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Britain’s top diplomat raises human rights concerns with China, explores ways to boost communication

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:14:30 GMT

BEIJING (AP) — British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly raised concerns over China’s human rights record and explored ways for the two countries to better communicate during a visit to Beijing on Wednesday.The trip was the first by a U.K. foreign secretary to China in more than five years, underscoring a downturn in relations over a series of issues, including Beijing’s curbing of civil liberties in Hong Kong, a former British colony, abuses against Muslim minorities in the Xinjiang region, China’s support for Russia and Britain’s close security ties with the United States. Cleverly met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Vice President Han Zheng during his one-day visit. The diplomats underscored the importance of dialogue between their countries, though they also alluded to the souring of ties in recent years.Wang said cooperation between China and Britain had “global impact.”“Dialogue and cooperation are the keywords and main tone of China’s policy towards the U.K.,” he sai...

CNN names former BBC and New York Times executive Mark Thompson as new leader

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:14:30 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — CNN is bringing in a former chief executive of the BBC and The New York Times in an attempt to turn around a news organization that has burned through two leaders and bled viewers over the past two years.Mark Thompson was appointed as chair and CEO of CNN by David Zaslav, head of the network’s parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery, which made the announcement Wednesday. Thompson replaces Chris Licht, who was fired in June, and a four-person team that had been running CNN in the interim.Thompson, who left the Times in 2020 after eight years as that company’s president and CEO, is credited with transforming it to a digital-first organization more dependent on paid subscribers than the collapsing advertising market that has doomed many newspapers. The England native was director-general of the BBC from 2004 to 2012.Licht was let go after a stormy 13 months that saw CNN fall well behind Fox News and MSNBC in popularity, with opinionated news connecting more ...

Stock market today: Wall Street quiet ahead of more inflation and jobs data following Tuesday rally

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:14:30 GMT

TOKYO — Wall Street drifted between small gains and losses early Wednesday ahead of more economic news, including an inflation indicator and more jobs data. Futures for the Dow Jones industrials and the S&P 500 were both essentially unchanged about an hour before the opening bell.Markets rallied Tuesday after the Conference Board reported that consumer confidence tumbled in August, surprising economists who were expecting levels to hold steady around the strong July reading. Consumer confidence and spending have been closely watched amid persistent pressure from inflation.Also on Tuesday, the government reported that job openings fell to the lowest level since March 2021, a larger drop than economists expected. The report also showed that the number of Americans quitting their jobs fell sharply for the second straight month, clear signs that the labor market is cooling in a way that could reduce inflation.Investors hope that could deter the Fed from raising its benchmark borrowi...

Indonesia arrests 88 Chinese nationals in online romance scams

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:14:30 GMT

BATAM, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesian police said Wednesday they have arrested 88 Chinese citizens for involvement in a cross-border telephone and online romance scam syndicate after receiving a tip from the Chinese security ministry.The suspects, including five women, were arrested on Batam island, next to Singapore, said Riau Islands police spokesperson Zahwani Pandra Arsyad. They were working from a shophouse, a building with mixed commercial and residential use, in an industrial park. Police believe the suspects are members of a telephone fraud and online love scam syndicate, Arsyad said.Most of their targets appeared to be fellow Chinese who were called over the internet and tricked into transferring money after the callers manipulated the “human emotion” of the victims, Arsyad said. A preliminary investigation showed the gang had been operating since early this year, ensnaring hundreds of victims in China, but it is unclear how much money they had collected.“We are still investig...

Police warn residents after 5 million bees fall off truck in Burlington

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:14:30 GMT

People in Burlington are being advised to keep their windows closed after a truck lost a load of bees on Wednesday morning.Halton police say five millions bees fell off a truck on Guelph Line north of Dundas Street before 8:30 a.m.Police are advising passing vehicles and residents who live in the area to close their windows. Pedestrians are being asked to avoid the area until the insects are cleared out.This is a developing story. More to come.Guelph Ln north of Dundas – Officers dealing with load of 5 million bees fallen off truck onto roadway. Passing vehicles/residents advised to close windows & pedestrians avoid area until clear. ^jwf pic.twitter.com/evuVoyL1Fc— HRPS Burlington (@HRPSBurl) August 30, 2023

Movie Review: Denzel Washington’s vigilante battles the Italian mafia in ‘Equalizer 3’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:14:30 GMT

There’s an awful lot of talk about the end of movie stars considering Denzel Washington is right over here, walking around.Antoine Fuqua’s “Equalizer 3,” a taut and textured sequel to Washington’s vigilante series, isn’t one of the actor’s best films. It wouldn’t crack his top 10. But it vividly encapsulates Washington’s formidable on-screen potency.You might think this would be in the movie’s brutal action sequences, but no. It’s the scenes of Washington fastidiously having a cup of tea at a sidewalk cafe or strolling the streets of a Sicilian town. This is a movie stitched together less by its plot mechanics than the pleasure of watching Denzel smirk, scowl and smile, in leisurely scenes mixed in with all the murder. In that way, the “Equalizer” movies (the third of which is certainly the best of a so-so bunch), remind me of those great Walter Matthau thrillers like “Charley Varrick” and “Hopscotch” — movies about old men...

Ukrainian drones strike deep in Russian territory, Moscow says, while a barrage in Kyiv kills 2

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:14:30 GMT

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine sent waves of drones deep into western Russia in nighttime attacks that lasted more than four hours and struck military assets, Russian officials and media reports said Wednesday.The drones hit an airport near Russia’s border with Estonia and Latvia, causing a huge blaze and damaging four Il-76 military transport planes, which can carry heavy machinery and troops, the Russian state news agency Tass reported, citing emergency officials.With at least six regions of Russia targeted, the barrage appeared to be the most extensive Ukrainian drone attack on Russian soil since the war began 18 months ago, although no injuries were reported. The Kremlin has repeatedly accused the Ukrainian military of cross-border incursions on the Belgorod region of Russia and of launching drones toward Moscow. There was no immediate comment from Ukrainian officials, who usually don’t take responsibility for attacks inside Russia. The Kremlin’s forces, meanwhile, hit Kyiv ...

Poland’s ruling party names candidates for divisive commission which critics say targets opposition

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:14:30 GMT

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland’s ruling party Wednesday was the only party to name candidates for the controversial commission for examining Russian influence in the country which is believed to be targeting the opposition and its popular leader Donald Tusk ahead of the Oct. 15 parliamentary elections. The commission was established by a law proposed by the governing nationalist Law and Justice party to check whether between 2007 and 2022 politicians have made decisions under Russia’s influence that could threaten Poland’s security. In the coming elections, Law and Justice which has governed since 2015, will seek an unprecedented third term of power while facing-off with Tusk and his Civic Coalition of centrist opposition parties. Critics say the commission would have unconstitutional powers, including the capacity to exclude officials from public life for a decade. The EU launched legal action against member country Poland in June over the contentious law establishing the commission ...

Man charged in death of 8-year-old boy who accidentally shot himself on West Side: police

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:14:30 GMT

CHICAGO — A man has been charged in the death of an 8-year-old boy who found a firearm inside a West Side home and shot himself.Ramon Sumerlin, 41, faces one felony count of child endangerment/death and one felony count of unlawful use of a weapon.The incident happened on August 15 on the 3100 block of West Flournoy in the Garfield Park neighborhood. Police said Sumerlin left the 8-year-old unattended inside a residence.The boy found a firearm and accidentally shot himself in the chest, killing him, police said. 2 teenage boys charged after NW Side armed robberies Sumerlin was arrested Monday and charged accordingly. He is due in bond court Thursday.

Wednesday Forecast: Temps in low 70s with mostly sunny conditions

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:14:30 GMT

CHICAGO — Temperatures in the low 70s Wednesday with mostly sunny conditions. Cooler lakeside. Winds: NNE 10-15 G20. High: 71/68. Interactive Radar: Track showers and storm here Clear conditions tonight. Winds: NNE 5-10 G15. Low: 57.Thursday Forecast: Sunny conditions and cooler lakeside. Winds: E 5-10. High: 75/72.Full forecast details and more at the WGN Weather Center blog