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UK and Switzerland strike ‘first of its kind’ financial services deal

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:23:46 GMT

LONDON — The U.K. and Switzerland have signed a financial services deal described as the “first of its kind” by British Chancellor Jeremy Hunt.The mutual recognition agreement will allow British firms from some financial services sectors — including banking and asset management — to operate in Switzerland while still following the U.K.’s regulatory rulebook. The same will be true of Swiss firms operating in Britain.Hunt said it was based on the the “deference principle” and would not require U.K.-Swiss regulatory alignment for financial services.The deal also gives British insurance firms unique access to the Swiss market, as they will be exempt from incoming rules that will force overseas insurers to have a physical base in the country.Speaking at a press conference alongside Swiss Finance Minister Karin Keller-Sutter, Hunt said the Bern Financial Services Agreement will allow British and Swiss firms to “plan and invest with certainty.”“I hope it provides a blueprint for ...

BPD seeking help identifying individuals connected to Newbury St. larcenies

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:23:46 GMT

Boston Police detectives are appealing to the public for assistance identifying multiple individuals believed to be connected with a string of larceny incidents on Newbury Street last Saturday.According to police, the pictured individuals are sought in relation to events that took place in the area of 175 Newbury St. on Saturday, Dec. 16 around 4 p.m.The motor vehicle suspected to have been used by the individuals is believed to be a black or dark gray Ford Edge.Anyone with information about these individuals or the alleged crimes is urged to contact District D-4 detectives at 617-343-5619.Community members wishing to assist this investigation anonymously can do so by calling the CrimeStoppers Tip Line at 1 (800) 494-TIPS or by texting the word ‘TIP’ to CRIME (27463).

MA man charged after allegedly faking RI residence to purchase assault-style weapons

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:23:46 GMT

A Massachusetts man has been charged in a Rhode Island court after allegedly faking residency in the Ocean State to purchase assault-style weapons in an attempt to circumvent his home state’s law banning such guns.Joshua Rosa-Reyes, 29, was arraigned in Rhode Island’s Second Division District Court in Newport on Dec. 13, charged with eight counts of providing false information in securing a firearm and one count of providing false statement to fraudulently obtain license or registration.Attorney General Peter Neronha’s office alleges that Rosa-Reyes, a resident of Fall River, provided a false address in Pawtucket to obtain a Rhode Island driver’s license and further “provided his false address on state and federal firearms applications at two licensed firearms dealers in Rhode Island to purchase eight assault-style weapons between May and August 2023.”In August, state and federal investigators executed a search warrant at two storage units in Mass...

Police arrest two teens for allegedly assaulting elderly Christmas carolers in Dorchester

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:23:46 GMT

Two teenagers were arrested after allegedly assaulting a pair of Christmas carolers in Dorchester over the weekend, according to officials.The Boston Police Department said the assault happened in the area of Johnston Road on Sunday, Dec. 17, while a group of elderly carolers were out and singing to support a friend.According to police, it was around 3 p.m. when two of the carolers were “attacked from behind” while facing a home, with the suspects punching the victims “multiple times in the back of the head.”“Officers were provided a description of the suspects, and searched the area to no avail,” Boston PD stated in a news release. “The two victims declined medical treatment on scene.”Police detectives went on to investigate and identified a 15-year-old male and a 16-year-old who were believed to be involved. Following an interview with the teens and their parents, Boston police said the two admitted to the assault.As of Thursday morn...

UN report says more than 570,000 people in Gaza are now ‘starving’ due to fallout from war

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:23:46 GMT

By NAJIB JOBAIN, JACK JEFFERY and LEE KEATH (Associated Press)RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — A report released Thursday by the U.N. finds that more than half a million people in Gaza are “starving” because of not enough food entering the territory since the outbreak of war more than 10 weeks ago.“It is a situation where pretty much everybody in Gaza is hungry,” said World Food Program chief economist Arif Husain.He warned that if the war between Israel and Hamas continues at the same levels and food deliveries are not restored that the population could face “a full-fledged famine within the next six months.”The report released Thursday by 23 U.N and nongovernmental agencies found that the entire population in Gaza is in a food crisis, with 576,600 at catastrophic — or starvation — levels.THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — U.N. relief workers on Thursday reported “unbearable” scenes in two hospitals in northern Gaza, where bedrid...

Toronto mother dealing with her son’s death one soap bar at a time

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:23:46 GMT

On any given day inside her North York Kitchen, you’ll find Cristina Lai, a school teacher, busy with her new found passion.“I’ve always loved soaps, the smells,” she said. “To me, each bar is like a little piece of luxury.”She’s been creating soaps of all different varieties for several weeks, but it’s not for extra income. Instead, these bars are made with love for a good cause.“I’m raising money in honour of my son, Oscar.”Oscar was her only son and a talented artist. “He was also so kind, loving and patient, a head full of hair and so gentle,” said Lai.Lai passionately supported his artwork, which were drawings often depicting humans combined with ancient symbols.“Very Geiger-esque. That organic linkage between one thing and another, so I just let him flow with that,” Lai explained.Along with Oscar’s talent, he was a typical teenager with friends and even a girlfriend. He ran into trouble, but for the most part, it was small stuff, Lai said, like one time, the passionate a...

Measures for Canadians with families trapped in Gaza expected to be announced today

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:23:46 GMT

OTTAWA — The National Council of Canadian Muslims says Immigration Minister Marc Miller is expected to make an announcement today about special measures for Canadians with family members trapped in the besieged Gaza Strip. The immigration minister has scheduled a press conference this afternoon, promising an update on help for those affected by the conflict in Israel, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.Gaza became a battlefield after Hamas launched an attack on Israel on Oct. 17, killing 1,200 Israeli civilians and military members.The retaliatory siege, bombardments and ground attacks have left 19,600 civilians and combatants in Gaza dead.The Canadian government has worked to get 660 Canadian permanent residents, their spouses and children out of Gaza.But Canadians with extended family members in the war zone, including parents, grandchildren and siblings, have been pleading with the government to help their loved ones. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 21, 2...

Man with mental health history sentenced to more than 2 decades in wife’s slaying with meat cleaver

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:23:46 GMT

BURLINGTON, Vt. (AP) — A Vermont man with a history of mental health issues who was convicted of killing his wife with a meat cleaver and injuring his mother-in-law will serve at least 27 years in prison. “It was an accident,” Aita Gurung said during his two-day sentencing hearing, which concluded Wednesday. “My mind was not working.” A jury convicted Gurung last year of killing his wife, Yogeswari Khadka, 32, in Burlington, and attempted second-degree murder in the attack on his mother-in-law, hours after he had sought mental health treatment at a local hospital. The attacks happened in 2017 and he was charged. But the charges were dropped in 2019 by the county prosecutor, who said evidence showed Gurung was legally insane at the time. Then-Attorney General T.J. Donovan refiled the charges months later after Republican Gov. Phil Scott asked him to review the case. Donovan said he wanted to restore public trust and that the issue of insanity should be decided by a jury.Gurung’...

Angola is leaving OPEC oil cartel after 16 years after dispute over production cuts

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:23:46 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Angola announced Thursday that it’s leaving the OPEC oil producers cartel, coming after it battled with the group over lower production quotas this year.Diamantino de Azevedo, the African nation’s oil minister, said Angola “does not gain anything by remaining in the organization,” according to state news agency Angop. The country joined OPEC in 2007.Disagreements over lower oil quotas for some African countries, including Angola, led to an usual dayslong delay to OPEC’s November meeting, where the group, along with allied producers led by Russia, decide how much oil to send to the world.At the meeting, Angola’s production level was dropped to 1.11 million barrels per month after an assessment by the three independent sources, the organization said.OPEC, led by Saudi Arabia, has been trying to bolster oil prices that have fallen in recent months over concerns about too much crude circulating in a weakening global economy, which could weigh on the...

Video shows stolen SUV smashing into unmarked police cars in Etobicoke

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:23:46 GMT

Toronto police have released video of the moment an alleged stolen SUV smashed into unmarked cruisers, leading to the arrests of two teens in Etobicoke with ties to multiple break-and-enters.Members of the Provincial Carjacking Task Force were assigned to investigate, and on Dec. 18, officers attempted to conduct a vehicle stop in the Eva Road and The West Mall area. Video shows the suspect vehicle fleeing and deliberately striking two unmarked police vehicles. The stolen SUV flipped on its side, leading to officers extracting two suspects from the vehicle. An officer suffered minor injuries, while both suspects were treated for non-life-threatening injuries.Two suspects linked to multiple break-and-entersOfficers launched an investigation on Dec. 3 when police responded to a call in the Thompson Avenue and Van Dusen Boulevard area just before 2:30 a.m.It’s alleged that suspects forced their way into the victim’s home while they were sleepin...