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Putin hosted Russian mercenary leader Prigozhin at the Kremlin after abortive mutiny

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:19:32 GMT

By The Associated PressRussian President Vladimir Putin hosted mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin at the Kremlin days after the commander led a short-lived rebellion, a senior government spokesman said Monday, the latest twist in a baffling episode that has raised questions about the power and influence held by both men.The three-hour meeting took place on June 29 and also involved commanders from Prigozhin’s Wagner Group military contractor, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. Putin gave an assessment of Wagner’s actions on the battlefield in Ukraine — where the mercenaries have fought alongside Russian troops — and of the revolt itself. The Wagner forces pledged loyalty to Putin, according to Peskov.The confirmation that Putin met face-to-face with Prigozhin, who led troops on a march to Moscow last month in order to demand a change of defense minister, was extraordinary. Though Putin branded Prigozhin a traitor as the revolt unfolded, the criminal case against the mercenary chie...

Chicago Cubs in MLB draft: Shortstop Matt Shaw — one of the top college hitters — at No. 13 and right-hander Jaxon Wiggins at No. 68

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:19:32 GMT

Matt Shaw’s ambitious outlook for his professional already has him envisioning a fast track to Wrigley Field.The Chicago Cubs selected the University of Maryland shortstop with the 13th overall draft pick Sunday.“My goal is to play in the major leagues, so I wanted to be on a team I thought would move me up and give me the opportunity to kind of fail early and learn to get my footing through playing against really good competition, moving up to Double A and moving up to the majors,” Shaw said Sunday night. “And for me, the Cubs will do a good job of that and that’s really exciting to me.”After going the pitcher route in the first round three of the last four years, the Cubs tapped into the deep college hitter pool for their top 2023 draft pick with their selection of Shaw.Shaw, 21, was considered one of the top college hitters in the draft. He won the 2023 Brooks Wallace Award as the nation’s top shortstop and was the Big Ten Player of the Y...

Chicago White Sox in MLB draft: Shortstop Jacob Gonzalez at No. 15 and right-hander Grant Taylor at No. 51

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:19:32 GMT

Jacob Gonzalez knew the Chicago White Sox had some interest.“They were my best meeting at the combine,” Gonzalez said during a video conference Sunday. “When I met with the White Sox, they were the only team to show video of my swing and they were very interested — on the video — they wanted to know what I was trying to do in it and what they see I can do with my swing.”Gonzalez aims to showcase that swing someday at Guaranteed Rate Field after the Sox selected the Mississippi shortstop with the No. 15 pick in the MLB draft Sunday.“It means a lot,” he said. “It’s a small step in the long run. But it feels nice to get going in the journey.“I felt like I got a little bit trolled by the A’s pick (at No. 6) when they said Jacob Wilson. I got my hopes up for half a second, but it was good. I had my friends and family surrounding me. They were all really supportive and very excited for me.”The Sox drafted LSU ri...

A bejeweled cannon and other art will head home to Sri Lanka from Netherlands museum

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:19:32 GMT

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Sri Lanka’s foreign minister said Monday that his country welcomes the Netherlands’ plan to return hundreds of colonial-era artifacts — including a bejeweled, ceremonial cannon — and said the Indian Ocean island is working to preserve the historic items. The Dutch government last week announced that it will return 478 objects of cultural significance to Indonesia and to Sri Lanka. It said the objects were wrongfully brought to the Netherlands during the colonial period, acquired under duress or by looting. Under the plan, Sri Lanka is to receive six artifacts, including the cannon and guns currently in the collection of the National Museum of World Cultures and the Rijksmuseum. The transfer of ownership to Sri Lanka will take place later this year.Foreign Minister Ali Sabry said Sri Lanka is “very grateful” for the items’ return. Discussions continued, he said, to “identify the number of artifacts.”“We need to have the mechanism here...

Stock market today: Wall Street uneven ahead of US inflation update as US earnings season kicks off

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:19:32 GMT

BANGKOK — Trading is uneven on Wall Street as the corporate earnings season kicks off and ahead of new inflation data for the Federal Reserve to consider before its next policy meeting later this month. Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average ticked up 0.1% before the bell, while S&P 500 were essentially unchanged.U.S. consumer prices for June are due out on Wednesday, with forecasts calling for an annual increase of just over 3% compared with 4% the month before. The Federal Reserve has been raising interest rates in an effort to cool the economy and bring inflation down to its target level of 2%.On Thursday, the government reports on prices at the wholesale level.Sprinkled throughout the week will be new quarterly earnings reports from Delta Air Lines, PepsiCo and big banks like Wells Fargo, JPMorgan and Citigroup.On Friday, Wall Street drifted to a mixed finish after data suggested the U.S. job market is still warm enough to keep the economy growing but maybe not so hot ...

Debt worries up as higher interest rates and rising cost of living take a toll: MNP

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:19:32 GMT

CALGARY — A report by insolvency firm MNP Ltd. says 52 per cent of Canadians say they are $200 away or less from not being able to pay all of their bills at the end of the month as higher interest rates and a rising cost of living have stretched budgets.The result for the July report is up six percentage points from 46 per cent in April.MNP president Grant Bazian says the escalating burden of household bills and food prices has intensified Canadians’ financial anxiety and is further compounded by increased debt-servicing costs, particularly for those who are deeply indebted.MNP’s consumer debt index fell to 83 points in its latest reading compared with 89 points in April as Canadians expressed a more negative attitude toward their personal finances and debt.The report says 35 per cent of those asked say they already don’t make enough to cover their bills and debt payments, up from 30 per cent in April and a record high for the survey. It also says a record 48 per c...

Jews and Muslims come together at Srebrenica anniversary of Europe’s only post-World War II genocide

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:19:32 GMT

SREBRENICA, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP) — Jews and Muslims came together on Monday in Bosnia on the eve of the 28th anniversary of the Srebrenica massacre, Europe’s only acknowledged genocide since the Holocaust, to talk about ways they can use their shared pain to help rid the world of hate and bigotry.More than 8,000 Bosniak — mainly Muslim — men and boys were killed in July 1995 in Srebrenica, after Bosnian Serb troops took hold of the eastern town. The carnage has been declared a genocide by two U.N. courts. “It is absolutely critical for the future of both the Jewish people and the (Muslim) Bosniak people, for us to join forces in remembrance in order to make sure that these type of atrocities not be allowed to occur in the future,” Menachem Rosensaft, the general counsel of the World Jewish Congress, told The Associated Press.Founded in 1936, the World Jewish Congress, or WJC, is the leading international organization connecting and protecting Jewish communities globally, in more ...

Small Town Week, Episode 1: Can we build new housing ourselves?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:19:32 GMT

In today’s Big Story podcast, welcome to Small Town Week, a five-part series in which we examine the big problems facing small communities.Access to affordable housing is no longer limited to big cities in Canada. Small communities also struggle to provide affordable housing for their residents. And perhaps the struggle is felt hardest in Canada’s north, where the cost of living is significantly higher, from groceries to basic supplies to housing.To address the high cost of living, Nunavut heavily relies on an already strained public housing system. However, this wasn’t always the case. In the past, residents in what would later become Nunavut built their own homes through the Homeownership Assistance Program (HAP).Formerly based in Iqaluit, journalist David Venn wrote a series for Nunatsiaq News, discussing overcrowding in Nunavut’s public housing and the potential of HAP as a viable solution for residents, if it were available now. “When you build your own ...

A competitive race for an open House seat is taking shape in a Michigan battleground district

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:19:32 GMT

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Former Democratic state Sen. Curtis Hertel Jr. on Monday will announce a campaign for Michigan’s 7th Congressional District, one of the nation’s most competitive House districts.Hertel and Republican Tom Barrett, who launched his second run for the seat Sunday night, are the first to announce bids for U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin’s seat. Slotkin, a Democrat, announced earlier this year that she would seek Michigan’s open U.S. Senate seat. Michigan’s 7th District was home to one of the nation’s most expensive contests last year, with Slotkin beating Barrett, and both national parties have already vowed to again go all out to win the battleground district in 2024.Hertel was recruited by Slotkin to run for the seat and will announce his candidacy in Lansing. He represented Lansing and East Lansing in the state Legislature from 2015 to 2022 before being term-limited. He briefly served as Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s director of legislative affairs bef...

Blue Island man charged with murder after 10-year-old Rockford girl found dead

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:19:32 GMT

ROCKFORD, Ill. — A registered sex offender from Blue Island has been charged with first degree murder after a 10-year-old girl was found dead in Rockford Saturday, according to the Rockford Police Department.Antonio Monroe, 44, was charged Sunday with first-degree murder, attempted murder, two counts of kidnapping and aggravated battery/strangulation. PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Police: 10-year-old girl found dead in Rockford According to police, officers were dispatched around 12:07 p.m. Saturday after a call from a woman who said her 6-year-old daughter came home and that a man took her 10-year-old sister.At around 12:40 p.m., Rockford police officers said they were flagged down by a male who said he found an unresponsive juvenile girl outside of a residence in the 1200 block of 9th Avenue. When officers arrived on scene, they found the child and administered CPR.The Rockford Fire Department then took her to a local hospital where she was pronounced dead.As the child was taken to the hos...