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Boris Johnson allies accused of putting ‘improper pressure’ on probe into his conduct

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:14 GMT

LONDON — Boris Johnson and seven of his close allies put “improper pressure” on the House of Commons privileges committee as it investigated his knowledge of multiple coronavirus rule-breaking parties in government, a cross-party group of MPs ruled Thursday.In a damning follow-up report to its investigation on whether Johnson misled the House of Commons, the privileges committee singled out Johnson allies Nadine Dorries, Zac Goldsmith, Michael Fabricant, Brendan Clarke-Smith, Jacob Rees-Mogg, Andrea Jenkyns, and Priti Patel, accusing them of joining a “co-ordinated campaign to interfere with the work of the Committee.”It listed a series of tweets and broadcast comments from these Johnson allies which it said marked “disturbing examples of the co-ordinated campaign to interfere with the work of the committee.”Referencing chairman Harriet Harman, the special report also said that there had been “sustained attempts to undermine and challenge the impartiality of the cha...

All of Labour leader Keir Starmer’s screeching U-turns in one place

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:14 GMT

LONDON — Fancy a fetching pair of Keir Starmer brand flip-flops? Britain’s Conservatives — and their enthusiastic chairman Greg Hands — have kept tabs on the mounting number of high-profile U-turns from the opposition Labour leader, who looks likely to lead the country’s next government.While some see a willingness to sheer off unappealing or unrealistic bits of Labour’s program after a colossal defeat under Jeremy Corbyn in 2019, others cry sellout as an opposition leader who once loyally served Corbyn shifts to unashamed centrist. As the next U.K. election approaches, POLITICO has collated all of the Starmer U-turns so far in one place — and you may want to check for updates. Caveat alert: Britain’s Tories also love a good U-turn.Bye Angela. Hi AngelaIn a botched reshuffle following disappointing local election results and a major by-election defeat in Hartlepool, Starmer attempted to clip the wings of his deputy leader Angela Rayner, seen as being on the l...

Sumner Tunnel shutdown will back up traffic for miles, state highway chief says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:14 GMT

State transportation officials are urging residents to “ditch the drive” during the impending two-month Sumner Tunnel shutdown, saying that there will be times when traffic could be backed up for miles.Instead, leaders from the Department of Transportation, MBTA, and Massport, the latter of which owns and operates Logan Airport, are telling people to take public transit, pointing to the state’s efforts to reduce, or in some cases, eliminate the cost of these alternative transportation services.Based on past projects of a similar size, “you could see multi-mile backup depending on the time of the day,” MassDOT Highway Administrator Jonathan Gulliver said at a Wednesday press conference.“This is by far the most impactful project we’ve taken on in some time, and the impacts will be evident and immediate around the project area,” Gulliver said at Wonderland Station in Revere, which is part of the MBTA’s Blue Line, a subway service that will be free for the entirety of the two-month clos...

Tee Thursday: Ocean Edge shows off Nicklaus design

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:14 GMT

There’s a ying and yang to playing a round at Ocean Edge Resort & Club’s golf course, and that’s by design.The Cape’s only Nicklaus-designed course offers up 18 holes of pure golf challenge. Expect holes that make you think, rethink and sometimes hold your breath. That’s how Nicklaus designs; that’s how you expect to play on his courses.But the Ocean Edge team makes sure it’s all balanced by comfort. From the service to the setting to the true country club feel, 18 holes at Ocean Edge may challenge your game skills, but it does it in a way that’s sublimely on point.My husband and I headed down for an overnight golf escape early summer. Ocean Edge is a private club; only members and Ocean Edge Resort guests can play the course. That plays to its advantage.As soon as we arrived, a staffer politely pulled my well-dressed husband aside and let him know that shirts must be tucked in while playing there. I’m all for the democratization of golf; sports almost always grow better by expa...

Stock market today: Global shares are mixed after central bankers say interest rates must stay high

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:14 GMT

BEIJING (AP) — Global stock markets were mixed Thursday after leaders of major central banks said they need to keep interest rates high to fight persistent inflation despite fears that might tip the global economy into recession.London and Shanghai declined while Paris and Tokyo advanced. Oil prices declined.U.S., European and Japanese central bankers meeting Wednesday in Portugal said with hiring still strong, they have yet to extinguish upward pressure on prices. “Policy hasn’t been restrictive enough for long enough,” said Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell.“The end of hiking interest rates is not in sight yet,” Carl B. Weinberg of High-Frequency Economics said in a report.In early trading, the FTSE 100 in London lost 0.2% to 7,486.36 while the CAC 40 in Paris rose 0.2% to 7,303.98. The DAX in Frankfurt was unchanged at 15,948.72.On Wall Street, futures for the benchmark S&P 500 index and for the Dow Jones Industrial Average were up less than 0.1%.On Wednesday, the S&P 5...

Federal Reserve may tighten financial rules after US bank failures, Powell says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:14 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said Thursday that the central bank may have to tighten its oversight of the American financial system in the wake of the failure of three large U.S. banks this spring.Powell said in prepared remarks delivered at a banking conference in Madrid that tougher regulations put in place after the 2007-2008 financial crisis have made large multinational banks much more resilient to widespread loan defaults, such as the bursting of the housing bubble that led to that crisis. But the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank, Signature Bank and First Republic Bank exposed different vulnerabilities that the Fed will likely address through new proposals, Powell said. He did not provide details, but other Fed officials have said banks should be required to hold more capital in reserve to guard against loan losses.Such proposals are likely to face resistance from the banking industry and some congressional Republicans, who argue that the Fed had the ne...

Austrian police seize drugs and weapons in a raid on a far-right biker gang

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:14 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — Austrian authorities said Thursday they they have seized large amounts of drugs and weapons in a raid on a far-right biker gang tied to organized crime.Public broadcaster ORF reported that police searched properties in Upper Austria and detained 10 people on suspicion of breaching firearms, narcotics and extremism laws.Tabloid daily Krone reported that the suspects were members of the Bandidos biker club, which has been trying to gain a foothold in Austria. It reported that the raids Monday were sparked by investigations resulting from the 2022 discovery of firearms and ammunition in a vehicle belonging to a German man.The Associated Press

In the news today: Potential gravesites found at Alberta residential school

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:14 GMT

Here is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to bring you up to speed on what you need to know today…Search suggests 88 graves at Alberta residential schoolUniversity of Alberta researchers have found evidence of 88 potential unmarked graves near a former residential school in northern Alberta.Dr. Kisha Supernant, who led the search, says the project was focused on areas near St. Bruno’s Indian Residential School in Joussard, Alberta. She says the areas were pointed out by residential school survivors and elders of the community. Using ground-penetrating radar, the team found signs of unmarked graves in two spots outside the cemetery area, including near the priest’s residence.Reconciliation sparks Canada Day fireworks rethinkFireworks displays to celebrate Canada Day are facing a rethink as advocates call for other ways to mark the occasion because of concerns over costs, the message they send to Indigenous people and the way they terrify some ani...

US says it’s horrified by conditions in Ethiopia after theft leads to food aid pause and deaths

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:14 GMT

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — The United States humanitarian agency told The Associated Press it is horrified by conditions in Ethiopia, where local officials have reported hundreds of hunger deaths in recent weeks after the U.S. and the United Nations paused food aid for one-sixth of the country’s population over massive theft of the aid.In an unusually strong statement emailed to the AP, the U.S. Agency for International Development called the aid suspension “wrenching” and a measure of last resort because of the “extreme scale and coordination of food aid diversion identified across the country.”U.S. officials have said in private that this could be the biggest-ever theft of aid in any country.The U.S. and U.N. have not said who was involved in the theft, which was first discovered in March in the northern Tigray region when tons of food meant for needy people were instead found for sale in sacks branded with the U.S. flag.Aid workers said Ethiopian government officials are d...

What is open/closed this Canada Day weekend

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:14 GMT

Canada Day is fast-approaching and it falls on a Saturday this year, meaning the holiday is on Monday. There will be lots of activities and events to keep you busy in the city this weekend.But, keep in mind, there will be some closures for the observed holiday Monday and Canada Day this year.Attractions open on Saturday and MondayCanada’s Wonderland: Open 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.Splash Works: Open 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.Casa Loma: Open 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.CN Tower: Open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.Hockey Hall of Fame: Open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.Ontario Place/Trillium Park: Open 6 a.m. to 11 p.m.Ontario Science Centre: Open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.Ripley’s Aquarium: Open 9 a.m. to 11 p.m.Royal Ontario Museum: Open 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.Art Gallery of Ontario: 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.Toronto Zoo: Open 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.Beer/LCBOSelect Beer Store locations will be open on Saturday, click here to locate one in your areaLCBO stores will be closed on Saturday.TransitThe TTC will run on a holiday service schedule on MondayGO Transit ...