SnS MAG

LONDON (AP) — The Speaker of the U.K.'s House of Commons said Wednesday he tipped off police thatPeter Mandelson, the former ambassador to the U.S. who is facing accusations of leaking information to the late convicted sex offenderJeffrey Epstein, was a possible flight risk.

Britain Epstein Mandelson

Mandelson was arrested Monday at his north London home on suspicion of misconduct in public office. Hewas releasedon bail early Tuesday morning after more than nine hours of questioning.

Lawyers for Mandelson, a former senior Cabinet minister, said the arrest was the result of a "baseless suggestion" that he planned to flee the country and was carried out despite an agreement that he would speak to London's Metropolitan Police voluntarily whenever requested.

Speaker Lindsay Hoyle told lawmakers that he passed "relevant" information to police, without disclosing the source.

"To prevent any inaccurate speculation I'd like to confirm that, upon receipt of information, that I felt it was relevant I pass this on to the Metropolitan Police in good faith, as is my duty and responsibility," Hoyle said. "It is regrettable this rapidly ended in the media."

Hoyle added that it would not be appropriate for him to say anything further because the investigation into Mandelson was ongoing.

"Peter Mandelson's overriding priority is to cooperate with the police investigation, as he has done throughout this process, and to clear his name," his lawyers at the firm Mishcon De Reya said after his release.

Advertisement

Mandelson's arrest came four days afterthe former Prince Andrewwas arrested on thesame suspicion of misconduct in public officelinked to Epstein.

Both men face allegations that they passed confidential government information to the disgraced financier. The claims surfaced after the U.S. Justice Department last month released atrove of more than 3 million pagesof Epstein-related documents.

Mandelson, 72, appears to have sent Epstein, whom he referred to as his "best pal," sensitive government information that could potentially influence markets when he was a senior minister in the British government in 2009 and 2010.

One internal government report discussed possibly selling government assets to raise money for the U.K. after the 2008 global financial crisis. He also appeared to tell Epstein — who died by suicide in a New York prison in 2019 — he would lobby other members of the government to reduce a tax on bankers' bonuses.

Payment records suggest Epstein gave Mandelson or his husband, Reinaldo Avila da Silva, $75,000 in 2003 and 2004. Mandelson said he had no recollection of receiving that money and questioned the authenticity of bank statements. He has denied wrongdoing.

Mandelson does not face allegations of sexual misconduct.

The former Prince Andrew, now known as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, has also denied any wrongdoing over his links to convicted sex offender Epstein, but has not directly responded to the latest allegations stemming from the so-called Epstein Files.

The director of the Louvre Museum in France has resigned, months after$102 million in jewels were stolen, according to the office of the French president.

Laurence des Cars' tenure has been under intense scrutiny since the heist and she has faced calls for resignation.

Christophe Leribault has been named the new director of the Louvre. Leribault's resume includes running the Versailles Palace, another world-renowned French landmark and tourist attraction, and was also the previous head of Paris' Orsay Museum.

Leribault will oversee a long-overdue multi-million-dollar renovation project.

A French government spokesperson said he's the perfect choice, saying, "He will notably have to direct major projects for the future of the institution, on the one hand securing and modernizing the Louvre, and on the other, the continuation of the 'Louvre -- New Renaissance' project."

French President Emmanuel Macron praised des Cars' resignation "as an act of responsibility at a time when the world's largest museum needs both stability and a strong new impetus to successfully complete major security and modernization projects," the Élysée said in a statement Tuesday.

5 more suspects arrested over Louvre jewel heist

Advertisement

"The President thanked her for her work and commitment over the past few years and, recognizing her undeniable scientific expertise, entrusted her with a mission within the framework of the French G7 presidency, focusing on cooperation between the major museums of the participating countries," according to the statement.

At least seven suspects have been arrested in connection with the October robbery but thejewels have not been recovered.

Empress Eugénie's crown was the only item the thieves did not escape with during the robbery. The thieves dropped it on the street outside the Louvre during the roughly five-minute long heist.

The crown "was crushed and significantly deformed" during the heist, the Louvre said in a statement earlier this month. However, "it remained largely intact," meaning museum officials believe it can be fully restored.

Password to Louvre's video surveillance system was 'Louvre', according to employee

In light of the robbery, security lapses at the museum have been exposed, including that the password to the world-famous museum'svideo surveillance systemwas "Louvre," according to a museum employee with knowledge of the system.

During testimony before a French Senate committee after the robbery, des Cars said the only camera installed outside the Apollo Gallery, where the stolen jewels were displayed, was facing west and did not cover the window where the thieves used power tools to break in and exit.

Des Cars said all of the museum's alarms and video cameras work, but said there was a "weakness" in the museum's perimeter security "due to underinvestment."

TORONTO (AP) — Canada announced Wednesday it is sending $8 million Canadian (US$6.7 million) in food aid to people in Cuba as the island faces anescalating fuel crisisas oil shipments have slowed followingU.S. threats of tariffs.

Canada Mexico Alert

Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand said she not discuss Canada's aid intentions with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio or the other U.S. officials.

"This is Canadian foreign policy," he said. "We are focused on the humanitarian situation."

The funding will be delivered through United Nations agencies instead of the Cuban government.

Global Affairs Canada has warned travelers for more than a year of "shortages of basic necessities, including food, medicine and fuel," across most of Cuba.

Cuba is facing anincreasingly dire energy crisisthat has heightened in recent weeks after oil shipments from Venezuela, its main oil supplier, were halted when the U.S. attacked the South American country in early January andarrested its then-leader. Mexico, another major supplier, then alsosuspended oil shipmentsunder U.S. pressure.

Air Canada and other airlines havecanceled flightsto the Caribbean island because of a shortage of aviation fuel on the island.

Advertisement

Canadian tourism is vital to Cuba's economy. Global Affairs Canada, a governmental office, has said Canada is Cuba's second-largest source of direct investment to the island, particularly in the mining and tourism sectors.

Mexico has sent asecond humanitarian aidpackage for Cuba. Two Mexican navy vessels carrying 1,193 tons of supplies departed the Gulf of Mexico port of Veracruz on Tuesday, the Mexican Foreign Ministry announced. The shipment is expected to arrive on Saturday.

The Papaloapan is carrying 1,078 tons of beans and powdered milk, while the Huasteco is transporting 92 tons of beans and 23 tons of other food items. According to the Foreign Ministry, the final 23 tons of humanitarian aid were provided by various social organizations with the support of the Mexico City government.

In February, Mexico dispatchedmore than 814 tons of food and hygiene products to Cubawhile diplomatic talks continued regarding the resumption of oil supplies. Theoil shipments were halted in mid-January,just before U.S. President Donald Trump announced a significant tightening of the economic embargo on Havana.

The economic crisis gripping Cuba since 2020 has been compounded by intensified U.S. sanctions aimed at forcing a change in the island's political model. These pressures led tocritical shortages and severe blackoutsthat peaked in early 2026.

Because Cuba produces only 40% of its required fuel, it remains highly vulnerable to external blockades. While strong allies like Russia and China have condemned the U.S. measures, their support has remained largely symbolic thus far.

Follow AP's Latin America coverage athttps://apnews.com/hub/latin-america

It hasn't been the easiest season for Arizona State head coach Bobby Hurley.Those struggles continued Tuesday in a 90-78 loss to TCU.

A sideline scuffle between the two teams resulted in Hurley getting knocked to the floor early in the second half. The fun began when a trap by Arizona State's Andrija Grbović and Bryce Ford forced a timeout, with the two continuing to be physical with TCU's Brock Harding after the whistle.

Players, coaches and staff from both teams rushed to the Sun Devils' sideline once the shoving began, with Hurley physically pushing back Horned Frogs center Vianney Salatchoum. TCU head coach Jamie Dixon then got involved, and Hurley appeared to fall down after tripping over someone's feet.

Advertisement

The incident didn't result in any ejections, nor did Hurley appear harmed by the fall.

Regardless, it was another bad day for a coach widely seen as being on the hot seat as the calendar nears March. Tuesday's loss marks a second straight loss for Arizona State, which lost 73-68 to Baylor on Saturday.

The Sun Devils now hold a 5-10 record in Big 12 play, tying them for 12th worst in the conference. They finished 15th last year with a 4-16 record as well.

Hurley outright admitted to having "failed" to get through to his team last monthand his contract expires at the end of this season, making it easy for Arizona State to move on if it chooses.

MADRID (AP) — Real Madrid will be without Kylian Mbappé for Wednesday's match against Benfica in the second leg of the Champions League playoffs.

Spain La Liga Soccer

Mbappé was not included in the squad for the game at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium because of a left knee injury he has been nursing for some time.

Rodrygo and Jude Bellingham also won't be available because of injuries.

Advertisement

Madrid's forwards will include Vinícius Júnior, Franco Mastantuono, Brahim Díaz and Gonzalo García.

Madrid won the first leg 1-0 last week in Benfica and only needs a draw to advance to the round of 16.

AP soccer:https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

It's approaching a year since the Denver Nuggets fired Calvin Booth and Michael Malone on the same day. It was a stunning move that ended the tenures of the GM and coach who delivered the franchise its first championship just two years earlier.

The two clashed over how to build a roster after the title. Malone wanted veterans. Booth wanted to develop young players. They didn't see eye to eye. They talked behind each other's backs. And Nuggets president Josh Kroenke had enough of the tension consuming the organization.

"I think we both would admit a lot of stuff is overblown," Booth said on The Kevin O'Connor Show in an illuminating conversation that shows an ex-GM still processing what happened, still proud of what he built, and still waiting on the phone to ring.

In the time since, Booth has been consulting with college basketball programs and Malone has been working as an analyst for ESPN. Neither has landed another NBA job.

"He doesn't mind commentating games," Booth said. "But he would probably die to coach an NBA team tomorrow. And he deserves it. He's a championship coach."

Booth didn't want to conduct an "autopsy" of the day he and Malone got fired, but when I asked what he was told, it's clear that one detail still stings: The organization told him they didn't want there to be a "winner or loser" in the situation between him and Malone.

"When you say a winner or loser, that's a reference to a game," he said, his voice shifting. "It's not a game to me. It's my life."

Booth believes four factors converged to cost him his job. First, the Nikola Jokić effect: when you have the best player in the world, everything else gets taken for granted. Second, the friction between a tenured champion coach and a first-time GM. Third, ownership. Booth believes the Kroenke family, for all its success across sports, doesn't place the same value on front-office executives that other organizations do.

"Whether it's Mark Warkentien or Tim [Connelly] or Masai [Ujiri], there's always gonna come a point where they don't value executives like that," he said of former Nuggets executives. "I'll probably disagree with their take on executives, but who am I? They've been so successful, so maybe it's the right way to operate."

And fourth: "I think I just made it look too easy."

He elaborated: "Anybody that's really good at something, when they make it look easy, that was really, really hard to get to. [It took] a lifetime's worth of playing basketball, coaching basketball, having conversations, scouting. For me to go in there right away, assemble a championship team, win a championship."

In his first offseason as the lead decision-maker after Connelly left for a more lucrative job with the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2022, Booth traded Will Barton and Monte Morris for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. He signed Bruce Brown. He drafted Christian Braun with the 21st pick and aggressively traded up to select Peyton Watson 30th. He traded Bones Hyland to create minutes for Braun. The result: a 16-4 playoff run and the franchise's first title.

"We won a championship. There was definitely alignment," Booth said.

Then the parade ended. And the decisions that would define Booth's narrative and eventually cost him his job began. Brown signed with Indiana, and Jeff Green got a better offer in Houston. The next summer, KCP left for Orlando. Booth signed a few veterans, including Russell Westbrook, Dario Šarić, and Justin Holiday. But his primary focus was on drafting young players to someday replenish what was lost in the rotation.

"You have a headache, right?" Booth said. "You want to take a Tylenol to get rid of the headache, but it makes you drowsy. Do you want to get rid of the headache or not? Because if you want to get rid of the headache, you have to take the whole pill. You cannot separate Peyton Watson and Christian Braun from some of the other things that people weren't happy with."

To Booth, the drowsiness was worth it. Braun immediately contributed as a rookie, but the others didn't. Watson was raw coming in and didn't really break out until last season. And this year, with the Nuggets being ravaged by injuries to star veterans Jokić and Aaron Gordon, Watson has looked like a potential star. Executives around the NBA think Watson could sign for roughly $25 million annually or more when he hits free agency this offseason.

"The reality of the thing is if we sign Bruce Brown back, we sign KCP back, or if they leave and we sign veterans … do Christian Braun and Peyton Watson do what they're doing right now?" Booth said. "Definitely not."

Booth had a plan to build a sustainable winner. In 2022, Booth drafted Braun and Watson. In 2023, he drafted Julian Strawther (29th), Jalen Pickett (32nd) and Hunter Tyson (37th), and signed Collin Gillespie as an undrafted free agent. In 2024, he drafted DaRon Holmes (22nd) and signed Spencer Jones to a two-way deal.

Strawther, Pickett and Jones have all played key roles in keeping Denver afloat with so many absences. In addition to Jokić and Gordon missing time, Braun and Watson have been hampered by injuries, too. Meanwhile, Gillespie has turned into a starting point guard and helped change the culture of the Phoenix Suns. For a group of late firsts, seconds and undrafted choices, it's quite a strong stretch of successful choices.

Advertisement

"In most situations when somebody's running a team, I don't think the expectation is to bat 1.000," Booth said. "For some reason, I started to get the feeling that that was the expectation for me from whoever was in and around the Denver Nuggets community."

Booth pushed back on the idea that going young was purely a philosophical choice. Denver's ownership wasn't absorbing a massive tax bill, so he needed a pipeline of cheap contracts. And in the portion of the draft where Denver was picking, the value wasn't in one-and-done talents the whole league had passed on, like Watson. It was in older players, discounted for superficial reasons. Pickett's game wasn't pretty. Gillespie was undersized and unathletic. Those were features, not bugs.

"One of the things that is slightly annoying is how everybody constantly tries to place a ceiling on different guys," Booth said. "When Jimmy Butler goes 30th, does anybody know he's going to be Jimmy Butler? Or Fred VanVleet's undrafted, does anybody know he's gonna be Fred VanVleet? So I just think you try to get a player you think is going to be good and you just see what happens. I don't think you're ever going to know what somebody's true ceiling is."

If Booth was graded purely on his transactions, he'd still have his job. For all the debate about roster construction, the tension that ultimately sank Booth's tenure was with Malone. Reports of friction leaked for years. When both were fired on the same day, it seemed like confirmation that the rift had become untenable.

"Never a physical altercation in front of people. Never a verbal altercation in front of people," he said. "So where's the beef?"

When I noted that it's not common for a GM and a coach to be fired on the same day, Booth acknowledged friction existed but framed it as inherent to the job, not unique to Denver. "How many teams do you think that's happened with currently?" he asked. "I don't think it's unique to our situation. I think it happens with every team at some level in the NBA."

Booth credited Malone with developing Watson and Braun. He said the championship required alignment between them. He said Malone deserves another head-coaching job. But he was also honest about the bind he was in. Former NBA GM and coach Flip Saunders, Booth said, used to talk about the difference between idealistic and realistic. Front offices are idealistic. Coaches are dealing with reality every day: the pressure, the decisions, the knowledge that a losing streak could end their career. Booth admitted he was probably too idealistic in expecting a coach under that kind of pressure to execute a long-term development plan, especially for a first-time GM without a track record.

"I have to take accountability whatever way that narrative grew legs and my part in it, I've learned from that," Booth said. "There's such a weird paradox with NBA coaches. They're in the midst of the lion's den. They're dealing with players, some of the most formidable size-wise and ego-wise in the world, and they're managing them. Those guys buy in. And then these coaches have to report to a general manager who maybe doesn't have the gravitas they do. I just think it's a human nature thing."

Even with that awareness, Booth doesn't think the outcome was a reflection of how he handled it. He thinks he managed it better than most would have.

"You could put 100 GMs in my position," he said. "I don't know what, three or four of them do as good as I did."

Still, understanding the problem and solving it are different things.

"When I get that title, it's not an option for me not to do my job," Booth said. "So I think one of the only outcomes where everybody thinks we're aligned is me submit, lay down, not do the job. And that's not an option for me. So some version of this was going to happen. Could have been quieter. Could have not grown legs with the media. Could have not been such a crawl in ownership's pants. Maybe there's some different things that could happen in that regard."

Since Booth's departure, the Nuggets' new front office led by Ben Tenzer and Jon Wallace traded Michael Porter Jr. for Cam Johnson, re-acquired Bruce Brown, and added Jonas Valančiūnas and Tim Hardaway Jr. When I asked Booth what he thought, he didn't flinch.

"They're great. A lot of them we talked about when I was there. We thought we were gonna get Valančiūnas at the trade deadline," Booth said. "Obviously, they did their own unique things, but the one thing about the new CBA, there's only so many trades that can be done. It's kind of like paint-by-numbers, in that sense. So anybody sitting in that seat in Denver is going to have some kind of Michael Porter Jr.-for-Cam Johnson concept, because that's just one of the better deals that was out there."

Right now, Booth is consulting with college programs, helping coaches navigate the transfer portal. But when I asked if he wanted to run an NBA team again, the measured answer couldn't quite hide the want underneath it.

"Nobody's entitled or owed an opportunity to run an NBA team. There's 30 jobs. All those guys in their own way deserve to be in that seat," he said. "I'd be foolish to say that for the right scenario I wouldn't be willing to work for somebody."

Booth built a championship team, drafted a pipeline of players now contributing across the league, and left behind a roster framework that another front office executed. Booth said not a single owner has called.

"My door wasn't knocking down with people waiting to hire me. That's where this whole thing got blown out of proportion," Booth said. "If you look tangibly at what I did — my win percentage, what I drafted, working with a coach like Coach Malone as a first-time GM — I just don't know how my door isn't knocking."

My full conversation with Calvin Booth goes deeper into his time with the Nuggets, Jokić, his basketball philosophy, the upcoming draft, and many more subjects. Check it out on the latest episode ofThe Kevin O'Connor Show.

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán on Wednesday ordered extra security at critical energy infrastructure sites after claiming Ukraine was attempting to disrupt Hungary's energy system.

Budapest has recentlyaccused Kyivof deliberately holding back Russian oil deliveries through the Druzhba pipeline, which crosses Ukraine's territory. Ukrainian officials have denied the allegations, saying the pipeline, which feeds refineries in Hungary and Slovakia, was hit in a Russian drone attack.

'An oil blockade'

In a video posted to social media, Orbán, who maintains the closest relationship with the Kremlin of any European Union leader, said the Ukrainian government was using "an oil blockade" to exert pressure on Hungary and that Hungarian national security services showed Ukraine was "preparing further actions to disrupt the operation of Hungary's energy system." He didn't provide details or evidence for his claims.

"We will deploy soldiers and the necessary equipment to repel attacks near key energy facilities," Orbán said. "The police will patrol with increased forces around designated power plants, distribution stations and control centers."

Nearly every country in Europe has significantly reduced or entirely ceased Russian energy imports since Moscow launched itswar in Ukraineon Feb. 24, 2022. Yet Hungary and Slovakia, both EU and NATO members, have maintained and even increased supplies of Russian oil and gas, and received a temporary exemption from an EU policyprohibiting imports of Russian oil.

On Sunday, Hungary threatened to block a major, 90-billion euro ($106 billion) EU loan for Kyiv, andvetoed a new round of EU sanctionsagainst Russia on Monday. Orbán has vowed to block any other EU measures to assist Ukraine until oil shipments resume.

Druzhba has been out of commission since Jan. 27. Repairs are hazardous and the pipeline can only operate reliably if Russia stops targeting energy infrastructure, according to Ukrainian officials.

Advertisement

Orbán also ordered Wednesday a ban on drone operations in Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg County, which borders Ukraine.

A crucial election

Orban has repeatedly accused Ukraine of "blackmail" to force him to give up his anti-Ukrainian positions, and of seeking to drive up energy prices in Hungary just weeks before a pivotal election.

Orbán, who retook office in 2010,faces the strongest challengeto his power in an election set for April 12. The EU's longest-serving leader and his right-wing Fidesz party are trailing in most independent polls to an upstart center-right challenger,Péter Magyar.

Meanwhile, Orbán has launched anaggressive anti-Ukraine media campaignportraying the embattled country as an existential threat to Hungary.

His party has pushed the message that if it loses the election, the Tisza party will drag the country into the war in Ukraine, bankrupting Hungary and getting its youth killed on the front lines.

Associated Press writer Samya Kullab in Kyiv, Ukraine contributed to this report.