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UK presses ahead with cuts to troop numbers

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:54:25 GMT

LONDON — The British Ministry of Defence has confirmed it will cut troop numbers from 82,000 to 73,000 by 2025 — despite opposition from parts of the armed forces and the Labour party.The cuts, included in an updated defense command paper published Tuesday, will allow the government to save about £5 billion, and mean the army will employ 28 percent fewer troops by 2025 than the 102,000 it did in 2010, when the Conservatives took office. Unveiling the plan, Ben Wallace — who will step down from government in the next Cabinet reshuffle — argued that the Ukrainian war has shown a relatively small force can be highly effective if it is properly equipped and trained.“As Russia has so effectively proven, there is no point having parade ground armies, mass ranks of men and machines if they cannot be integrated as a single full spectrum force, sustained in the field under all the demands of modern war fighting,” he told the House of Commons. “That takes professional forces – wel...

Boston police investigating shooting death after victim found in Jamaica Plain

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:54:25 GMT

Boston police are investigating after a man was killed following a reported shooting in Jamaica Plain, according to officials.The Boston Police Department said officers found an adult male victim suffering from gunshot wounds in the area of 159 Forest Hills Street after being called to the address around 1:40 a.m. for a report of a person shot.In an update later in the morning, authorities said the victim was pronounced deceased after being transported to a hospital.“The Boston Police Department is actively reviewing the facts and circumstances surrounding this incident,” a spokesperson for the department said.Anyone with information on the incident is asked to contact Boston Police Homicide Detectives at (617) 343-4470 or anonymously by calling the CrimeStoppers Tip Line at 1 (800) 494-TIPS or by texting the word ‘TIP’ to CRIME (27463).

A vessel to accommodate asylum-seekers docks in UK as Parliament passes controversial migration bill

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:54:25 GMT

LONDON (AP) — A vessel that will house up to 500 asylum-seekers arrived Tuesday in England after Parliament passed its long-debated bill to curb migration. The barge Bibby Stockholm was pulled by a tug into Portland harbor, off the southwest coast of England, after the government’s controversial legislation overcame resistance in the House of Lords and was passed.The vessel and the bill are both parts of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s strategy to stop migrants from making risky English Channel crossings in small boats. The legislation will become law after receiving the assent of King Charles III.The Conservative government has pledged to “stop the boats” — overcrowded dinghies and other small craft that cross from northern France carrying migrants who hope to live in the U.K. More than 45,000 people crossed the Channel to Britain in 2022; several died in the attempt. The bill is intended to deter those journeys and will prevent migrants from claiming asylum in the U.K. if they arrive...

The American detained in North Korea after crossing the border was a US soldier, officials tell AP

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:54:25 GMT

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — U.S. officials say an American detained after crossing the border from South Korea into North Korea was a U.S. soldier.There were no immediate details about how or why the soldier crossed the heavily fortified border or whether the soldier was on duty. The four officials spoke to The Associated Press on Tuesday on the condition of anonymity to discuss the matter ahead of a public announcement.Cases of Americans or South Koreans defecting to North Korea are rare, though more than 30,000 North Koreans have fled to South Korea to avoid political oppression and economic difficulties since the end of the 1950-53 Korean War.The crossing happened during heightened tensions over North Korea’s nuclear program. The American-led U.N. Command overseeing the area tweeted earlier Tuesday that the detained U.S. citizen was on a tour to the Korean border village of Panmunjom and crossed the border into the North without authorization.It said that he is currently in N...

Marilyn Manson to plead no contest to blowing his nose on videographer

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:54:25 GMT

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — Marilyn Manson will plead no contest to blowing his nose on a videographer at a 2019 concert in New Hampshire, according to a filing by his attorney.The rocker, whose legal name is Brian Warner, was charged with two misdemeanor counts of simple assault stemming from the encounter at the Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion in Gilford on Aug. 19, 2019. A notice of intent filed Monday says that Manson is expected to plead no contest to only one charge, and that prosecutors would dismiss the other in the fully negotiated plea. A no contest plea means Manson will not contest the charge and does not admit guilt. Manson would face a sentence of a $,1,200 fine with part of it suspended and 20 hours of community service within six months. Manson also would need to remain arrest-free and notify local police of any New Hampshire performances for two years.A judge would have to accept the plea, which is expected to be entered Thursday in Belknap County Superior Court. That’...

1st lawsuit filed against Pat Fitzgerald and Northwestern leaders stemming from a hazing scandal

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:54:25 GMT

A former Northwestern football player filed the first lawsuit against Pat Fitzgerald and members of the school’s leadership, seeking damages stemming from a hazing scandal that cost the former football coach his job.The player, identified in the lawsuit as John Doe, alleged Tuesday in the Cook County Court in Chicago that Fitzgerald, Northwestern University President Michael Schill, the board of trustees and athletic director Derrick Gragg enabled and concealed sexual misconduct and racial discrimination.The player, who was on the football team from 2018 to 2022, had his filing submitted by the Chicago-based Salvi Law Firm.“It wasn’t just confined to one bad actor,” attorney Parker Stinar said in an interview with The Associated Press. “It wasn’t just confined to one team, like the football team. It also included a culture that was accepted and tolerated and encouraged on the baseball team and other sports teams, and also with men and women’s sports.“So, it’s...

EU lawmakers dampen Turkey’s hopes of reopening accession talks

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:54:25 GMT

ISTANBUL (AP) — European lawmakers said Tuesday that Turkey needs to make a “drastic change of course” to get EU accession talks back on track, a week after the Turkish president linked reviving the process to accepting Sweden into NATO.The European Parliament’s foreign affairs committee said in a statement that Ankara’s bid to join the bloc “cannot resume under the current circumstances.”Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan last week agreed to put Sweden’s accession before Turkey’s parliament for ratification but tied the move to Turkey joining the European Union.“When you pave the way for Turkey, we’ll pave the way for Sweden,” he said.Sweden and Finland, both EU members, applied to join NATO following last year’s Russian invasion of Ukraine, ending decades of military non-alignment. Talks to admit Turkey to the EU started in 2005 but were put on hold in 2018.In a report on Ankara’s bid, the European lawmakers said Turkey was expected to respect democratic values, rule of law, h...

Stock market today: Wall Street drifts in early trading; more banks report results

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:54:25 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street is drifting following some mixed reports on the economy and corporate profits. The S&P 500 was down 0.2% in early trading Tuesday, edging back from its highest level since April 2022. The Dow was off 40 points, or 0.1%, and the Nasdaq composite was down 0.3%. Charles Schwab jumped 10% after reporting stronger profit and revenue for the spring than analysts expected. Several other financial giants likewise reported stronger-than-expected results for the latest quarter, including Bank of America and Morgan Stanley. PNC Financial Services Group fell 1.2% after reporting weaker revenue than forecast, though its profit topped expectations.THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.Wall Street was largely unchanged Tuesday ahead of the release of U.S. retail sales, factory data and more quarterly financial reports from companies. Futures for the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average each fell less than 0.1% before the openin...

Russia targets Ukraine’s port of Odesa and calls it payback for a strike on a key bridge to Crimea

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:54:25 GMT

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine said its forces shot down Russian drones and cruise missiles targeting the Black Sea port of Odesa before dawn Tuesday in what Moscow called “retribution” for an attack that damaged a crucial bridge to the Crimean Peninsula.The Russians first sought to wear down Ukraine’s air defenses by firing 25 exploding drones and then targeted Odesa with six Kalibr cruise missiles, the Ukrainian military’s Southern Command said.All six missiles and the drones were shot down by air defenses in the Odesa region and other areas in the south, officials said, though their debris and shock waves damaged some port facilities and a few residential buildings and injured an elderly man at his home.The Russian Defense Ministry said its “strike of retribution” was carried out with sea launched precision weapons on Ukrainian military facilities near Odesa and Mykolaiv, a coastal city about 50 kilometers (30 miles) to the northeast.It destroyed facilities preparing “terror attack...

Man charged in 2001 suburban sexual assault after DNA hit

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:54:25 GMT

WEST CHICAGO, Ill. — An Arizona man has been charged with a west suburban sexual assault dating back to 2001.Alberto Gomez, 51, of Florence, Arizona, is facing three counts of aggravated criminal sexual assault, three counts of criminal sexual assault, aggravated criminal sexual assault and aggravated criminal sexual abuse.His bond was set at $5 million.Late last year, West Chicago police learned of a DNA hit from a sexual assault kit collected in Nov. 2001.On that night, a woman was alone in her apartment when she awoke to Gomez allegedly standing in her bedroom. He's accused of striking her multiple times and sexually assaulting her.Police said he fled after the assault and lived in the area at the time.Gomez has been in federal custody since his arrest on illegal re-entry charges last November. He was transferred to the DuPage County Jail last week where he currently remains.