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London police force says it will take years to remove officers accused of corruption and misconduct

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:03:17 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Hundreds of London police officers are facing dismissal as the department steps up efforts “to root out those who are corrupt” after a series of scandals eroded public trust and a scathing report found it was institutionally racist, homophobic and misogynistic.The Metropolitan Police Service said Tuesday that more than 1,000 officers are currently suspended or on restricted duties. That means the public is likely to be bombarded with stories of police misconduct over the next few years as the department works through the backlog of cases and around 60 officers face disciplinary proceedings each month.“This is going to take one, two or more years to root out those who are corrupt,” Deputy Assistant Commissioner Stuart Cundy said as he updated reporters on efforts to reform the department.London’s police force, known by many as Scotland Yard, is under immense pressure to fire officers accused of misconduct and change its male-dominated culture after a serving officer kid...

Watch live: Biden gives remarks before the UN General Assembly

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:03:17 GMT

President Biden is delivering his annual address to the U.N. General Assembly in New York Tuesday morning.One central issue Biden is expected to address is international support for Ukraine as its struggle to expel Russian invaders turns from a hard summer counteroffensive toward its second winter.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will also be in attendance. Russian President Vladimir Putin — who, like Chinese President Xi Jinping, skipped the recent G20 summit — will not.Biden will also likely speak about the climate crisis, as well as security for food and energy, building infrastructure globally and support for the economies of developing countries in the wake of the pandemic.The president is scheduled to speak at 10:15 a.m. EDT.Watch the live video above.

Bradenton Police K-9 survives snake bite thanks to protective vaccine

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:03:17 GMT

BRADENTON, Fla. (WSVN) — A police K-9 named Liberty faced a perilous situation during a routine training session when she encountered a venomous snake. Thanks to a prior vaccine, Liberty’s life was spared, leaving her grateful partner, Detective Lixa Moyett, relieved.Liberty, a born tracker, serves as a K-9 officer with the Bradenton Police Department. Together with Detective Moyett, she specializes in tracking down missing persons using her exceptional scent-tracking skills.During an annual training session in Tallahassee, Liberty found herself in shallow water when she suddenly yelped. Detective Moyett quickly realized that Liberty had been bitten by a snake.Liberty was rushed to a local veterinary office within minutes where it was confirmed that she had fallen victim to a cottonmouth snake bite. Her paw swelled, but her previous vaccination against snake bites proved invaluable.“It minimizes the effects of the venom and helps with the swelling and coagulation o...

Dolphins show they can win even without Tagovailoa and Hill going deep

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:03:17 GMT

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — After Miami’s defense gave up 234 yards rushing against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 1, coordinator Vic Fangio said his unit was good enough to win a high-scoring contest, but “not good enough to win a lot of games.”The Dolphins turned it around in Week 2 at New England, limiting the Patriots to 88 yards rushing and stopping them on a late drive that could have tied or won the game.“When you give up 34 points it’s a terrible feeling,” linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel said after Sunday night’s 24-17 win. “Obviously the Chargers have a good offense, but it left a sour taste in our mouths. And we definitely came out with something to prove tonight.”Miami (2-0) won its opener thanks to its high-powered offense led by Tua Tagovailoa and Tyreek Hill. Against a Patriots team that limited that connection — Hill had five catches for 40 yards — the Dolphins won with defense and a balanced offense that featured an effective run game.Miami ran the ball 30 ...

Blink-182 announces first new album in 12 years

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:03:17 GMT

(CNN) — Remember when we said rock was having a resurgence? Blink-182 got the memo.The band is back together and now Mark Hoppus, Tom DeLonge and Travis Barker are dropping their first new album together in a dozen years.“One More Time” will release on Friday, Oct 20.DeLonge explained the impetus for their new work in a trailer for the project. “What you need to understand about Blink-182 is that we didn’t come out of like joyous homes,” he said. “We came from a lot of heartbreak, broken families, just fights,” he said. “So Blink was always the way to force the happiness in the room.”Barker said the new album was in part inspired by some of the tragedies the members have endured over the years.“On the album, ‘One More Time’ is written about why does it take these catastrophes, like me being in a plane crash, or Mark being sick, for our band to get back together,” he said.Barker was critically injured in a 2008 Learjet plane crash that killed four of the six people aboard. Hoppus rev...

With Timmermans out, we can do deals on farm reforms, says EPP chief

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:03:17 GMT

European People’s Party (EPP) leader Manfred Weber said Tuesday that it would become easier to reach agreement on sustainable farming reforms now that Green Deal chief Frans Timmermans is no longer in office.Weber and Timmermans jousted repeatedly in the European Parliament as his center-right group fought a rearguard action against new EU rules to restore degraded natural areas and, with an eye to the farm vote in next year’s elections, hit out at key elements of the European Commission’s Farm to Fork strategy.Timmermans resigned last month to lead an alliance of the left-wing Socialist Party and the Greens in the Dutch general election. Now, with low-key pragmatist Maroš Šefčovič taking charge of the green agenda, things have suddenly gotten easier.“I want to be very clear, with the departure of Frans Timmermans there is an atmosphere where people see now that there is a chance that all aspects [of the Green Deal] can be content based, in a fair discussion, and b...

Ukraine hits back at NYT report it accidentally bombed its own market

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:03:17 GMT

KYIV — Ukraine on Tuesday pushed back against a New York Times investigation, which said evidence suggested that Kyiv accidentally bombed a local market in its own town of Kostiantynivka killing 15 people. According to the New York Times‘ report published Monday, a combination of witnesses, findings in Kostyantynivka and open-source investigation of video footage and local anonymous Telegram channels indicated the September 6 attack was actually a tragic accident, caused by a Ukrainian BUK missile system firing toward Russian forces from the Ukrainian-controlled nearby town of Druzhkivka.Ukrainian law enforcement, however, says the evidence they have about the strike points at another Russian war crime.“The enemy hit this civilian object from the S-300 complex. This is evidenced, in particular, by the identified fragments of the rocket recovered at the scene of the tragedy,” Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) spokesman Artem Dehtiarenko told POLITICO. “The investigators are als...

Keir Starmer gives Emmanuel Macron an Arsenal shirt, some warm words

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:03:17 GMT

LONDON — Keir Starmer met Emmanuel Macron in Paris and all the French president got was a t-shirt.Starmer, the U.K. Labour leader, told Macron Tuesday he intends to improve relations between France and Britain if his opposition party wins power.And Starmer came bearing a gift: a die-hard Gunners fan, he gave Macron an Arsenal Football Club t-shirt. It had “Macron 25” on the back — a reference to the fact Macron is France’s 25th president. The president gave Starmer a pair of cufflinks emblazoned with the Elysée logo. The U.K. opposition leader met France’s president in Paris Tuesday, as he attempts to build on his international reputation and establish links with foreign leaders. Starmer has a commanding polling lead over current U.K. prime minister Rishi Sunak ahead of an expected general election next year.Speaking following his meeting with Macron, Starmer told Sky News the behind-closed-doors talks had been his first chance to say how much he values the r...

UK foreign secretary confirms China invite to AI summit

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:03:17 GMT

LONDON — Foreign Secretary James Cleverly confirmed the British government has invited China to its November summit on artificial intelligence.In a press release Tuesday, Cleverly said: “We cannot keep the U.K. public safe from the risks of AI if we exclude one of the leading nations in AI tech. That’s why China has been invited to our AI Safety Summit in November.”“The U.K.’s approach to China is to protect our institutions and infrastructure, align with partners and engage where it is in the U.K.’s national interest.”It’s the first time a senior member of Rishi Sunak’s government has confirmed the invite, first reported by POLITICO in late August. U.K. government officials did however previously confirm the China invite to reporters at a background briefing in Washington two weeks ago. The invite to Beijing has ruffled feathers, especially among the U.K.’s allies in the G7. Japan has voiced particular opposition to Chinese involvement, believing it to be too soon to involve t...

United Lowrider Coalition champions state bill as it cruises to governor's desk

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:03:17 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- A bill that could legalize lowrider cruising in California is now just waiting on Gov. Gavin Newsom’s signature. The National City-based United Lowrider Coalition worked with Assemblymember David Alvarez to help author the bill.“We all listened and just tears, tears of joy.”That was Jovita Arellano’s reaction last Thursday when AB 436 was among some of the bills to be passed by the California legislative deadline. Arellano is president of the coalition. California campsite reservation bill heads to governor’s desk AB 436 passed both the State Assembly and the Senate with overwhelming support.“It shows that they understand. They embrace the lowrider community, they embrace our culture, they embrace the art,” Arellano said to FOX 5.Since the 1980s, state vehicle code has allowed local governments across California to stop drivers from cruising and driving cars modified to be a certain height. AB 436 would remove those restrictions.“It’s not the late 80’s, early 90’...