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- The Independent
Maxine Waters tells Jim Jordan to ‘shut his mouth’ in heated exchange with Dr Fauci
“You’re indicating liberty and freedom. I look at it as a public health measure to prevent people from dying and going to hospital,” Dr Fauci said
- The Independent
‘It lasted half a Scaramucci’: Fox News’ much-mocked new ‘comedy show’ Gutfeld! replaced by news
‘Gutfeld! will be back tomorrow,’ news anchor Shannon Bream abruptly announced on Tuesday, just as the comedy show was supposed to begin
- The Independent
Justin Trudeau claims UK is facing ‘very serious’ third Covid wave amid Canada’s slow vaccine rollout
Downing Street says UK’s case data ‘speaks for itself’ as infections continue to fall
- INSIDER
A new 'Fast & Furious 9' trailer is here, and it shows Dom and his family going to war with his long lost little brother
Universal Pictures released a new "Fast 9" trailer Wednesday morning featuring the long-awaited return of Dominic Toretto.
- The Independent
BLM activist arrested for anti-Asian hate crime in Seattle
‘Thank God the light finally changed and I was able to drive off’, said victim after abuse
- The Telegraph
W Galen Weston, retail tycoon behind Selfridges, dies aged 80
W.G. Galen Weston, the entrepreneur who built an Atlantic-spanning business network that made him one of the richest Canadians, has died. He was 80. Weston died on Monday “peacefully at home after a long illness faced with courage and dignity,” the Weston family said in a statement. “In our business and in his life he built a legacy of extraordinary accomplishment and joy,” his son, Galen G. Weston, chief executive officer of George Weston Limited, said. His daughter, Alannah Weston, the chairman of Selfridges Group, added: “The luxury retail industry has lost a great visionary.” A friend of Prince Charles and lover of polo and art, Weston oversaw and expanded a high-end family retail empire that includes Selfridges, Canada’s Holt Renfrew, Brown Thomas in Ireland and de Bijenkorf of the Netherlands. Through George Weston Ltd., the company named for his grandfather, the family holds the biggest stake in Canada’s largest food retailer, Loblaw Cos. Willard Gordon Galen Weston was born in Buckinghamshire, England, on Oct. 29, 1940, the youngest of nine children in a prominent family. His father, Willard Garfield Weston, had helped expand the family’s bakery company into a multinational food empire, and served as a member of Parliament during World War II. One brother, Garry H. Weston, who died in 2002, was one of the richest people in Britain, and chairman of Associated British Foods Plc. In 1962, Weston graduated from the University of Western Ontario and moved to Ireland where he met Hilary Frayne, an Irish fashion model; they married in 1966. With financial help from his grandmother, according to a 2014 article in the Irish Times, he bought a grocery store, building it into the Power Supermarkets chain, and then began acquiring clothing stores. At his father’s request, Weston returned to Canada in the early 1970s, taking the helm of Loblaw Cos., which he is credited with saving from near-bankruptcy and subsequently turning into the country’s largest grocer. Weston, who had two children, continued to make business a family affair. His son Galen G. Weston became executive chairman of Loblaw in 2006, and CEO at George Weston Ltd. in 2017 – the fourth generation to lead the business. His daughter Alannah Weston has also served as a director on George Weston’s board, as well as deputy chairman of Selfridges Group Ltd., which Weston acquired in 2003 and under which the family’s other luxury department stores are held. Weston had a net worth of $10.7 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. His wealth sometimes came at a cost. In 1983, police tipped off Weston and his family about a planned kidnapping attempt at their estate in Ireland. During a police ambush, several members of the Provisional Irish Republican Army were reportedly shot and captured. Despite his prominence in society circles on both sides of the Atlantic, the incident led Westin to keep a low media profile throughout much of the rest of his life. He has continued to lease the historic Fort Belvedere in Windsor Great Park in southeast England, a 17th-century “folly” where Edward VIII abdicated. In 1989, Weston and his wife founded Windsor, a wealthy resort community in Vero Beach, Florida, helping design the lay-out of the community, golf course and polo field. A 2013 article in Toronto Life described the enclave as a “plutocrats’ playground,” where a tight-knit group of jet-setters convene in a not-quite-retirement community to “play polo, hit the links, plan corporate takeovers and party.” The Westons also maintained ties to Toronto, keeping a house in the tony Forest Hill neighbourhood where members of the royal family sometimes stayed when they visited Canada. The couple worked in philanthropy, and Hilary Weston served as lieutenant-governor of Ontario – the Queen’s representative in the province – from 1997 to 2002. “He and Hilary were an incredible team,” Nixon said. “He did so much for his country.”
- Associated Press
Analysis: Biden takes a risk pulling troops from Afghanistan
At its start, America’s war in Afghanistan was about retribution for 9/11. Then it was about shoring up a weak government and its weak army so that Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida could never again threaten the United States. With bin Laden long since dead and the United States not suffering another major attack, President Joe Biden is promising to end America’s longest war and move on to what he believes are bigger, more consequential challenges posed by a resurgent Russia and a rising China.
- The Independent
‘It’s impossible to get any whiter than that’: Team USA Olympic uniforms mocked online
Unveiling of outfits for Team USA and Canada attract controversy — for different reasons
- The Independent
Russian intelligence agent linked to Trump campaign among Kremlin figures sanctioned by Biden
A Russian intelligence agent accused of attempting to undermine US election integrity and sow disinformation was among Kremlin-linked figures targeted in Russian sanctions announced on Thursday. Federal authorities alleged that Konstantin Kilimnik "provided the Russian Intelligence Services with sensitive information on polling and campaign strategy" for former president Donald Trump in 2016. The allegations connect to findings from Robert Mueller's investigation and congressional investigations that assessed Mr Kilimnik was fed information by former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort.
- The Independent
Before and after photos show Caribbean island completely covered in volcanic ash
The La Soufriere volcano has erupted multiple times since Friday, and the damage to St Vincent is shocking
- Miami Herald
Use the summer to prep kids for a return to schooling and socialization
The past 14 months have been a dangerous whirlwind for parents and their children. Some children excelled during the quarantine, while others struggled mightily. But however they experienced COVID-19 life, they will all face a new set of obstacles as they prepare to resume their previous lives, or whatever the new version of “normal” will look like. Whenever parents decide their children are ready to get back out in the real world, there is some prep work they need to do beforehand to make sure things go as smoothly as possible.
- The Independent
‘Congress itself is the target’: Capitol police overlooked intel and were ordered to hold back during riot, report finds
Days before attack, law enforcement officials were warned Stop the Steal campaign could attract ‘white supremacists, militia members’ and other violent groups
- BBC
Afghanistan war: What has the conflict cost the US?
The US is to pull its forces out of Afghanistan by September - how much has it spent on the war?
- The State
Why Adam Sandler is following 24-year-old golf star at Hilton Head’s RBC Heritage
Will Zalatoris finished 2nd by one stroke at last week’s Masters.
- Lexington Herald-Leader
Lexington health department cancels Friday COVID-19 vaccination clinic
The Lexington-Fayette County Health Department has canceled its Friday vaccination clinic to administer doses of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine, following the statewide halt on use of the single-dose vaccine.
- USA TODAY
China represents 'unparalleled,' 'severe' threat, US intelligence officials warn
"China increasingly is a near-peer competitor... pushing to revise global norms in ways that favor the authoritarian Chinese system," officials said.
- USA TODAY
Antony Blinken makes surprise stop in Afghanistan to sell Biden troop withdrawal
Blinken seeks to assure senior Afghan politicians the U.S. remains committed to the country despite a plan to withdraw troops by Sept. 11.
- Associated Press
Jets rally to beat Senators 3-2 for 4th win in 5 games
Mathieu Perreault and Trevor Lewis scored third-period goals and the Winnipeg Jets rallied for a 3-2 win over the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday night. Mark Scheifele also scored for Winnipeg (26-14-3), which earned its fourth win in five games and avenged a 4-2 loss to Ottawa on Monday night. “I think it starts with leadership, those guys get everyone going,” Lewis said.
- LA Times
Amazon teases haunting trailer for Barry Jenkins' take on 'The Underground Railroad'
"Moonlight" filmmaker Barry Jenkins helms a new Amazon series based on Colson Whitehead's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, "The Underground Railroad."
- Business Insider
US set to sanction a dozen Russian individuals, 24 entities for influencing the 2020 election, SolarWinds hack
The US government may soon announce sanctions on Russian intelligence officials and companies, and expel diplomats from the country.