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COVID inquiry: Rishi Sunak’s ‘dogmatic’ push to reopen economy slammed by ex-science chief

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:58:36 GMT

LONDON — Rishi Sunak’s flagship scheme to reopen the British economy during the first year of the coronavirus pandemic is “highly likely” to have led to increased deaths, the U.K. government’s former top scientist told the official COVID inquiry Monday.Patrick Vallance — chief scientific adviser to the government during the pandemic — made clear his deep disagreement with the “Eat Out to Help Out” discount devised by Sunak’s Treasury to get people back into restaurants in summer 2020. It’s the latest awkward testimony for Sunak, the former chancellor who became U.K. prime minister late last year. He has so far seen much of the inquiry’s spotlight fall on his predecessor Boris Johnson.A short extract of Sunak’s written submission to the inquiry was displayed at the probe Monday. In it, Sunak — who will face the inquiry in the next two weeks — said he did “not recall any concerns about the scheme being expressed...

Power grab by France, Germany and Italy threatens to kill EU’s AI bill

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:58:36 GMT

Europe’s three largest economies have turned against regulation of the most powerful types of artificial intelligence, putting the fate of the bloc’s pioneering Artificial Intelligence Act on the line.France, Germany and Italy are stonewalling negotiations over a controversial section of the EU’s draft AI legislation so it doesn’t hamper Europe’s own development of “foundation models,” AI infrastructure that underpins large-language models like OpenAI’s GPT and Google’s Bard.Government officials argue that slapping tough restrictions on these newfangled models would harm the EU’s own champions in the race to harness AI technology. In a joint paper shared with fellow EU governments, obtained by POLITICO, the three European heavyweights said Europe needs a “regulatory framework which fosters innovation and competition, so that European players can emerge and carry our voice and values in the global race of AI.” The paper sugg...

Police report gives new details on arrest of Bruins’ Milan Lucic, who is expected to face assault charge in court

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:58:36 GMT

A police report is shedding new light on the arrest of Bruins veteran winger Milan Lucic, who is expected to be arraigned on a charge of assault and battery in Boston Municipal Court this week.Lucic was previously arrested on Saturday morning at his North End apartment in Boston following what was reported to be a domestic incident, leading to the Bruins placing him on indefinite leave.A police report obtained by 7NEWS described how officers responded to Lucic’s apartment in the North End by his wife, who had called police stating her husband attempted to choke her.According to the report, officers met with her in the apartment’s lobby and learned that the incident occurred after, sometime during the night, Lucic had come home and could not find his cell phone.She said Lucic accused her of hiding the phone and demanded it back, and that when she told him she did not have it or know where it was, he grabbed her by the hair and pulled her backwards as she tried to walk awa...

Biden grants turkey justice as Liberty and Bell ride the gravy train to the White House

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:58:36 GMT

(CNN) — Liberty arrived at the White House seeking justice.President Joe Biden presided over the annual White House Thanksgiving tradition of the turkey pardon Monday, sparing Liberty, a 42.5-pound turkey, and Bell, 42.1 pounds, in a brief respite from the global crises facing his administration.Liberty and Bell were roasted – but only metaphorically – by the president on the South Lawn of the White House. The yearly occasion is an opportunity for a cornucopia of fowl jokes – and to give thanks as the holiday season begins.“These birds have a new appreciation for the word, ‘Let freedom ring,’” Biden told an audience of children of his staff and Cabinet members, local schoolkids, and others.“That’s a big bird, man. I’m impressed,” Biden said as one of the turkeys flapped on a table. “I hereby pardon Liberty and Bell. Congratulations, birds.”As Americans gather around their Thanksgiving tables this year, the price of the average meal is down from a historic high, signaling s...

MIAA statewide football championship schedule announced

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:58:36 GMT

Tickets for the MIAA State Football Championships are on sale now via Ticketmaster. No tickets will be sold at the Gillette Stadium Ticket Office. All tickets will be digital and will be accessible via mobile device only. Fans can access and manage mobile tickets via the Gillette Stadium App which is available on the App Store (for iPhone users) and Google Play Store (for Android users). It is recommended that fans add their mobile tickets to their Apple Wallet or Google Pay to beat busy network connections at the game. Additional information on mobile ticketing can be found at GilletteStadium.com/tickets/mobile/.Tickets are $20 for adults and $15 for students/senior citizens. Children 5 years old and younger will receive free admission. The ticket price includes parking, admission to the games and a game day discount of $3 off adult admission at the Patriots Hall of Fame presented by RTX (must show game ticket). Wednesday’s tickets provide access to both Wednesday games, Thursday’s...

Adrián Beltré, other former Red Sox among first-time candidates on Hall of Fame ballot

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:58:36 GMT

Though his time in Boston was short, Adrián Beltré enjoyed a successful one-year stint with the Red Sox in the midst of his 21-year career in the majors. Along the way Beltré established himself as one of the greatest third baseman in MLB history, compiling 3,166 hits, 477 home runs and 93.5 wins above replacement.Now Beltré has a chance to complete his baseball journey with a trip to Cooperstown.Beltré is the headliner of this year’s 2024 Baseball Hall of Fame ballot, which was unveiled on Monday afternoon and features 26 candidates, including 12 first-timers and seven who spent time with the Red Sox.The other first-time candidates with ties to the Red Sox include first baseman Adrián González, catcher Victor Martinez, starting pitcher Bartolo Colon and second baseman Brandon Phillips, none of whom spent significant time with the Red Sox and who would presumably wear another team’s cap if they ever earned induction. Outfielder Manny Ramirez and closer Billy Wagner are t...

Boston TV reporter is grabbed from behind while outside TD Garden for Bruins game: ‘Unacceptable’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:58:36 GMT

A Boston TV reporter in front of a camera was grabbed from behind while outside TD Garden for a Bruins game over the weekend.WHDH 7News reporter Grant Hermes took to social media after the incident Saturday night when the yelling stranger grabbed him around his chest.Hermes was doing a standup report outside TD Garden, and the person came up from behind, flexed like he was in the middle of a wrestling ring, and shouted, “Yeah boy!”As Hermes turns his head, the person screams out “Woooooo!” in wrestler legend Ric Flair style, and grabs the reporter around his chest.Hermes pushes the guy off, and chases him away before returning to the camera.“I’m fine. My photog is fine. But I wanna be clear how not ok this is,” Hermes posted on social media along with the video. “The people you see on TV are at work, at a job where people make threats at us regularly. So we don’t know when you yell at us, run into our live shots or grab us, we do...

After 3 and a half years, Ped West reopens for border crossers heading south into Tijuana

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:58:36 GMT

SAN DIEGO (Border Report) -- Ped West, the second pedestrian crossing at the San Ysidro Port of Entry will begin processing border commuters in a south bound direction for the first time in three and a half years.It is set to reopen Monday for the evening rush hour.Hours of operation will be from 3 to 11 p.m. seven days a week.It was shut down in April 2020 as the coronavirus pandemic began.The facility’s northbound operations resumed in January only to shut down again eight months later to accommodate the processing of a sudden surge of migrant and asylum-seekers. It reopened to northbound commuters last Friday. Popular border crossing reopens to US-bound pedestrians That side of the crossing is open from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m.“With the resumption of operations at the Pedestrian West southbound facility, we are taking steps to return to operational capacity and improve the daily life of thousands of travelers in the region who cross every day,” said Mariza Marin, Port Director of the S...

Los Angeles freeway is fully reopened after arson fire, just in time for Monday morning's rush hour

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:58:36 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Los Angeles drivers returned to a much more normal commute Monday when an elevated stretch of a major freeway reopened well ahead of original estimates following a raging arson fire that shut down the roadway for more than a week. The section of Interstate 10 south of downtown reopened Sunday night, and authorities assured commuters that the freeway is safe after emergency work to shore up the structure until permanent repairs of scorched support columns can be completed.“Yes, the 10 is open,” declared Laura Rubio-Cornejo, general manager of the Los Angeles Department of Transportation, during a morning briefing on the status of the interstate, which carries about 300,000 vehicles a day and connects to other major routes. The early morning inferno on Nov. 11 was fed by flammable materials stored under the roadway in violation of a company’s lease. Initial worst-case scenarios raised the possibility that the section of freeway might have to be demolished and rebuil...

Lightning left wing Cole Koepke wearing neck guard following the death of Adam Johnson

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:58:36 GMT

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Cole Koepke was en route to a minor league game with Syracuse of the AHL when he heard from a friend that Adam Johnson had been cut by a skate blade during a game in Britain.After the game last month, the Tampa Bay Lightning left wing found out the fellow University of Minnesota-Duluth product had died.“I actually knew Adam,” Koepke said after Tampa Bay’s morning skate before Monday night’s game against the Boston Bruins. “A lot to take in … boom. Shock. Just terrible.”The death of the 29-year-old former Pittsburgh Penguins player has not only forced the sport to re-examine safety regulations but prompted Koepke to the wear a turtleneck-style neck guard.“It was pretty easy,” Koepke said of the decision. “You don’t think it will happen to anyone, yet alone someone you know. How it affected so many people just being from the same area. Seeing the impact of it and everything, it just makes sense.“It doesn’t bother me to wear the neck gua...