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PMQs scorecard: Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer fight about spies as Black Mirror creator watches

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:44:03 GMT

Prime minister’s questions: a shouty, jeery, very occasionally useful advert for British politics. Here’s what you need to know from today’s session in POLITICO’s weekly run-through.What they sparred about: Spying and terrorism. Keir Starmer opted to push Rishi Sunak first on the case of escaped terror suspect Daniel Khalife, before moving on to the row about a parliamentary staffer arrested amid a Chinese influence probe.Was there a theme? Absolutely. Starmer argued that apparent security failures in both cases show Sunak and his Conservatives “keep ignoring the warnings” about decline and risks in the public sector. He alluded to the crisis over dodgy concrete-addled crumbling schools on that theme too.Other action figures are available: The Labour leader branded Sunak “inaction man” — not his worst gag (though it’s PMQs so it’s a low bar.)Things can’t only get better: For his part, Sunak strained to point out that prison escapes happened ...

Teacher injured during altercation involving students at Madison Park HS

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:44:03 GMT

Two students at Madison Park Vocational Technical High School in Roxbury may be facing disciplinary action after a teacher was hurt during an altercation. In a letter, the head of the school said the teacher was hurt while trying to calm down two students when a disagreement escalated. The teacher was taken to the hospital with undisclosed injuries.The two students involved may be facing disciplinary action in connection with the incident.

Former Orioles prospect Drew Rom, traded away for Jack Flaherty, ‘excited’ to pitch at Camden Yards with Cardinals

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:44:03 GMT

Drew Rom’s first trip to Camden Yards as a big leaguer didn’t go as planned. In fact, the back of his baseball card doesn’t show that it even occurred.The left-handed pitching prospect was promoted to the major leagues for the first time May 9, joining a taxed Orioles’ bullpen for two games. But he didn’t appear in either game and was optioned back to Triple-A without making his MLB debut.He’s back at Camden Yards this week and will pitch there for the first time Wednesday, but it’ll be against the Orioles, not for them. Rom was one of three prospects Baltimore traded to St. Louis for starter Jack Flaherty, and he’s back at Oriole Park as a member of the Cardinals’ rotation, starting Wednesday against his former team.“Definitely not the situation I envisioned,” Rom said Tuesday in the visiting clubhouse at Camden Yards. “I always wanted to pitch here in the big leagues at some point. … Coming back to Camde...

Escaped murderer Danelo Cavalcante has been captured, Pennsylvania police say

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:44:03 GMT

POTTSTOWN, Pa. (AP) — An escaped Pennsylvania murderer was captured Wednesday after eluding hundreds of searchers for two weeks by hiding out in wooded areas, breaking into suburban homes for food, fleeing under gunfire with a rifle pilfered from a garage, stealing a vehicle and changing his appearance, authorities said.State police announced Danelo Souza Cavalcante’s capture on social media on Wednesday, as the search entered its 14th day, and planned a news conference announcing details for 9:30 a.m. Cavalcante’s condition wasn’t released.The end to the search for Cavalcante, 34, unfolded just beyond Philadelphia’s heavily populated suburbs, in an area of woods, rolling farmland and a county park. The search forced schools to close right at the start of the academic year, led to warnings for homeowners to lock their doors, and blocked roads over the busy Labor Day weekend.Overnight into Wednesday, heavily armed law enforcement officers searched for the fugitive through...

International crews in Morocco to recover bodies days after deadly 6.8 earthquake struck

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:44:03 GMT

IMI N’TALA, Morocco (AP) — The stench of death wafted through the village of Imi N’Tala high up in Morocco’s Atlas Mountains four days after a deadly earthquake struck, slicing off a chunk of mountain, killing residents and razing the hamlet to the ground.Bulldozers, rescue crews and Moroccan first responders work around the clock trying to dig through the wreckage to unearth the eight to ten corpses still underneath.“The mountain was split in half and started falling. Houses were fully destroyed,” Ait Ougadir Al Houcine said as rescuers worked on recovering bodies, including his sister’s. “Some people lost all their cattle. We have nothing but the clothes we’re wearing. Everything is gone.”The scene in Imi N’Tala, which mainly houses herders and famers and where 96 residents perished in Friday’s earthquake, mirrors that of dozens of places situated along the treacherous mountain roads south of Marrakech: Men in donated djellabas neatly arrange ru...

Baltic states ban vehicles with Russian license plates in line with EU sanctions interpretation

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:44:03 GMT

HELSINKI (AP) — Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have banned vehicles with Russian license plates from entering their territory, a joint and coordinated move in line with a recent interpretation of the European Union’s sanctions against Moscow over its war on Ukraine.Estonia imposed the measure on Wednesday morning, matching similar actions by southern neighbors Latvia and Lithuania earlier in the week. Estonia’s interior ministry said the decision by the Baltic nations — which are all NATO members that border Russia — followed “the additional interpretation of the sanctions imposed on the Russian Federation published by the European Commission” on Sept. 8. Under the EU’s decision, motor vehicles registered in the Russian Federation are no longer allowed to enter the territory of the 27-member bloc, including Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. The Baltic states are among the most vocal European critics of Russia and President Vladimir Putin. “The goal of the sanctions against Russia is to ...

Taliban hail China’s new ambassador with fanfare, say it’s a sign for others to establish relations

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:44:03 GMT

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The Taliban Wednesday hailed China’s new ambassador to Afghanistan with fanfare, saying his arrival is a sign for other nations to come forward and establish relations with them. The Taliban seized power in August 2021 as US and NATO forces withdrew after two decades of war. Their leaders are under sanctions and no country recognizes them as Afghanistan’s legitimate rulers. The country’s seat at the United Nations is still held by the former Western-backed government that was led by Ashraf Ghani.Only a handful of nations have working diplomatic missions in Afghanistan, including China, the world’s second-largest economy. The two sides have been open about their desire for closer ties, especially commercial ones. Ambassador Zhao Sheng’s car swept through the tree-lined driveway of the Presidential Palace escorted by a police convoy. He was greeted by uniformed troops and met top-ranking Taliban officials, including Mohammad Hassan Akhund, who hea...

Chief financial prosecutor says investigation into Paris Olympics did not uncover serious corruption

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:44:03 GMT

PARIS (AP) — France’s top financial prosecutor said Wednesday that investigations into the organization of the 2024 Paris Olympics have not revealed any serious corruption or influence peddling, and that his goal is not to disrupt the event.Speaking in an interview with RTL radio, Jean-Francois Bohnert said the potential infractions currently investigated by the the financial prosecutor’s office are “mainly formal.”“It’s about favoritism, of illegal interest-taking,” he said. “It’s about the way certain contracts have been distributed, the arrangements … But I don’t see any elements, at least not at this stage, that would lead the investigation towards the most serious cases of corruption or influence peddling.”French police searched the Paris Olympic organizing committee headquarters in June as part of corruption investigations into contracts linked to the event.The search and other related raids were linked to two preliminary investigations of the Paris Olympics....

Stock market today: Wall Street subdued ahead of update on US consumer inflation

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:44:03 GMT

Wall Street pointed slightly lower early Wednesday ahead of a key report on U.S. inflation that could sway the Federal Reserve’s upcoming decision on interest rates. Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average edged 0.1% lower before the bell, while the S&P 500 are essentially unchanged.Economists expect Wednesday’s report from the Labor Department to show that consumer prices were broadly 3.6% higher last month than a year earlier. That’s up from July’s 3.2% and June’s 3%, which was the lowest in more than two years.Fed policymakers remain concerned about inflation, even though it has fallen considerably from highs above 9%. The Fed’s interest rate hiking campaign, which has raised borrowing rates to the highest level in 22 years, was supposed to cool the economy and job market. But the labor market remains tight and consumer spending fairly strong. The Fed’s next two-day meeting is scheduled to wrap up next Wednesday, when policy make...

Sharply higher gas prices pushed up inflation in August, yet underlying price measures cooled

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:44:03 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — A spike in gas prices pushed up inflation in August, yet most other costs rose at a more modest pace, evidence that consumer price increases overall are still cooling. In a set of conflicting data on Wednesday, the Labor Department said the consumer price index rose 3.7% in August from a year ago, up from a 3.2% annual pace in July. Yet excluding the volatile food and energy categories, so-called core prices rose 4.3%, down from 4.7% in July and the smallest increase in nearly two years. That remains far from the Federal Reserve’s 2% target.Despite the seemingly divergent figures, the decline in the core measure could add to optimism that inflation is coming under control. The Federal Reserve closely tracks core prices because they are seen as a better indicator of future inflation trends. Wednesday’s figures also make it more likely the Fed will skip an interest rate hike at its meeting next week. While more expensive gas could elevate inflation this month a...