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Liz Truss: UK should stop China joining Indo-Pacific trade deal

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:18:57 GMT

LONDON — The U.K. must use its newfound membership of a major Indo-Pacific trade deal to stop China joining, former Prime Minister Liz Truss said.Speaking on the day the U.K. announced it had been cleared to join CPTPP, the ex-PM and former foreign secretary told POLITICO’s London Playbook PM it was “essential” to rule out Chinese accession, despite an application to join from Beijing.“I would expect the British government now or in the future to oppose any such proposal,” she said.Britain’s drive to join the soon-to-be 12-nation bloc comes as part of a wider push foreign policy shift towards the Indo-Pacific, where China is increasingly active. The U.K.’s membership, cleared in principle Thursday night, means it will have a vote on whether new applicants should be able to join. China launched a formal bid to join CPTPP in 2021.But Truss warned that the bloc represented “an important counterweight to those who seek to undermine our values. In particular, the CPTPP ...

China lashes out at von der Leyen over fiery remarks

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:18:57 GMT

BRUSSELS — Ursula von der Leyen isn’t making friends in China.The Commission president did not pull any punches in a speech Thursday about China — sparking blowback from Chinese diplomats. Fu Cong, China’s ambassador to the European Union, said Friday he was “a little bit disappointed.”“That speech contained a lot of misrepresentation and misinterpretation of Chinese policies and the Chinese positions,” Fu told state-owned broadcaster CGTN.“Whoever wrote that speech for President von der Leyen does not really understand China or deliberately distorted Chinese positions,” he added.In in a scathing address delivered Thursday, the head of the European Commission called on Europe to be “bolder” on China, arguing that Beijing has become “more repressive at home and more assertive abroad.” For the first time, von der Leyen gave hints that the EU could put an end to long-standing efforts to land a major trade agreement with China....

Trump to be arraigned Tuesday to face New York indictment

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:18:57 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Former President Donald Trump is set to be arraigned Tuesday after his indictment in New York City, court officials said Friday. Trump’s planned surrender will usher in the unprecedented scenario of a former U.S. commander-in-chief being arrested and arraigned.Trump’s indictment, announced Thursday, came after a grand jury probe into hush money paid during the 2016 presidential campaign to squelch allegations of an extramarital sexual encounter. The indictment itself has remained sealed, as is standard in New York before an arraignment.Trump has denied any wrongdoing and denounced the investigation as a “scam,” a “persecution,” an injustice and a political low blow aimed at damaging his 2024 presidential run. He is a Republican; the district attorney who oversaw the inquiry, Alvin Bragg, is a Democrat.No ex-president has ever been charged with a crime before, so there’s no rulebook for booking one. Trump has Secret Service protection,...

Fatal New Bedford fire started accidentally, officials say

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:18:57 GMT

A fatal fire that burned through a rooming house in New Bedford on Tuesday started accidentally, fire officials announced Friday. Investigators determined the fire started in Room 205, located at the left rear of the second floor. They were able to rule out all potential causes except an event involving a microwave in that location or the wall outlet it was plugged into.“Our thoughts are still with the families who lost loved ones, the residents who were injured, and those who lost all their belongings,” said Chief Scott Kruger. “I’d like to express my deep appreciation to the New Bedford firefighters and mutual aid departments who put everything they had into containing this fire and protecting the surrounding structures. This was a tragic event, but it could have been much worse without the assistance of our public safety partners and our community.”All residents of the four-story rooming house were displaced by the fire and two people were killed. The first the victim was i...

Biden to announce that federal government will fully cover cost of cleanup following deadly storms

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:18:57 GMT

(CNN) — President Joe Biden is reaffirming the federal government’s commitment to the people of Mississippi as he visits the state on Friday to formally announce that the administration will cover the full cost of the state’s emergency response to the deadly tornado-spawning storms that hit the southeast US last week.The announcement, which will come during his visit to Rolling Fork, Mississippi, means the federal government will assume the full cost over the next 30 days for measures like operating shelters, paying overtime to first responders and removing debris, according to White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.The president will also announce that the Federal Emergency Management Agency is opening disaster recovery centers in four Mississippi counties — Humphreys, Monroe, Sharkey and Carroll — on Monday to help impacted communities, according to a White House official. Centers like this are essentially mobile offices set up follo...

Oscar Pistorius stays in prison after his parole is denied

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:18:57 GMT

PRETORIA, South Africa (AP) — Former Olympic runner Oscar Pistorius was denied parole Friday and will have to stay in prison for at least another year and four months after it was decided that he had not served the “minimum detention period” required to be released following his murder conviction for killing girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp 10 years ago.The parole board ruled that Pistorius would only be able to apply again in August 2024, South Africa’s Department of Corrections said in a short, two-paragraph statement. It was released soon after a parole hearing at the Atteridgeville Correctional Centre prison where Pistorius is being held.The board cited a new clarification on Pistorius’ sentence that was issued by South Africa’s Supreme Court of Appeal just three days before the hearing, according to the statement. Still, legal experts criticized authorities’ decision to go ahead with the hearing when Pistorius was not eligible.Reeva Steenkamp’s parents, ...

Ambulance involved in crash in Wakefield

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:18:57 GMT

An ambulance was involved in a crash on Main Street in Wakefield Friday morning.The side of the ambulance was damaged in the crash. It is unclear if anyone was injured. No additional information has been released. This is a developing story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest updates.

David Ortiz to serve as Grand Marshal of 127th Boston Marathon

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:18:57 GMT

The Boston Athletic Association announced that three-time World Series champion and Hall of Famer David Ortiz will be the Grand Marshal of the upcoming Boston MarathonThe BAA announced Friday that Ortiz would lead the way on April 17, being driven from Hopkinton to the finish line in Boston as the marathon gets underway. Ortiz will also be on hand before Patriots’ Day, receiving the Patriots’ Award in the run-up to the race.“Ortiz, whose rousing speech united Boston in the aftermath of April 15, 2013, returns ten years on to ceremonially guide the field of participants along the course,” the marathon organizers stated in a press release. “A leader on the Red Sox from 2003-2016, Ortiz embodied the strength and resilient spirit of Boston both on and off the playing field throughout his career.”The 127th Boston Marathon is set to include some 30,000 entrants from 122 countries and all 50 U.S. states this year.A full of list of events, including the i...

How can The Sun dare to hold O’s ownership accountable? How can we not? | COMMENTARY

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:18:57 GMT

Journalism is not a profession given to pleasing the rich and powerful on a regular basis. One certainty of the trade — at least if you are doing it correctly — is that not everyone appreciates seeing the truth about themselves in print for all the world to read (or at least the Baltimore metropolitan area). In its nearly two centuries of following the promise of “Light For All,” The Baltimore Sun’s reporters, photographers, editors and others have received their share of bluster, threats and legal filings thrown at them from influential politicians, public figures, business people and, yes, even the owners of sports franchises inconvenienced by objective reality.You think your job has its annoyances? Try getting in a shouting match with Baltimore Colts’ owner Bob Irsay as he blatantly lied about his plans to move the NFL franchise out of Charm City three decades ago. Was The Sun wrong to challenge his false narrative? To press for answers? To loo...

Hollywood applauds Trump indictment: ‘It’s finally happening’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:18:57 GMT

Evan Rosen | (TNS) New York Daily NewsHollywood stars and other entertainment figures applauded what they hope will be former President Donald Trump’s final act on the national stage.“Let 2023 be the year of accountability,” tweeted George Takei of “Star Trek” fame. “Happy indictment day, to those who celebrate.”Happy indictment day, to those who celebrate.— George Takei (@GeorgeTakei) March 30, 2023“Star Wars” actor Mark Hamill mocked the all-caps malapropism in the denial Trump posted to his Truth Social platform.“The Thugs and Radical Left Monsters have just INDICATED the 45th President of the United States of America,” Trump’s post read in part.Hamill tweeted, “Has he ever INDICATED whether or not he employs a proofreader?”Has he ever INDICATED whether or not he employs a proofreader? pic.twitter.com/QS8HJDy46T— Mark Hamill (@MarkHamill) March 30, 2023Comedian Kathy Griffin, who tweeted a notorious fake image of a beheaded Trump in 2017, crowed over the indictment.“I...