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France’s protocol chief’s sacking raises questions on vetting process

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:25:13 GMT

PARIS — France’s top protocol chief was fired this week within hours of taking office over past wrongdoing, drawing ire from the diplomatic corps amid questions over the vetting process at the French foreign affairs ministry. Philippe Casenave was briefly state protocol director, a discreet but key position in the French diplomatic machinery with responsibilities that include overseeing official visits from foreign leaders hosted by the French presidency and the prime minister’s office. Casenave took office Tuesday morning but was dismissed in the afternoon over the alleged misuse of state property while he was France’s general consul in Marrakesh, Morocco, from 2017 to 2021, three French diplomats told POLITICO. The diplomats were granted anonymity as they were not authorized to speak publicly on the matter.According to internal documents obtained by POLITICO, an investigation by France’s foreign affairs ministry in 2021 revealed that Casenave lent his official resi...

How to watch King Charles III’s coronation like a pro

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:25:13 GMT

LONDON — The United Kingdom — famed for over-the-top politeness, a love of queuing and barely discernible sarcasm — is preparing to offer the world its eccentric best this weekend with King Charles III’s coronation.A nation that has basically two gears — quiet reservation and over-the-top flag-waving — will lay on the bunting and street parties as it hopes to prove that when it comes to pomp and ceremony, few can throw down like the Brits. Saturday’s coronation in the heart of London promises a heady mix of pageantry, weird ancient tradition and grandiose surroundings, all attended by the great, the good, and Prince Andrew. Obviously, it’s expected to be drizzly.Just in case you’re not totally up on your Jewelled swords of Offering, let POLITICO walk you through Saturday’s festivities.6 a.m.: Public viewing areas are due to open along the main procession route from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey. Many, ahem, committed royalists have already stake...

Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation in pictures

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:25:13 GMT

Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation in picturesAs the world turns its gaze to King Charles III’s coronation, here’s how the last one looked.Photos by by AFP via Getty Images, Intercontinentale/AFP via Getty Images and Hulton Archive via Getty ImagesElizabeth II was crowned queen of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth states in London’s Westminster Abbey. After the passing of her father, George VI, she succeeded to the throne at the age of 25.Due to the custom of waiting a proper amount of time after a monarch dies, the coronation was held more than a year later.It was the first fully televised British coronation. In Britain, 27 million people watched the event live on the BBC Television Service, with many of them having gotten or leased televisions especially for the occasion.Elizabeth II, wearing the Imperial State CrownA crowd of people beneath illuminations on The Mall during the celebrations that followed the coronation of Elizabeth IIThe Coach Passing Trafalga...

My part in the pomp: Meet the minister carrying a sword for King Charles

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:25:13 GMT

LONDON — This Saturday, a top member of the British government gets one of the most spectacular consolation prizes in history.Penny Mordaunt, who missed out twice on becoming Conservative Party leader and prime minister last year, will nonetheless find her place on the world stage in majestic fashion. She is limbering up to carry an important constitutional symbol, the sword of state, into Westminster Abbey as part of the procession for the coronation of King Charles III.“It’s drawing on all of my military drill experience,” she says of the weapon, which, measuring 4 feet and weighing 8 pounds, requires some considerable upper body strength.The sword of state represents the king’s authority, and will be wielded by Mordaunt in her role as lord president of the privy council, a body of advisers to the sovereign which includes senior elected politicians and ceremonial officers. Mordaunt — who is leader of the House of Commons in her day job — must hold the blade a...

WHO declares end of COVID-19 global health emergency

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:25:13 GMT

COVID-19 is no longer an international public health emergency, the World Health Organization decided on Friday, marking a major turning point in the global response to the crisis that has killed nearly 7 million people and caused some 65 million cases of long COVID. The removal of the highest alert level from the global health body comes more than three years since the declaration was first made on January 30, 2020, as COVID-19 spread beyond China and public health officials around the globe became increasingly panicked at what they were witnessing. At that time, the official death toll was just 171. Now, the WHO estimates over 6.9 million deaths — more than the total population of Denmark. Europe accounts for about a third of those with some 2.2 million people dying from COVID-19 in the region. The decision by WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Friday comes following a recommendation from a committee of global health experts that found the situation no lo...

Ex-governor candidate pleads guilty to child porn charges

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:25:13 GMT

ELLSWORTH, Maine (AP) — A wealthy attorney who made a name for himself in the nation’s capital before returning home to Maine to run for governor vowed to seek redemption Thursday after he pleaded guilty to possession of thousands of images of child sexual abuse.Eliot Cutler, who came close to being elected governor in 2010, sat stone-faced at times in court, but his voice cracked with emotion when he addressed the judge. He apologized first to the victimized children and their families.“My behavior helped to support an industry built upon their abuse, and I hope with all my heart that they can find healing and dignity,” Cutler said.The plea agreement, accepted by the judge, calls for Cutler to serve nine months in jail for four counts of possessing sexually explicit material of a child under 12.It marked a remarkable fall for a man who once served as an aide to the late Sen. Edmund Muskie, as the top energy and environmental adviser to then-President Jimmy Carter, and lau...

25-year-old driver killed in collision on Route 1 in New Hampshire

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:25:13 GMT

State police in New Hampshire are investigating a collision that left one driver dead and another seriously injured Thursday night in North Hampton.Authorities said members of the North Hampton Police Department were called to the scene of a crash on Route 1 near Granite Road around 9:44 p.m. where two vehicles were found.According to New Hampshire State Police, responding officers determined a 2007 Honda Civic headed southbound had crossed a double yellow line, a continuous middle turn lane and then a second double yellow line before striking a 2019 Hyundai Tucson travelling north.Authorities said the driver of the Tucson, Alexander Price, a 25-year-old Portsmouth resident, succumbed to his injuries and passed away at Portsmouth Regional Hospital.The driver of the Civic, 37-year-old Matthew Meisner of Hampton, sustained serious injuries.State police said all aspects of the collision remain under investigation. Authorities ask that anyone who may have witnessed the crash or what led...

Modest May storm: A quick look at rainfall totals across San Diego

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:25:13 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- Scattered light rain and snow showers trickled down across parts of San Diego County Thursday night and into Friday morning, said the National Weather Service.Those showers are expected to diminish late Friday morning, according to weather officials. This May storm has produced modest precipitation levels in some areas of the region. A rare sight to see: ‘Scrippshenge’ sunset awes San Diego Here’s a breakdown of two-day precipitation totals across some parts of the county as of 5:18 a.m. Friday, according to calculations from NWS.*Areas above the freezing level may not show accurate precipitation totals, said NWS.North CountyGeneral locationPrecipitation levelPalomar Observatory0.74 inchesFallbrook0.79 inchesValley Center0.32 inchesSan Onofre0.51 inchesEscondido0.34 inchesCarlsbad0.38 inchesOceanside0.49 inchesSan Marcos0.15 inchesVista0.35 inchesEncinitas 0.18 inchesEast CountyGeneral locationPrecipitation levelAlpine 0.10 inchesSantee0.27 inchesLa Mesa0.16 inchesSan...

Jill Biden in UK for King Charles’ coronation, visits No. 10

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:25:13 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Jill Biden has celebrated the athletic grit of wounded service members with Prince Harry, discussed the value of early childhood education with Princess Kate and sipped tea poured by Queen Elizabeth II. Now the first lady is back in London for another royal engagement. President Joe Biden has dispatched his wife to represent the United States at Saturday’s coronation of King Charles III, the late queen’s eldest son. No American president has ever attended a British coronation.While in London, she’s engaging in a bit of soft diplomacy before the big event. Her first stop in Friday’s drizzle was a familiar place: No. 10 Downing St., for her first meeting with Akshata Murty, the wife of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. Murty greeted Biden with an embrace and a kiss on each cheek. “Welcome, welcome!” she said, before turning to shake hands with Finnegan Biden, one of the first lady’s granddaughters.Afterward, Jill Biden and Murty met at the Dow...

Stock market today: Apple juices a rally after a brutal week

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:25:13 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Apple is leading a rally Friday after Wall Street’s most influential stock reported a better profit than feared. Stocks of beaten-down banks are also leaping to recover a smidgen of their sharp losses from a brutal week.The S&P 500 was 1.4% higher in morning trading, though it’s still on pace for its worst week in nearly two months. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 445 points, or 1.3%, at 33,572, as of 10:30 a.m. Eastern time, while the Nasdaq composite was 1.6% higher. Treasury yields were jumping in the bond market after a report showed hiring accelerated across the economy by much more than expected last month. The U.S. government’s jobs report also showed workers won bigger pay raises in April than expected. While that’s good news, particularly when many economists fear a recession may arrive this year, the data also raises worries inflation may stay high and push the Federal Reserve to keep interest rates higher. High interest rates have already...