U.S.
Raleigh News and ObserverFour recent times it mattered that police video became public in North Carolina
Body-cam and dashboard-cam footage don’t settle all disputes, but they record events during often chaotic encounters.
Associated PressEnd of an era: Germany's Merkel bows out after 16 years
Angela Merkel was assured of a place in the history books as soon as she became Germany's first female chancellor on Nov. 22, 2005. Over the next 16 years, she was credited with raising Germany's profile and influence, working to hold a fractious European Union together, managing a string of crises and being a role model for women. Merkel, a former scientist who grew up in communist East Germany, is bowing out about a week short of the record for longevity held by her one-time mentor, Helmut Kohl, who reunited Germany during his 1982-1998 tenure.
ReutersPhilippines bans travellers from France to prevent Omicron spread
The Philippines will ban travellers coming from France to prevent the spread of the Omicron COVID-19 variant, the presidential office said on Wednesday. The ban, which applies to everyone who has been in France in the past 14 days, runs from Dec. 10 to Dec. 15. This adds to an earlier ban on travellers from South Africa and 13 other countries to prevent Omicron, which has yet to be detected in the Philippines.
ReutersRussia ratchets up internet crackdown with block of privacy service Tor
Russia stepped up state oversight of internet activity on Wednesday by blocking the website of privacy service Tor, with the communications regulator accusing it of enabling access to illegal content. The regulator, Roskomnadzor, said the website http://www.torproject.org had been prohibited on the basis of a court decision. "The grounds for this were the placement of information on this website that enable the operation of tools that provide access to unlawful content," Roskomnadzor said in a statement.
- The Frederick News-Post, Md.
Frederick homicide suspect stands trial in 2020 shooting; prosecutors allege he wanted girlfriend out of his life
Dec. 8—In the wake of a 2020 shooting that left a girl dead by a creek on the cusp of her 18th birthday, Frederick County police and prosecutors reportedly found evidence suggesting her boyfriend wanted her out of his life. Opening statements in the trial of Frederick resident Richard E. Cartnail Jr., 17, came Tuesday morning after one day of jury selection. Cartnail, charged as an adult in ...
ReutersEU expects Europe plants to produce 3.6 billion COVID shots in 2022
Vaccine plants in the European Union are expected to produce 3.6 billion COVID-19 shots next year, out of a global output of more than 20 billion, two senior EU officials said on Wednesday. EU countries are administering boosters after having completed the primary vaccination of nearly 70% of the EU population, whereas in Africa only 7% have been immunised against the coronavirus, EU data show. "We are going to produce in Europe much more than what is needed," the EU official told a press briefing, adding that administering boosters in the bloc was not in conflict with the goal of vaccinating the world, because the EU produces more than it needs for itself.
- Sun Journal, Lewiston, Maine
Naples man charged with domestic violence crimes against Lewiston woman
Dec. 8—AUBURN — A Naples man accused of setting his ex-girlfriend's clothes on fire was charged Tuesday with four felonies and multiple misdemeanors stemming from an alleged domestic violence incident. An Androscoggin County grand jury handed up an indictment against Christian Conley, 29, charging arson, which is punishable by up to 30 years in prison, and domestic violence aggravated assault, ...
The Daily NewsCamp Lejeune Marine faces murder charge in death of baby
According to an arrest warrant, there is probable cause to believe the Marine allegedly “inflicted blunt force head injury" on the child.
Mansfield News JournalMansfield police officers now equipped with body cams
Officers operating a cruiser with an in-car camera system will "sync" the body worn camera to the in-car camera system prior to the start of shift.
- Portland Press Herald, Maine
Yarmouth police investigating thefts from mailbox outside post office
Dec. 8—Yarmouth police are investigating at least two thefts of mail from the drive-up mailbox at the front of the post office on Forest Falls Drive. The thefts likely occurred because the mailbox was overstuffed with letters and packages, allowing the thief or thieves easy access to any mail near the mail slot, police said Tuesday in a Facebook post. Yarmouth police said they have received ...
- The Florida Times-Union
Letters: Arbery verdict still not justice, merely accountability
An Atlantic Beach reader is pleased with the verdict in the Ahmaud Arbery trial, but notes it's still not real justice, only accountability.
The Providence JournalIn reversal, appeals court restores firearms evidence against alleged RI gang leader
In January, U.S. District Court Judge William E. Smith suppressed evidence in the case against Juan Guerrero, also known as “Pawtucket."
- The Herald-Mail
Hagerstown man charged in Monday fire at a home where five adults, infant were asleep
A Hagerstown man has been charged with arson in a Monday house fire in town
ReutersOmicron reported in 57 countries, hospitalisations set to rise, WHO says
GENEVA (Reuters) -The Omicron variant has been reported in 57 nations and the number of patients needing hospitalisation is likely to rise as it spreads, the World Health Organization said on Wednesday. The WHO, in its weekly epidemiological report, said more data was needed to assess the severity of disease caused by the Omicron variant and whether its mutations might reduce protection from vaccine-derived immunity. "Even if the severity is equal or potentially even lower than for Delta variant, it is expected that hospitalisations will increase if more people become infected and that there will be a time lag between an increase in the incidence of cases and an increase in the incidence of deaths," it said.
- Associated Press
Dozens of camels barred from Saudi beauty contest over Botox
Saudi authorities have conducted their biggest-ever crackdown on camel beauty contestants that received Botox injections and other artificial touch-ups, the state-run Saudi Press Agency reported Wednesday, with over 40 camels disqualified from the annual pageant. Saudi Arabia's popular King Abdulaziz Camel Festival, which kicked off earlier this month, invites the breeders of the most beautiful camels to compete for some $66 million in prize money. Botox injections, face lifts and other cosmetic alterations to make the camels more attractive are strictly prohibited.
ReutersIndian vaccine makers bank on boosters as demand crashes
Indian COVID-19 vaccine makers are lobbying the government to authorise boosters as supplies have so outstripped demand that one drugmaker told Reuters it had suspended a plan to produce more than 100 million doses of Russia's Sputnik shot. The Serum Institute of India (SII), the world's biggest vaccine maker, and Sputnik's India distributor, Dr. Reddy's Laboratories, have both said they have approached health authorities about boosters. India has said its priority is to fully vaccinate all 944 million adults, though its immunisation experts are studying the need for boosters.
The Bergen RecordJudge sentences contractor in Paterson kickback scheme case to six months in prison
A fence contractor who engaged in a kickback scheme in Paterson was sentenced to six months in federal prison on Tuesday.
ReutersMeta to ban all Myanmar-army controlled businesses from platforms
The U.S tech giant had already announced in February it would stop all entities linked to the military, known as the Tatmadaw, from advertising on its platforms. "This action is based on extensive documentation by the international community and civil society of these businesses' direct role in funding the Tatmadaw," said Rafael Frankel, Meta's Pacific director of public policy for emerging countries, Asia Pacific. Myanmar's military overthrew Aung San Suu Kyi's democratically elected government in a coup in February, prompting widespread protests.
Foster's Daily DemocratMichael A. Clemence of Rochester pleads guilty to child sex abuse images possession
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children identified 1,351 images as depicting known minor victims.
- NY Daily News
A bloody roadmap of America’s worst murders
The perfect crime rarely is. Even the cleverest killer can slip up somewhere. A footprint in the flower bed, a fingerprint on a doorknob, a strand of hair by the body – something’s always left behind. Adam Selzer’s “Murder Maps USA: Crime Scenes Revisited” details dozens of these stray clues, and the killers they helped catch. Or didn’t. Not every real-life detective is a TV show, able to ...
- Reuters
Helicopter carrying Indian defence chief crashes; four dead
NEW DELHI (Reuters) -A military helicopter carrying Indian defence chief General Bipin Rawat crashed in southern India on Wednesday, killing at least four people, and officials said they were still checking to see if he was among the dead. Two defence sources said they were trying to ascertain Rawat's status following the crash near the town of Coonoor. Four people were dead, said two other government officials.
ReutersVolkswagen secures raw materials as part of $34 billion battery push
Volkswagen on Wednesday announced key partnerships to secure raw materials Europe's largest carmaker needs to realise its ambitious electric vehicle strategy, eager to close a gap with rival Tesla . At the core of the three agreements, which are part of VW's 30 billion euro ($34 billion) plan to build battery plants and procure materials, lies a planned joint venture with Belgian chemicals and recycling company Umicore. The venture aims to supply cathode materials to Volkswagen's European battery cell factories, which it plans to build by 2030.
- The Week
France says it arrested Jamal Khashoggi murder suspect. Saudi Arabia claims they have the wrong man.
France says it arrested Jamal Khashoggi murder suspect. Saudi Arabia claims they have the wrong man.
Associated PressWorld shares mostly higher as virus fears ease
Stocks advanced Wednesday in Asia after another broad rally on Wall Street as investors wagered that the new variant of the COVID-19 virus won’t pose a big threat to the economy. Shares rose in Paris, London, Tokyo and Shanghai but fell in Frankfurt as Germany’s parliament elected Olaf Scholz as the country’s ninth post-World War II chancellor, opening a new era for the European Union’s largest economy after Angela Merkel’s 16-year tenure. Scholz’s government is taking office with high hopes of modernizing Germany and combating climate change but faces the immediate challenge of handling the country’s toughest phase yet of the coronavirus pandemic.
- Bloomberg
Saudis Push Back as France Arrests Khashoggi Killing Suspect
(Bloomberg) -- Saudi authorities asked France to release a man it arrested in connection with the 2018 killing of Saudi critic Jamal Khashoggi, suggesting it was a case of mistaken identity.Most Read from BloombergThe World’s Relentless Demand for Chips Turns Deadly in MalaysiaSand and Soldiers Mix as Troops Move In to Protect Cancun TouristsEven in the Metaverse, Not All Identities Are Created EqualThe $300 Billion Plan to Bring Green Power to China’s MegacitiesMeet the New Climate Refugee in T
“I know it doesn’t feel like it, but inflation is both a feature and a bug of a normalizing economy.”
“What is not going to work, and hasn’t worked, is trying to talk people out of the lived reality of higher prices.”
“When inflation expectations rise, actual inflation tends to follow.”
“The Fed must acknowledge that its monetary policy has been a source of inflation, and that it will need to raise interest rates.”
“The supply chain logjams are the core of the problem right now, and that should work itself out over time.”