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UK government loses legal bid to keep Boris Johnson’s messages from COVID-19 inquiry

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:41:53 GMT

LONDON (AP) — A U.K. court on Thursday rejected the British government’s request to keep former Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s unredacted WhatsApp messages and diaries from being made public at an official COVID-19 inquiry. The Cabinet Office took the unusual step of bringing a legal challenge after the retired judge chairing the inquiry into Britain’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic ordered the Conservative government to release full copies of Johnson’s documents.Government officials argued the inquiry did not have the legal power to force them to release documents and messages that they said were “unambiguously irrelevant” to how the government handled COVID-19. But lawyers for the inquiry said the idea that civil servants could decide what material was relevant would undermine public confidence in the process. The judges who ruled in the Cabinet Office’s case said Johnson’s diaries and notebooks were “very likely to contain information abo...

Wembymania set to hit Las Vegas, as Spurs rookie ‘can’t wait’ for his NBA debut at Summer League

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:41:53 GMT

LAS VEGAS (AP) — There are just some tickets that are hard to get in Las Vegas. Like Adele, for example. Or Garth Brooks. Or U2, which starts a residency there this fall.And now, add Wemby to that list.Victor Wembanyama’s debut at NBA Summer League is Friday night — and it’s sold out. All 17,500 tickets that were available for Day 1 of the 11-day series of games on the campus of UNLV were gone by sometime Wednesday, largely because of the debut of the 7-foot-3 rookie who will be playing his first game in a San Antonio Spurs uniform.“It’s going to be intense,” Wembanyama said. “I can’t wait to wear that Spurs jersey for a first time.”The plan, as of now: He’ll play “at least one or two games” in Vegas, Wembanyama said. That means he’ll play Friday against Charlotte (and No. 2 pick Brandon Miller) and likely again Sunday against Portland (and No. 3 pick Scoot Henderson). He’s got appearances to make as well — Wembanyama is one of the headline attractions at the inaugural NBA Con event...

Macron says France needs to address causes of unrest prompted by police killing of teen

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:41:53 GMT

PARIS (AP) — President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday called for order and calm, and efforts to address the roots of several days of unrest around France that was sparked by the police killing of a 17-year-old boy.The police officer accused of the shooting death of teen Nahel Merzouk is in custody on a charge of voluntary homicide, and a judge in Versailles on Thursday rejected his request for release pending further investigation.“We all lived through an important moment in the life of our nation,” Macron said in the southern city of Pau on the edge of the Pyrenees. He said that France now needs “order, calm, unity. And then to work on the deep causes of what happened.”He didn’t address what those causes are. The French leader has blamed parents of young rioters and social networks including TikTok and Snapchat for fueling violence that spread to around 500 cities and towns.Some activists, along with residents of the low-income neighborhoods where the violence began, say the killing w...

Teen boy killed, another teen wounded in Aurora shooting

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:41:53 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — Police say a teenage boy was killed and a second teen wounded in a shooting late Wednesday night in Aurora.According to police, the teen who died was found wounded just before midnight in the 19400 block of East 59th Place, southwest of Pena Boulevard and E-470. Officer shoots at drivers targeting homeless encampments with fireworks A second teen was also shot and hospitalized, Aurora Police said Thursday morning. They did not release information about that person's condition.One person of interest was detained, but police did not release further information.Police ask witnesses to come forward with information by calling police or Metro Denver Crime Stoppers, where tipsters can remain anonymous.

Officer shoots at driver targeting homeless encampments with fireworks

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:41:53 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — One officer in Lakewood fired a shot at suspects who were allegedly throwing fireworks at homeless encampments on Colfax.The Lakewood Police Department tweeted about a large police presence in the area of Colfax and Teller just after 4:30 a.m. Thursday. The area is in the Edgewood neighborhood just west of Sloan's Lake Park.FOX31's Jim Hooley is on the scene and spoke with LPD who said at least two suspects were driving down Colfax and throwing lit fireworks at homeless encampments. One person without housing who was targeted by the fireworks threw a rock back at the suspects and broke the back window of their vehicle. Do you recognize this man? He’s accused of stealing bras and panties LPD said they arrived on scene and began speaking to the people in the homeless encampment. At that point, the suspect's vehicle returned to the area. According to LPD, an officer felt threatened and one round was fired at the car. No one was hit by the gunfire, and no injuries have...

Democrat challenging Lauren Boebert raises $2.6M in second quarter

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:41:53 GMT

Adam Frisch, the Democrat who came close to beating Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) in the midterms last year, has raised more than $2.6 million in the second fundraising quarter as he runs again to challenge the Colorado Republican, his campaign said. Frisch’s campaign said the $2.6 million raised in the second quarter FEC filing breaks the record “for the largest quarterly fundraising for a U.S. House challenger in the year before an election, excluding special elections and self-funded campaigns.”Frisch narrowly lost his challenge against Boebert in the midterms by just 546 votes, triggering an automatic recount due to the difference of less than half a percentage point, though he conceded to Boebert before the recount was finished. The Democrat launched a 2024 bid for Colorado’s third congressional district against Boebert back in February. “Boebert continues to vote against the interests of her constituents while devoting her time to ‘angertainment’ antics that do nothing to...

Wilton Manors PD, FWC release tips on how to handle coyotes after recent signings

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:41:53 GMT

After a string of coyote sightings throughout Broward County, officials are trying to get the word out in order to keep everyone safe. On Thursday, the Wilton Manors Police Department posted on their social media channels that they’e aware of the coyote sightings, and are asking the public to educate themselves on their behavior and what to do if they spot one. The social media post was partially prompted after a resident posted video of a coyote near their home swimming pool near Southwest 30th Court. According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), coyotes live in all areas throughout Florida, and are teaching people what to do to safely live among them. The FWC are warning people that feeding coyotes is illegal, and that feeding them will cause them to lose their fear of humans. Some other tips provided by the FWC include the following:secure any garbage, clean up pet food and fallen fruitsecure live stock in predator resistant enclosures keep pets ...

German top court hits pause on controversial heating law — and coalition peace

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:41:53 GMT

BERLIN — This week, it was supposed to finally be over. But as German Chancellor Olaf Scholz celebrated at his party’s summer festivities, the German Constitutional Court ruled that the Building Energy Act, which had caused fierce dispute in the coalition for several months, could not be passed by the Bundestag this week.In an emergency petition to the court, Thomas Heilmann, a Christian Democratic Union lawmaker, argued parliament was not given enough time to discuss the heating law. The court ruled in his favor on Wednesday. “Members of parliament not only have the right to vote in the German Bundestag, but also the right to deliberate,” the court argued in its statement.The law aimed at reforming heating systems in German households has led to extensive discussion within the governing coalition. The Greens wanted to ban the installation of gas heating as early as the beginning of 2024 while the liberals fought for laxer rules. When the government found a comprom...

Why Europeans don’t have Threads yet

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:41:53 GMT

THE HEART OF THE EU CAPITAL — Got FOMO yet, Brussels? Facebook’s parent company Meta on Thursday launched Threads, its rival to microblogging platform Twitter, and gained millions of users in the first few hours across the U.S., U.K. and more than a hundred other countries. Meta is holding back on launching the platform in the European Union “because of upcoming regulatory uncertainty,” spokesperson Matt Pollard told POLITICO. Behind the U.S. tech giant’s decision is a fear of European Union tech laws — and specifically its new digital competition regulation called the Digital Markets Act (DMA) that’s designed to stop Big Tech from bulking up on data, users and services, overpowering competitors and becoming “too big to care,” as EU chiefs like Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton have warned in past years.The move to postpone Threads’ rollout in Europe is the latest example of tech firms holding back in launching services on the European mark...

Man charged with murder, accused of killing mother in Hudson, NH

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:41:53 GMT

A Hudson, New Hampshire man has been charged with second degree murder, accused of killing his 57-year-old mother in Hudson Wednesday night, officials announced. State and local officials, in a joint statement from the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office, said police first responded to a report of a disturbance in a townhouse on Shoal Creek Road around 9:45 p.m. On scene, officials said police found Christine DeGiacomo “suffering from a traumatic injury.”Officials said DeGiacomo was taken to a hospital where she was pronounced dead.Officials previously confirmed Thursday morning that they were investigating DeGiacomo’s death, describing it as “suspicious.” In an update, officials said Grant DeGiacomo, 26, had been charged. “Mr. Grant DeGiacomo is charged with recklessly causing the death of Christine DeGiacomo under circumstances manifesting an extreme indifference to the value of human life by repeatedly striking her head,” officials said. An autopsy is expe...