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UK political watchdog says Prime Minister Rishi Sunak ‘inadvertently’ broke ethics rules

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:43 GMT

LONDON (AP) — British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was chided by Parliament’s standards guardian on Thursday for failing to declare his wife’s financial interest in a childcare firm that stood to benefit from government policy.Standards Commissioner Daniel Greenberg said Sunak broke the code of conduct for government ministers, but said the mistake was “inadvertent” and that the prime minister should not be sanctioned for the error.Greenberg opened an investigation in April over Sunak’s failure to declare when questioned by a committee of lawmakers that his wife. Akshata Murthy, held shares in the company Koru Kids, which had been selected to receive government support for childcare firms.Greenberg said Murthy’s shareholding “was a relevant interest that should have been declared.” But he said the failure stemmed from confusion about the rules rather than an intent to deceive.“I confirm that the matter is now closed,” he said.Sunak apologized for the mistake.The finding follows a stri...

Niger junta’s 3-year transition plan is a ‘provocation,’ says West African regional bloc

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:43 GMT

NIAMEY, Niger (AP) — The West African bloc ECOWAS rejected the proposal by Niger’s mutinous soldiers for a three-year transition to democratic rule, with a commissioner describing the slow timeline as a provocation.The door for diplomacy with Niger’s junta remained open but the bloc is not going to engage in drawn-out talks that lead nowhere, Abdel-Fatau Musah, the ECOWAS commissioner for peace and security, told The Associated Press in an interview Wednesday. “It is the belief among the ECOWAS heads of state and also the commission that the coup in Niger is one coup too many for the region and if we allow it then we are going to have a domino effect in the region and we are determined to stop it,” Musah said. While direct talks and backchannel negotiations are ongoing, he said the door to diplomacy wasn’t open indefinitely.“We are not going to engage in long, drawn out haggling with these military officers … We went down that route in Mali, in Burkina Faso and elsewhere, and ...

In the news today: NWT officials turning residents back as wildfire threat remains

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:43 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…N.W.T. officials want evacuees to stay out for nowNorthwest Territories officials are using roadblocks to turn back Yellowknife residents who are attempting to return home despite the city still being under a state of emergency.All but about 1,600 of Yellowknife’s 20,000 residents have left the community due to the continued threat of wildfires that have caused the evacuation of a number of northern communities.The government of the N.W.T clarified its evacuation order Wednesday, telling the non-essential personnel who remain that they need to leave and those who think the danger is over to stay away. The fact that the fires haven’t progressed over the past few days has prompted some to believe the threat is over.Heavy rain aids in tempering B.C. wildfiresFirefighters in British Columbia’s southern Interior continue to battle a number of major...

Rockslide near Dead Sea in Israel injures several people

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:43 GMT

JERUSALEM (AP) — An avalanche of rock tumbled down a hillside in Israel near the Dead Sea on Thursday, Israeli medics said, injuring several people. Israel’s rescue service did not give the exact number of injured but said the casualties included a 4-year-old girl and a seriously injured man. It was not immediately clear what caused the rockslide, which typically occurs when torrential rains or earthquakes create fissures in a rocky hillside.The Israel-based volunteer emergency medical service United Hatzalah said that “numerous others” were still trapped under the rubble and that rescue teams were trying to reach them.The rockslide took place in the Ein Gedi Nature Reserve, on the western shore of the Dead Sea, a popular tourist site in the country. The Associated Press

Heavy rain aids in tempering B.C. wildfires in Shuswap, Okanagan regions

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:43 GMT

Firefighters in British Columbia’s southern Interior continue to battle a number of major blazes, having been aided by ample rainfall that fell Wednesday over the Okanagan and Shuswap regions.BC Wildfire Service information officer Forrest Tower says one weather station near the eastern edge of the Bush Creek East wildfire near Chase received about 20 millimetres of rain in the last day.Tower says varying amounts of rainfall were also recorded on the wildfire’s western edge, which reached more than 15 millimetres, leading to a widespread diminishing of fire behaviour.Environment Canada had issued a severe thunderstorm watch late Tuesday for the Shuswap region — one of the hardest-hit fire zones — with Salmon Arm recording 12 millimetres of rain on that day, the biggest single-day total all year.Firefighters fighting the McDougall Creek wildfire near Kelowna report similar trends of heavy rain helping crews control the blazes, which have forced more than 25,000 people to ...

Fire burns North Austin complex; no one hurt

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:43 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) – Austin Fire crews are fighting a fire at a complex in North Austin Thursday morning. According to an Austin Fire Department social media post at 3:20 a.m., 3 units were on fire in the 8200 block of Sam Rayburn Drive. That is just north of Powell Lane which is northeast of U.S. 183 and northwest of Interstate 35.AFD said no one was hurt.

Daily horoscope for August 24, 2023

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:43 GMT

Moon Alert: Avoid shopping or making important decisions until 4:30 a.m. EDT today (1:30 a.m. PDT). After that, the Moon moves from Scorpio into Sagittarius.Happy Birthday for Thursday, Aug. 24, 2023:You have a sharp, critical mind that seeks the truth. Because of this, you’re quick to see the subtext. You are hard to fool. This is a fun-loving, wonderful year to socialize! Let your hair down. Loosen up a bit. Have fun and enjoy contacting old friends.ARIES(March 21-April 19) ★★★★Your desire to make improvements in your life is strong now. In particular, you want to improve your health and your productivity because you want to get a lot done. Since motivation is everything, expect success! Tonight: Explore!TAURUS(April 20-May 20) ★★★★This is a wonderful time to express your creative talents. You might do this in your personal life or in your job. You also might use this strong sense of purpose and energy to improve your game or your style in sports as well as your ability to w...

Europe-Wide Day of Remembrance for the victims of all totalitarian and authoritarian regimes: Statement by Vice President Jourová and Commissioner Reynders

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:43 GMT

To commemorate the Europe-Wide Day of Remembrance for the victims of all totalitarian and authoritarian regimes on 23 August, Values and Transparency Vice President Věra Jourová (pictured) and Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders, issued the following statement:“84 years ago, the signature of the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact, followed by the start of the Second World War, opened one of the darkest chapters in European history. On this important date for the history of our continent, we honour the countless victims of totalitarian and authoritarian regimes. We reaffirm that their memory is not forgotten, and renew our commitment to do everything in our power to prevent such tragedies from ever being repeated."In February last year, however, Europe and the whole world watched in horror and disbelief as Vladimir Putin brought back war, persecution, and illegal occupation to our continent. Russia's state apparatus distorts history and spreads conspiracies to poison our democracies with malic...

Miss Manners: He insists on the grandchildren using this ridiculous name

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:43 GMT

DEAR MISS MANNERS: My father, with whom I do not have a close relationship, wishes to be called “Grandude” by his grandchildren.Related ArticlesAdvice | Miss Manners: We cleared dinner, and then this guest walked in Advice | Miss Manners: The neighbors ask if this rich woman left me anything. She did, but I don’t want to tell them. Advice | Miss Manners: Our friend doesn’t have a husband but she still wants the big bedroom Advice | Miss Manners: Shouldn’t I be the one to decide if my kid is being rude? Advice | Miss Manners: The bride told me to lie to her fiance about why I can’t be ‘best woman’ He is not a “dude” in any sense of the word, which makes the entire thing seem like a mockery of him, and he demands respect in every other way.My siblings feel this is inherently disrespectful and that if he will not respect himself, their children sho...

Dear Abby: Was it illegal what she did with my brother’s body?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:43 GMT

DEAR ABBY: I have a family issue concerning the recent, untimely death of my only (younger) brother, who died of pneumonia in Georgia.Related ArticlesAdvice | Dear Abby: My husband says I ruin his fun at parties, but I’m mortified by what he does Advice | Dear Abby: I don’t want my daughter’s bully in my house, and her mother is no help Advice | Dear Abby: I was taken aback by her appearance, and I hope my face didn’t give me away Advice | Dear Abby: My husband justifies his behavior by saying he doesn’t like boys Advice | Dear Abby: I find it obnoxious when my boyfriend preaches that I’m going to hell His wife had him cremated the following day instead of having a funeral. She didn’t inform his immediate family about it until it was over.Was that legal? And was it the right thing to do?— NO FAMILY CLOSUREDEAR N.F.C: Please accept my sympathy for the passin...