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Rishi Sunak facing ethics probe over wife’s stake in childcare firm

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:25 GMT

LONDON — Rishi Sunak is being investigated for a potential breach of the MP code of conduct amid scrutiny of his wife’s stake in a childcare firm that received a boost in last month’s Budget.The parliamentary standards commissioner — tasked with policing MP behavior — announced Monday that it had opened an investigation under paragraph six of the code, which says MPs “must always be open and frank in declaring any relevant interest” they hold.Although the watchdog does not detail the specific interest under investigation, the prime minister has recently faced questions over his wife Akshata Murty’s stake in childcare business Koru Kids following a £4bn boost for the sector in last month’s Budget. A Downing Street spokesperson said Monday: “We are happy to assist the commissioner to clarify how this has been transparently declared as a ministerial interest.” Sunak wrote to the House of Commons liaison committee earlier this month saying his interest in th...

Bruins notebook: Bug hits B’s dressing room at wrong time

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:25 GMT

Just when you thought things could not look any brighter for the prospects of a Stanley Cup run for the Bruins, a nasty bug has hit the dressing room to wreak havoc on the front-runners’ post-season lineup.On the morning of Monday’s Game 1 against the Florida Panthers, coach Jim Montgomery could not say whether his captain Patrice Bergeron would play or who his goaltender was going to be.Bergeron, who left Thursday’s regular season finale in Montreal with what was termed an upper body injury, did not take part in the Bruins’ two weekend practices, nor did he participate in the optional morning skate on Monday that saw a small group of players hit ice at Warrior Arena. Bergeron has not only been dealing with what Montgomery called a nagging injury, he was also battling the bug.Ullmark, who left last Tuesday’s home finale with a lower body injury, did go out on the ice briefly, as did Jeremy Swayman, who had missed Sunday’s practice with illness. Pr...

Boston Marathon sweep for Kenya, but not favorite Kipchoge

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:25 GMT

By JIMMY GOLEN (AP Sports Writer)BOSTON (AP) — Defending champion Evans Chebet of Kenya won the Boston Marathon again on Monday, surging to the front at Heartbreak Hill to spoil the much-anticipated debut of world record holder Eliud Kipchoge and win in 2 hours, 5 minutes, 54 seconds.Hellen Obiri, a two-time Olympic silver medalist in the 5,000 meters, won the women’s race in a sprint down Boylston Street to finish in an unofficial 2:21:38 and complete the Kenyan sweep.Chebet, 2021 winner Benson Kipruto of Kenya and Gabriel Geay of Tanzania dropped Kipchoge from the lead pack around Mile 20 and then ran together for the last three miles. Geay won a footrace for second, 10 seconds behind the winner and 2 seconds ahead of Kipruto.Kipchoge, a 12-time major marathon winner, was sixth. Scott Fauble was the top American, finishing seventh.Kipchoge had been hoping to add a Boston Marathon victory to his unprecedented running resume. The 38-year-old has won two Olympic gold meda...

SpaceX calls off 1st launch attempt of giant rocket in Texas

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:25 GMT

By MARCIA DUNN (AP Aerospace Writer)SOUTH PADRE ISLAND, Texas (AP) — SpaceX called off the first launch attempt of its giant rocket Monday after a problem cropped up during fueling,Elon Musk’s company had planned to fly the nearly 400-foot Starship rocket from the southern tip of Texas, near the Mexican border. The countdown was halted at the 40-second mark because of a stuck valve in the first-stage booster. Launch controllers couldn’t fix the frozen valve in time, and canceled the attempt. The countdown continued, and fueling was completed, as a dress rehearsal.No people or satellites were aboard. There won’t be another try until at least Wednesday. “Learned a lot today,” Musk tweeted after the flight was postponed.The company plans to use Starship to send people and cargo to the moon and, ultimately, Mars.On the eve of the launch attempt, cars, campers, RVs and even bicycles and horses jammed the only road leading to the launch pad, where the s...

High winds and cold temperatures postpone Monday’s Chicago White Sox-Philadelphia Phillies game

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:25 GMT

Monday’s Chicago White Sox game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Guaranteed Rate Field has been postponed because of a forecast of high winds and cold temperatures.It will be made up as part of a straight doubleheader beginning at 3:10 p.m. Tuesday.The second game will begin approximately 30-45 minutes following the conclusion of the opener, but not before 6:10 p.m.Parking lots and gates will open at 2:10 p.m. on Tuesday. ()

Live Updates: Hellen Obiri wins women’s race at 127th Boston Marathon

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:25 GMT

Hellen Obiri of Kenya has won the 127th Boston Marathon, crossing the finish line at 2:21:38.Amane Beriso of Ethiopia crossed second, Lonah Salpeter of Israel, crossed third. American Emma Bates came in fifth.Obiri, a two-time Olympic silver medalist in the 5,000 meters, won the women’s race in a sprint down Boylston Street to finish in an unofficial 2:21:38.Winning the women's race is an exuberant @HellenObiri in 2:21:38.— B.A.A. (@BAA) April 17, 2023Second is Beriso, 2:21:50; third Salpeter, 2:21:57. Bates 5th in 2:22:10.— B.A.A. (@BAA) April 17, 2023Evans Chebet, also of Kenya, won the 127th Boston Marathon in the men’s field, crossing the finish line a repeat champion with an unofficial time of 2:05:54.Chebet’s time is the third fastest in marathon history, according to the Boston Athletic Association.Chebet, 2021 winner Benson Kipruto and Gabriel Geay pulled away from world record holder Eliud Kipchoge, running his first highly anticipated Bost...

Police say woman found dead in Etobicoke fire was murdered

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:25 GMT

Toronto police say a woman who was found dead in a fire at an Etobicoke residence late last month was murdered.Crews were called to the residence in the Grand Avenue and Dalesford Road area on March 23, 2023, at around 12:20 a.m.Police say a woman, later identified as Melinda Boon, 64, was found inside the residence unresponsive.She was rushed to hospital and remained in intensive care until March 29, when she died.Following an autopsy, Toronto police took over the investigation and on April 5, 2023 they charged a suspect in her death.Dsuan Ludvig, 81, of Toronto is facing a single count of first-degree murder.

Authorities: Suspect arrested in killing of Oregon policeman

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:25 GMT

ONTARIO, Oregon (AP) — Authorities have arrested a man suspected of killing an eastern Oregon reserve police officer.The Malheur County District Attorney’s office confirmed Monday morning that the suspect in the Saturday night shooting of Officer Joseph Johnson was arrested in connection with the shooting. Johnson, a 43-year-old reserve officer for the Nyssa Police Department, died Saturday night after a man he pursued in a car shot at him. The man fled, and Johnson was dead when sheriff’s officers and medical workers arrived. Malheur County District Attorney David Goldthorpe said the shooting happened after Johnson responded to a report of a violent person damaging property and threatening people at a house. When he arrived, the people at the house told Johnson the suspect had left in a car, and Johnson then pursued the man through the area, Goldthorpe said. The suspect eventually pulled over and began shooting, Goldthorpe said, hitting Johnson while he was still in his car a...

Ex-Cardinal McCarrick charged in Wisconsin with sex abuse

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:25 GMT

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The defrocked Roman Catholic cardinal who became the face of the church’s clergy sex abuse crisis has been charged in Wisconsin with sexually assaulting an 18-year-old man more than 45 years ago, court records show.A criminal complaint filed Friday alleges that Theodore McCarrick, who was removed from the priesthood in 2019 after a Vatican investigation found he had sexually molested adults and children, fondled a man in 1977 while staying at a cabin on Geneva Lake in southeastern Wisconsin.The alleged victim, who is not named, told investigators that McCarrick had repeatedly sexually assaulted him since he was 11 and even brought him to parties where other adult men sexually assaulted him, according to the complaint.McCarrick became the highest-ranking Roman Catholic official in the U.S. to face criminal charges for sexual abuse when he was accused in 2021 of sexually assaulting a teenage boy in Massachusetts at a wedding reception in 1974. His attorneys ...

Chauvin murder conviction upheld in George Floyd killing

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:25 GMT

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Court of Appeals on Monday upheld former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin’s second-degree murder conviction in the killing of George Floyd, and his 22 1/2-year sentence remains in place.Chauvin’s attorney had asked the appeals court to throw out the ex-officer’s convictions for a long list of reasons, including the massive pretrial publicity. He also argued that legal and procedural errors deprived Chauvin of a fair trial. But the three-judge panel sided with prosecutors who said Chauvin got a fair trial and just sentence.Floyd died on May 25, 2020, after Chauvin, who is white, used his knee to pin the Black man’s neck to the ground for 9 1/2 minutes. A bystander video captured Floyd’s fading cries of “I can’t breathe.” Floyd’s death touched off protests around the world, some of which turned violent, and forced a national reckoning with police brutality and racism.“Police officers undoubtedly have a challenging, difficult, and so...