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Rishi Sunak squeaks through in key Rwanda vote despite Tory infighting

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:55:10 GMT

LONDON — Rishi Sunak won a key House of Commons vote on his contentious Rwanda legislation Tuesday — but with a reduced majority, as Tory disputes threatened to boil over.The British parliament passed Sunak’s Rwanda Safety Bill by 313 to 269 in an evening vote at an early parliamentary stage, which is usually a formality. However, Conservatives on both sides of the party had criticized the plan in the lead up to the vote, and the legislation still faces a tricky path to becoming law. The margin of victory indicates that several Conservatives opted to abstain, rather than vote for the government. The embattled U.K. prime minister staked his premiership on the troubled Rwanda plan, which aims to permanently send asylum seekers to the central African nation. No flights have ever successfully taken off and the scheme — first announced in 2022 — was judged illegal by the U.K. Supreme Court last month.The PM put forward the emergency legislation in an effort to override judges’...

‘Big Bang Theory’ star Kate Micucci reveals she was diagnosed with lung cancer

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:55:10 GMT

(CNN) — “Big Bang Theory” star Kate Micucci underwent a recent surgery for lung cancer.Micucci, who played Lucy on the CBS sitcom, shared the news of her diagnosis and treatment on social media over the weekend.“Hey everybody, this is not a TikTok, it’s a ‘Sick Tok,’” she said. “I’m in the hospital but it’s because I had lung cancer surgery yesterday. They caught it really early.”She said her diagnosis was unexpected.“It’s really weird, because I’ve never smoked a cigarette in my life. So, you know, it was a surprise. But also I guess, it happens and the greatest news is they caught it early, they got it out, I’m all good.”Research shows lung cancer diagnoses have risen among women in recent years, even though many of those women never smoked, according to research. Exposure to secondhand smoke, pollution, family history and other factors can contribute to lung cancer diagnosis, the American Cancer Society states.Micucci explain...

Many people of color worry good health care is tied to their appearance

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:55:10 GMT

Colleen DeGuzman | (TNS) KFF Health NewsMany people from racial and ethnic minority groups brace themselves for insults and judgments before medical appointments, according to a new survey of patients that reaffirms the prevalence of racial discrimination in the U.S. health system.The KFF survey of nearly 6,300 patients who have had care in the past three years found that about 55% of Black adults feel they have to be very careful about their appearance to be treated fairly by doctors and other health providers. Nearly half of American Indian, Alaska Native, and Hispanic patients feel similarly, as do about 4 in 10 Asian patients.By comparison, 29% of white people surveyed said they worried about their appearance before appointments.“In 2023, the notion that any person must prepare for discrimination is sad on one hand and angering on the other,” Burgess Harrison, executive director of the National Minority Health Association, wrote in an email. “The stress that this causes, in addi...

Georgia election worker suing Rudy Giuliani tells jurors that his lies made her fear for her life

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:55:10 GMT

By LINDSAY WHITEHURST and ALANNA DURKIN RICHER (Associated Press)WASHINGTON (AP) — Scared for her life after Rudy Giuliani and other Donald Trump allies falsely accused her of fraud, Georgia election worker Wandrea “Shaye” Moss told jurors Tuesday she seldom leaves her home, suffers from panic attacks and battles nightmares brought on by a barrage of threatening and racist messages.Years later, she still lives in fear that the lies will get her killed, she said.Wandrea “Shaye” Moss took the witness stand on the second day of the defamation trial that will determine how much the former New York City mayor will have to pay Moss and her mother, Ruby Freeman, for spreading a conspiracy theory that they rigged the state’s 2020 election results. Moss sobbed as she testified that her life was turned upside down by the accusations, though they were quickly debunked by state officials. Moss’ attorneys displayed a few of the graphic messages accusing ...

San Diego 'street vet' makes history after honored as CNN's 2023 Hero of the Year

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:55:10 GMT

SAN DIEGO (KSWB) — A San Diego veterinarian who provides free pet care to the pets of hundreds of unhoused people across Southern California was named CNN's 2023 "Hero of the Year" on Sunday.Dr. Kwane Stewart, who founded the nonprofit "Project Street Vet" with his brother, was announced as one of 10 finalists for the annual honor earlier this year. From the finalists, online voters were able to select the individual they deem most inspiring. Whoever takes the top spot is recognized as the "Hero of the Year," receiving a $100,000 prize and an additional $300,000 from the Elevate Prize Foundation to put towards their work. Google’s Year in Search: What San Diegans searched for the most this year Stewart came out on top in a first for the decades-old award. But what made the night historic was the remarkable decision the veterinarian made after he was appointed winner: he opted to split the prize money evenly with the other finalists."It's been a wonderful journey and as I get olde...

Crews work to contain gas pipeline spill in Washington state

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:55:10 GMT

CONWAY, Wash. (AP) — Responders set up a containment boom after a gasoline spill from the weekend failure of part of a pipeline in northwest Washington state, but federal regulators reported no signs Tuesday of any fuel reaching the Skagit River.About 25,660 gallons (97,100 liters) of gasoline spilled after a small tube leading from the main Olympic Pipeline to a pressure-check valve failed on Sunday, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said in a news release.The EPA said responders placed an absorbent boom downstream of the spill in Hill Ditch and Bulson Creek, which support salmon and other wildlife and which flow into the Skagit River.There was no sign the fuel had reached the Skagit, the EPA said, and no injuries to wildlife had been observed. The spill prompted the precautionary closure of an elementary school on Monday, but it reopened Tuesday. Air quality monitoring indicated there was no risk to public health, according to the EPA.The Olympic Pipeline is operated by the...

ExxonMobil says it will stay in Guyana for the long term despite territorial dispute with Venezuela

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:55:10 GMT

GEORGETOWN, Guyana (AP) — Oil giant ExxonMobil says it will keep ramping up production in offshore Guyana despite the escalation of a territorial dispute with neighboring Venezuela, which claims that oil-rich region as its own.In a brief statement posted Monday on Facebook, ExxonMobil Guyana said it was reaffirming its “long-term commitment to Guyana” as tensions grow between the two South American countries that share a border.“We are not going anywhere – our focus remains on developing the resources efficiently and responsibly, per our agreement with the Guyanese government,” the company wrote.Earlier this month, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro proposed that companies operating in the vast Essequibo region in Guyana, that is rich with minerals and located near massive oil deposits, should withdraw their operations within three months.His government also is seeking to ban companies operating in Guyana from doing so in his country.Venezuelan lawmakers are currently debating a bi...

Greg Fergus will need to pay fine, apologize to stay on as House Speaker: NDP

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:55:10 GMT

OTTAWA — The federal New Democrats say they won’t be calling for House Speaker Greg Fergus to resign over a video that was shown at a partisan event, but they do endorse a call for him to be disciplined.NDP House leader Peter Julian says Fergus will need to apologize for his actions again and pay a fine — though he would not say how steep that could be. The video played at a recent party convention saw Fergus paying tribute to the outgoing interim leader of the Ontario Liberals while wearing his ceremonial Speaker’s robes.Fergus apologized Monday to the procedure and House affairs committee, which is set to report back to the House of Commons this week about whether he should be sanctioned.Fergus told MPs he didn’t know where the video would be played, but the Bloc Québécois and Conservatives have argued he cannot be impartial and he needs to resign. Julian told reporters today it’s not uncommon for the Speaker to have the support of only about half of MPs in...

Tunisia opposition figure Issa denounces military prosecution as creating fear about civil freedoms

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:55:10 GMT

TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) — A prominent opposition figure on trial in Tunisia on charges of undermining state security warned Tuesday that efforts to prosecute her are sowing fear about civil rights and liberties.Chaima Issa, a leader in the coalition of parties opposed to President Kais Saied, spoke to journalists outside a military court despite a gag order. She criticized the charges as politically motivated before walking into the military court hearing.“People are afraid when they hear those close to power calling us traitors or terrorists, when our purpose is to change things peacefully,” she said.To government critics, her case encapsulates growing fears about democratic backsliding in Tunisia under Saied.Prosecutors have accused Issa of “plotting against state security” and jailed her as part of a wave of arrests targeting opposition figures. She faces a potentially lengthy prison sentence.Critics of the president have increasingly faced prosecution and arrests. More than 20...

Nebraska prosecutors charge man with murder in fatal stabbing of small town priest inside rectory

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:55:10 GMT

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska prosecutors have charged a man with first-degree murder, burglary and weapons charges Tuesday in the fatal weekend stabbing of a Catholic priest who authorities say was attacked during a break-in at the rectory where he lived next door to his church in the small town of Fort Calhoun.Kierre L. Williams, 43, was charged Tuesday with killing the Rev. Stephen Gutgsell on Sunday morning. He was arrested inside Gutgsell’s home Sunday morning just minutes after the priest called 911 to report the break-in. Gutgsell was rushed to an Omaha hospital where he died.Court documents say Gutgsell was bleeding profusely from wounds on his face, hands and back, and he yelled “Help me” when the first sheriff’s deputy arrived and identified himself.The Washington County Sheriff’s Office said Williams is from Sioux City, Iowa, which is about 75 miles (120 kilometers) north of Fort Calhoun. The Nebraska town of about 1,000 residents is located about 16 miles (26 k...