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China hawks want to toughen proposed new UK procurement law

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:02:45 GMT

LONDON — Conservative MPs who take a hard line on China are pushing a series of amendments aimed at toughening up the U.K. government’s upcoming procurement bill, POLITICO’s London Playbook newsletter reported.The bill — which will be introduced as part of Britain’s post-Brexit reform of procurement policy — will introduce rules for firms competing for government contracts and strengthen ministers’ power to exclude companies that are deemed a national security risk.Some MPs in Rishi Sunak’s ruling Tory Party don’t think the legislation in its current form goes far enough. Alicia Kearns, the Tory chair of parliament’s influential foreign affairs committee, has put forward a series of amendments that would require the Cabinet Office to maintain a “high risk” list of companies that could only sell surveillance equipment to public authorities with explicit ministerial approval. The amendments are backed by three other select committee chairs — de...

Zelenskyy wants Putin to spend life in a basement pissing in a bucket

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:02:45 GMT

KYIV — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wants his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to spend the rest of his days in a basement, using a bucket for a toilet.Zelenskyy made the remarks in a speech during a visit Monday to Yahidne — a village in the Chernihiv region of northern Ukraine where Russian troops kept Ukrainian civilians locked up in inhumane conditions in the early days of the Kremlin’s full-scale invasion. In April last year, when Ukrainian soldiers liberated the village from the Russians, they discovered a school basement where Russians kept almost 400 residents captured for 27 days. Eleven people died during the illegal imprisonment in the basement.On the anniversary of the liberation, Zelenskyy went down to the basement in Yahidne, spoke to the locals and thanked them for fighting bravely for their lives. “After seeing all of this I can only wish Russian President Putin to spend the rest of his life in a basement with [a] bucket for a toile...

Police show up at Harvard University dorm with guns drawn in response to hoax call

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:02:45 GMT

Frightened, startled and unsettled. That’s how several Harvard University students said they felt after police showed up at their door with guns drawn early Monday morning.A meeting was held at the Leverett House on Monday night to discuss the incident, which officials now say was a false alarm stemming from a swatting call. The incident happened at 4 a.m. in the Leverett Towers on the Harvard campus. Four seniors were inside their suite sleeping. When they didn’t answer calls from campus police around 3:50 a.m., the students say officers arrived at their door. Harvard Senior Jarah Cotton said officers were “in full riot gear,” with shields, helmets and rifles drawn. Cotton said officers told seniors in the suite to come out with their hands up. “Of course, we complied because we didn’t know what was going on,” David Madzivanyika said. “We exited the room.”Once the students got out and campus police cleared their suite, the students said official...

Home, cars catch fire in Malden

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:02:45 GMT

A home and several cars caught fire in Malden early Tuesday morning. Officials say a car was on fire in the driveway between two homes on Hancock Road.Crews stopped the flames from spreading to one house and they quickly put out the fire in the second house.Two people got out safely and no injuries have been reported.

Robbins: Donald Trump is deep in a legal cauldron

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:02:45 GMT

If there’s anyone who embraces the strategy “The best defense is a good offense” more fiercely and more relentlessly than Donald Trump, it would be surprising.After news broke of his extortionate telephone call to Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky conditioning American release of Congressionally-mandated military assistance to our embattled ally on a phony announcement of a phony investigation into Joe Biden, Trump boasted that his was “a perfect call.”When it was revealed that after losing Georgia in the 2020 presidential election Trump telephoned Georgia’s Secretary of State and exhorted him to commit election fraud on his behalf, Trump insisted that this, too, was “a perfect call.”So after Trump is arraigned on Tuesday on approximately 30 criminal charges arising from his attempts to launder $130,000 in hush money payments to Stormy Daniels, expect him to tell the media throng outside the New York Supreme Court that he is being unfairly persecuted for making the perfect porn...

Former FSU safety Jammie Robinson looks forward to fulfilling NFL dream

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:02:45 GMT

For Jammie Robinson, playing in the NFL would fulfill a dream.Even though he’s thought about it throughout his life, the former Florida State safety isn’t sure how he’ll react when it finally happens.“I honestly don’t know,” said Robinson. “Once my dream comes true, all I’m going to be able to do is live in the moment. I’m going to cry like a baby and I’m going to take care of my mom. After that, I’m returning to the drawing board to start with a new chapter.”Robinson was among a group participating in FSU’s Pro Day on Friday, including offensive linemen Dillan Gibbons and Jazston Turnetine, tight ends Camren McDonald and Wyatt Rector, defensive lineman Robert Cooper, defensive end Leonard Warner III, defensive backs Jarques McClellion and wide receivers Ontaria Wilson and Mike Roussos. The event occurred in front of 43 NFL scouts and personnel in the Albert J. Dunlap Athletic Training Facility.The 5-foot-...

After hitless opening series, Orioles’ Gunnar Henderson breaks out with ‘loud’ opposite-field homer vs. Rangers

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:02:45 GMT

Before the Orioles’ series-opening game against the Texas Rangers on Monday, manager Brandon Hyde said he wasn’t worried about Gunnar Henderson after his hitless weekend against the Boston Red Sox.After all, Henderson did walk six times in the first three games, tied for the most in the American League in that span.“The hits haven’t come yet, but they will,” Hyde said. “He’s trying to get that first one. Once he gets that first one, he’ll be able to relax a little bit. His at-bats have been good so far.”Hyde’s prediction turned out to be right in multiple ways. Not only did Henderson, the consensus No. 1 prospect in baseball, record multiple hits in the Orioles’ 2-0 win Monday, but it was also the first knock — a second-inning single — that calmed his nerves and led to his first home run of the season.“It’s awesome being able to get the first hit out the way, especially at the big leagues,̶...

Quincy’s Orlagh Gormley to play for Irish under-18 women’s national team

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:02:45 GMT

With over 1,000 career points already, Dexter Southfield junior Orlagh Gormley established herself as one of the most talented point guards in Massachusetts well before being selected to join the Ireland under-18 women’s national team.The 5-foot-7 Quincy native seems quiet by nature, but her passion for basketball is apparent. In addition to using her speed to drive to the basket, she can knock down three-pointers, provide accurate passes to her teammates, and haul in rebounds. She credits her work ethic to her family.“Both of my siblings played,” said Gormley. “Watching them, I got it at a young age. So, I just followed in their footsteps pretty much. They were always playing basketball in the backyard, so I was always playing with them. I make sure that no matter what team I’m on, I give the same effort as I always do.”Her sister Aoibhe, a senior at Thayer Academy, plans to play at Boston University. Brother Eoin played at Catholic Memorial and is a student at Boston College.At No...

World shares higher as inflation shows signs of abating

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:02:45 GMT

BANGKOK (AP) — Shares were mostly higher in Europe and Asia on Tuesday as investors watched for the latest moves by central banks, given signs that inflation is abating in many regions. The OECD reported inflation in leading economies fell to 8.8% in February from 9.2% in January. Inflation rates remained above 20% in Hungary, Latvia and Turkey, but overall, inflation fell in 23 of the 38 OECD economies. Easing energy prices were a major factor, though oil prices have surged after producing countries announced Sunday they will cut output from May 1 through the end of the year. That could potentially slow broader efforts to tame inflation. Germany’s DAX gained 0.6% to 15,684.77 and the CAC 40 in Paris was 0.5% higher, at 7,379.09. Britain’s FTSE 100 edged 0.1% higher, to 7,681.11. The future for the S&P 500 was up less than 0.1% and that for the Dow industrials was unchanged. The S&P/ASX 200 in Sydney edged 0.2% higher to 7,236.00 after Australia’s central b...

Officials: US providing Ukraine $2.6 billion in military aid

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:02:45 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. will send Ukraine about $500 million in ammunition and equipment and will spend more than $2 billion to buy an array of munitions, radar and other weapons in the future, U.S. officials said, as the Ukrainian troops prepare for a spring offensive against Russian forces.The ammunition rounds, along with grenade launchers and vehicles, will be taken from military stockpiles so they can be in the war zone quickly, the officials said.The $2.1 billion in longer-term aid, which is being provided under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, will buy missiles for the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System, or NASAMS, as well as radar and other weapons, according to the officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the aid had not yet been announced. An announcement is expected as soon as Tuesday.The new weapons and funding come as Russia has continued to bombard Ukraine with long-range missiles and the hotly contested battle for the easte...