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BBC Chairman Richard Sharp quits over report into Boris Johnson loan

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:25:45 GMT

LONDON — BBC Chairman Richard Sharp will resign after a damning report into his appointment at the top of the U.K.’s public broadcaster, and a bitter row over a six-figure loan to Boris Johnson.Sharp, an ex-investment banker and Conservative donor, secured the top scrutiny role at the public broadcaster in February 2021, in a move signed off by the then-prime minister.But, in a report published Friday, independent barrister Adam Heppinstall found Sharp failed to declare two “potential perceived conflicts of interest” when going through the appointments process for the BBC post. Sharp confirmed he would stand down at the end of June, although said the breach was “inadvertent and not material.”The findings in part relate to Johnson’s securing of an £800,000 loan from the financier Sam Blyth while prime minister, first brought to light through reporting by the Sunday Times. Sharp introduced Blyth to the U.K.’s top civil servant, Cabinet Secretary Simon Case, to discuss the ...

Police searching for suspect in connection with threat made at Flames Restaurant in Roxbury

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:25:45 GMT

Boston Police are searching for a suspect in connection with a threat that was made Monday night at Flames Restaurant in Roxbury. Police say the incident occurred on just before 9 p.m. at the Huntington Avenue establishment. The suspect fled the scene on foot toward South Huntington Avenue. The suspect is described as a man wearing a white and green hat, black shirt, gray pants, and black sneakers.Anyone with information is asked to contact detectives at (617) 343-4275.Those who wish to assist in the investigation anonymously can do so by calling the CrimeStoppers Tip Line at 1 (800) 494-TIPS or by texting the word ‘TIP’ to CRIME (27463).

Bicyclist seriously injured after being hit by car in Attleboro

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:25:45 GMT

A bicyclist is seriously injured after being hit by a car in Attleboro Thursday night, according to police. Police say the incident happened on Lamb Street. The victim was taken to the hospital and their condition is unknown at this time. It is unclear if the driver remained on scene or if they will face any charges. No additional information has been released.

Heat’s ‘psychotic’ truth with Jimmy Butler, ‘He is us, we are him’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:25:45 GMT

Being a teammate is the starting point. It means a willingness to work with others. It is, in many ways, the NBA bare minimum.Being a game mate is what differentiates Jimmy Butler, committing to make teammates better, willing to carry them on his back when needed.It is why Butler and the Miami Heat find themselves in a better place than many expected as April turns to May, ready to open their best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinal playoff series Sunday at 1 p.m. against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.“I’ve said it a lot about how I feel about Jimmy, that he is us, we are him,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said, with the Heat beginning their second-round preparation Friday at the Kaseya Center. “I respect him so much as being such a unique, world-class, elite competitor.“A lot of players can play the game of basketball in this league. He needs to win. That’s a different language.”It is a language that resonates in the locker ro...

Repair work on North County sinkhole extended

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:25:45 GMT

SAN DIEGO — Repair work on a sinkhole in North County continues with the City of Encinitas announcing a new estimated timeframe for the reopening of the affected area.Located on Lake Drive in Cardiff, the sinkhole was first reported in late February after bouts of heavy rain swept through the region. The specific area is between Sea Village and Wales Drive. Falling debris closes tracks between San Juan Capistrano, Oceanside The sinkhole affected a two-lane residential street, with officials encouraging residents to avoid the area and, instead, use a detour route.At that time, officials say crews relocated all of the utilities, including gas, electric, water and cable. Once all the utilities had been relocated, work began on designing and installing shoring to stabilize the sinkhole and provide a safe area for workers.In the month following, overnight rainfall on March 10 caused the sinkhole to expand further with city officials saying precipitation levels in the area reached about...

Stock market today: Wall Street drifts at end of bumpy week

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:25:45 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street is drifting at the end of a volatile week Friday as Big Tech stocks lose some steam. The S&P 500 slipped 0.1% in early trading. The benchmark index is on track to close out April with a modest gain as markets keep churning amid unanswered questions about where the economy and corporate profits are heading. The Dow Jones Industrial Average and the Nasdaq composite were also slightly lower. Amazon fell despite reporting stronger profit and revenue for the latest quarter than expected. Analysts pointed to a slowdown in revenue growth at its AWS cloud computing business.THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.Wall Street pointed toward small declines early Friday ahead of the release of closely-watched inflation data that could influence what the Federal Reserve does at its policy meeting next week.Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P 500 each slipped 0.4%.The Commerce Department releases its consumer spending ...

Pakistan: 3 troops, 7 militants killed in overnight attacks

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:25:45 GMT

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — Militants targeted Pakistani security forces in three overnight attacks in the country’s volatile northwest, triggering shootouts that killed three soldiers and seven militants, the military said Friday.The near-simultaneous attacks late Thursday night in Lakki Marwat, a district in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province bordering Afghanistan, lasted several hours. A military statement said the attackers were repulsed but that three soldiers “embraced martyrdom” while responding to the attacks.In one of the attacks, a suicide bomber riding on a motorcycle blew himself up near a compound housing security forces. The military said troops were still searching the area for the militants who escaped following the attacks.There was no claim of responsibility for the attacks but suspicion is likely to fall on the Pakistani Taliban who have been behind past attacks in the region and have a strong presence in the province. The militants, known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pak...

Man accused of setting fire to 2 Minneapolis mosques

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:25:45 GMT

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Police in Minneapolis are searching for a man suspected of setting fires that damaged two mosques earlier this week.Jackie Rahm Little was charged with second-degree arson for one of the fires that rattled Minnesota’s Muslim community. The criminal complaint does not mention possible motives, but Muslim leaders on Tuesday said they feared the attacks were motivated by Islamophobia, the Star Tribune reported.Little, 36, is charged in connection with the second fire, which on Monday burned the third floor of the Mercy Islamic Center. The center houses the Masjid Al Rahma mosque.The criminal complaint states that surveillance footage shows Little entering the center carrying a bag with a gasoline can inside. A short time later, a staff member spotted a fire near offices. It was extinguished before it could spread very far.The other fire was Sunday night in the bathroom of the mosque in the 24 Somali Mall. The Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic...

2 journalists killed in Haiti as gang violence spikes

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:25:45 GMT

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Two local journalists have been killed in Haiti over the past couple of weeks as rampant gang violence has gripped the capital of Port-au-Prince and surrounding areas.The Committee to Protect Journalists said in a statement Thursday that radio reporter Dumesky Kersaint was fatally shot in mid-April, while journalist Ricot Jean was found dead on Tuesday.“The security crisis in the country is putting journalists at a constant risk of extreme violence. It is the authorities’ responsibility to make sure reporters can do their jobs without fear of violence,” said Carlos Martínez de la Serna, CPJ’s program director.The National Association of Haitian Media also condemned the killings, adding that the “climate of tolerated and fueled violence” led to Kersaint’s death. He was an online journalist for Radio Tele INUREP, according to local media reports.Meanwhile, Haitian newspaper Le Nouvelliste reported that Jean was kidnapped on Monday and his body discovered t...

Speedboat capsizes in west Indonesia; 11 dead and 1 missing

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:25:45 GMT

PEKANBARU, Indonesia (AP) — A speedboat carrying 74 people capsized in rough seas in western Indonesia, killing at least 11 and leaving one person missing, officials said Friday.Many of the dead were women and children, said Nyoman Sidakarya, chief of the Pekanbaru Search and Rescue Agency. He said 62 people had been rescued, including some who were unconscious after drifting in the choppy waters for hours. They were hospitalized and were in stable condition, he said.The Evelyn Calista 01 was carrying 68 passengers, mostly people returning from visits to their hometowns to celebrate the Eid al-Fitr holiday with their families, and six crew members, Sidakarya said. He revised the number of people on board from an initial estimate of 78.Television video showed people standing on an overturned boat trying to reach a fishing boat packed with survivors.The boat sank Thursday afternoon about three hours after leaving Tembilahan, a town in Indragiri Hilir Regency in Riau province. It was b...