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- The Independent
‘Who’s John Boehner’: Ted Cruz reacts to former Speaker telling him to ‘f*** himself’
Texas senator shamed for Cancun trip delivered a high-energy CPAC speech studded with Star Wars references
- The Telegraph
'It's not as nice as Cancun': Ted Cruz jokes about controversial holiday in CPAC culture wars speech
Ted Cruz railed against "cancel culture" and mocked criticism of his trip to Mexico while his home state of Texas endured freezing conditions and power blackouts as he addressed the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) on Friday. The Texas senator was widely criticised last week for taking a family trip to Cancun, Mexico while millions in his state went without heat or water after severe winter weather crippled power supplies. He cut his trip short and apologised for the trip after facing a public backlash. As he addressed CPAC attendees in Orlando, Florida, Mr Cruz began by referencing the controversy, joking: "Orlando is awesome. It's not as nice as Cancun - but it's nice." The comments were met with laughter from the audience.
- Reuters
Dutch appeals court says coronavirus curfew was right move
A Dutch appeals court said on Friday the government had been right to impose a night curfew in the fight against the coronavirus, overturning a lower court's order which had caused confusion over the measure last week. In a clear victory for the government, the appeals court said it had rightfully used emergency powers to install the curfew, the first in the Netherlands since World War Two, and had adequately proved that the measure was necessary to rein in the pandemic. The district court in The Hague last week had ruled that the government had failed to make clear why emergency powers were needed at this stage of the pandemic, siding with anti-lockdown activists who had brought the case.
- Reuters
France needs a lockdown as COVID-19 cases rise: hospital official
France should impose a national lockdown given the increase in COVID-19 cases and the longer it waits, the higher the death toll will be, the head of the emergencies unit at a hospital in Paris said on Friday. The government said on Thursday that a new lockdown was not on the agenda and it would see next week if local weekend lockdowns would be needed in 20 areas considered very worrying, including Paris and the surrounding region. "I do not understand what we are waiting for," Philippe Juvin from the Georges Pompidou European Hospital in the capital told BFM TV, adding that the situation at hospitals in the Paris area was very tense.
- Associated Press
Brazil death toll tops 250,000, virus still running rampant
Brazil’s COVID-19 death toll, which surpassed 250,000 on Thursday, is the world’s second-highest for the same reason its second wave has yet to fade: Prevention was never made a priority, experts say. Since the pandemic's start, Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro scoffed at the “little flu” and lambasted local leaders for imposing restrictions on activity; he said the economy must keep humming along to prevent worse hardship.
- Reuters Videos
Rescuers hunt for survivors after Indonesia landslide
Teams comprised of police, military, and the local disaster agency deployed heavy machinery to help the search in the village of Buranga after the landslide on Wednesday evening.At least 15 survivors had been found as of Thursday.Fatmawati, a spokeswoman from the search and rescue agency in the provincial capital Palu, who goes by one name, said at least one person was missing.Disaster officials said intense rainfall and unstable soil structure at the illegal mining site may have contributed to the landslide.
- Reuters
Israel, Bahrain leaders discuss Iran, possible vaccine plant
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Bahrain's Crown Prince Sheikh Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa on Thursday discussed Iran and the possible involvement of the Gulf state in establishing a vaccine plant in Israel, the two countries said. Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates formalised ties with Israel on Sept. 15 in part over shared concerns about Iran, in a deal forged by former U.S. President Donald Trump. Trump withdrew from a 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers, a move praised by Israel which has objected to the accord.
- LA Times
'Capture or kill': U.S. report says Saudi crown prince targeted Jamal Khashoggi
A newly released U.S. report concludes that the Saudi crown prince directed the operation to kill the Washington Post journalist.
- Associated Press
US implicates Saudi crown prince in Khashoggi's killing
Saudi Arabia's crown prince likely approved the killing of U.S.-based journalist Jamal Khashoggi inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, according to a newly declassified U.S. intelligence report released Friday that instantly ratcheted up pressure on the Biden administration to hold the kingdom accountable for a murder that drew worldwide outrage. It leaves no doubt that as the prince continues in his powerful role and likely ascends to the throne, Americans will forever associate him with the brutal killing of a journalist who promoted democracy and human rights.
- The Independent
CPAC: What is the convention Trump, Pence and Farage are speaking at and why is it so influential?
Republican gathering began in 1974 and sees American conservatives debate social worries but has struggled with position on 'alt-right' in recent years
- The Independent
Marjorie Taylor Greene calls Liz Cheney ‘a fool’ for criticising Trump
Controversial congresswoman previously said the Republican party belong to former president
- Reuters
Germany still committed to Afghan peace process, minister says
Germany is committed to the peace process in Afghanistan, Defence Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer said during an unannounced visit on Friday to Mazar-i-Sharif where the majority of German troops in the country are deployed. On Wednesday, the cabinet in Berlin gave the green light for an extension to next January of Germany's military mission there, a move that still has to be approved by parliament. "Afghanistan urgently needs a settlement between the opposing groups of its society," Kramp-Karrenbauer said according to a statement, adding that Berlin's goal remained an orderly withdrawal of troops.
- The Telegraph
Coronavirus latest news: People may not follow lockdown restrictions as strictly once vaccinated, warns Sage scientist
Single Pfizer dose could be enough for people who have had Covid Merkel faces lockdown rebellion as German regions loosen restrictions School closures risk 'permanent scarring' to children Book of Common Prayer finds new online audience Subscribe to The Telegraph for a month-long free trial Professor Susan Michie, Sage behavioural scientist, has warned people may follow the lockdown restrictions less strictly after getting vaccinated for coronavirus. She said evidence comes from Lyme disease and influenza vaccine rollouts where those vaccinated were less likely to adhere to preventative behaviours. She told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "The concern is that as the vaccination programme rolls out and more people are getting vaccinated themselves and seeing other people in their community getting vaccinated, that people may drop their guard." In national surveys from December, some 29 percent of people said that after getting vaccinated they would adhere less strictly and 11 percent said they would not follow the rules. This warning comes on the heels of Professor Jonathan Van-Tam urging the nation to continue following the rules after their vaccination during Friday’s Downing Street press briefing. Follow the latest updates below.
- Reuters Videos
Italy holds state funeral for Congo ambassador
Italy held a state funeral for its ambassador to Democratic Republic of Congo and his bodyguard on Thursday (February 24) who were killed in an ambush along with their driver.The men were kidnapped while travelling in a United Nations' World Food Programme (WFP) convoy in eastern Congo.Ambassador Luca Attanasio, his bodyguard Vittorio Iacovacci and WFP driver Mustapha Milambo were all killed. The Italian funeral was attended by Prime Minister Mario Draghi at a church used for services for national leaders and cultural figures.The caskets, draped in the Italian flag, were given a military salute as they were removed from hearses. Cardinal Angelo De Donatis said the deaths should prompt everyone to "hear the cry of the people of Congo, cruelly devastated by violence as it sees its sons and daughters die every day."There are around 120 armed groups operating in eastern Congo.And the country's interior ministry has blamed a Rwandan ethnic Hutu rebel militia called the FDLR for this attack. The group has denied responsibility for what it called a "cowardly assassination".Italian investigators have flown to Congo to liaise with the police and Italian prosecutors are expected to open a full investigation when they return.
- Reuters
U.S. president, Saudi king have phone call ahead of expected Khashoggi report release
U.S. President Joe Biden on Thursday told Saudi King Salman he would work for bilateral ties "as strong and transparent as possible," the White House said, ahead of the expected release of a sensitive U.S. intelligence report on the 2018 murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The report is a declassified version of a top-secret assessment that sources say singles out the 85-year-old king's son Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for approving the murder of Khashoggi in the kingdom's consulate in Istanbul. Saudi Arabia denies that the 35-year-old crown prince, the de facto ruler of the kingdom, approved the killing.
- FOX News Videos
Cuomo denies sex harassment claims as White House calls for review
FOX News contributors Lisa Boothe and Leslie Marshall discuss the situation on 'The Story'
- The Independent
Biden raises human rights in call with Saudi king as intelligence officials to release report on Khashoggi killing
President Joe Biden has spoken with King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud of Saudi Arabia ahead of the release of a report from US intelligence officials that is expected to reveal that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman approved and likely ordered the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018. A White House report of their phone call on Thursday did not disclose whether they discussed the findings in the report. The leaders “discussed regional security, including the renewed diplomatic efforts led by the United Nations and the United States to end the war in Yemen, and the US commitment to help Saudi Arabia defend its territory as it faces attacks from Iranian-aligned groups,” according to a readout of their call.
- Charlotte Observer
The case for and against the Panthers picking Mac Jones at No. 8 in the NFL draft
ESPN’s Mel Kiper has the Panthers’ picking Mac Jones No. 8 in his latest mock draft. What to make of it.
- Associated Press
The Latest: Lawmaker says Capitol police didn't grasp threat
The lawmaker who's chair of a hearing on the Jan. 6 riot says the U.S. Capitol Police’s acting chief failed to understand the threat facing lawmakers that day. Pittman was serving then as assistant chief of protective and intelligence operations. Pittman has acknowledged that an FBI warning of violence sent the day before the riot was received by the Capitol Police but was never forwarded to her.
- The State
Teen in hospital for sledding injury dies after dad died visiting her, Ohio mom says
“Her daddy got to heaven just before she did.”