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UK ministers hold fire on ex-official Sue Gray’s controversial Labour job

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:42 GMT

LONDON — The British government is mulling “next steps” in its inquiry into Sue Gray, the former senior civil servant who raised eyebrows by leaving Whitehall to take up a top job with the Labour opposition.Cabinet Office Minister Oliver Dowden told MPs Tuesday he was “unable at this stage to provide further information relating to the departure of Ms Gray whilst we consider next steps.” The inquiry into her controversial exit had, the Guardian reported Tuesday night, been paused following “intense negotiations” between ministers and Simon Case, who heads up the civil service.Tuesday’s relatively sparse update from Dowden came despite earlier media reports that Gray — a much-respected and much-feared civil service veteran who is in line to become Keir Starmer’s chief of staff — would be criticized for the job change.Gray’s flight to the opposition angered Conservatives, who pointed to her role as the independent mandarin tasked w...

Hungary embarks on judicial reform hoping to unlock EU cash

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:42 GMT

The Hungarian parliament on Tuesday started debating a judicial reform which, if passed, would unlock over €13.2 billion in EU funds for the country at a time when its economy is suffering from low growth and high prices.At issue is the independence of the judiciary, which EU officials claim has been hindered by the government of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. A proposed reform, however, aims to strengthen independence in several ways, for example by ensuring that the National Judicial Council, a judiciary watchdog, remains independent as well as by reforming the Supreme Court and the Constitutional Court to shield them from political influence and to allow cases to be referred to the European Court of Justice for preliminary rulings.The Hungarian parliament is set to vote on the reform on Wednesday.“If the judiciary independence case is settled, it unlocks the huge majority of the cohesion programs,” EU Budget Commissioner Johannes Hahn told a group of journalists last week.Buda...

EU capitals propose Chips Act for medicines

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:42 GMT

A majority of EU countries have rallied behind a proposal to create a “Critical Medicines Act” that would replicate European efforts toward self-reliance in microchips. The act would encourage production of key medicines, as well as pharmaceutical ingredients and more basic chemical inputs, reducing dependencies on major producers like China and India.The idea is put forward in a position paper dated Tuesday, drawn up by the Belgian government and backed by 18 other countries, including France and Germany. The EU capitals point out that 40 percent of all pharmaceutical ingredients globally are sourced from China, and that production for many of these products is concentrated in just a handful of manufacturing sites. “As a result, Europe (and the world) depend on a few manufacturers for a large bulk of their medicines supply,” notes the paper. It doesn’t spell out in detail how this would be achieved, but states that future legislation should follow the ...

MBTA releases video of equipment falling on woman at Harvard station, identifies object’s origins

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:42 GMT

The MBTA has released footage of an incident involving heavy equipment falling from a column at Harvard station, striking a person in the process.The footage showed about two dozen people waiting at a Red Line platform when a person wearing a white coat and backpack approached a column.Almost immediately after the person leaned against a column in the background, a large piece of equipment dropped from above, appearing to strike the individual, who could be seen immediately grabbing their head and walking out of view.RELATED: Woman taken to hospital after heavy equipment falls at Harvard MBTA stationShortly before the footage was released to 7NEWS, an MBTA spokesperson sent out a new update on the incident. Earlier in the day, MBTA officials announced it had determined that a corroded support strap led to the utility box falling, making contact with a woman below.The victim, described as a woman in her late 20s, suffered non-life-threatening injuries according to the Cambridge Fire...

3rd stabbing in a week near UC Davis leaves campus on edge as officials lift overnight shelter-in-place order

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:42 GMT

(CNN) — Officials in Davis, California, have lifted an overnight shelter-in-place order after they were unable to find a suspect in a knife attack late Monday — the third such incident following two fatal stabbings in less than a week near the campus of the University of California, Davis.The startling advice for students not to venture out followed Monday’s stabbing, which left a woman in critical condition. That attack was preceded by the killings Saturday evening of a UC Davis senior and Thursday of a 50-year-old man at different parks near campus. About 40,000 students are enrolled at the public university in Davis, a city of some 68,000 people about a 20-minute drive west of the state capital, Sacramento.It’s still too early for authorities to definitively link the three attacks, Deputy Chief Todd Henry of the Davis Police told CNN Tuesday, adding police had received “hundreds” of tips. “But the pattern of the attack...

Ex-Maine governor hopeful to plead guilty in child porn case

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:42 GMT

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — A wealthy attorney who came close to being elected governor of Maine in 2010 is expected to plead guilty to possessing videos and images of child sexual abuse and to serve nine months in prison, according to a court document.Eliot Cutler, 76, is due in an Ellsworth courtroom on Thursday, where he’s expected to plead guilty to four counts of possession of sexually explicit material of a child under 12, according to terms of the agreement hammered out with prosecutors. Each count carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison, but the sentencing memorandum filed Monday by Cutler’s attorney calls for him to get a four-year term with all but nine months suspended.The judge would still need to approve of the deal.The sentencing memorandum describes Cutler’s rise to prominence and subsequent fall because of his addiction to pornography, with Cutler acknowledging that he downloaded hundreds of images and videos at a time — so many that he didn...

Job openings tumble to lowest point in nearly two years

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:42 GMT

(CNN) — The number of open jobs in the United States has dropped to the lowest level since May 2021, a reflection of a labor market that is slowly settling back into balance after the Federal Reserve’s yearlong campaign to cool off the economy.Job openings totaled 9.59 million in March, according to monthly data released Tuesday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s down from an upwardly revised 9.974 million reported in February and represents the third consecutive month that available jobs have fallen.Economists were expecting 9.775 million openings, according to consensus estimates on Refinitiv.As of March, the ratio of open jobs to the number of unemployed Americans fell to 1.65, BLS data shows.“Demand for labor is cooling, and the dynamics of the labor market are normalizing,” said Julia Pollak, chief economist at ZipRecruiter. “After two years of incredibly rapid churn and highly elevated demand, things are now all going back t...

Celebrate Cinco de Mayo with stuffed taco cups

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:42 GMT

With Cinco de Mayo just a few days away, start chilling those margarita glasses and get ready to create and eat delicious Mexican-inspired dishes.I grew up in Southern California, so I had amazing opportunities to taste authentic Mexican food on both sides of the southern border from cities like San Diego, Los Angeles, Tijuana and Ensenada, just to name a few. Mexican food is my favorite type of cuisine, and through the years, I’ve tried numerous dishes and have put my spin on many.In my opinion, it’s all about the balance of spices, chilis, salsas, meats, cremas and tortillas that make the perfect, delicious bite.For a fun, easy and delicious spin on one of my favorite dishes, I created taco bites. The best part of the recipe is it’s open to interpretation and everyone can make each cup their own. Create everything from fajita, seven-layer, carne asada, vegetarian and taco-style cups that are baked to make the perfect two-to-three-bite appetizer.Another option is to file a cup with...

Chicago White Sox make 11 roster moves — including reinstating Tim Anderson from IL and optioning Oscar Colás

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:42 GMT

The Chicago White Sox made 11 roster moves Tuesday, including reinstating shortstop Tim Anderson from the injured list and optioning outfielder Oscar Colás to Triple-A Charlotte.The Sox also reinstated infielder Hanser Alberto from the 10-day injured list, selected the contracts of pitchers Alexander Colomé and Sammy Peralta, and outfielder Billy Hamilton from Charlotte, placed reliever Joe Kelly on the paternity list, placed infielder/outfielder Romy Gonzalez on the 10-day injured list (retroactive to Monday) with right shoulder inflammation, optioned infielder Lenyn Sosa to Charlotte and designated pitchers Jake Diekman and Frank German for assignment.Anderson, placed on the injured list on April 11 with a sprained left knee, is slashing .298/.327/.404 with five doubles, four RBIs, five stolen bases and nine runs in 11 games.Alberto, placed on the injured list on April 16 (retro to April 15) with a strained left quad, is hitting .211 (4-for-19) with one homer and four RB...

Toronto police arrest man, 18, in roofing scam

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:42 GMT

An 18-year-old man is facing charges after police allege he was involved in an elaborate roofing scam that involved hiring unsuspecting sub-contractors who were never compensated.Police say on Tuesday, April 25, three men were in the Coxwell and Danforth avenues area where they approached a homeowner, saying they were working as roofers on a nearby home and noticed damage on their roof.When they offered to inspect the roof, the homeowner agreed.After conducting the phony inspection, police say the homeowner was provided a quote for $18,500. The homeowner gave the men a deposit of $9000 to begin work the next day.“The following day, an unsuspecting sub-contracted crew arrived and began working on the roof,” police explained in a release. “The man who provided the quote returned asking for $3000 to purchase supplies. When the homeowner returned from the bank with the withdrawal, the man was gone. By phone, the man told the home owner to hand the money to the new crew...