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Ben Wallace to step down as UK defense chief, The Times reports

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:14:30 GMT

U.K. Defense Secretary Ben Wallace plans to leave the government at the next Cabinet reshuffle and will not stand in the next general election, he told The Times newspaper.  Wallace informed Prime Minister Rishi Sunak of his plans on June 16 but had hoped to make the announcement later in the summer, the newspaper reported late Saturday. A Cabinet reshuffle is expected by September. “I’m not standing next time,” Wallace was quoted as saying. But he ruled out going “prematurely” and forcing another by-election, the newspaper said.  “I went into politics in the Scottish parliament in 1999. That’s 24 years,” Wallace, who has been defense chief since July 2019, told the paper.  The development comes days after Wallace controversially said Ukraine should put more emphasis on showing “gratitude” to “doubting politicians” in the U.S. and other allied countries who might not be completely convinced of the need to maintain military and economic support to Kyiv as it defen...

‘Grim Reaper’: Harvard Medical School faces 2 more lawsuits over alleged human body parts trafficking ring

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:14:30 GMT

One of two new lawsuits filed against Harvard in the wake of bombshell allegations a morgue employee was stealing and selling body parts donated to the university’s medical school reveals the employee may have identified as the “Grim Reaper.”The U.S. Attorney’s office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced on June 14 an alleged “nationwide network of individuals bought and sold human remains stolen from Harvard Medical School and an Arkansas mortuary,” which implicated HMS morgue employee Cedric Lodge, 55, of Goffstown, N.H., and four others, including his wife, Denise Lodge, 63.“This ghoulish black market was allowed to flourish in plain sight by an HMS morgue employee whose lack of respect for the dead was obvious to anyone who scrutinized his behavior; it is alleged that he drove to work each day and presumably parked in the HMS parking lot with a license plate identifying him as the ‘GRIM-R’ — as in, the grim reaper,” a new lawsuit targeting the university filed at th...

Apartment fire displaces 10 in South Bay

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:14:30 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- A Saturday morning apartment fire in the Nestor neighborhood has left 10 people displaced, fire officials confirmed to FOX 5.The San Diego Fire-Rescue Department says crews responded to reports of a structure fire on the 2000 block of Iris Avenue shortly before 7 a.m. Man struck by vehicle in Midtown The blaze was located at a residential four-unit apartment building, and SDFD says crews have since extinguished the fire.According to fire officials, no one was home in the unit where the fire started. There were no injuries reported in connection to this incident.A total of 10 residents were displaced due to fire and smoke damage. They are being assisted by the Red Cross. SDFD says the cause of the fire is unknown at this time, but arson isn't suspected.

Lionel Messi makes it official by signing with Inter Miami and Major League Soccer

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:14:30 GMT

Lionel Messi has finalized his deal to join Major League Soccer, and after years of planning and pursuing, Inter Miami has landed a global icon.Messi’s contract became official Saturday, a little more than five weeks after he declared that he would be coming to Inter Miami. The team will introduce him Sunday night at its stadium in Fort Lauderdale, and the first home match of the Messi era could be as early as Friday in a Leagues Cup match against Cruz Azul.A formal news conference is scheduled for Monday, and his first training session with his new club is expected on Tuesday. The club previously announced that Messi’s deal will be for 2 1/2 seasons and will pay him between $50 million and $60 million annually — putting the total contract value between $125 million and $150 million in cash alone.“BIENVENIDO 10,” the team posted Saturday on Twitter.Welcome, Messi, indeed.“We are overjoyed that the greatest player in the world chose Inter Miami CF and Major League S...

The Rev. Jesse Jackson steps down as leader of civil rights group he founded in 1971

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:14:30 GMT

CHICAGO (AP) — The Rev. Jesse Jackson announced Saturday that he will step down as president of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, the Chicago-based civil rights group he founded more than 50 years ago.Jackson, 81, announced his resignation during a quiet farewell speech at the organization’s annual convention, where the group paid tribute to him with songs, kind words from other Black activists and politicians, and a video montage of Jackson’s 1984 and 1988 presidential campaigns. Jackson, who has dealt with several health problems in recent years and uses a wheelchair, capped the proceedings with muted remarks. Flanked by his daughter, Santita Jackson, and his son, U.S. Rep. Jonathan Jackson, the once-fiery orator spoke so softly it was difficult to hear him.“I am somebody,” he said. “Green or yellow, brown, Black or white, we’re all perfect in God’s eyes. Everybody is somebody. Stop the violence. Save the children. Keep hope alive.”The Rev. Frederick ...

One man seriously injured in York region shooting

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:14:30 GMT

One man is in hospital with serious but non-life threatening injuries following a shooting in York region.York region police say they were called to an area on Steeles Avenue near Weston Road around 1 p.m.Multiple people believed to be involved in the incident fled the scene before police arrived. Paramedics transported one man to hospital with gunshot wounds. He was listed in serious condition. There is no word on suspect descriptions at this time.

At least 4 killed in mass shooting in small Georgia city, county spokeswoman says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:14:30 GMT

HAMPTON, Ga. (AP) — A county government official in Georgia says at least four people have been killed in a mass shooting in a small community south of Atlanta. A statement from Henry County officials said police were still investigating an “active shooter incident” that occurred late Saturday morning at a subdivision in Hampton, a city of about 8,500 people about 40 miles (65 kilometers) south of Atlanta.“I can confirm that four people are deceased,” county government spokeswoman Melissa Robinson told The Associated Press by phone. “As of right now, the suspect is still at large.”Police in Hampton, Georgia, planned to release more details at a Saturday afternoon news conference.Several local law enforcement agencies were assisting, as was the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. GBI spokeswoman Nelly Miles said she had no information other than that GBI agents had been asked to help. The Associated Press

Alaska volcano spews ash cloud high enough to draw weather service warning for pilots

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:14:30 GMT

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — An erupting volcano in Alaska’s Aleutian Islands sent a towering cloud of ash into the air Friday, prompting the National Weather Service to issue an inflight warning to pilots.The Shishaldin Volcano began erupting July 11, according to the Alaska Volcano Observatory. A U.S. Coast Guard overflight confirmed lava erupted the same day within the summit crater. A significant explosion at 1:09 a.m. Friday produced an ash cloud that reached up to 40,000 feet (12,192 meters) and drifted south over the Pacific Ocean. A second smaller explosion at 7:10 a.m. Friday reached about 15,000 feet (4,572 meters). The National Weather Service issued a inflight weather advisory due to the drifting ash cloud.Volcanic ash is angular and sharp and has been used as an industrial abrasive. The powdered rock can cause a jet engine to shut down.The volcano is 679 miles (1,093 kilometers) southwest of Anchorage near the center of Unimak Island, the largest island in the Aleutians. Fa...

Fundraising takeaways: Trump and DeSantis in their own tier as Pence and other Republicans struggle

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:14:30 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis are dominating the fight for campaign cash in the Republican presidential contest, according to federal filings made public Saturday. While some struggled, like former Vice President Mike Pence, others reported significant hauls that help ensure the GOP’s 2024 primary will be crowded for the foreseeable future.On the Democratic side, President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign has quickly amassed a sizeable fortune. But longshot Democratic primary opponent Robert Kennedy Jr. also raised enough to ensure he won’t be ignored. Overall, the 2024 presidential class’s second-quarter filings with the Federal Election Commission, covering the period between April 1 and June 30, leave unanswered several questions. For example, the total numbers of individual donors for each campaign, a figure tied directly to GOP debate participation, won’t be known until the end of the month. And each candidate’s allied super PACs, wh...

Toronto, GTA under special weather statement for heavy rainfall

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:14:30 GMT

A special weather statement is in effect for Toronto and the GTA warning of heavy rainfall for the remainder of the day.Environment Canada says rainfall amounts of between 30 and 50 mm are possible throughout the region. “Showers and thunderstorms are forecast to continue through this evening and tonight before coming to an end by early Sunday morning,” the national weather agency said. “Locally heavy rainfall amounts can be expected.”The statement also covers Mississauga, Brampton, Caledon, Vaughan, Hamilton, York, and Durham regions.