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Biden orders US to share evidence of Russian war crimes with international court

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 19:27:56 GMT

President Joe Biden ordered his team to share evidence of Russian war crimes in Ukraine with the International Criminal Court — a stunning shift of U.S. policy toward the tribunal and a move that goes against the Pentagon’s recommendation.A U.S. official confirmed that the administration briefed lawmakers on the decision, though the White House has yet to publicly announce the handover of materials. Sens. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), members of the Senate Judiciary Committee who support the evidence transfer, said Wednesday night in a statement that “we are pleased that the administration is finally supporting the ICC’s investigation.”The New York Times was first to report the news.The U.S. did not sign the Rome Statute to become a member of the ICC and therefore argues that it’s not subject to the court’s jurisdiction. Washington feared that an ICC prosecutor would have the power to investigate the actions of U.S. troops in war — a position held by Democra...

Tee Thursday: Poquoy Brook like an old friend

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 19:27:56 GMT

Years ago when my husband’s work was based out of Taunton, he had a group of buddies he’d play post-work golf with on a regular basis.The other day, as we clicked on tee times and pondered to play next, a memory popped into his head.“Poquoy Brook Golf Club!” he said. “I used to love that place.”We were able to score a mid-day tee time for the following day and headed out into the heart of Lakeville to a club I’d never heard of and wasn’t sure how to pronounce (It’s pehh-kwoy).What did I find? A fabulous championship course with a bit of a punch, friendly staff who made us feel like we were visiting friends, and I don’t say this lightly: perhaps the best cheeseburger I’ve ever scarfed down in my life.We arrived early for our round, a great idea at Poquoy because their driving range, short game practice area and putting green are simply spectacular. The driving range has 25 stations, a bucket purchase system that takes your card and does not require those silly coins (hurrah for the l...

‘Haunted Mansion’ comedy can’t scare up any laughs

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 19:27:56 GMT

Last week, it was a film about a Mattel toy from 1959. This week, it is a film about a Disney theme park attraction from 1969. “Haunted Mansion,” not to be confused with the 2003 film “The Haunted Mansion” headed by Eddie Murphy or the 2021 TV special “Muppets Haunted Mansion” featuring Will Arnett and Taraji P. Henson, this “Haunted Mansion” has a cast including LaKeith Stanfield, Rosario Dawson, Tiffany Haddish, Owen Wilson, Jared Leto, Danny DeVito and Academy Award-winner Jamie Lee Curtis. The director is Justin Simien of the prophetic 2014 comedy “Dear White People.”In this installment, Stanfield is Ben Matthias, a New Orleans astrophysicist who meets, falls in love with Alyssa (Charity Jordan) and promptly becomes a grieving widower. Losing himself to drink, Ben becomes a tour guide, arguing with customers, including a reed-thin Marilu Henner, about the ghosts of New Orleans and insisting oddly that, “life is dirt.” At the same time, a single mother named Gabbie (the likable D...

Lucas: Why Kennedy kin are lining up against RFK Jr.

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 19:27:56 GMT

If you’re wondering why the Kennedy family is dumping all over maverick Robert F. Kennedy Jr. all you need to do is look at Joe Biden’s payroll.Half of the Kennedys are on it.And RFK is running against their employer.Not only are woke Democrats concerned about Kennedy’s challenge to Biden, but they are also upset that arch enemy Donald Trump has said good things about him.Even ordinarily mild-mannered former Congressman Joseph P. Kennedy III, 42, got into the act.Now Biden’s special envoy to Northern Ireland, Kennedy was tougher on his uncle Robert than he was on Sen. Eddie Markey.Kennedy hardly uttered a word when Markey attacked him and the Kennedy family during their 2020 debates prior to the Democratic U.S. Senate primary. Markey mopped the floor with him.Now, joining other Biden Democrats, Kennedy condemned his uncle for controversial remarks RFK Jr. made about the COVID virus being “ethnically targeted” to attack certain groups (whites and blacks) disproportionately while othe...

Solomon: Princeton suit puts artifact ownership in spotlight

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 19:27:56 GMT

Princeton University recently achieved a significant victory in its legal battle against officials from the Eastern Orthodox Church regarding the alleged looting of manuscripts from a Greek monastery during World War I. The recent ruling by a New Jersey federal judge allows Princeton to depose the monastery’s non-testifying expert, enabling the university to gather additional evidence supporting its statute of limitations defense.The initial lawsuit, filed in December 2018, alleged that Bulgarian guerrillas unlawfully took four Eastern Orthodox texts from a monastery in Northern Greece in 1917. These texts eventually ended up in the possession of the university – part of the university’s collection of Greek manuscripts, acquired by Princeton in the early 20th century. The Church argues that the university’s acquisition and possession of these manuscripts are illegal and demands their return.In the original legal filings, the University not only reaffirmed its...

Summer hats provide stylish sun protection

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 19:27:56 GMT

By this point in the summer, you and your favorite SPF have no doubt become fast friends again.But there’s another often-overlooked tool in your kit for enjoying the sun while fending off skin damage, and it’s one of the most fashionable out there: sun hats. Just think of everything they do — coordinate with outfits; make big style statements, and do a great job of covering your neck and face.There are so, so many styles to choose from. The fedoras! The wide-brimmed straw numbers! The bucket hats and cowboy hats, and refined safari hats! They add a certain je ne sais quoi flourish to almost any casual look — from bathing suits and sundresses to maxi dresses and denim — with minimum effort. Check out these numbers:The Wide-brim Packable Straw Hat ($69.50 on jcrew.com), woven from raffia fiber that springs back after you’ve rolled it up and tucked it into your beach bag. But its best feature is how good it looks once you put it on; it boasts a light weave and medium brim, with a dark ...

Orioles promoting left-hander Cade Povich, club’s No. 2 pitching prospect, to Triple-A

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 19:27:56 GMT

The best prospect the Orioles acquired at last year’s trade deadline is now one level away from the major leagues.The Orioles are promoting left-hander Cade Povich, ranked by Baseball America as the organization’s second-best pitching prospect, to Triple-A Norfolk, a source with direct knowledge of the move told The Baltimore Sun late Wednesday evening.Povich, Baltimore’s 10th-best prospect, was the biggest minor leaguer in the Jorge López trade last summer, with the Orioles shipping their closer to the Minnesota Twins for the young southpaw and three other pitchers. One of those arms, of course, is Yennier Cano, who over the past year has transformed from an inaccurate reliever into an All-Star.Coincidentally, López was also on the move Wednesday, as the Twins traded him to the Miami Marlins for reliever Dylan Floro. López had a 4.37 ERA over the final two months with Minnesota last year and has struggled this year with a 5.09 ERA.Povich, meanwhile,...

Editorial: City Council misdeeds now 3 for 3 – where’s the accountability?

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 19:27:56 GMT

There was a time not too long ago when politicians embroiled in scandals put constituents before career and resigned from their posts.They may have done so reluctantly, but they did it.  It was the right thing to do.Unfortunately, with a few exceptions, we live in the age of doubling down, and that’s especially true on the Boston City Council.Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson is the latest in the sorry-not-sorry lineup. She admitted this week to violating the state’s conflict of interest law by hiring her sister and son to paid positions on her staff, and agreed to pay a $5,000 fine.As the Herald reported, the State Ethics Commission said Tuesday that Fernandes Anderson appointed her sister and son to full-time positions in 2022, her first year on the City Council.Fernandes Anderson set her sister’s salary at $65,000. She awarded her sister a raise in June 2022, increasing her salary to $70,000 and tacking on a $7,000 bonus, the Ethics Commission said.In June 2022, Fernandes ...

‘The Heiress and the Heist’ captures crimes of debutante-turned-IRA rebel

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 19:27:56 GMT

Why would a daughter of immense British privilege rebel as spectacularly as Rose Dugdale did in the 1970s, supporting the Irish Republican Army in its notorious fight against English rule by robbing her family paintings by Goya, Gainsborough and Vermeer worth millions?Dugdale’s mind-boggling crossover from a debutante presented to the Queen to a revolutionary engineering that multi-million dollar art heist from her father’s rural Ireland estate is the focus of the three-part Sundance Now/AMC+ documentary, “The Heiress and the Heist.”“It’s a very well-known story in Ireland because Rose Dugdale is an extraordinary person who left privilege as the daughter of a very wealthy British man,” director David Harvey began in a Zoom interview from Dublin. “She goes to Oxford,  becomes radicalized as a young person, then joins the IRA and is involved in some of the most high-profile criminal acts in Irish history. It is an extraordinary story.”Dugdale’s headline-making heist, then “the greates...

Dear Abby: Nightmare neighbor takes over couple’s lives

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 19:27:56 GMT

Dear Abby: My boyfriend, “Pete,” and I have been together four years. During the pandemic, he moved to my hometown, and we live together. Last year, he befriended a man who lives across the street. This neighbor had been a civil-service employee but took early retirement and is undergoing treatment for PTSD.Originally, I was happy for Pete’s new friendship in a new city, but the friendship has turned into a daily bromance. They spend two to six hours in Pete’s man cave, drinking, smoking and playing bar games. When I join in, the neighbor interrupts me and railroads the conversation. He insults me and is hypocritical about everything from my appearance to the meals I prepare.I defend myself to this man, but Pete remains silent despite my pleas for support. (Pete says he “hates confrontation.”) An example: When Pete didn’t quickly answer his texts or calls, the neighbor would come to our house, peer through our windows, yell and bang on the d...