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Boris Johnson quits as member of parliament with blast at Partygate probe

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:28:15 GMT

Former U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson is stepping down as a member of parliament with immediate effect.Johnson made the move as he hit out at an investigation by the House of Commons’ privileges committee, which is examining whether the ex-prime minister knowingly misled parliament about COVID rule-breaking parties held in Downing Street.The resignation of Johnson, the Tory MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip, will trigger a by-election in a seat he held in 2019 by 7,210 votes.In a statement, Johnson said the committee — whose findings have yet to be published but which can recommend a suspension from the Commons — has “still not produced a shred of evidence that I knowingly or recklessly misled” MPs.He added: “They know perfectly well that when I spoke in the Commons I was saying what I believed sincerely to be true and what I had been briefed to say, like any other minister. They know that I corrected the record as soon as possible; and they...

Trump stashed military secrets throughout his home, indictment says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:28:15 GMT

A federal indictment unsealed Friday charges former President Donald Trump with 37 felony counts stemming from an investigation into the presence of a trove of classified information at his Florida estate and other locations after he left office.Prosecutors led by special counsel Jack Smith allege that Trump arranged to remove a massive collection of highly sensitive classified material — much of which consists of intelligence about the “defense and weapons capabilities” of the United States and foreign countries — to his private residence as he left the White House in January 2021.As the Justice Department began inquiring about the records stashed at Trump’s home, the indictment alleges, Trump ordered an aide — Walt Nauta — to begin moving boxes with classified records to obscure them from investigators. Trump did this without informing his attorney, who was preparing to search Trump’s property in compliance with court-authorized subpoenas to recover the records.Trump is ...

Boris Johnson quits as UK lawmaker after being told he will be sanctioned for misleading Parliament

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:28:15 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Former U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson shocked Britain on Friday by quitting as a lawmaker after being told he will be sanctioned for misleading Parliament.Johnson quit after receiving the results of an investigation by lawmakers over misleading statements he made to Parliament about “partygate,” a series of rule-breaking government parties during the pandemic.In a lengthy resignation statement, Johnson accused opponents of trying to drive him out — and hinted that he might try to return.“It is very sad to be leaving Parliament — at least for now,” he said.Johnson said he had “received a letter from the Privileges Committee making it clear — much to my amazement — that they are determined to use the proceedings against me to drive me out of Parliament.”He called the committee investigating him a “kangaroo court.”“Their purpose from the beginning has been to find me guilty, regardless of the facts,” Johnson said.The resignation will trigg...

A new supernova has appeared in the night sky

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:28:15 GMT

(CNN) — A sparkling new supernova has appeared in the night sky, and a telescope atop Mauna Kea in Hawaii was perfectly poised to capture the aftermath of the cosmic burst.The supernova was first spotted within the spiral arms of the Pinwheel Galaxy by Japanese astronomer Koichi Itagaki on May 19. Itagaki, an avid supernova hunter, has discovered more than 80 of the stellar explosions using his observatory in the mountains outside Yamagata, Japan.The supernova, named SN 2023ixf, is the closest one seen in five years. A supernova occurs when a star violently explodes at the end of its lifetime.The Pinwheel Galaxy is in the direction of the Ursa Major constellation, about 21 million light-years from Earth. The galaxy faces Earth head-on, which showcases its stunning spiral structure and nearly 1 trillion stars.The galaxy’s spiral arms are full of nebulae, or regions where stars are born, showcased in pink light. The blue points of light in the image taken by t...

Joran van der Sloot pleads not guilty to extorting and defrauding Natalee Holloway’s mom

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:28:15 GMT

(CNN) — A not guilty plea was entered in US federal court on Friday on behalf of Joran van der Sloot, the Dutch national accused in the alleged extortion of the mother of Natalee Holloway, the American teenager whose disappearance during a high school graduation trip to Aruba in 2005 became an international mystery.In the less than five-minute-long hearing in Birmingham, Alabama, US Magistrate Judge Gray Borden said he would only accept a not guilty plea at this time, and if van der Sloot were to enter any other plea it would be before a different judge at a different time.Borden also advised him of his US Constitutional rights and appointed the Federal Public Defender’s office to represent him. An interpreter was provided for van der Sloot, 35, but he told the court he did not need one.“My English is actually perfect,” he said shortly before the start of the proceeding.US Public Defender for the Northern District of Alabama Kevin Butler was in court with van der Sloot, wh...

‘Based on a True Story’ review: My podcast host, the serial killer

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:28:15 GMT

Nina Metz | Chicago TribuneAmerica’s fascination with true crime is played for satire in the dark comedy “Based on a True Story,” a Peacock series starring Kaley Cuoco and Chris Messina as a married couple who, dollar signs in their eyes and bad judgment in their hearts, seize upon the opportunity to make a podcast with a serial killer.Tonally, the eight-episode series teeters between slasher territory and the humor of domestic ennui. Ava and Nate’s marriage has grown stale, their professional ambitions thwarted. She’s a real estate agent who struggles to land high-end clients; he’s a tennis pro at the Beverly Club who has recently been demoted. To be clear, this is a very upper-middle-class kind of frustration, and while the show hints at some class issues, it doesn’t go far enough. Ava and Nate are not rich compared to their friends, but there’s an unspoken reality the show is sidestepping: In the Los Angeles housing market, that cozy home of theirs is worth millions. They’re also...

Afternoon Briefing: Bears’ stadium move remains at an impasse

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:28:15 GMT

Good afternoon, Chicago.The head of special education at Chicago Public Schools has stepped down following pressure for her ouster over the use of physical restraint in schools and other criticism of how the district has treated students with disabilities.Last week, the Chicago Teachers Union demanded Jones resign for “dismal failures to protect the district’s most vulnerable students,” alleging violation of special education laws, a “toxic workplace that has left the department in shambles” and failure to fulfill the legal requirements on supporting students with disabilities.Here’s what else is happening today. And remember, for the latest breaking news in Chicago, visit chicagotribune.com/breaking and sign up to get our alerts on all your devices.Subscribe to more newsletters | Puzzles & Games | Daily horoscope | Ask AmyIn the wake of rooftop standoff on West Side, more questions than answers remainJohn Litsiardakis died last weekend just a...

Gary Zerola found not guilty on both charges of rape

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:28:15 GMT

Gary Zerola, who was charged with raping a 23-year-old woman in 2016, has been found not guilty by a jury in Suffolk Superior Court on Friday.The verdict was delivered by a jury composed of seven women and five men at around 3:15 p.m., about three hours after being handed the case. Subtracting an hour break from lunch, the decision was reached after about two hours of deliberation.Zerola, 51, was charged with two counts of rape, which the prosecution has said occurred at around 7 a.m. on Nov. 10, 2016, on a couch in an apartment on Myrtle Street in Beacon Hill, which is owned by a friend of Zerola’s who did not testify in the trial.Defense attorney Joseph Krowski Jr. made his thunderous closing argument first on Friday, the last day of the trial which began on Tuesday, in which he repeatedly said that his client’s accuser is a “liar” and called the allegations of rape “effing absurd.”“You know she’s lying when you see her lips moving,” Krowski said of the alleged victim in the case....

Here are 5 things to do in San Diego’s desert areas to escape ‘June Gloom’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:28:15 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- If you're looking for warmer weather this weekend, head out to San Diego's deserts where temperatures are expected to remain in the 90s.According to the National Weather Service, a few degrees of cooling is expected Friday in areas west of the mountains with even further cooling into Saturday.As the week reaches its end and you're weighing options on how to spend your days off, there are several desert activities to be enjoyed in the sunshine. From Oceanside to Valle de Guadalupe: This private jet wine-tasting day trip is luxury Here's are five things to do in San Diego County's desert areas that can help you escape "June gloom."San Diego Dune Tours in Ocotillo WellsFor a thrilling adventure, hop on an ATV, dirt bike or a sport side-by-side to hit the desert lands and take in all the sights. There are several options to choose from with tours being offered for groups up to 70 or for single riders. Take the abandoned train tour for Instagram-worthy photo-ops or trek t...

Package of ammunition goes missing for over a week in downtown Toronto

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:28:15 GMT

A registered gun owner is sounding the alarm after 1,000 rounds of ammunition he ordered went missing for over a week.Aiden, who lives in downtown Toronto, ordered the ammunition which was then marked delivered last Wednesday to his building by UPS.CityNews is not using his last name to protect his identity.He immediately became suspicious because he never received an email to pick it up and the name of the person who supposedly received the package was not someone who works in his building.There was also no signature available to view for the delivery by him or the store he purchased it from, which is required under federal firearms laws.“I called UPS, and I was very explicit telling him like, ‘Hey, this is a big deal. You guys have to get on this right now’,” shared Aiden. He called another five times throughout the week.“When it was like two, three, four days [that] I hadn’t heard back from UPS and the package hadn’t shown up, that’...