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Former Tory energy minister quits as MP over Sunak’s ‘harmful’ push for new oil and gas

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 13:38:47 GMT

The former energy minister who signed the U.K.’s 2050 net zero target into law has quit the Conservative party and will resign as an MP in protest at Rishi Sunak’s fossil fuels policies.Chris Skidmore, who has been an outspoken critic of the U.K. Prime Minister’s plans to “max out” the U.K.’s North oil and gas reserves, said he could “no longer condone nor continue to support a government that is committed to a course of action that I know will cause future harm.”His resignation as an MP will trigger a by-election in Skidmore’s Kingswood constituency in the south west of England, where the Conservative majority is 11,220. The seat was last won by Labour in 2005.In a statement on social media, Skidmore said he could not back government plans to introduce annual licensing rounds for oil and gas exploration in the North Sea. MPs will vote on the legislation for the first time on Monday. Skidmore warned “the future will judge harshly” those that back it. “At a time when we sh...

Everett, state police issue Silver Alert for missing man suffering from cognitive impairments

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 13:38:47 GMT

State and local police are asking for the public’s help as they work to find a 66-year-old man who never returned to Everett after being taken to a doctor’s appointment in Boston.Massachusetts State Police said Mark Rothwell was last seen around 10 a.m. on Thursday, Jan. 4, when he was brought from a medical facility in Everett to a doctor’s office in Jamaica Plain. According to state police, Rothwell did not return on the transportation that was arranged to bring him back.According to Everett police, Rothwell’s appointment was at the VA in Jamaica Plain, and that Boston police and VA Boston Police were also working to locate him.Police described him as having a thin build and a height of about 5’7″, as well as blue eyes and grey hair. He was also believed to be wearing a white jacket and blue jeans the last time he was seen.State police said Rothwell suffers from cognitive impairments, and noted that he is familiar with the Jamaica Plain ar...

Hyundai and Kia thefts soar more than 1,000% since 2020

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 13:38:47 GMT

(CNN) — Certain Hyundai and Kia models saw a 10-fold increase in thefts in just the past three years, a wildly dramatic increase in the wake of a series of social media posts showing people how to steal the vehicles.Theft insurance claims for vulnerable Hyundais and Kias increased more than 1000% between the first half of 2020 and the first half of 2023, according to data from the Highway Loss Data Institute, an industry group that tracks insurance statistics.In the first half of 2020, roughly 1.6 out of every 1,000 insured Hyundais and Kias were reported stolen. That was about the same as for all other makes of cars. By the first half of 2023, though, that figure had risen to 11.2 per 1,000. Meanwhile, the theft rate for all other makes of cars stayed about the same.During the first half of 2023, Hyundai and Kia theft claims were also more than seven times higher than for cars from other manufacturers, according to the HLDI.Certain older Hyundai and Kia models made betwee...

Report: Red Sox among finalists for LHP Shota Imanaga

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 13:38:47 GMT

The Red Sox may have missed out on signing Yoshinobu Yamamoto, but they reportedly still have a shot at another Japanese standout.According to Jim Bowden of The Athletic, the Red Sox are among four finalists for the 30-year-old left-hander, the others being the Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Angels and San Francisco Giants. Imanaga is expected to sign with an MLB team by January 11, when his 45-day posting window expires.Shota Imanaga finalists are the #RedSox #Cubs #Angels #Giants according to sources.— Jim Bowden (@JimBowdenGM) January 5, 2024A longtime member of the Yokohama Bay Stars, Imanaga has posted a 3.18 ERA over eight seasons in Nippon Professional Baseball, including a sub-3.00 ERA in each of the last three seasons. This past season Imanaga posted a 2.66 ERA with a career-high 188 strikeouts over 159 innings, and he was also a member of the World Baseball Classic champion Samurai Japan team.Though not as young or as highly regarded as Yamamoto, Imanaga is still seen by ...

Water main break near Pechanga Arena forces postponement of weekend Gulls games

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 13:38:47 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- A water main break has prompted Pechanga Arena to postpone this weekend's American Hockey League games between the Bakersfield Condors and San Diego Gulls.Both Friday and Saturday night games against the Condors will not take place because the main break is affecting the event level of the arena, the Gulls announced Friday morning. Carlsbad native makes San Diego debut as pro fighter The arena is located at 3500 Sports Arena Blvd. in San Diego. Friday's game was originally scheduled for 7 p.m., with Saturday's game scheduled for 6 p.m. The Gulls' website says information on the rescheduled games and tickets will be communicated at a later time. This story is developing. Stay with FOX 5 for the latest.

The teacher shot by a 6-year-old still worries, a year later, about the other students in the room

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 13:38:47 GMT

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (AP) — A year after she was shot by her 6-year-old student in a Virginia classroom, former teacher Abby Zwerner said she still worries about the other children who saw it happen, and wonders how they’re faring.Wounded by a bullet that struck her hand and chest and punctured a lung, Zwerner rushed the other first-graders into the hallway before she collapsed in the elementary school’s office.“I hope that they are enjoying school, enjoying their second-grade year,” Zwerner, 26, told The Virginian-Pilot newspaper. “I hope that they’re still kind to their classmates, kind to teachers. I hope that they still have happiness, and that their happiness wasn’t completely stripped away.” Zwerner gave a round of local media interviews before the Jan. 6 anniversary of the shooting at Richneck Elementary in Newport News. And while she’s endured an extremely challenging 12 months, both physically and emotionally, Zwerner recalled moments of joy with ...

With banku and jollof rice, Ghanian chef tries to break world cook-a-thon record

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 13:38:47 GMT

ACCRA, Ghana (AP) — A chef in Ghana has been preparing banku and other regional dishes on live TV since New Year’s Day as she tries to break a world record for marathon cooking — an attempt being cheered on and widely celebrated in this West African nation.Failatu Abdul-Razak had cooked for over 110 hours as of Friday afternoon at a hotel in the northern city of Tamale where she is aiming to break the Guinness World Record for a cook-a-thon of 119 hours and 57 minutes held by Irish chef Alan Fisher.Abdul-Razak ”has put Ghana on the map,” said Isaac Sackey, the president of the Chefs’ Association of Ghana. “So we need to try to honor her.” West Africa has been gripped in a frenzy of world record attempts in several categories since Nigerian chef Hilda Baci claimed the world cooking record last May with a 100-hour performance before being dethroned by Fisher.The Guinness World Record organization has yet to publicly comment about Abdul-Razak’s attempt, which could reach 120 hour...

Quebec man sought by U.S. after pregnant Mexican migrant dies crossing border

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 13:38:47 GMT

MONTREAL — New York authorities are seeking the extradition of a Colombian man living in Quebec in connection with the death of a migrant woman who was trying to cross into the United States from Canada in December.The attorney’s office for the Northern District of New York has charged Jhader Aguusto Uribe-Tobar, 35, with conspiracy to commit alien smuggling and alien smuggling for financial gain, both resulting in death, relating to the death of Ana Karen Vasquez-Flores.The 33-year-old Vasquez-Flores, who was pregnant, was found in the Chazy River near Champlain, N.Y., on Dec. 14, two days after her husband alerted a border patrol agent that she had not emerged from the woods. U.S. authorities allege that Uribe-Tobar advertised his services on TikTok under a pseudonym and charged the woman and her husband US$2,500 to guide her by text message as she walked alone across the border.In response to the extradition request, the RCMP arrested Uribe-Tobar at his home in St-Hyacinthe...

Republican US Rep. Doug Lamborn of Colorado announces he won’t seek reelection

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 13:38:47 GMT

Republican U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn of Colorado announced Friday that he won’t seek a 10th term in Congress in the latest shakeup of Colorado’s U.S. House races for the 2024 election.Lamborn, who represents the Colorado Springs area, about an hour south of Denver, talked about his plans to retire at the end of 2024 on a radio show Friday morning, saying he wants to spend more time with family.His planned departure comes on the heels of Republican U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert’s announcement last week that she’s running in a different district, where the seat’s been left open after Republican U.S. Rep. Ken Buck said he wouldn’t run again. The decisions of Buck, Lamborn and Boebert have left Colorado’s three GOP-held House districts without incumbents. “I thank the good people of El Paso County for the amazing and wonderful opportunity to serve in the nation’s capital as representative,” Lamborn said in a press release.Associated Press, The Associated Press

Strays land in doghouse after causing an estimated $350K in damage to cars at Houston dealership

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 13:38:47 GMT

HOUSTON (AP) — A pair of strays have landed in the doghouse after being caught on video causing more than a quarter-million dollars’ worth of damage at a Houston car dealership.One dog, described as a bull terrier mix, was captured in early December, and the second, whose breed was not immediately known, was caught Dec. 31, KTRK-TV reported. Both dogs are being held by the Houston animal control shelter, BARC.The dogs were captured on surveillance video scratching the paint and tearing the bumpers off of vehicles in the lot at G Motors, according to the dealership’s finance manager, Imran Haq. They caused an estimated $350,000 in damage.Haq and sales manager Gaby Fakhoury contacted BARC when the attacks began in November. They believe the dogs entered the lot by crawling under a fence and that they were chasing stray cats that were hiding under the vehicles.“We have never seen something like this — dogs attacking cars and causing damage,” Fakhoury told KTRK.A man who ans...