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Lawyer for young adult at center of BBC scandal says claims presenter broke law are ‘rubbish’

LONDON (AP) — British detectives met with representatives of the BBC on Monday over allegations that a leading presenter paid a teenager for sexually explicit photos. But police said they had not opened a criminal investigation, and a lawyer for the young person denied anything inappropriate had happened. The U.K.’s publicly funded national broadcaster has suspended the male star, who has not been named, over allegations he gave a youth 35,000 pounds ($45,000) starting in 2020 when the young person was 17. Though the age of sexual consent in Britain is 16, it is a crime to make ...

Asian shares fall as US data hopes for an end to rate hikes

BANGKOK (AP) — Asian shares slipped Friday after another decline on Wall Street, where hopes for an end to interest rate hikes were again dashed by strong jobs data. U.S. futures fell and oil prices were higher. Investors were watching for updates from U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen’s visit to Beijing, where she was meeting with senior Chinese officials to try to soothe antagonisms over a host of issues and promote global financial stability. Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 shed 0.6% to 32,593.87 and the Hang Seng in Hong Kong dropped 1% to 18,341.87. The Shanghai Composite index ...

US to provide cluster bombs to Ukraine; defends delivery of the controversial weapon

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration will provide cluster munitions to Ukraine, national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Friday, vowing the U.S. will not leave Ukraine defenseless and asserting that Kyiv has promised to use the controversial bombs carefully. The decision comes on the eve of the NATO summit in Lithuania, where President Joe Biden is likely to face questions from allies on why the U.S. would send a weapon into Ukraine that more than two-thirds of alliance members have banned because it has a track record for causing many civilian casualties. And it was met ...

Berlusconi’s final will divvies up 5 billion euros in wealth

MILAN (AP) — Silvio Berlusconi left control of his media empire to his two eldest children, according to details of his will reported Thursday by Italian media, while bequeathing 100 million euros of his estimated 5 billion-euro ($5.4 billion) fortune each to his companion and his brother. The Fininvest holding company that controls the Mediaset television network, Mondadori publishing house and other assets confirmed in a statement that “no shareholder will exercise overall individual direct control of Fininvest SpA,” as Berlusconi himself had. The three-time former Italian ...

NATO leaders set to offer Ukraine support package

BRUSSELS (AP) — NATO leaders will agree next week to help modernize Ukraine’s armed forces, create a new high-level forum for consultations and reaffirm that it will join their alliance one day, the organization’s top civilian official said Friday. But the war-torn country will not start membership talks soon. At a two-day summit starting Tuesday in the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius, U.S. President Joe Biden and his counterparts will also agree to boost defense spending as allies pour weapons, ammunition and other support like uniforms and medical equipment into Ukraine, 17 months ...

The end of an era approaches says owner of shoe repair shop

By Gwen Albers New Castle News Mike Jeannette is New Castle area’s sole survivor. When Jeanette retires, he expects it will be the end of an era in a city that at one time had 34 shoe repair businesses. “There’s no one who would want to buy this equipment,” said the 64-year-old owner of A&F Shoe Repair at 17 S. Mercer St. “I would probably have a guy pick it up for scrap.” He called the shoe repair business a trade from an older generation. “Just like the steel mills have gone by the wayside, so have shoe repair shops,” Jeannette said. “The population has ...