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All the times top official Jenny Harries told Brits to chill about COVID-19

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:21:42 GMT

LONDON — Britain’s coronavirus inquiry is in full swing — and it’s not just the top political players squirming.U.K. Health Security Agency chief Jenny Harries — England’s deputy chief medical officer at the height of the pandemic — is slated to appear Tuesday afternoon and could face awkward questions of her own.Harries burst into the public consciousness as the virus spread in 2020, with a host of utterances that were meant to reassure worried Brits — but ended up sowing more confusion.POLITICO rounds up Harries’ most controversial comments — plus her Whitehall promotion at the end of it all.Mass gatherings? Don’t sweat it!Back in the hyper weird moments of early 2020, Harries took part in a video Q&A on coronavirus with Prime Minister Boris Johnson.Dr Jenny Harries, Deputy Chief Medical Officer, came into Downing Street to answer some of the most commonly asked questions on coronavirus. pic.twitter.com/jByRhFFfat— Boris Johnson (@Boris...

Antique cannonballs dug up at Waltham construction site

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:21:42 GMT

More than a dozen old military cannonballs were found at a Waltham construction site Monday morning.The state Department of Fire Services said contractors made the discovery while digging a trench at a site on Foundry Avenue.A Hazmat team, the police bomb squad, and other agencies were called to the scene.The bomb squad removed the cannonballs from the trench and disposed of them without incident. There are no reported environmental hazards or details on how the munitions may have ended up there.

One of 3 Palestinian students shot in Vermont may never walk again after bullet hit his spine, mother says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:21:42 GMT

(CNN) — One of the three Palestinian college students who were shot while walking in Vermont may not be able to move his legs for the rest of his life after a bullet became lodged in his spine, according to his family, who shared his account of the attack with CNN.A 20-year-old junior at Brown University, Hisham Awartani, is starting to come to terms with the “very long road he has in front of him” after he and two longtime friends from the Israeli-occupied West Bank were shot while strolling through Burlington on Saturday, his mother, Elizabeth Price, said.“He’s just a very resilient young man and he’s been trying to keep everyone’s spirits up by joking and just trying to be as calm as possible,” Price said. “We are determined to work with him and support him and get the best possible care.”“I believe that Hisham has the determination … to regain his legs movement, but the doctors currently say that it is not possible,” she added.The suspect in the attack, 48-year-ol...

Bruins Beat: Patrick Kane not a perfect fit, but an intriguing one

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:21:42 GMT

The Bruins and Patrick Kane? Really? Well, that is a courtship that is apparently happening.On Monday morning, NHL insider Elliotte Friedman floated the nugget that the Bruins are one of several teams involved in trying to attract the former Chicago Blackhawk superstar who is currently a free agent coming off hip resurfacing surgery.And it’s not all that surprising that the B’s would be involved. You can say what you want about any trade or draft pick Don Sweeney has or hasn’t made, but you cannot say the Bruins GM doesn’t do his due diligence in going after players he thinks might help his team. He’s made a high profile play for Jimmy Vesey when he was considered an impact contributor coming out of Harvard as a free agent. He tried to throw his chips in with John Tavares when the Maple Leafs’ captain was on the market. Neither of them worked out, but Sweeney was very much in the game.And there’s also the fact that two of his divisional riva...

Israel and Hamas extend their truce, but it seems only a matter of time before the war resumes

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:21:42 GMT

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — A truce between Israel and Hamas entered its fifth day on Tuesday, with the militant group promising to release more civilian hostages to delay the expected resumption of the war and Israel under growing pressure to spare Palestinian civilians when the fighting resumes.The sides agreed to extend their truce through Wednesday, with another two planned exchanges of militant-held hostages for Palestinians imprisoned by Israel. But Israel has repeatedly vowed to resume the war with “full force” to destroy Hamas once it’s clear that no more hostages will be freed under the current agreement’s terms.U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is set to visit the region later this week for the third time since the start of the war, and is expected to press for an extension of the truce and the release of more hostages.The State Department said he would also discuss efforts to “protect civilian life during Israel’s operations in Gaza” and accelerate the delive...

In the news today: Truce extended in Gaza, raising hopes for further extensions

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:21:42 GMT

Here is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to bring you up to speed on what you need to know today…Israel and Hamas extend truce, agree to free more hostages and prisonersMore humanitarian aid is expected to flow into Gaza over the next two days after Israel and Hamas extended a four-day ceasefire that was set to expire last night.The original truce allowed hundreds of trucks to deliver desperately needed food, water and medical supplies to hundreds of thousands of Palestinians who have endured weeks of Israeli siege and bombardment.During that time, Hamas freed 50 Israeli hostages from the roughly 240 hostages captured in the militant group’s October 7th attack in southern Israel.And so far, 150 Palestinians have been released from Israeli prisons in exchange.Defence continues its case in convoy trialDefence lawyers representing two high-profile “Freedom Convoy” organizers are expected to present more new evidence today as they lay out the...

Here’s what you need to know about Canada’s priorities and challenges ahead of COP28

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:21:42 GMT

TORONTO — Canada’s image at the world’s signature climate negotiations could be complicated by infighting, some observers fear, as two of the federal government’s ardent critics at the provincial level look to capture attention at the United Nations climate summit known as COP28.But others say tensions between the federal government and the premiers of Alberta and Saskatchewan, two provincial leaders who have confirmed their attendance at the conference, could take a back seat at the summit.After a summer of record-breaking heat and unprecedented wildfires, world leaders will gather Thursday for two weeks of climate change negotiations in Dubai. From talk of fossil fuel phaseouts to climate finance, here’s what you need to know ahead of COP28. WHAT IS COP28? In name, it’s the 28th Conference of the Parties – COP28 – who have signed the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.In practice, it’s an often contentious summit of the 197 signatory...

Defence lawyers for ‘Freedom Convoy’ organizers to continue laying out their case

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:21:42 GMT

OTTAWA — Defence lawyers representing two high-profile “Freedom Convoy” organizers are expected to present more new evidence today as they lay out their case.Eric Granger, a lawyer for Tamara Lich, shared a chronological summary of her public statements and communication with co-accused Chris Barber on Monday in court. Granger says there is no direct evidence linking his client to any unlawful activities that took place during the protest that gridlocked downtown Ottawa for three weeks early last year.The two are co-accused of mischief and intimidation, among other charges. The Crown is arguing that they exerted influence over protesters who acted unlawfully during the demonstrations.The defence filed a motion last week arguing that evidence in the case that applies only to Lich or Barber should not be used against the other, and the judge has not yet ruled on the matter.This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 28, 2023. The Canadian Press

MPs set to debate Ukraine trade deal, as Liberals chide Tories for vote against bill

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:21:42 GMT

OTTAWA — A committee of MPs is expected to begin clause-by-clause study today of a bill that implements an update to the Canada-Ukraine Free Trade Agreement, following a decision by the federal Tories to vote against the legislation. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has defended his party’s move as mounting opposition to language that promotes carbon pricing, rather than rejecting a trade deal with Ukraine, which has been fighting a Russian invasion since early last year.Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his cabinet have rejected Poilievre’s explanation and instead accused the Tories of following in the footsteps of some U.S. Republicans, who are signalling less support for assisting the Ukrainian war effort.The negotiated text of the agreement, signed by Ukraine’s president during his September visit to Ottawa, says both countries will “promote carbon pricing” — a provision Canadian officials have said is not binding. Ukraine has had a carbon price...

The 41 workers trapped in collapsed tunnel in India for 17 days will soon be rescued, official says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:21:42 GMT

NEW DELHI (AP) — Officials in India said Tuesday they were on the verge of rescuing the 41 construction workers trapped in a collapsed mountain tunnel for over two weeks in the country’s north, after rescuers drilled their way through debris to reach them. The workers are to be pulled out through a passageway made of welded pipes which rescuers pushed through dirt and rocks.“Soon all the laborers brothers will be taken out,” Pushkar Singh Dhami, top official in Uttarakhand state, where the accident occurred, posted on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter. Kirti Panwar, a state government spokesperson, said about a dozen men had worked overnight to manually dig through rocks and debris, taking turns to drill using hand-held drilling tools and clearing out the muck in what he said was the final stretch of the rescue operation.Rescuers resorted to manual digging after the drilling machine broke down irreparably on Friday while drilling horizontally from the front be...