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UK’s Sunak ‘appalled’ by Chinese spy claims as Tory hawks demand answers

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:17:26 GMT

LONDON — Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said he was “appalled” by reports of Chinese espionage in the British parliament — as hawkish Conservative MPs demanded to know who knew what and when about the unfolding scandal.The revelation that a former House of Commons aide has been arrested over claims he worked for the Chinese state dominated discussion in Westminster Monday, riling up lawmakers from Sunak’s governing Tory party.Speaking in the Commons after returning from the G20 summit in New Delhi, Sunak said the “sanctity of this place must be protected,” adding: “We will defend our democracy and our security.”The Sunday Times this weekend reported that police arrested a parliamentary researcher with links to several senior Tory MPs, including the foreign affairs committee chair Alicia Kearns and Security Minister Tom Tugendhat, under the Official Secrets Act back in March.In a statement released through his lawyers on Monday, the person at the center of the allegations rejected ...

Ex-Pakistan cricketer gets 12-year prison sentence for putting bounty on Geert Wilders’ head

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:17:26 GMT

Former Pakistani international cricketer Khalid Latif was sentenced to 12 years in prison by a Dutch court for putting a €21,000 bounty on far-right politician Geert Wilders’ head.“The court rules that the suspect’s statements … should be seen as an attempt to provoke murder, incitement and threats. The words used by the suspect are unambiguous: He promises a significant amount of money to perform a specific act, namely killing Wilders,” the District Court of The Hague ruled on Monday.Latif offered the money to anyone who would carry out a hit on Wilders, prosecutors said, after the populist Party for Freedom chief devised a cartoon contest in 2018 calling on people to send in caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad.The competition angered Muslims, as any depictions of Muhammad are considered blasphemous. In a social media clip, Latif promised 3 million Pakistani rupees to anyone who would kill “the person who planned this game,” adding, “If I had more...

Oregon man arraigned for 1979 Back Bay murder after turning self in, confessing to both the cold case and another murder

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:17:26 GMT

An Oregon man was arraigned in Boston on Monday after authorities say he confessed to his role in the death of a 24-year-old woman in Boston’s Back Bay neighborhood, as well as another murder.Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden announced that John Michael Irmer, 68, was transported from Portland, Oregon, to Massachusetts to face charges for the rape and murder of Susan Marcia Rose, who was killed on Oct. 30, 1979, in a Back Bay apartment building.According to the DA’s office, it was last month when Irmer walked into the Portland FBI field office and volunteered to agents that he met a woman with red hair at a skating rink around Halloween in Boston in 1979.  Irmer said they later walked into 285 Beacon St., which was under renovation at the time, where he claimed that shortly after the two entered the building, he grabbed a nearby hammer and struck the woman on the head, killing her. He said he fled to New York the next day.Investigators retrieved a DNA sample ...

Children of 9/11 Mark New Chapters of Life, Loss During Sweeney Award Ceremony at State House

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:17:26 GMT

For those who lost a loved one 22 years ago on Sept. 11, the anniversary is a day to reflect on their memories of those who died in the attacks. But for a generation of young people who missed the chance to grow up with family members who died that day, there is a different kind of grief, speakers reflected Monday morning.Mara Alvarado was barely three years old when her aunt, Susan, was killed in the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.“At three years old, I couldn’t really understand what was going on. I didn’t know why mom was so sad, why there were so many people at our house. I didn’t understand the struggle my parents were dealing with, not only coping with the loss of Susie, but also the difficulty of how they were going to tell me one of my favorite people wasn’t going to ever come back,” Alvarado said during the Madeline Amy Sweeney Award Ceremony in the House Chamber on Monday.Alvarado said she and her family were “robbed of the future”...

Escaped murderer Danelo Cavalcante flees search area, Pennsylvania police preauthorize deadly force

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:17:26 GMT

By MARC LEVY (Associated Press)Authorities searched Monday for escaped murderer Danelo Souza Cavalcante who has eluded capture since breaking out of a southeastern Pennsylvania prison a week and a half ago after he apparently slipped through a search perimeter, changed his appearance, stole a dairy delivery van and contacted acquaintances.Chester County residents were asked to be on the lookout, check their security cameras and keep vehicles and homes locked as the search for Cavalcante continued, state police said on social media Monday morning.Lt. Col. George Bivens of the Pennsylvania State Police said Sunday that Cavalcante stole the unlocked van, which had the keys inside, sometime Saturday night. The van had been parked at a dairy farm about three-quarters of a mile (1.2 kilometers) from the northern perimeter of the search area where hundreds of law enforcement officers had been looking for him. Bivens vowed to “aggressively continue” the search and said he is con...

2,000 people are feared dead in flooding in eastern Libya after weekend storm, prime minister says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:17:26 GMT

By SAMY MAGDY (Associated Press)CAIRO (AP) — As many as 2,000 people are feared dead in Libya after Mediterranean storm Daniel caused devastating floods that swept away entire neighborhoods and wrecked homes in multiple coastal towns in the North African nation, one of Libya’s leaders said Monday. The confirmed death toll from the weekend flooding stood at 38, according to health authorities. But the tally did not include Derna, the worst hit city, which had become inaccessible.Video by Derna residents posted online showed major devastation. Entire residential blocks areas were erased along Wadi Derna, a river that runs down from the mountains through the city center. Multi-story apartment buildings once well back from the river were partially collapsed into the mud.In a phone interview with al-Masar television station Monday, Prime Minister Ossama Hamad of the east Libyan government said that 2,000 were feared dead in Derna, and thousands were believed missing. He said ...

9/11 ceremonies being held around San Diego County

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:17:26 GMT

Video: 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony Held at University Of San DiegoSAN DIEGO — Several events are being held Monday around San Diego County in commemoration of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.Nearly 3,000 people died when 19 al-Qaida members hijacked four commercial airline planes, sending two of the planes into the Twin Towers and one into the Pentagon. Hundreds take part in San Diego 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb Below is a list of events being held around San Diego County on 9/11:8:15 a.m. University of San Diego Commemoration and Prayer for Peace. Peace & Justice Theatre at USD. 5998 Alcala Park, San Diego, CA 92110.8:30 a.m. Oceanside 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony. Oceanside Pier Amphitheater. 301 The Strand N, Oceanside, CA 92054.8:30 a.m. National City 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony. National City Fire Department. 343 E 16th St, National City, CA 91950.8:40 a.m. San Diego State ROTC Remembrance Ceremony. Campanile Walkway Flagpole in front of Hepner Hall.9 a.m. East County Leaders...

Suspected 'car prowlers' lead police on chase before crashing

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:17:26 GMT

SAN DIEGO — A police pursuit ended Monday morning in the Allied Gardens neighborhood after the suspects crashed a vehicle and fled the scene, San Diego police said.Around 5 a.m., SDPD received a report of "car prowlers" looking to steal a vehicle. Upon arrival, officers located the suspects who fled in their vehicle, leading police on a pursuit.Police did not immediately clarify where exactly the pursuit began or how many suspects were involved. San Diego homeowners are the least likely to sell homes at loss in the nation: study After a brief pursuit, the suspects crashed their vehicle near Galewood Street and Horner Street, SDPD said. The suspects abandoned the vehicle and escaped through the neighborhood, jumping over fences.Police initially set up a perimeter to look for the suspects, but as of 6:30 a.m., SDPD said the suspects had gotten away and that there was no immediate danger to the surrounding neighborhood.

Court convicts Portuguese hacker in Football Leaks trial and gives him a 4-year suspended sentence

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:17:26 GMT

LISBON, Portugal (AP) — A Portuguese hacker whose bombshell revelations on the “Football Leaks” website rocked European soccer was convicted Monday by a Lisbon court of nine crimes and given a suspended prison sentence of four years.The three-judge panel found Rui Pinto, now 34 years old, guilty on five counts of unauthorized entry into computer systems, three counts of intercepting correspondence for accessing emails, and one count of attempted extortion, Portuguese media reported.The court convicted Pinto of hacking computers belonging to the Doyen sports investment fund, the Portuguese attorney general’s office and a Lisbon law firm. It was not proven he had hacked a website belonging to the Portuguese soccer federation, the judges said.Pinto’s disclosures embarrassed star players, top clubs and influential agents between 2015-18 and helped drive official investigations across Europe.The website published information about the transfer fees and salaries of such stars as Neymar, t...

6 people fatally shot in Greece, at a seaside town near Athens

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:17:26 GMT

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Six people have been fatally shot in an attack in a seaside town near Athens, Greek police said Monday. There was no immediate indication of the motive behind the attack. A police statement said the bodies were discovered Monday evening in Artemida, about 20 kilometers (12 miles) east of Athens. It provided no further detail on the circumstances of the shooting or the identities of the victims.State-run ERT television said three of the bodies were found inside a car, and that a handgun is believed to have been used in the shootings.The Associated Press