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  The Wild signed center Joel Eriksson Ek to an eight-year, $42 million contract on Friday, the first of three re-signings the crew prioritized this offseason. Kirill Kaprizov and Kevin Fiala are the other offensive leaders up for new deals. Eriksson Ek's contract carries an average annual value of $5.25 million and runs via 2028-29, making him the longest-signed player on the Wild. A 10-team, no-trade list kicks in for the second half of the contract, a source confirmed, and the deal dwarfs the $2.975 million Eriksson Ek earned over the previous two seasons. His overall performance on the ice the previous year explains the raise. A defense-first ahead early in his NHL tenure after getting drafted 20th overall in 2015 by the Wild, Eriksson Ek became a constant catalyst in the offensive zone after an offseason makeover positioned him at the top of the team's depth chart up the middle. Gone were former captain Mikko Koivu and veteran Eric Staal, creating more minutes and responsi...

 The Biden administration is thinking about extending a pandemic freeze on Americans’ student-loan repayments beyond its scheduled expiration in September and turning to piecemeal measures to lower their student-debt bills. Five months into his term, President Biden has resisted calls from fellow Democrats and activists to cancel most of America’s $1.6 trillion in federal student-loan debt in one swoop through an executive action. Congress additionally appears unlikely to make it happen because Democrats lack the Republican support they would need to pass such a measure. Yet many Americans efficaciously are seeing their debt bills decreased via policy changes that started under the Trump administration, which froze student-loan repayments when the pandemic started unfolding in March 2020. The move, which the Biden administration extended through September, has in effect forgiven tens of billions of dollars in student debt that families otherwise would have paid, mostly by waiving i...

 A section of the M25 has been closed following a serious crash, with emergency services rushing to the scene. Kent Online has reported a lorry and three motors have been involved in the collision and has warned of delays in the Dartford Tunnel. The website wrote: "An accident involving a lorry and three vehicles in Essex could cause delays if you're heading through the Dartford tunnel. "One lane is closed anticlockwise between Junction 30 (Lakeside) and Junction 29." Highways England wrote on Twitter: "The #M25 anticlockwise #J30 (#A13 #Lakeside #Tilbury) to #J29 (#A127 #Romford #Basildon) 1 lane has been closed due to a collision. "Traffic Officers @EPRoadsPolicing @metpoliceuk @EastEnglandAmb @Ldn_Ambulance & Recovery are on their way to the area." Several motorists have been left wondering why there are massive tailbacks and increased tour times. One individual wrote on Twitter their SatNav maps were showibng heavy traffic and extended travel t...

  SAJID JAVID could support a tax rise to pay for the long-awaited reform of the social care sector, allies have claimed, and has been backed as a "problem solver" that can stop a Government standoff over funding to handle the crisis. Sajid Javid, who changed Matt Hancock as Health Secretary last weekend, has been tipped to make the step forward by former colleagues as he is without an "ego" and has experience in both the Treasury and other government departments to form a compromise, the Daily Telegraph has reported. When he was Communities Secretary, he was instrumental in pressing ahead with a social care principle that caused a two percent amplify to council tax bills to cover care costs, suggesting he could be open to a comparable move now. But one former colleague of Mr Javid, who has worked closely with him on policy issues, claimed he could be instrumental in forming a step forward in the standoff between Number 10 and 11. They said: “He’s a team player. He’...

  Fully vaccinated people who have been in contact with a coronavirus sufferer will be free within weeks to carry on life as normal with no need to take every day tests, The Times has learnt. In the clearest sign yet of ministers’ plans to substitute virus restrictions with a focus on personal responsibility, they intend to drop all legal necessities on those who have had both jabs if they come across a confirmed case. Despite acknowledging that unvaccinated people may additionally start ignoring quarantine guidelines and could “game” the system, ministers want to introduce the proposals next month. Official estimates recommend that infections will increase by as much as 26 per cent under the plans but the government is probably to accept the danger.