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Rishi Sunak facing ethics probe over declaration of interests

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:58:25 GMT

LONDON — The U.K. parliament’s standards watchdog has launched an investigation into whether Rishi Sunak broke the code of conduct for MPs by failing to declare a relevant interest. The standards commissioner’s investigation does not detail the specific interest under investigation, but 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. Sunak wrote to the House of Commons liaison committee earlier this month saying his interest in the firm had been declared in the yet-to-be-published list of ministerial interests. It is not currently listed in the separate register of interests filled out by each MP. In the letter, written on 4 April, Sunak noted “media interest” in his wife’s “minority stake” in the firm, adding: “I would like to clarify for the parliamentary record that this interest has ...

‘Shocking’: Putin critic handed 25 years in prison

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:58:25 GMT

MOSCOW — A Russian court on Monday slapped opposition activist Vladimir Kara-Murza with 25 years in prison for treason and other claimed offenses.Moscow City Court sentenced Kara-Murza to a penal colony for spreading “fake news” about the army and “cooperation with an undesirable organization,” as Russian President Vladimir Putin steps up his crackdown on dissent and Russian civil society. But the bulk of his sentence had to do with another, third charge: treason, in the first time anyone has been convicted on that count for making public statements containing publicly available information.On the courthouse steps, British Ambassador Deborah Bronnert called the sentence for Kara-Murza, who holds both Russian and British citizenship, “shocking.” Her U.S. counterpart said the verdict was an attempt “to silence dissent in this country.” The U.K. summoned the Russian ambassador after the conviction, with Foreign Secretary James Clever...

Germany’s conservatives back EU’s von der Leyen for second term — if she wants it

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:58:25 GMT

BERLIN — Germany’s center-right Christian Democrats will support Ursula von der Leyen if she chooses to seek a second term in 2024 as the EU’s top executive, party leader Friedrich Merz said Monday.Merz, whose party is Germany’s main opposition to Chancellor Olaf Scholz, made the remarks alongside von der Leyen, the European Commission president, who was in Berlin for meetings with leaders from her political family, the CDU.“She has our support in the event of a corresponding willingness,” Merz said, adding that he had conveyed this to Scholz as well, expressing the hope that Germany would propose von der Leyen.Von der Leyen, however, was coy about her intentions. The Commission president’s term will be up in 2024 after the European election, and von der Leyen has yet to officially say whether she will push for another five-year stint. “For me, it is very important that we show unity and strength in the European Union in these critical times, and theref...

Nearby church welcomes parishioners from Faith Lutheran Church in Cambridge following Easter Sunday fire

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:58:25 GMT

A nearby church is welcoming parishioners from Faith Lutheran Church in Cambridge after a massive fire tore through the building on Easter Sunday. Although the walls of their temporary home are different, Faith Lutheran says the fellowship is stronger than ever. “It is crucial to be together, to be able to comfort each other in person, to pray for each other, to hold each other, to cry together,” said Rev. Robin Lutjohann.Shortly after Easter services, flames destroyed the more than 100-year-old structure, leaving a community heartbroken. “You always feel when you have a beautiful building like this that you’re keeping the building going, and that connection will be gone,” said Faith Lutheran parishioner Jeanne Garrison. Following the fire, the steeple of the church had to come down for safety reasons. “I think every individual is doing differently,” Lutjohann said. “Grief and loss is experienced differently by different people, so ev...

A teenager was shot by a homeowner after going to the wrong house to pick up siblings, Kansas City police say

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:58:25 GMT

(CNN) — Protesters took to the streets after a homeowner shot and wounded teenager Ralph Yarl, who had mistakenly gone to the wrong home to pick up his siblings in Kansas City, Missouri, police said Sunday.Yarl, 16, was “shot twice and struck in the head and arm,” the family’s attorneys said in a statement.Protesters marched as they chanted, “justice for Ralph” and “Black lives matter,” and carried signs reading, “Ringing a doorbell is not a crime” and “The shooter should do the time,” footage from CNN affiliate KMBC shows.Officers responded to reports of a shooting on the evening of April 13 and arrived to find a teenager who had been shot by a homeowner outside a residence, according to Kansas City Police.The teen was taken to a hospital, where he was in stable condition Sunday, police said.Police learned the teenager’s parents had asked him to pick up his siblings at an address on 115th T...

Lawmakers return to Washington as debt limit crisis and other key issues loom

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:58:25 GMT

(CNN) — Lawmakers face a lengthy to-do list as they return to the Capitol after a two-week recess to confront a series of critical issues ranging from a looming debt limit crisis to the fallout from a leak of highly classified Pentagon documents.There is still no agreement in sight to raise the debt ceiling despite the threat of economic catastrophe if the issue is not resolved in a matter of months and Republicans are eying passing their own debt ceiling increase paired with spending cuts in an effort to pressure the Biden administration to the negotiating table.House Speaker Kevin McCarthy will deliver a speech on the economy at the New York Stock Exchange on Monday, where he will address the looming crisis. A major challenge for House Republicans is whether they will be able to coalesce behind a detailed list of cuts.House Republican leaders are moving behind the scenes to get their conference behind a plan that would raise the debt ceiling for one year ...

One death and almost 100 cases of rare fungal infection linked to Michigan paper mill, health officials say

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:58:25 GMT

(CNN) — Ninety-seven confirmed or probable cases of blastomycosis have been identified in Michigan’s Delta and Menominee counties, according to the local health department, and they are believed to be associated with a paper mill in the town of Escanaba.One death has been associated with the outbreak: A contractor who worked at the Escanaba Billerud Paper Mill until recently passing away due to blastomycosis.“We were saddened to hear this news. Our heartfelt sympathies and prayers go out to the family, friends and co-workers who have lost their loved one,” county health officer Michael Snyder said in a news release.“Everyone at Billerud is deeply saddened by this news,” Brian Peterson, Escanaba Billerud Paper Mill’s vice president of operations, said. “Anyone who works at our facility is part of our team, and we are keeping this individual, their family, coworkers and friends in our thoughts and close to our hearts.”Blastomy...

Live Updates: 127th Boston Marathon

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:58:25 GMT

Runners set off today on the 127th running of the Boston Marathon.Follow here for live updates.The men’s elite field starts at 9:37 a.m. and the women’s elite field starts 10 minutes later at 10:37 a.m..Complete Herald coverage leading up to this year’s marathon can be found here.Tweets by bostonmarathon BOSTON, MA. April 16: The memorial with flowers and a wreath remembering the 2013 bombing, Copley Sunday, April 16, 2023, in Boston, Mass. (Photo by Jim Michaud/ Boston Herald)BOSTON, MA. April 16: Pamela Iwaszewicz of Berkeley Cal. shows her love being here as she prepares to run in her very first Boston Marathon, as Copley Square was full of people taking in the marathon mania, Sunday, April 16, 2023, in Boston, Mass. (Photo by Jim Michaud/ Boston Herald) 

NFL Draft 2023: Jaxon Smith-Njigba and 9 potential Patriots WR picks to watch

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:58:25 GMT

Welcome to Potential Patriots!Each day leading up to the NFL Draft on April 27, the Herald will introduce prospects the Patriots are likely targeting position by position. The Pats have 11 picks this year, starting at 14th overall, their highest selection in more than a decade. As for their other picks, the Patriots could pad their depth at virtually any position.Below is a breakdown of the Patriots’ best prospect fits at wide receiver:Day 1Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Ohio StateHt/Wt: 6-1, 196Projected round: 1stScouting report: Smith-Njigba is an ideal fit for the Patriots’ old prototype at receiver which relied heavily on 3-cone performance. His 6.57-second time led all participants at the NFL combine and reflected his ability to immediately uncover as a slot receiver. Smith-Njigba is effective at all three levels, ranks among the smoothest route-runners in the class and can create yards after the catch.If the Patriots prefer a burner — no team has drafted faster receive...

House of convict in notorious German cannibal case destroyed

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:58:25 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — The former home of a man serving a life sentence for killing and eating an acquaintance in a case that appalled Germany two decades ago burned down early Monday, police said.It wasn’t immediately clear what caused the overnight blaze in the small central town of Rotenburg an der Fulda, but police said they weren’t ruling out arson, German news agency dpa reported.Mayor Christian Grunwald said he hoped the fire would put an end to frequent trips to the site by people coming out of curiosity and for other reasons.“The ruin must be removed permanently; it must not become a pilgrimage site,” he said.The half-timbered house belonged to Armin Meiwes, who was convicted of murder and disturbing the peace of the dead, and was the scene of the crime. It had been empty for years. Meiwes was arrested in December 2002 over the death the previous year of Bernd Juergen Brandes. He has said that Brandes answered his internet posting seeking a young man for “slaughter and c...