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How British libel law lets bad people get away with bad things

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 23:45:21 GMT

LONDON — In May last year, my phone buzzed with a message from a contact in the British Parliament whom I know well. We meet every so often for coffee in a cafe far away enough from Westminster to be discreet, where he tells me what’s unfolding in the depths of Parliament’s dingy corridors.That day, his message read: “Has an MP been arrested today? Who can say?”His first question was a news tip for me to follow up on. I began ringing and texting everyone I knew who might be able to tell me about the possible detention of a member of Parliament.Sure enough, the police soon confirmed that a 56-year-old man had been arrested on suspicion of rape and other offenses.My contact’s second question — “Who can say?” — was more complicated.In the hours after the arrest, pretty much every British political media organization prominently reported the man’s arrest, together with his age, his position as an MP, and his alleged crimes.But while every reporter in Westminster knew exactly who he...

Hungary’s Orbán courts China and wins a surge of clean car investments

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 23:45:21 GMT

Hungary is bucking calls from the European Union to loosen ties with China — and it’s paying off. Hungary is reportedly in the running, along with Germany, for hosting Chinese carmaker BYD’s first European factory; the company is set to make an announcement by the end of the year. Chinese battery-maker CATL last year decided to build a €7.3 billion battery plant in the eastern city of Debrecen. Other Chinese companies in the electric vehicle supply chain — Nio, Eve Energy, Huayou Cobalt, BYD and Ningbo Zhenyu Technology — have all announced new factory projects over the last months. The Hungarian government says China has been the country’s leading foreign investor since 2020, and Budapest wants more — which is why politicians are ensuring that relations with Beijing stay smooth.Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán was the only EU leader to attend October’s Belt and Road Initiative forum, with Chinese President Xi Jinping calling him Beijing’s ...

Ukraine’s fallen hero

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 23:45:21 GMT

Sergei Bubka was Ukraine’s most iconic sportsman. Now his name is mud.The legendary pole vaulter — a towering figure in post-Soviet Ukraine; dominating world championships and smashing records before becoming an elite sports politician — has been linked to business conducted in Ukraine’s Russian-occupied territories, while he lives it up in glitzy Monaco. As Ukraine continues to fight off Russian President Vladimir Putin’s full-scale invasion in the freezing, soggy Donbas trenches, there is no greater sin. Bubka, the former athletic hero and native of Ukraine’s east, is now seen by many Ukrainians as a Russian collaborator.For the man who once soared, bringing pride to newly independent Ukraine, how did it all go so wrong?A major investigation by Ukrainian outlet Bihus.Info during the summer revealed Bubka’s company, Mont Blanc, was officially registered in Russia after the Kremlin’s all-out assault in Ukraine began.Mont Blanc sold fuel to Russian occupiers in the Donetsk Peopl...

Kirill Kaprizov’s second of game in OT lifts Wild to 4-3 win over Bruins

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 23:45:21 GMT

BOSTON (AP) — Kirill Kaprizov scored his second goal of the game with 2:06 left to play in overtime, lifting the Minnesota Wild to a 4-3 victory over the Boston Bruins on Tuesday night.Boston captain Brad Marchand had scored with 66 seconds left in regulation, sending the Bruins to their fourth consecutive overtime game.But Kaprizov finished off a 3-on-1 break for the winner.Ryan Hartman and Kaprizov each scored a third-period goal for Minnesota before Marchand tied it.Marcus Johansson also had a goal for the Wild and Marc-Andre Fleury made 40 saves. Hampered by injuries to three key players — forward Mats Zuccarello and top defensemen Jonas Brodin and Jared Spurgeon — Minnesota found a way to improve to 8-3 under coach John Hynes since Dean Evason was fired on Nov. 27.David Pastrnak had two goals for the Bruins, who have taken at least a point in eight of their last nine games (5-1-3). Linus Ullmark stopped 27 shots and Pavel Zacha returned from missing three games with an injury t...

Police investigate shooting near Tailgate Padres Parking Lot

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 23:45:21 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- Authorities are investigating Tuesday after gunshots rang out near the Tailgate Padres Parking Lot in the East Village neighborhood.Police received the reports around 6:15 p.m. at 13th and K Street, the San Diego Police Department (SDPD) confirmed to FOX 5. MCAS Miramar Marine arrested after pursuit ending in fatal crash There were reports of five shots fired, and people were seen yelling and running from the area, per SDPD.Four casings were found on the westside of the street, according to police. It appears no one was hit in the shooting.Check back for updates on this developing story.

Feds raided Rudy Giuliani’s home and office in 2021 over Ukraine suspicions, unsealed papers show

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 23:45:21 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — A 2021 federal raid on Rudy Giuliani’s home and office was spurred by suspicions that the former New York City mayor had sought the removal of the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine partly because of the prospect of a financial reward from a Ukrainian official, according to documents made public Tuesday.The documents provide new detail on the since-concluded investigation into Giuliani’s involvement with Ukrainian figures in the run up to the 2020 presidential election. Giuliani, a longtime ally of former President Donald Trump, was not charged with a crime as a result of the inquiry.In a search warrant application, federal agents seeking to seize Giuliani’s cell phones, laptop and other electronic devices raised the possibility that he and three other people could be charged with acting as unregistered foreign agents.The documents, unsealed at the request of The New York Times and dating to the weeks before the raids, confirmed past news reports that federal prosecutors in ...

Myanmar ethnic armed group seizes another crossing point along the Chinese border, reports say

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 23:45:21 GMT

BANGKOK (AP) — An ethnic armed group in northeastern Myanmar has seized a major crossing point for trade along the Chinese border, residents and media reports said.The border gate in Laukkaing township, the capital of the Kokang Self-Administered Zone in the northern part of Shan state, became the fifth crossing seized by the group since it launched a coordinated offensive on Oct. 27 with two other ethnic armed groups.The Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army, which took control of the crossing, joined with the Ta’ang National Liberation Army and the Arakan Army for the offensive that began in October and call themselves the Three Brotherhood Alliance.Laukkaing is known for hosting major organized criminal enterprises including cyberscam operations controlled by Chinese investors in cooperation with local Myanmar warlords.The Chinese government in recent weeks has initiated a crackdown on these operations, and thousands of people involved have been repatriated to China. Many of ...

Thailand’s LGBTQ+ community hopeful as marriage equality bill is set to be discussed in Parliament

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 23:45:21 GMT

BANGKOK (AP) — Naphat Krutthai and Rasithaya Jindasri have been in a committed relationship for eight years, but only now can they consider getting married.In a clothing shop in Siam Square, a commercial hub in Thailand’s capital, the happy couple excitedly eyed multi-colored garments as they discussed their potential wedding. Naphat, a transgender man, and Rasithaya, a woman, want to formalize their union, as Parliament is set to debate Thursday a final C abinet-endorsed draft bill to pass landmark legislation allowing members of the LGBTQ + community to get married.The bill seeks to amend the Civil and Commercial Code, changing the words “men and women” and “husband and wife” to “individuals” and “marriage partners.” Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin told reporters Tuesday after the Cabinet meeting that it will grant LGBTQ+ couples the “exact same equal rights” as heterosexual couples. This would make Thailand the first country in Southeast Asia to pass such a law and the thir...

Ex-New York Giants running back Derrick Ward arrested in Los Angeles on suspicion of robbery

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 23:45:21 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Derrick Ward, a former running back and one-time member of the 2008 Super Bowl-winning New York Giants team, has been arrested in Los Angeles on suspicion of robbery.Ward, 43, was arrested Monday in the North Hollywood area, police said. He was being held Tuesday on $250,000 bail, according to a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department inmate search website.Police didn’t immediately provide details of the alleged crime, and it wasn’t immediately clear whether Ward had an attorney who could speak on his behalf.A call by The Associated Press to the police department seeking information wasn’t immediately returned Tuesday evening.Police told NBC News that Ward allegedly robbed five businesses, including gas stations, and that the 6-foot-tall, 230-pound ex-player didn’t use a gun during the alleged crimes.Ward, who grew up in Southern California, was drafted by the New York Jets in 2004 in the seventh round but was cut without playing a re...

3 injured in high-rise fire in Uptown

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 23:45:21 GMT

CHICAGO — Three people were hospitalized after a fire broke out at a high rise in Uptown on Tuesday evening.SkyCam9 was over the scene in the 4600 block of North Sheridan Road around 5:35 p.m. when several emergency vehicles could be seen outside of the 27-story building. Read more: Latest Chicago news headlines According to Chicago fire officials, the blaze started in an apartment on the fourth floor and crews say it was contained to a single unit thanks to a sprinkler system in the hallway.Officials say three people suffered injuries in the blaze and were taken to the hospital. Two of those people, a man and a woman, were transported in critical condition.Currently, it is unclear how the fire broke out.