuses to receive help.The law is designed to make it easier for authorities to provide care to people with untreated mental illness or addictions to alcohol and drugs, many of whom are homeless. The bill was aimed in part at dealing with the state’s homelessness crisis. California is home to more than 171,000 homeless peop...

Donald Trump’s civil fraud trial resumes with ex-CFO Allen Weisselberg on the witness stand

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:52:12 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — As Donald Trump’s longtime finance chief, Allen Weisselberg helped spare his real estate empire from its last existential threat, staving off insolvency after casino bankruptcies and an airline failure in the 1990s.On Tuesday, after a recent jail stint for tax fraud, Weisselberg was again front and center at a key moment for the Trump Organization. Weisselberg took the stand in the civil trial in New York Attorney General Letitia James’ fraud lawsuit against the Republican former president and his company.Weisselberg, a defendant testifying as a prosecution witness, was expected to testify about his role in preparing Trump’s annual financial statements — including conversations they had while finalizing the documents, which were given to banks, insurers and others to make deals and secure loans. James’ lawsuit alleges that Weisselberg engineered Trump’s financial statements to meet his demands that they show increases in his net worth and signed off on lo...

Voters in Iowa community to decide whether to give City Council more control over library books

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:52:12 GMT

PELLA, Iowa (AP) — Voters in a small Iowa city will decide in November whether to give their City Council more say over what books the public library can and can’t offer.A ballot proposition in Pella, a community of about 10,500 residents in central Iowa, asks voters if they support changing the structure of the Pella Public Library Board of Trustees. The change would limit the board’s authority over the library and give the City Council more control over library policies and decisions, the Des Moines Register reported Tuesday.The effort follows attempts by some community members two years ago to ban or restrict access to Maia Kobabe’s LGBTQ+ memoir “Gender Queer” at the library. The library board eventually voted to keep the book.Like many Iowa communities, Pella’s board holds independent control over how money is spent, who is hired as director and other key issues. It also decides whether to keep books if community members challenge them. The City Council appoin...

Rena Sofer returns to ‘General Hospital’ as fan favorite Lois after more than 25 years

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:52:12 GMT

It’s been nearly 30 years but Rena Sofer still remembers her line from a classic scene on ABC’s “General Hospital” in 1994 when her character jumped out of a cake to surprise her husband and his other wife.“She said, ‘Happy birthday, Mrs. Ned Ashton, from me, the other Mrs. Ned Ashton!’ And then she turns and she goes, ‘Help me out, boys,’” Sofer recalled in a recent interview.The scene was memorable (and even parodied in the 1996 movie “ The Great White Hype ”), but Sofer’s portrayal of Lois Cerullo — a fast-talking Brooklyn girl, with long nails and a thick accent, who wears her heart on her sleeve — made her a fan favorite. Sofer reprises the role for a limited run beginning Tuesday.“My husband and I are planning a move to the East Coast and, you know, I just thought, when I moved here, one of my first big jobs was ‘General Hospital,’ and it just felt very full circle for one of my last jobs in Los Angeles while I live here to be ‘General Hospital’ a...

Proposed class action case filed against TD on behalf of mobile mortgage specialists

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:52:12 GMT

TORONTO — A proposed class action lawsuit has been filed against Toronto-Dominion Bank alleging that more than 1,000 TD mobile mortgage specialists across Canada did not receive their proper vacation and holiday pay.The case alleges the bank failed to pay or properly pay its mobile mortgage specialists vacation and/or public holiday pay on their commissions, volume bonuses and other variable payments. It alleges the money was owed, but not paid, on top of the set commissions and other non-salary compensation.The allegations have yet to be tested or proven in court.Jason Chiang, who worked for TD in Vancouver for nearly 13 years, is the proposed representative plaintiff for the case filed in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice.TD did not immediately respond to requests for comment, but lawyers for the plaintiff said they expected TD would deny the allegations and defend the case.This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 10, 2023.Companies in this story: (TSX:TD)The...