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Former Kremlin lobbyist picked as UK Conservative candidate

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:58:25 GMT

LONDON — A Conservative election hopeful ran a public affairs firm which counted the Russian government and state-owned energy firm Gazprom among its clients in the 2000s.Nigel Gardner was selected for the new Harpenden and Berkhamstead parliamentary seat earlier this month.A former European Commission spokesperson, Gardner founded agency GPlus in the early 2000s before selling a majority stake to Omnicom in 2006. He retained his role working on the firm’s business strategy until his departure in late 2009.Under the Omnicom banner, GPlus and sister agency Ketchum landed a deal with the Russian government in 2006, and Gazprom in 2007. The Kremlin contract was initially focused on media work around Russia’s presidency of the G8 — seen at the time as a chance for closer cooperation with the West.A 2006 report from the Financial Times said the decision to contract the Western firms had been signed off by Russian President Vladimir Putin.Attitudes ‘were very different’Speakin...

Column: ‘Royalization’ of the Chicago White Sox is full steam ahead

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:58:25 GMT

Whenever Chris Getz hears Lorde sing “We could be Royals,” he must feel compelled to sing along at the top of his lungs.On his first day as Chicago White Sox general manager, Getz revealed manager Pedro Grifol, his former coach with the Kansas City Royals, would be retained. Among his first front office hires, Getz is reported to be bringing in San Francisco director of pitching Brian Bannister, a former Royals teammate, and Gene Watson, the former Royals assistant general manager/scouting. Longtime Royals GM Dayton Moore has been linked to the Sox as well, according to USA Today.So the standard has been set for the Sox, and the question must now be asked:Could they be Royals, or at least a version of the organization that managed to win a championship without a team full of superstars back in the 2010s?The Royalization of the Sox is underway.Anyone with ties to the Royals might be Zillowing the southwest suburbs of Chicago right now, looking for available homes for 2024...

Callahan: Bill Belichick has hamstrung Bill O’Brien, but O’Brien has to deliver anyway at the Jets

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:58:25 GMT

FOXBORO — Bill Parcells famously wanted to shop for his own groceries.Parcells cooked dinner for four seasons as the Patriots’ head coach, his last a Super Bowl supper in 1996. Then, unhappy with his lack of personnel control, AKA the grocery list, he left for the Jets.As the Pats prepare to face the Jets this weekend, it’s worth separating the groceries Bill Belichick assembled this offseason from the meal he appears to be burning now at 0-2.The roster talent, from the team.Per usual, Belichick nailed his shopping down the defensive aisle. He retained key ingredients that stirred a top-3 defense last season, including cornerback Jonathan Jones and safety Jabrill Peppers. He tossed in first-round rookie corner Christian Gonzalez, an emerging stud, as well as grass-fed thumpers in Keion White and Marte Mapu.And in true Belichick fashion, he managed to pick all the rotten produce in the offensive market.Former star receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster is not viewed internally as a...

Pakistan will hold parliamentary elections at the end of January, delaying a vote due in November

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:58:25 GMT

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan’s election oversight body announced on Thursday that it will hold the next parliamentary elections in the last week of January, delaying the vote which was to be held in November under the constitution.However, the announcement by the Election Commission of Pakistan has ended uncertainty about the fate of the vote. Earlier, some political parties had feared that the election could be delayed for an indefinite period. Pakistan has been in deepening political turmoil since April 2022, when then-Prime Minister Imran Khan was removed from office through a parliamentary vote of no confidence. Khan was arrested in early August on corruption charges and imprisoned after a court convicted and sentenced him to three years in prison. Pakistan’s electoral map is being redrawn to reflect the latest census. In a brief statement, the election commission said a final list of constituencies would be published on Nov. 30. The Election Commission will announce the exac...

A leader of Cambodia’s main opposition party jailed for 18 months for bouncing checks

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:58:25 GMT

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — A prominent leader of Cambodia’s political opposition was convicted and sentenced Thursday to 18 months in prison for issuing worthless checks four years ago, in a case that his party has called politically motivated.The Phnom Penh Municipal Court issued its verdict against Thach Setha, a vice president of the Candlelight Party, after finding that he had issued several bounced checks in 2019, said his lawyer, Sam Sokong.The lawyer said the court also ordered Thach Setha to pay $33,400 to the company which filed the lawsuit accusing him of issuing bad checks. He called the verdict unacceptable and said he would meet Thach Setha soon to discuss filing an appeal.The case is the first major legal ruling issued against government opponents since Hun Manet became the country’s new prime minister in August. He had been army commander, and succeeded his father Hun Sen, who stepped down after 38 years in power.Thach Setha was arrested in January this year even tho...

Iranian court gives a Tajik man 2 death sentences for an attack at a major Shiite shrine

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:58:25 GMT

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — An Iranian court has given two death sentences to a Tajik man convicted of carrying out a gun attack that killed two people at a major Shiite shrine in the southern city of Shiraz, the judiciary website reported Thursday.The website Mizan Online said the Iranian Revolutionary Court in Fars province gave Rahmatollah Norouzof two death sentences because of the seriousness of the crime at the Shah Cheragh mosque. Norouzof, described as a member of the Islamic State group, was convicted of sedition and waging war against God for killing two people and wounding seven in the August attack.Shah Cheragh is one of Iran’s top five Shiite shrines. It draws pilgrims to Shiraz, about 675 kilometers (420 miles) south of Iran’s capital, Tehran.An earlier shooting at the shrine in October 2022 killed 13 people and injured 30 others. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for that attack.The Associated Press

Firefighter seriously injured in house fire in northwest Toronto

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:58:25 GMT

A firefighter is in hospital with serious injuries after responding to a two-alarm fire in the city’s northwest end.Fire crews were called to a home on Vaughan Road west of Oakwood Avenue, near Dufferin Street and Eglinton Avenue, around 10:45 p.m. on Wednesday.Paramedics say five people inside the home were also taken to hospital as a precaution. One of the injured suffered smoke inhalation.The cause of the fire is not yet known.A fire broke out at a home on Vaughan Road near Oakwood Avenue in Toronto on Sept. 21, 2023. CITYNEWS/Bert Dandy

Poland done sending arms to Ukraine, leader says, as trade dispute escalates

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:58:25 GMT

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland’s prime minister said his country is no longer sending arms to Ukraine, a comment that appeared aimed at pressuring Kyiv and put Poland’s status as a major source of military equipment in doubt as a trade dispute between the neighboring states escalates.Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said in an interview late Wednesday that Poland is no longer transferring weapons to Ukraine. He made the comment as his populist party faces pressure from a far-right party in a national election on Oct. 15. The far-right party, Confederation, says Poland is not getting the gratitude it deserves for arming Ukraine and accepting its refugees.“We are no longer transferring any weapons to Ukraine because now we will arm ourselves with the most modern weapons,” Morawiecki said in an interview on Polsat, a private television broadcaster. The prime minister then spoke of a military modernization plan underway, spurred by fears of Russian aggression in the reg...

Service resumes on large stretch of TTC Line 1 after earlier signal problems

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:58:25 GMT

The TTC warned of major delays on a large stretch of its Line 1 subway on Thursday morning following an early morning signal problem.The transit operator says the train service has resumed but minor delays remain on the line between Vaughan and St. Andrew Station. The signal issue started shortly after subway service began at 6 a.m.Service resumed after 7 a.m. and shuttle buses are still running between Vaughan Metropolitan Centre and St. George stations to help deal with the backlog of riders.The TTC says the buses will continue to run until around 7:45 a.m.

Thursday Forecast: Temps in mid 70s with mainly cloudy conditions

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:58:25 GMT

CHICAGO — Mainly cloudy Thursday with rain showers and cooler lakeside. Winds: E 5-10 G150. High: 76/73. Interactive Radar: Track showers and storm here Mainly cloudy tonight with a chance for showers. Winds: E 5-10. Low: 63.Friday Forecast: Partly cloudy, 20 percent chance of rain, cooler lakeside. Winds: SE 5-10 G15. High: 80/74.Full forecast details and more at the WGN Weather Center blog