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Tobias Ellwood quits as UK defense committee chair after Taliban video backlash

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:15:18 GMT

LONDON — Tobias Ellwood on Wednesday quit as chairman of the House of Commons defense select committee after sparking a backlash from fellow members by urging British engagement with Afghanistan’s Taliban. A person close to the committee confirmed multiple reports that Ellwood — who was facing a motion of no-confidence from members — had resigned the post, which plays a key role in scrutinizing British defense policy.It comes after Ellwood, a former defense minister, sparked anger by publishing a video from a trip to Afghanistan in which he urged engagement with the group, which regained control of Afghanistan in 2021 after years of U.S. and U.K. involvement there. In the video, Ellwood argued: “Security has vastly improved, corruption is down and the opium trade has all but disappeared.”The footage, which was shared by the Taliban on social media, was heavily criticized by fellow MPs at the time. Former Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith asked during a July House of ...

Authorities in Lynn issue shelter-in-place order for section of city as officers search for shooting suspect

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:15:18 GMT

Police in Lynn have issued a shelter-in-place order for part of the city as officers search for an individual wanted in connection with a shooting.The Lynn Police Department said an active investigation was underway in the area of Commercial Street around noontime on Wednesday, after shots were fired near Neptune Boulevard.Authorities said they were also searching for a suspect, who was believed to have fled the scene on foot, prompting Lynn PD to ask residents on Commercial Street, South Street and Market Square to shelter in place and “secure their homes”Minutes after issuing the announcement around 12:30 p.m., the department expanded the affected area to include Lynn Commons and all abutting streets.Lynn PD also shared two images of the alleged suspect on their Facebook page. Police ask that anyone with any information on the shooting or the individual contact the department at 781-595-2000.The shelter-in-place order came after police were initially called to the area...

Gretchen’s table: Loaded wedge salad is stacked with texture and flavor

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:15:18 GMT

By Gretchen McKay | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (TNS)Is there anything better than a well-built salad? And by salad, I mean a towering wedge of crunchy iceberg lettuce topped with a tangy yet creamy homemade blue cheese dressing and juicy chunks of ripe, diced tomato and crunchy bacon bits.A staple on steakhouse and some gastropub menus, the salad is thought to date back at least to the early 1900s, a few years after the first cultivar for iceberg lettuce was developed in California.Some say they called it “iceberg” because that’s what it looked like when it was transported on crushed ice; others attribute its name to its ice-white color of its inner leaves and crunchy texture.One early version of what cookbook author Marion Harris Neil dubbed “Lettuce Salad with Roquefort Dressing” appeared in “Salads, Sandwiches and Chafing Dish Recipes” in 1916 and by the mid 1920s, with bottled salad dressing being mass-produced by companies such as Kraft, the cri...

North Korea’s Kim vows full support for Moscow at a summit with Putin in Russia’s Far East

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:15:18 GMT

By KIM TONG-HYUNG and DASHA LITVINOVA (Associated Press)SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea’s Kim Jong Un vowed “full and unconditional support” for Russia’s Vladimir Putin on Wednesday as the two leaders isolated by the West held a summit that the U.S. warned could lead to a deal to supply ammunition for Moscow’s war in Ukraine.The meeting, which lasted over four hours at Russia’s spaceport in the Far East, underscores how the two countries’ interests are aligning: Putin is believed to be seeking one of the few things impoverished North Korea has in abundance -– stockpiles of aging ammunition and rockets for Soviet-era weapons.Such a request would mark a role reversal from the 1950-53 Korean War, when Moscow gave weapons to support Pyongyang’s invasion of South Korea, and in the decades of Soviet sponsorship of the North that followed.The decision to meet at the Vostochny Cosmodrome, Russia’s most important launch ...

When and how the Orioles can clinch a playoff spot

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:15:18 GMT

The Orioles have their eye on their first American League East title since 2014, and this week, they can improve their chances while also locking up a playoff spot for the first time in seven years.Entering Wednesday, Baltimore’s magic number for a playoff spot is four, a number determined based on numerous tiebreakers and head-to-head matchups between the teams in the wild-card race. Effectively, there is no scenario the Orioles finish with 95 wins — four more than they have now — and miss the playoffs.At the earliest, Baltimore can lock up a playoff spot Thursday, when they begin a critical four-game series with the Tampa Bay Rays. The Orioles lead the Rays by three games in the AL East heading into Wednesday’s series finale against the St. Louis Cardinals.Here’s a look at when and how the Orioles can clinch a playoff spot for the first time since 2016.Magic number explainerFirst, let’s quickly explain the magic number. In a straight-up scenario...

Mayo Clinic Q and A: Countdown to control anxiety

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:15:18 GMT

By Mayo Clinic News Network (TNS)DEAR MAYO CLINIC: I recently turned 45 and have been dealing with anxiety for several years. My feelings of worry, stress and fatigue have increased, leading me to avoid social events and limit activities I used to enjoy. My friend suggested I try something she called mindfulness meditation to help manage my anxiety. What is this technique, and how can I start doing it?ANSWER: Anxiety is often described as sustained and excessive worry that a person cannot control related to the anticipation of a future threat, such as a traumatic event. At times, anxiety can significantly and adversely affect our daily lives, work, relationships and overall happiness. Anxiety also can manifest as an irritable, worried, restless and debilitating stress response lasting minutes to days. Most everyone has had anxiety surrounding a stressful situation.Anxiety becomes an obstacle when it affects our day-to-day lives. Anxiety can negatively affect people at home, work, sc...

Tech titans have ‘a very civilized discussion’ with senators on artificial intelligence, Musk says

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:15:18 GMT

By MARY CLARE JALONICK and MATT O’BRIEN (Associated Press)WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has been talking for months about accomplishing a potentially impossible task: passing bipartisan legislation within the next year that encourages the rapid development of artificial intelligence and mitigates its biggest risks.On Wednesday, he convened a meeting of some of the country’s most prominent technology executives, among others, to ask them how Congress should do it. The closed-door forum on Capitol Hill included almost two dozen tech executives, tech advocates, civil rights groups and labor leaders. The guest list featured some of the industry’s biggest names: Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg and X and Tesla’s Elon Musk as well as former Microsoft CEO Bill Gates. All 100 senators were invited; the public was not. “Today, we begin an enormous and complex and vital undertaking: building a foundation for bipartisan AI policy that Co...

McCarthy impeachment inquiry into Biden appears to win over even the most reluctant Republicans

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:15:18 GMT

By LISA MASCARO, STEPHEN GROVES and KEVIN FREKING (Associated Press)WASHINGTON (AP) — House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s sudden decision to launch an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden has won over even the most reluctant Republicans, with some GOP lawmakers pushing for it to move quickly rather than drag into the 2024 election year.McCarthy opened and closed a private meeting Wednesday of House Republicans justifying his reasoning for the inquiry sought by former President Donald Trump, the party’s frontrunner to challenge Biden next year.The White House mobilized to fight what it called the “unprecedented, unfounded claims” against the president regarding his son, Hunter, and the family finances. In a 14-page memo to news media leaders, the White House urged them to hold Republicans “accountable for the fact that they are lurching toward impeachment over allegations that are not only unfounded but, in virtually all cases, have been activel...

Patriots offensive line gets bad news at Wednesday practice before Dolphins game

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:15:18 GMT

FOXBORO — Patriots left tackle Trent Brown was missing at Wednesday’s padded practice, the team’s first ahead of its Sunday night showdown against the Dolphins.Related ArticlesNew England Patriots | Bill Belichick cagey with injury updates on three offensive starters New England Patriots | Source: Patriots signing ex-Eagles, Saints QB to practice squad New England Patriots | Patriots rookie Marte Mapu doesn’t know what position he’ll play, so he learned them all New England Patriots | Patriots WR Kayshon Boutte moving past 4th-down error with this advice New England Patriots | Patriots WR coach explains JuJu Smith-Schuster’s smaller-than-expected role in Week 1 The reason for Brown’s absence is unknown. The 6-foot-8, 380-pounder played every offensive snap in the Pats’ season opener last week against the Eagles. Prior to that game, the team listed Brown as ...

Correction: US-Apple-Event story

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:15:18 GMT

CUPERTINO, Calif. (AP) — In a story published September 12, 2023, about Apple’s new iPhone 15 line-up, The Associated Press erroneously reported the storage size of the least expensive iPhone 15 Pro Max and and last year’s iPhone 14 Pro Max models. The storage size of the least expensive iPhone 15 Pro is 256 gigabytes, not 256 megabytes and the storage size of the least expensive iPhone 14 Pro Max is 128 gigabytes, not 128 megabytes.