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#spokesperson

New footage has emerged appearing to show a Christmas party at Conservative party headquarters during coronavirus restrictions in 2020.The video, obtained by the Mirror newspaper, shows members of staff drinking alcohol at the gathering in London on 14 December 2020.At least 24 people were reportedly in attendance.

To those familiar with the fraught battle lines around one of society's most emotive issues, the reaction of anti-abortion campaigners in the hours after a woman was jailed for procuring a late abortion appeared muted.Key voices from major anti-abortion groups were conspicuously absent in the coverage, while pro-choice campaigners' calls for decriminalisation were tempered by the insistence that they were not calling for freely available abortion at any stage of a pregnancy.

The "potentially massive impact" of lockdowns was not considered, the lead lawyer for the Covid inquiry has said.As the probe into the government's handling of the pandemic began hearing evidence, Hugo Keith KC said the UK may not have been well prepared "at all".He added that bereaved families are entitled to know if better planning may have saved lives.

Police have said climate activists' daily slow march protests through London have cost them millions of pounds and thousands of officer hours in the past six weeks.As MPs prepared on Monday to debate new police powers to curtail the Just Stop Oil demonstrations, the Metropolitan police said maintaining order around them had cost more than 4.5m and the equivalent of almost 13,770 officer shifts.

Police will have near total discretion over which protests to ban if lawmakers approve the government's latest changes to Great Britain's public order regime, a leading human rights lawyer has said.Secondary legislation in parliament this week will empower police to impose conditions including changing timings, locations and routes, and imposing noise restrictions on protests they believe may cause more than minor disruption.

Four British women who accuse Andrew Tate of violent sexual and physical assaults are planning to launch legal action against the misogynistic influencer.Lawyers representing the alleged victims delivered a legal letter to Mr Tate, a former kickboxing world champion turned success coach, at his home on the outskirts of the Romanian capital of Bucharest where he is under house arrest for separate alleged sex and trafficking crimes, on Wednesday morning.

Lawsuits over big banks' role in Jeffrey Epstein's sex-trafficking ring have now secured hundreds of millions of dollars in settlements.Here, a photo shows a Federal Bureau of Prisons page for Epstein, part of a trove of documents obtained by the Associated Press this month.Federal Bureau of Prisons via AP Jane Doe 1, a survivor of Jeffrey Epstein's sex crimes who accused JPMorgan Chase of facilitating the disgraced billionaire's abuse of dozens of girls and young women, has reached a settlement with the bank on behalf of herself and other victims.

Nicola Sturgeon has been arrested in the police investigation into the SNP's finances.Police Scotland said she is in custody and is being questioned by detectives.The force said: "A 52-year-old woman has today, Sunday, June 11, been arrested as a suspect in connection with the ongoing investigation into the funding and finances of the Scottish National Party."

Nicola Sturgeon has been arrested by police investigating allegations of financial misconduct at the SNP.The former first minister is being held in custody and questioned by detectives looking into claims that 600,000 in donations for an independence campaign was misspent by the party.Ms Sturgeon, who stepped down in April, is the third high-profile SNP figure to be arrested as part of Operation Branchform, the Police Scotland name for the investigation.

The UK was unprepared for the Covid pandemic because the government was distracted by plans in anticipation of a no-deal Brexit, a senior Cabinet Office official has said.Katharine Hammond, the former director of the civil contingencies secretariat in the Cabinet Office, agreed that lockdowns, serious social restrictions, shielding, the collapse of the economy and the need for financial support for individuals had not been considered in any meaningful sense.

Texas GOP Gov. Greg Abbott signed a bill Wednesday that bans diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) offices at public colleges and universities across the state, his spokesperson confirmed to CNN.The state legislature passed the bill last month largely along party lines with supporters arguing that DEI efforts promote racial profiling and slashing funds for such programs will save taxpayers millions of dollars.

(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)

In April, Los Angeles City Councilmember Curren Price rallied with workers on the steps of City Hall to demand higher pay for hotel workers and janitors who clean Los Angeles International Airport."The living wage movement is a social justice movement," Price declared alongside union members in purple shirts, before introducing a proposal to dramatically boost wages for workers who cater to tourists.

(Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times)

A current and former employee at a luxury hotel in Mexico where two Americans were found dead this week said managers of the resort ignored repeated signs of a possible gas leak and disabled carbon monoxide detectors to stop their alarms from disturbing guests.

(Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)

On the day in 2020 that Los Angeles City Councilmember Jose Huizar was arrested by FBI agents, his colleagues moved within hours to suspend him, stripping him of his duties before he had even entered a plea.A year later, the City Council took the same action with Councilmember Mark Ridley-Thomas, suspending him one week after he had been indicted on his own set of federal corruption charges.

(Irvine Police Department/Los Angeles Times)

Irvine police are seeking the public's help to identify a suspect in a sexual assault which occurred Saturday morning near the UC Irvine campus.The suspect in the video, released by the police department, "followed the victim before restraining and groping her from behind," according to a statement by the Irvine Police Department.

(Francine Orr/Los Angeles Times)

Los Angeles City Councilmember Curren Price was charged with 10 counts of embezzlement, perjury and conflict of interest on Tuesday, becoming the latest in a years-long parade of elected city officials to face public corruption allegations from state or federal prosecutors.

(Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)

Behind the white iron gate of her Boyle Heights home, Adriana Lorenzo's concrete courtyard is filled with half a dozen tricycles, a basketball hoop and the melodic cadences of classical music that resonate through the play area."It keeps the kids happy and calm," she says.

As a result, rents are unaffordable for many Californians.The median rent for a two-bedroom home in San José, for example, is $3,100, according to Zillow.It's the same in Los Angeles.Ann Owens, a sociology professor at the University of Southern California specializing in social inequality and housing, believes everyone has a right to housing.

(Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times)

Four years ago, Los Angeles City Councilmember Curren Price was facing questions about the votes he had cast at City Hall - and whether they could financially benefit his spouse.The Times had found that Price had repeatedly voted on matters that affected firms listed as clients of Del Richardson & Associates, the consulting firm owned by his wife.

Ukraine's largest oil and gas producing company hopes to end the country's reliance on petroleum imports and wants Canadian businesses to pitch in.Ukrnafta executive vice-president Denys Kudin is in Canada this week in between stops in Vienna, Washington D.C. and Houston, courting investors willing to help the country rejuvenate its mature oil fields.

The federal health minister should amend the 2018 Cannabis Act to recognize First Nations' right to govern the possession, sale and distribution of cannabis on their lands, a Senate committee says.In a report tabled Wednesday afternoon, the standing Senate committee on Indigenous Peoples says many problems identified before legalization remain unaddressed, with some First Nations still blocked from the lucrative industry.

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As they workshop their proposal to open a new casino in Coney Island, Thor Equities, the team of developers behind the bid, have announced they believe the new gaming facility would bring roughly 4,000 union jobs to the neighborhood.

(Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)

Before the pandemic, Jose Rubio had been pursuing an environmental engineering degree while also working in construction and performing music.Once COVID-19 struck, he lost his job and couldn't afford to continue at Sierra College near Sacramento.In 2021, California established the Golden State Education and Training Grant Program, providing one-time grants of up to $2,500, aimed at helping people such as Rubio.

Faced with a pandemic-induced labour shortage, businesses in the Rocky Mountain tourist hot spots of Banff and Canmore, Alta., have been given the green light to dramatically boost the number of temporary foreign workers they hire to fill low-wage positions.Last year, businesses in the Bow Valley communities were cleared to fill more positions through the federal Temporary Foreign Worker (TFW) program than at any point since 2015, the earliest year for which data is available.

Caste issues have surfaced prominently in Silicon Valley, where Indian workers with bachelor's degrees made up 27% of tech workers in Santa Clara and San Mateo counties in 2021.In April 2021, the Santa Clara County Human Rights Commission held informational hearings about caste discrimination.In 2020, what is now the state Civil Rights Department sued Cisco, the San José-based networking and cloud management company, and two engineers after an employee filed a complaint alleging he received less pay and fewer opportunities because he was Dalit.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)'s Office of the Inspector General (OIG) published on Thursday two reports broadly alleging that mortgage servicers and Mr. Cooper in particular did not meet HUD requirements for providing loss mitigation options to borrowers with delinquent loans insured by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA).

Dallas-based Comerica Bank has decided to organically exit the mortgage banker finance business following the tumult in the banking industry that threatened the nation's top warehouse lenders.The process of exiting the space, which is expected to be largely complete by year-end, is a strategic action to enhance Comerica's core business focus, according to a bank's presentation during a Morgan Stanley conference on Tuesday.

Thursday, June 15, 2023 by Sangita Menon, KUT
Austin Energy is offering residential customers financial incentives for letting the department tweak the temperature on their smart thermostats on high energy use days - like over the next week, when daily highs are expected to cross 100 degrees.Customers who sign up for the Power Partner program will receive a one-time $50 credit for each eligible smart thermostat they enroll and $25 a year for each one that stays in the program.

As it expanded internationally, Shein, the rapidly growing fast fashion app, progressively cut ties to its home country, China.It moved its headquarters to Singapore and de-registered its original company in Nanjing.It set up operations in Ireland and Indiana, and hired Washington lobbyists to highlight its U.S. expansion plans as it prepares for a potential initial public offering this year.

A 15-year-old girl died after getting into difficulty in water in Tameside, Manchester, after emergency workers struggled to locate her following the conclusion of an annual duck race.Greater Manchester police said the girl was found in the River Etherow after a search near Hodge Lane, Broadbottom, on Wednesday evening.

An investigation is under way after the death of a man on railway tracks in south London after being involved in a pursuit with Metropolitan police officers, the force has said.The pursuit began after a car heading towards Streatham High Road failed to stop for police at about 3.26am on Wednesday.Officers followed the car for a short time, indicating it should stop, the Met said.

Millwall's head of youth recruitment Barry Dunn has been charged by the Football Association with an "aggravated breach" of rules in relation to his social media conduct.The misconduct charge includes interacting with a post that is "insulting and/or indecent and/or improper", and included a reference to religion or belief.

The Royal Academy's Summer Exhibition has for more than 250 years given amateur artists the chance to have their work displayed at its prestigious London headquarters.How difficult is it to make the grade - and which now famous artists failed to persuade the Academy of their genius?The exhibition, which has run uninterrupted since 1769 and featured the likes of David Hockney, Grayson Perry and Thomas Gainsborough, is described by the Academy as "the world's largest open submission exhibition".

NASCAR's first-ever street race will come to Chicago during the first days of July, bringing with it questions and apprehension from community members and city leaders about a deal made by former Mayor Lori Lightfoot.Concerns about traffic and public safety - and skepticism of the street race's economic benefit to the city - were among the issues aldermen raised Wednesday at the City Council's Pedestrian and Traffic Safety Committee, where they questioned Chicago street race President Julie Giese, staff from the emergency management office and other city leaders.

With a new mayoral administration, no permanent police superintendent and a new federal judge overseeing the case, the Chicago Police Department's consent decree is in grave danger of failing, according to the city's former chief watchdog."Consent Decree implementation and monitoring is a faltering undertaking both in substantive accomplishment and in transparency.

First lady Dr. Jill Biden is emerging as a prominent voice taking on Republicans and former President Donald Trump since his indictment even as the White House has maintained a stay-silent strategy on the legal case.In her first solo events of the campaign, the first lady has not shied away from critiquing the former president and offered a rare comment related to his legal woes as she reflected on Republican support for Trump despite his indictment.

The House is taking up a pair of GOP-led bills that Republicans say would prevent a nationwide ban on gas stoves a messaging opportunity for Republicans over an issue that has become part of the political culture wars despite the White House's insistence that it has no such plans.On Tuesday, the chamber passed the first of the two bills by a vote of 248 to 180.

One of the three Britons who died after a diving boat burst into flames in the Red Sea off Egypt has been named as Christina Quinn.The 58-year-old was on a medium-sized scuba diving boat called Hurricane that went up in flames off the resort town of Marsa Alam on Sunday.St Luke's Hospice Plymouth, where Ms Quinn was chief executive, confirmed she was one of the victims.

Most police officers and sheriff's deputies in San Francisco never end up in court.But a minority seem to crop up over and over again, costing the city millions and often keeping their jobs.Officers have been sued for using undue force, for shooting people, and for dishonesty in court.In some cases, the same officers who were successfully sued by members of the public later sue the police department themselves.

In Ron DeSantis' astonishingly pointless vendetta against Walt Disney World, it seems the Florida governor's favorite insult to use against the corporation is "wokeness."Ever since former CEO Bob Chapek criticized the governor's homophobic and transphobic Parental Rights in Education Act - which forbids discussion of gender and sexual identity in public schools - DeSantis and his supporters have repeatedly accused the entertainment conglomerate of "echoing Democrat propaganda," and engaged in a vicious legal battle over Disney World's self-governing tax status that's proved a huge headache for the state.

Now that former President Donald Trump has entered a plea of not guilty at his arraignment in Miami, the criminal case against him will, barring an unforeseen event, settle into a traditional trajectory.The case against Trump, accusing him of illegally retaining national defense documents and obstructing the government's efforts to retrieve them, is the first time that federal charges have been filed against a former president.

Retired hospital consultants are to be drafted in to help the NHS clear the backlog of care, health leaders have announced.Newly retired specialists will be able to offer virtual consultations from anywhere in England to help hospitals across the country clear the record 7.4 million people on the NHS waiting list.

Train drivers have voted overwhelmingly to continue taking strike action for the next six months in their long-running pay dispute.Aslef said a re-ballot of its members showed they are in it for the long haul.Unions involved in industrial disputes have to hold a fresh ballot every six months to ask their members if they want to continue taking action.

Nottingham has been left reeling after a devastating series of incidents that left three people dead and three more in hospital.Two 19-year-old students and a man in his 50s were stabbed to death in the early hours of Tuesday before the attacker allegedly stole the older victim's van and attempted to run over three people in Nottingham, a police chief has said.

A medical research institute has called for a complete ban on e-cigarette advertising in the UK after a study found young people are susceptible to taking up vaping.The George Institute carried out a global survey, which included some children in the UK, and found four factors influenced the likelihood they might vape exposure to advertising, past tobacco use, high incomes and having friends or family who vaped.

Frustration at a lack of change six years on from the Grenfell Tower fire is turning to anger within the community, a leading campaigner has said as locals prepare to mark the anniversary of the blaze.Exactly 72 months ago one month for each life lost the west London tower block became a scene of devastation as plumes of smoke rose into the capital's sky and pictures were beamed on news channels around the world.

Major League Baseball officials have discussed the possibility of capping teams' spending in off-field areas such as technology, player development and scouting, report Evan Drellich and Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic.MLB's owners and league officials are convened in New York this week for a quarterly meeting, though they haven't announced any changes to this point.

In a press release on Friday, June 9, workers at three Peet's Coffee locations in the East Bay announced plans to unionize.The workers at Peet's shops in Berkeley and Oakland hope to become members of the Industrial Workers of the World and say their goals include gaining better and safe working conditions, increased pay and benefits, and more autonomy.

The sale of the Washington Commanders is expected to be finalized before the team goes back to Ashburn, VA for training camp which starts on July 27th.Dan and Tanya Snyder completed a signed agreement with the Josh Harris group to sell the franchise for $6.05 billion on May 12th.Harris reportedly has 20 limited partners including local billionaire Mitchell Rales, and fellow sports franchise owner Earvin "Magic" Johnson.

After leading a three-year rent strike and protesting shoddy living conditions at her Flatbush apartment building, Janice Broadie is being evicted.While the landlord at 1111 Ocean Avenue has taken Broadie to court over the non-payment of rent, her neighbors are rushing to her defense.They held a rally outside Brooklyn Housing Court on June 5, and said the landlord's lack of care for the building made the strike necessary.

What light through yonder dumpster breaks?It is the East, and I, Elinor Jones, am the sun, and this is The Trash Report, and you are my Trash Pandas, and this is how it's going to go: I'm going to write about some news and gossip that I read about in other places, and I'll add a few humorous observations, and you will go on to have a slightly more pleasant day.

Three British teenagers have died in Egypt after a diving boat burst into flames in the Red Sea, a tour operator has confirmed.Scuba Travel said the three passengers were among 15 qualified divers who were staying on board the dive boat for a week when the fire broke out on Sunday.The boat called The Hurricane' burst into flames off the Elphinstone Reef in the Red Sea.

Three Britons are believed to be missing after a boat carrying tourists burst into flames off the Egyptian coast.Twelve other Britons are said to have been rescued from the boat, off the coast of Marsa Alam in the Red Sea, a popular tourist resort.A total of 29 people were reportedly on board.The boat left Port Ghalib on Tuesday and was due to return on Sunday, reports say.

Miss something this week?Don't panic.CBC's Marketplace rounds up the consumer and health news you need.Want this in your inbox?Get the Marketplace newsletter every Friday.Flair is Canada's worst airline when it comes to passenger complaints, according to federal data Apparently the ultra-low cost of Flair is coming at a cost, with more than 20 per cent of its flights generating some sort of complaint to the Canadian Transport Agency (CTA), federal data shows.

At the age of 70, James Kadri is still putting in the work at his local grocery store in Calgary.He's worked there for 35 years, and relies on it and two other part-time jobs to make ends meet."If it wasn't for the night job, I'd be broke or bankrupt, you know, and then where would I be," Kadri told The Cost of Living.

Patients are supposed to be at the heart of everything the NHS does.This is considered such an important principle that, a decade ago, the fledgling NHS constitution was rewritten after the mid-Staffs scandal, in which so many patients died, to make clear it should frame every aspect of NHS work.Yet, last week, the NHS Confederation, the membership body for NHS providers, published guidance that appears to cut this ethos adrift.

Boris Johnson is a coward who has no respect for the 2019 Conservative voters who put their faith in him, Labour's deputy leader has said, after he dramatically quit parliament before the findings of a cross-party investigation into whether he lied to the Commons had been published.,The former prime minister resigned on Friday night after learning that an investigation into the Partygate scandal found he misled parliament, and he was likely to face a lengthy suspension from the Commons.

Dramatic footage shows a mini tornado near the park where a nine-year-old boy in a zorb ball was catapulted into the air.The freak weather phenomenon, known as a dust devil, was captured on camera near Victoria Park in Southport, Merseyside, where the incident happened on Sunday afternoon.One witness recalled staff rushing to remove all other children from the attraction after the boy flew 15 to 20m into the sky.