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Dominic Cummings said UK officials ‘should be shot’ over bungled COVID response

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:24:05 GMT

LONDON — Boris Johnson’s former top aide Dominic Cummings joked that “people should be shot” over the U.K. government’s early response to coronavirus.March 2020 WhatsApp messages between Cummings — who served as then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s top aide until a bitter fallout in late 2020 — and top minister Michael Gove were revealed at the U.K.’s COVID-19 inquiry Tuesday. They show how the pair privately seethed over how the government they served in was dealing with the emerging pandemic.“You know me. I don’t often kick off,” a text from Gove to Cummings, on March 4 2020, reads. “But we are fucking up as a government and missing golden opportunities … the whole situation is even worse than you think and action needs to be taken or we’ll regret it for a long time,” Gove’s text continues. Gove, who was giving evidence in person at the inquiry Tuesday, said he believed the U.K. was too slow to intr...

The West is on a world tour against Huawei

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:24:05 GMT

For years, the Chinese telecom giant Huawei had been building a beachhead in Costa Rica, supplying hardware as the Central American nation built out its wireless networks.That ended abruptly on the last day of August.As he signed a law banning his government from buying Huawei equipment, Costa Rican President Rodrigo Chaves said the country would procure equipment “only from trusted suppliers” — meaning, in diplomatic language, it would cut out Chinese firms. The law would then expand the ban to all private companies in Costa Rica as well.Costa Rica’s decision was the result of sustained pressure from both American President Joe Biden’s White House and its European allies, which had been working their muscle for months to get San José officials to turn their backs on Chinese kit. Just two days earlier, Chaves had met personally with Biden, who praised “Costa Rica’s commitment to using trusted providers in its upcoming 5G tender and auctions.” It was a victory for Western securi...

Disputed Ukrainian treasures returned to Kyiv after Dutch court ruling

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:24:05 GMT

(CNN) — A haul of Ukrainian treasures sent to Europe for an exhibition nearly 10 years ago have been returned to Kyiv from the Netherlands after a lengthy legal battle.The collection of ancient artifacts was dispatched to the Netherlands from four museums in Crimea before Russia’s annexation of the region in 2014. But the annexation meant their return has not been straightforward.“After almost 10 years of litigation, artifacts from four Crimean museums that were presented at the exhibition ‘Crimea: Gold and Secrets of the Black Sea’ in Amsterdam have returned to Ukraine,” the National Museum of History of Ukraine said in a statement.The collection comprised 565 items, including antique sculptures, Scythian and Sarmatian jewelry, and Chinese lacquer boxes that are 2,000 years old, the museum said.Rostyslav Karandieiev, Ukraine’s acting minister of culture and information policy, described the treasures’ homecoming as “our great historical victory.”“It is very...

Two assaulted in Dorchester home invasion

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:24:05 GMT

Boston police are investigating a home invasion in Dorchester late Monday night that left one victim in the hospital. At 10:46 p.m. Monday, officers responded to a report of a home invasion in the area of 77 Bowdoin St. Two victims were assaulted, one of whom was transported to a local hospital with non-life threatening injuries. No arrests have been made; authorities said it is an ongoing investigation.This is a developing story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest updates.

Hunter Biden willing to testify on Capitol Hill in December, his lawyers say

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:24:05 GMT

(CNN) — Hunter Biden’s lawyers have told the House Oversight Committee that the president’s son is willing to testify on December 13 in their inquiry into his actions — but only if he can do so publicly, according to a letter Hunter Biden’s legal team sent to the committee that CNN obtained.The Republican-run committee previously subpoenaed Hunter Biden for testimony.“We have seen you use closed-door sessions to manipulate, even distort the facts and misinform the public. We therefore propose opening the door. If, as you claim, your efforts are important and involve issues that Americans should know about, then let the light shine on these proceedings,” Hunter Biden’s lawyers wrote in the letter.CNN has reached out to the House Oversight Committee for comment.This story is breaking and will be updated.

Royal Caribbean takes ownership of the world’s biggest cruise ship

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:24:05 GMT

(CNN) — The world’s biggest cruise ship is now in­­ the hands of its new owner, with Royal Caribbean accepting delivery of the 1,198-foot Icon of the Seas this week.The 20-deck, 250,800-tonne ship was officially handed over to the cruise company at the Meyer Turku shipyard in Turku, Finland, on November 27. Its inaugural voyage is set to depart from Miami, Florida on January 27, 2024 and will tour the Caribbean for seven days.According to a news release issued by Royal Caribbean, it took 900 days to build Icon of the Seas, which has the capacity to hold a whopping 7,600 guests and 2,350 crew members. That’s nearly 10,000 people – the population of a small town.“Today, we are celebrating more than a new ship; it’s also the celebration of the culmination of more than 50 years of innovation and dreaming at Royal Caribbean to create the ultimate vacation experience,” said Royal Caribbean Group president and CEO Jason Liberty during a ceremony at the shipyard on Monday.When it ...

Chicago Bears defense hopefully finding its groove after a 4-interception game against the Minnesota Vikings

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:24:05 GMT

The barrage of Chicago Bears’ takeaways started with 11 minutes, 43 seconds to play in the second quarter Monday night at U.S. Bank Stadium.Vikings quarterback Josh Dobbs lofted a pass to wide receiver Jordan Addison on the left sideline, and Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson leaped into the air to pull it down.Bears safety Jaquan Brisker was next. A Dobbs pass in the second quarter bounced off Addison’s hands, and Brisker dived forward.Then it was linebacker T.J. Edwards’ turn. Johnson broke up a third-quarter Dobbs pass to K.J. Osbourn, and Edwards hopped as he caught it.Finally, nickel Kyler Gordon jumped in on the action in the fourth quarter, diving to pull in a football that defensive tackle Justin Jones nearly secured himself before he bobbled it.When the Bears were done in Minneapolis, they had intercepted Dobbs four times to help drive a 12-10 Bears victory, the team’s first in the NFC North under coach Matt Eberflus. In the last two games against the ...

New Google geothermal electricity project could be a milestone for clean energy

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:24:05 GMT

By JENNIFER McDERMOTT (Associated Press)An advanced geothermal project has begun pumping carbon-free electricity onto the Nevada grid to power Google data centers there, Google announced Tuesday.Getting electrons onto the grid for the first time is a milestone many new energy companies never reach, said Tim Latimer, CEO and co-founder of Google’s geothermal partner in the project, Houston-based Fervo Energy.“I think it will be big and it will continue to vault geothermal into a lot more prominence than it has been,” Latimer said in an interview.The International Energy Agency has long projected geothermal could be a serious solution to climate change. It said in a 2011 roadmap document that geothermal could reach some 3.5% of global electricity generation annually by 2050, avoiding almost 800 megatonnes of carbon dioxide emissions per year.But that potential has been mostly unrealized up until now. Today’s announcement could mark a turning point.Fervo is using this first pilot to la...

Morgan Wallen tops Apple Music’s 2023 song chart while Taylor Swift and SZA also top streaming lists

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:24:05 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Country singer Morgan Wallen ’s “Last Night” topped Apple Music’s global song chart in 2023 as the giant music streamer released year-end lists Tuesday and provided listeners with data on their own most listened-to tunes.Wallen’s hit emerged as the country song with the most days — 52 — at No. 1 on the Global Daily Top 100 chart. Nigerian rapper Rema’s “Calm Down” remix with Selena Gomez was No. 12 on the global songs chart, the highest entry, ever, for an African song. (“Calm Down” was No. 1 on the streamer’s Shazam chart.)Joining “Last Night” at the very top of the global songs list were “Flowers” by Miley Cyrus in second, “Kill Bill” by SZA in third, “Rich Flex” by Drake and 21 Savage in fourth, and another SZA track in fifth slot: “Snooze,” which was followed by Taylor Swift’s “Anti-Hero.”SZA, who leads the 2024 Grammy nominations, topped Apple’s most-read lyrics in 2023 for her smash single, “Kill Bill.”Wallen’s “Last Night” stayed atop the Billboard Ho...

Hunter Biden offers to testify publicly before Congress, setting up a potential high-stakes face-off

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:24:05 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Hunter Biden on Tuesday offered to testify publicly before Congress in response to a subpoena from Republicans investigating nearly every aspect of his business dealings as they pursue an impeachment inquiry into his father, President Joe Biden.The Democratic president’s son slammed the inquiry as a “fishing expedition” and refused to give closed-door testimony but said he would “answer any pertinent and relevant question” in front of the House Oversight Committee next month, setting up a potential high-stakes face-off. Rep. James Comer of Kentucky, the chairman of the House Oversight Committee, subpoenaed Hunter Biden in early November in the inquiry’s most aggressive step yet and one that tests the reach of congressional oversight powers. Comer’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Tuesday.So far, Republicans have failed to uncover evidence directly implicating President Biden in any wrongdoing. But lawmakers insist th...