Olympic tensions flare as US skeleton star alleges Canadian coach rigged qualifying event
Sporting tensions between the USA and Canada have erupted once again, this time in skeleton as next month’s Winter Olympics approach.The USA’s Katie Uhlaender, a five-time Winter Olympian in skeleton, has accused the Canadian team of depriving her of a place at the Milan-Cortina Games by manipulating a qualifying event over the weekend.Uhlaender says that Canada deliberately pulled four of its six athletes from the race in the North American Cup in Lake Placid, New York.That meant the field was reduced to under 21 athletes and fewer qualifying points were on offer due to the lack of competition.Uhlaender believes the Canadian team did so to prevent American athletes from catching them in the standings for Olympic qualifying.
Uhlaender claims Joe Cecchini, the head coach of Canada’s skeleton team, told her he had come up with the scheme,“I cried when I found out he went through with this plan,” Uhlaender told DW,“I didn’t know if it hurt more that my friend of 20 years just nailed my coffin, my Olympic dream is over,Or, that my best friend of 20 years is doing something so horrible that hurts so many people,”Uhlaender says that Cecchini told her on Friday that it was not his job to “uplift” athletes from other countries and that his aim was to “eliminate any possibilities” that Canada’s Jane Channell would miss this year’s Olympics.
Uhlaender won the event at Lake Placid but the reduced points on offer means the 41-year-old will miss the Olympics.Although she won gold at the 2012 skeleton world championships, the closest she has come to an Olympic medal was when she finished fourth at the 2014 Games in Sochi.Coaches from the US, Denmark, Israel and Malta, whose athletes were all affected by the Canadian withdrawals, have written to the IOC expressing “serious concerns” about the qualification process.In a statement, Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton defended the withdrawals, saying some of the athletes who were pulled from competition had already raced several times last week.It said the decision was “appropriate, transparent and aligned with both athlete welfare and the integrity of the sport.
”Uhlaender disagrees.“[Cecchini] did not have to do that.He did it because he could.And it wasn’t to protect his athletes; it was to manipulate the system,” she told DW.“He waited until after everyone was registered and gave the illusion that the Canadians were going to be competing.
He wanted to make sure that we could not get full points.”The flare-up comes after a number of heated sporting clashes between Canada and the US at a time when Donald Trump has threatened to make his neighbor a “51st state” and has raised tariffs on Canadian goods.During last year’s 4 Nations Face-off, Canadian ice hockey fans booed the US national anthem and former Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau tweeted: “You can’t take our country – and you can’t take our game.” Last season’s World Series saw the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Toronto Blue Jays in a thrilling seven-game series, although most of the tension was due to the action on the field.
Criminal investigation into Fed chair Powell has ‘reinforced’ concerns over independence, Goldman Sachs warns, as dollar weakens – as it happened
Goldman Sachs’ chief economist Jan Hatzius has warned this morning that the criminal indictment threat facing Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell has reinforced worries that central bank independence is being undermined.Reuters reports that Hatzius told a 2026 Goldman Sachs Global Strategy Conference:“Obviously there are more concerns that Fed independence is going to be under the gun, with the latest news on the criminal investigation into Chair Powell really having reinforced those concerns.”Hatzius added, though, that he expected the Fed to continue to make decisions based on data:“I have no doubt that he (Powell) in his remaining term as chair is going to make decisions based on the economic data and not be influenced one way or the other, cutting more or refusing to cut on the back of data that could push in that direction.”Our US politics liveblog is taking up the coverage of the Federal Reserve, here:Here’s a wrap up….The worsening relations between the US Federal Reserve and the White House have triggered fears that the independence of America’s central bank is being threatened
Paramount to nominate directors to Warner Bros board to vote against Netflix deal
Paramount Skydance plans to nominate directors to Warner Bros Discovery’s (WBD) board to vote against the approval of its deal with Netflix, and filed a lawsuit seeking disclosure of financial information related to the $82.7bn (£61.4bn) agreement.In a letter sent to WBD investors on Monday, Paramount said it would nominate directors for election at the company’s annual meeting, which is usually held in June, to try to derail the deal with Netflix, which was agreed in December.To win what is known as a proxy fight, Paramount will have to convince enough WBD investors to cast their votes in favour of its nominees and replace existing, or new, directors proposed by WBD’s board
Major incident declared as 30,000 homes left without water in Kent and Sussex
A major incident has been declared after 30,000 homes in Kent and Sussex were left without water.People in areas including Tunbridge Wells, Canterbury and Maidstone have been without water for as long as five days.Schools and libraries across Kent and Sussex have closed for the day as they do not have running water. The Queen Victoria hospital in East Grinstead has been forced to carry out some appointments virtually.South East Water blamed the cold weather and Storm Goretti for the supply problems
JD Sports plans to let shoppers buy through AI platforms
JD Sports has said it plans to allow customers to buy its products directly through AI platforms without leaving the apps.The British trainer and sportswear company will allow “one-click purchases” through platforms such as ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot, as big retailers attempt to keep up with AI-powered shopping.The technology will launch in the US in the coming months, with potential to expand into other regions, the company said.Jetan Chowk, the JD Sports chief technology officer, told PA Media that AI was “the future of how people will shop”.“What we are currently seeing is that customers are regularly using AI apps to research and discover the products they want to buy,” he said
Lending to small businesses and low-income areas must expand, say Labour backbenchers
Senior Labour backbenchers are urging the government to introduce legislation forcing UK banks to expand affordable lending to small businesses and low-income neighbourhoods.The former minister Gareth Thomas has tabled a 10-minute rule bill – a type of private member’s bill – echoing the US Community Reinvestment Act (CRA).Thomas said: “Given the cost of living crisis, we need to unlock far better access to cheap loans for the millions of people on low and middle incomes to help them through the financial emergencies that everyone faces at some point, while also making it easier for talented entrepreneurs to find the affordable finance they need to get their businesses up and running.”Co-sponsors of the legislation include the Labour select committee chairs Meg Hillier, Liam Byrne and Sarah Owen, and the former shadow chancellors Anneliese Dodds and John McDonnell.The Treasury published its own financial exclusion strategy last year, including a commitment to supporting the expansion of credit unions
Justice department opens investigation into Jerome Powell as Trump ramps up campaign against Federal Reserve
The Department of Justice has opened a criminal investigation into Jerome Powell and the Federal Reserve, a significant escalation in Donald Trump’s extraordinary attack on the US central bank.Powell said the Department of Justice had served the Fed with grand jury subpoenas on Friday, threatening a criminal indictment related to his testimony before the Senate banking committee in June last year, regarding renovations to the Fed’s historic office buildings in Washington DC.The US attorney’s office in the District of Columbia has opened a criminal investigation into Powell over the project, and whether Powell lied to Congress about its scope, the New York Times reported on Sunday.Allies of Trump spent months last year accusing the Fed of mishandling the multibillion-dollar renovations. Trump had repeatedly threatened legal action
Ex-Fed chairs condemn Trump’s bid to weaken central bank’s independence
Trump’s attempts to influence Fed risk 1970s-style inflation and global backlash’
Malaysia blocks Elon Musk’s Grok AI over fake, sexualised images
UK threatens action against X over sexualised AI images of women and children
Australian Open is drawing record crowds before the tournament has even begun
‘It’s embarrassing’: riders say time is up for fossil fuel sponsorship of heat-affected Tour Down Under