Latest news with #AndrewParsons
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
One departed minister received now-cancelled cabinet cash allowance, premier's office says
Andrew Parsons left provincial politics in May, after serving as an MHA since 2011 and a cabinet minister since 2015. (Mike Simms/CBC - image credit) One now-retired politician availed of a new transitional allowance for outgoing cabinet ministers that was rescinded hours after being revealed by CBC News on Friday. Late Tuesday afternoon, the premier's office confirmed details of payments made under the now-cancelled policy. Those details were first reported by the business and political news website allNewfoundlandLabrador. Former energy minister Andrew Parsons "resigned while the policy was in place and has therefore received the cabinet transitional allowance," Sonja Pomeroy, a spokesperson for the premier's office, wrote in an emailed statement. ADVERTISEMENT Parsons would have been eligible for an allowance payment of around $37,000. According to Pomeroy, former premier Andrew Furey "has not received the cabinet transitional allowance and has asked that he not receive it." He had been eligible under the policy. Neither Parsons nor Furey has provided comment. Policy rescinded hours after airing of CBC report On Friday morning, CBC News revealed that the provincial cabinet had quietly approved a new transitional allowance policy for departing ministers, which came into effect April 1. It provided one month's ministerial salary for each year of service in cabinet, on a prorated basis, for a minimum of three months and a maximum of 12 months. For ministers, that worked out to a minimum payout of around $12,000, up to the full annual salary of $48,664. John Hogan left cabinet in March to run for the provincial Liberal leadership. He won, and was sworn in as Newfoundland and Labrador's 15th premier in May. (Mark Quinn/CBC) The revelation of the new payment to outgoing cabinet ministers, approved just months before an election, generated immediate public controversy. Six current cabinet ministers have indicated they plan to retire when voters go to the polls. ADVERTISEMENT On Friday afternoon, Premier John Hogan announced that cabinet had met and decided to "immediately rescind" the policy, which had never been publicly disclosed. Hogan stressed that he was not in cabinet when the policy was approved, and was not involved in that decision. In an open letter to Hogan on Monday, Opposition Leader Tony Wakeham was skeptical about that explanation. "Setting aside how difficult it is to believe that the public service would not brief a new premier on issues of compensation for cabinet, your statement raises more questions than it provides answers," Wakeham wrote. The PC leader said any cabinet minister who voted to approve the allowance should be removed from the Liberal slate of candidates in the coming election. PC Leader Tony Wakeham, left, and NDP Leader Jim Dinn have both been sharply critical of the now-cancelled allowance for departing ministers and how it has been handled. (Jeremy Eaton/CBC) Meanwhile, NDP Leader Jim Dinn called on Hogan to disclose exactly who supported the decision. ADVERTISEMENT "None of these ministers are living paycheque to paycheque," Dinn said in a press release Tuesday. "To make such a selfish decision after hearing firsthand how much people are struggling is nothing short of greed." Download our free CBC News app to sign up for push alerts for CBC Newfoundland and Labrador. Sign up for our daily headlines newsletter here.
Hans India
27-06-2025
- Sport
- Hans India
IPC Athletes' Forum 2025 concludes with focus on athletes well-being, overall development
Duisburg (Germany): More than 70 athlete representatives from over 50 countries gathered in Bonn and Duisburg, Germany, for the fourth edition of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) Athletes' Forum, held from June 24 to 26, 2025. The Forum brought together athlete leaders from National Paralympic Committees, International Federations, Regional Organisations, International Organisations of Sport for the Disabled, and the World Anti-Doping Agency. Over the three days, participants engaged in meaningful discussions on key topics shaping the future of the Paralympic Movement. The opening day featured welcome addresses from IPC Athletes' Council Chairperson Vladyslava Kravchenko and IPC President Andrew Parsons, and sessions on IPC governance with IPC Chief Executive Officer Mike Peters and the Paralympic Games with IPC Chief Paralympic Games Officer Colleen Wrenn. The day concluded with the inauguration of the IPC's new headquarters in Bonn, attended by federal, state, and city officials, IPC Governing Board members, para-athletes, Team IPC staff, and other distinguished guests. Juan Diego Blas, a para-archer from Guatemala who competed at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, said: 'Being at the Athletes' Forum was amazing. In addition to going to the Paralympic Games, my dream was to come to Bonn and meet Team IPC. What is more fulfilling than attending the inauguration of the new headquarters? 'All the athletes were very happy to be part of the celebration and that the IPC has a new home. The Forum was excellent.' Day two focused on athlete knowledge and education. Sessions covered the fundamentals of classification and the new 2025 IPC Athlete Classification Code. Anti-doping compliance and athlete responsibilities were also addressed. A special workshop led by TikTok, Maximising Your Social Media Presence, provided athletes with practical tools to grow their digital platforms, connect with fans, and elevate the visibility of para-sport. Thomas Borg, a para-athlete from Malta, shared: 'The presentation by TikTok was my favourite session. Nowadays, I think it is important to get the message out there and get it out as raw and authentic as possible. With TikTok, you can get your message out so easily, and that's what I enjoy about it. 'Structuring a better content plan to cater more to users and audience was something I was familiar with, but it became much clearer after the presentation. Hopefully, I'll be posting more consistent content, and my goal is to catch up to the @Paralympics TikTok channel.' The final day featured a panel on athlete representation and athlete well-being. Breakout discussions allowed participants to share experiences and ideas on improving representation and the athlete experience at the Paralympic Games. The IPC also presented its impact and development programmes, including grant opportunities and initiatives supporting para-athlete leadership. Reynold Hoover, Chief Executive Officer of the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games Organising Committee, and John Harper, Chief Operating Officer of LA28, joined the final day to engage with athletes and hear first-hand about what makes a great athlete's Paralympic Games experience. IPC President Andrew Parsons said: "The IPC Athletes' Forum is an event for athletes, with athletes, and a place where athletes from across the globe can learn more about the Paralympic Movement and share their views on a range of topics. 'Sport is transformational, it breaks down barriers, builds confidence, and unites people across cultures. That's why athlete input is not only welcomed, it is central to everything we do as we strive for a more inclusive and athlete-driven Paralympic Movement." Vladyslava Kravchenko, IPC Athletes' Council Chairperson, added: "It was so great to see so many athlete representatives from across the world come together and attend the IPC Athletes' Forum for three days of fantastic and purposeful dialogue. In particular, I was really pleased that so many athletes from Africa and Latin America were able to attend and contribute thanks to the support of the IPC Solidarity Programme. The objective now is to keep the dialogue between the athletes open as we build for the future.' To ensure diversity and equitable representation across the Paralympic Movement, the IPC supported 21 athlete representatives from eligible National Paralympic Committees through its Solidarity Programme to attend the Forum. Yaimillie Marie Diaz Colon, a para-athlete from Puerto Rico and a recipient of the grant to attend the Forum, said: "It was very emotional for me to be here. I learned a lot and there were a lot of things that I could bring back to my country. 'Being here means opportunity for growth in my country. As I'm representing Puerto Rico, I can get new ideas and bring them back to my country. It is good in terms of motivation for young people."
Scoop
24-06-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Growth Driving Water Investment
Growth and government requirements are driving a massive increase in water infrastructure investment across Hamilton city and the Waikato district. The two councils are signalling a joint investment of $3.6 billion in water and wastewater over the next decade. Of that investment, 67% ($2.4 billion) is driven by growth, noting a forecast 22% increase in households or businesses needing water services. The investment will be managed by IAWAI Flowing Waters, the councils' jointly owned company which will become fully operational from next July. The numbers are outlined in a joint Water Services Delivery Plan set to be approved by Hamilton City Council this week. Waikato District Council will consider the same draft Plan on 30 June. The Government requires all Water Services Delivery Plans to show how local authorities plan to deliver water services, meet environmental and health regulations, make the right investments at the right time, and secure enough revenue and debt to do the work planned. Plans must prove they can keep up with growth and be financially sustainable. For Hamilton and Waikato District, staff are recommending some strategic water projects be delegated to IAWAI Flowing Waters from 1 July 2025. This would be an interim arrangement before all waters activity, plus around 270 staff, are transferred to the company – a Council Controlled Organisation (CCO) - on 30 June 2026. Hamilton City Council's Infrastructure and Assets General Manager, Andrew Parsons, said the immediate transfer of key projects would allow the company to quickly begin realising mutual cross-boundary benefits as well as access better debt arrangements not available to councils. Despite the huge investment planned, there was absolutely no change to the rates increases already forecast and budgeted by each shareholding council, he said. 'These core investments in infrastructure have already been well signalled and planned and are already budgeted. Working together in a new company structure means we can deliver a lot more in terms of critical water projects and do it faster. Put simply, it means we can get more done faster, and for less.' Strategic projects include the reconfiguration and upgrade of wastewater plants at Huntly, Ngaaruawaahia and Pukete along with planning work on a new wastewater plant for the south of the city and surrounds. Other projects include the introduction of residential water meters in Hamilton and long-term water servicing strategies for Tuakau, Pookeno and Te Kowhai. The plan also outlines water infrastructure plans for Peacocke, Rotokauri and Ruakura and well as housing intensification in Hamilton city. 'We're also budgeting and planning for replacement of some key water assets that will reach the end of their life in the next decade,' Parsons said. Once approved, the joint Water Services Delivery Plan will be sent to the government for approval. In the meantime, IAWAI Flowing Waters will begin work on the development of a 10-year Water Services Strategy, guided by a Statement of Expectations set out by shareholders.
Times
11-06-2025
- Sport
- Times
Could a padel holiday be the ultimate family fun — even for teens?
Andrew Parsons, the head of tennis and padel at the holiday firm Mark Warner, considers the padel racket in his hand. Halfway between a table tennis bat and a squashed kitchen colander, it looks about as powerful as a wet handshake. 'The thing about padel,' he tells the assembled Newsom family, 'is that it's so easy to pick up. You don't have to hit the ball hard. You don't need to master an overarm serve. And after just a couple of hours even people who don't enjoy tennis will be playing meaningful rallies.' As a result, he tells us, it's thought to be the world's fastest-growing sport. 'So let's get started, shall we?' he says — and retreats to the edge of our padel court at the company's Paleros Beach Resort in western Greece. I try one of the sport's signature underarm serves, over the net towards our younger son, Ben, who's ten. He rushes towards the ball and whacks it enthusiastically. All five of us — Andrew, my wife, Vera, our elder son, Sam, Ben and I — then watch it sail high into the sky; over the glass walls of the court, over the perimeter fencing on the other side, and into the deep, grassy meadow beyond. A horse wanders over and gives it a sniff, in case we've just lobbed over an apple. 'Right, let's give that another go,' Andrew says, with a studied sense of calm. I, meanwhile, glance over at Sam, just in time to see him roll his eyes. And I feel a little flutter of panic. Sam is 17. It feels as if the dust has only just settled on his GCSEs, yet suddenly we're signing up for university open days and talking about his gap year. Already it's as clear as Mediterranean sunlight that as soon as his A-levels are done, next summer, he wants to get started on life's big adventure. He'll be out of our front door sooner than you can say Australian Working Holiday Visa. And then his bedroom will be empty and its air still and, well, I don't want to get emotional about it, but — 'Will you stop being so emotional about it?' Vera groaned when I welled up one morning, raising the prospect of him leaving. 'Let's just concentrate on having some fun with him before he goes.' And with her usual, clear-eyed pragmatism she suggested that we learn to play something together, as a family, that we can pick up whenever he comes back home. 'And let's do it on a holiday somewhere sunny,' she added, with a glint in her eye. 'With lots of other things to try. Just in case we hate it.' • Read our full guide to Greece So here we are, by the glittering waters of the Ionian Sea, 20 miles by transfer bus from Preveza airport. A beachside club of well-spaced low-rise buildings, Paleros is girdled by irrigated gardens, and in the sharpening sunshine of early summer it would be a dazzling place just to sit and stare. At the hot pinks of the bougainvillea, perhaps. Or at the view south towards the island of Zakynthos. Its dusty blues are so pale and distant it seems more like a daydream than an actual place. Few of its guests, however, are sitting still. This is Mark Warner, after all. It doesn't do fly and flop — on top of its two new padel courts, it offers an energetic array of sports facilities that come as part of the holiday package. Two pools, a gym, a spa, three tennis courts, outdoor fitness classes, guided runs, a fleet of road and mountain bikes as well as dinghies, catamarans, paddleboards, windsurfers and kayaks. They're all here, along with informal coaching sessions and (if you pay extra) structured courses. Activity clubs for 2 to 17-year-olds are included in the holiday price too. In other words, if you're even a little bit outdoorsy, it's like being a six-year-old in a Smyths Toys Superstore, let loose on your birthday with a fistful of vouchers to spend. You don't know where to start. And therein lies our problem. Padel is our chosen game, but now we're here, we're finding it hard to stay focused. Ben has joined a flock of ten-year-olds in the kids' club that's almost as noisy as the sparrows in the eucalyptus trees. Vera is one of the stars of the fitness class scene, and I can't help jumping into the nearest single-handed dinghy. After all, the ever-willing staff make it easy for you. They'll discuss your sailing ability, then rig an appropriate boat and be waiting, waist-deep in the sea, to catch hold of your bow when you sail back into shore. • Workout, eat, sleep, repeat: I've found the perfect place for fitness and fun Meanwhile Sam, who is considering a degree in marine biology, is taking a tantalising step towards his future on a short £120 scuba-diving course, run by the independent InDepth diving school. It begins with a couple of pool sessions in the resort and culminates with two open-water dives on the far side of Paleros's sheltered bay. Fifteen metres below the surface of the Med, he's had a glimpse of just how exciting the next few years of his life could be. So it's no wonder that the thought of padel with his family is a bit of an eye-roll. And in the first couple of days after our private lesson with Andrew, it doesn't get any more gripping. You can thank my attempts to help Ben and Sam with their backhands for that, courtesy of endless drills, and I begin to wonder if our only bonding will be over the resort's bountiful breakfast and dinner buffets. We can't get enough of its shaved chicken gyros with pitta bread, red onions, zingy tzatziki and ripe red tomatoes. Or its chocolate cake. Then, midweek, I wander over to the courts during one of the resort's daily social padel sessions, where the coaches partner guests up together for impromptu matches. And I get an eyeful of the sport's real potential. • 28 of the best places to visit in Greece It comes in the form of ten-year-old Archie Delasalle. He's at Paleros courtesy of Nick and Nion, his mum and dad, and he's here primarily to play tennis. He is, after all, training with the Middlesex under-11 county squad. But like every tennis player on holiday here, he's curious about padel. Now he's joined a match with three Norwegians more than twice his age — two lithe, sporty brothers, Matthias and Markus, and their friend Bjorn, who looks for all the world like an off-duty Viking. None of them plays padel regularly and yet, together, they're putting on a display of racket sport that's as balletic, intricate and explosive as anything I've seen. Sharp, ten-shot rallies, airborne overhead smashes, crafty lobs: their match has it all. And it's so competitive that at one point Matthias slams his arm into the court's back wall in a bid to return a shot from his brother. His other arm is already in a sling. 'Why on earth did you do that?' I ask him afterwards. 'Because I hate losing to my brother,' he says without a flicker of a smile. The next day I ditch the drills. The Newsoms play their first proper padel match. There are three things I'll never forget about that game. First is how Ben and Sam insist on playing together, against their parents. Second is how, without warning, Sam starts playing low, cross-court shots that leave me flailing in their wake. When I ask him where he learnt to do that he laughs. 'Nobody taught me,' he says. 'It's the obvious shot to make when I'm playing someone as old as you.' And the third thing is what happens at the end of the set, when Vera and I snatch a 6-4 victory. I've noticed that the afternoon breeze is strengthening, and tell everyone I'm going for a sail. 'You're going nowhere,' says Sam emphatically, his eyes blazing. 'We're playing best of three.' Suddenly, padel rackets don't seem so puny any more. Sean Newsom was a guest of Mark Warner, which has seven nights' half-board from £791pp, including flights and transfers ( Would you go on a padel holiday? Let us know in the comments By Sean Newsom Invented in Mexico in the 1960s, padel has grown explosively lately, especially in Spain, where in 2024 the International Padel Federation estimated there were 17,000 courts. The Lawn Tennis Association reckons there are about 200,000 players in the UK. • Meet the padel addicts spending £100 a week Padel is usually a game for two pairs and courts are roughly half the size of the ones used for tennis. They have glass walls at the back and sides, with entrance openings and wire cages alongside the net. The basic principle is similar to tennis: you can either volley the ball as soon as it has crossed the net or let it bounce once. But you can also play it off a wall — unless it didn't bounce before hitting it (in which case it's ruled out). The rules around serving add complications, but not many, and scoring is the same as tennis, with some playing sudden-death points at 40-40, instead of needing to have a two-point advantage to win.
Scottish Sun
10-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
Art-loving Princess Kate dazzles on tour of London's newest tourist attraction
Special arrangements have been made for Kate's visit WORK OF ART! Art-loving Princess Kate dazzles on tour of London's newest tourist attraction PRINCESS Kate has dazzled during a tour of London's newest attraction. The Princess of Wales, 43, has been shown around V&A East Storehouse after the site opened last month. 3 Kate dazzled in blue during the tour today Credit: Andrew Parsons / Kensington Palace 3 The Princess of Wales during a visit to the V&A East Storehouse in east London Credit: Andrew Parsons / Kensington Palace 3 Kate spent time viewing some of the incredible objects at the site Credit: Andrew Parsons / Kensington Palace The three-storey attraction is situated on Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in Stratford, East London. The Storehouse boasts half a million exhibits and archives from the V&A collections on show which are usually tucked away in storerooms accessible to visitors for free. Where possible glass has been removed to get visitors closer to exhibits. During the tour, Kate saw the storeroom in action and meet curators who collect, conserve and display the masterpieces. It comes after the V&A East Storehouse opened in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in Stratford, East London, on May 31, 2025. It shows off everything from Elton John's costumes and retro football shirts, to vintage Glastonbury memorabilia. It features a huge new David Bowie exhibition, opening in September 2025, with more than 80,000 items from the star's life. Visitors can also see what happens behind the scenes in a museum - why and how they collect objects and how they look after them. This includes a glimpse at conservators preserving items like clothing, paintings and puppets. The purpose-built home includes more than 250,000 objects, 350,000 library books and 1,000 archives from the V&A's collections The Prince and Princess of Wales are celebrating the birth of quadruplet puppies According to the website: 'Because the V&A's collections span 5,000 years of human creativity, the team at Storehouse cares for everything from the pins used to secure a 17th century ruff to a two-storey section of a maisonette flat from the Robin Hood Gardens housing estate, demolished in 2017. 'The sheer scale of Storehouse means it is now possible to see other huge artefacts, including The Kaufmann Office (the only complete Frank Lloyd Wright interior outside of the US) and the spectacular 15th-century gilded wooden ceiling from the now-lost Torrijos Palace in Toledo, Spain.' In a world-first, the centre offers an 'Order an Object experience,' which lets visitors book in advance to see a specific item up close, along with an experienced member of staff. The Storehouse has opened a short walk from where the new V&A East Museum is being built, and which is scheduled to open in 2026. Princess Kate has been busy of late, having officially named HMS Glasgow by smashing a bottle of local Scottish whisky against its hull, late last month. Joined by her husband, Prince William, she uttered the time-honoured words: "I have the pleasure to name this ship HMS Glasgow, may God bless her and all who sail on her'" Then flicked up a small red 'launch' button to conduct the traditional naming ritual at the BAE Systems' shipyard in Scotstoun, on the bank of the River Clyde in Glasgow. A bottle of exclusive single malt whisky made by the nearby Clydeside Distillery smashed into the hull in the maritime tradition. Kate has been the ship's sponsor since 2021 and this was her first naming ceremony for a naval vessel. Each bottle of the whisky sold includes a donation to HMS Glasgow's chosen charity, Place2Be, of which the Princess is patron, and which supports children's mental health in the city. A bagpiper marked the start of the 25-minute ceremony before a P-8 Poseidon Maritime Patrol Aircraft from 120 Squadron at RAF Lossiemouth performed a flypast. Sir Simon Lister, managing director of BAE Systems Naval Ships, and Second Sealord Vice Admiral Sir Martin Connell, gave speeches. Sir Martin Connell thanked the Prince and Princess for their support in reaching the milestone.
