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Column: What we learned at a sleepy winter meetings, including the White Sox seeking an (eventual) new home and Christopher Morel’s value

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:11:26 GMT

The loudest noise at the 2023 MLB winter meetings came on Day 1 when a Japanese reporter fell asleep on his laptop in the media room and snored at a decibel level rivaling a heavy metal band in a small club.With no blockbuster trades or mega signings to announce during the meetings — the Juan Soto deal came to light late Wednesday night — baseball had to resort to other news, including the Hall of Fame election of manager Jim Leyland, to keep the annual three-day meetings from being a complete snoozefest.Even an incident of Cubs President Jed Hoyer snapping at USA Today reporter Bob Nightengale over a social media post drew media attention back in Chicago, showing how times have changed. Executives snapping at reporters is a story as old as the game itself. Only in this age is it considered newsworthy enough to be dissected on sports-talk radio.So nothing much happened, and a ton of media had to have something to write and talk about after spending money to come to the G...

Liberals hike income requirement for foreign students, targeting ‘puppy mill’ schools

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:11:26 GMT

OTTAWA — Immigration Minister Marc Miller says Ottawa will require foreigners applying to study in Canada to have double the amount of funds currently required.Miller says the change is among those meant to ensure international students aren’t left vulnerable to sketchy employers and unable to afford life in Canada.He is also warning provinces the Liberals might limit visas if colleges and universities don’t adequately support students, but he tells reporters that governments need to have more conversations before such changes.Miller likened some colleges to puppy mills, in that they provide foreigners with an inadequate education while giving them a chance to get a visa to work in Canada and to eventually immigrate.The Liberals are also ramping down a policy that lengthened the time graduating international students could work in Canada without an employment visa.Miller said Canada will look at offering some sort of support for foreigners who are unable to study in Cana...

Be aware of fraudulent snow removal companies, Toronto police say

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:11:26 GMT

Toronto police are alerting residents to be mindful of fraud involving snow removal companies city-wide.A police spokesperson said on most occasions, suspects typically use social media advertisements to promote their snow removal service and get citizens to pay for it in advance.It’s alleged the suspects involved in the fraud scheme won’t attend to remove the snow. Related: ‘It wasn’t Air Canada’: Ontario family’s attempt to contact airline ends up costing big bucks Authorities shared a few tips, including being wary of snow removal companies asking for full payment before any removal is done and avoiding impulse decisions to hire a snow removal company.“Do your research [online, references, word of mouth] and select a reputable company and obtain a detailed written contract,” a police spokesperson wrote in a news release.If you are a victim of fraud, report the incident to your local police and the Canadian Anti-Frau...

Kremlin foe Navalny’s lawyers to remain in detention at least through mid-March, Russian court rules

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:11:26 GMT

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — A Moscow court extended on Thursday pre-trial detentions for three lawyers who once represented imprisoned opposition leader Alexei Navalny. The three were arrested in October on charges of participating in an extremist group, a case widely seen as a means to ramp up pressure on the politician. The Basmanny District Court ruled that Vadim Kobzev, Igor Sergunin and Alexei Liptser will remain behind bars at least until March 13. According to Navalny’s allies, authorities accuse the lawyers of using their status as defense attorneys to pass letters from the imprisoned politician to his team. Both Navalny’s Foundation for Fighting Corruption and a vast network of regional offices were outlawed as extremist organizations in 2021, a step that exposed anyone involved with them to prosecution.Since January 2021, Navalny has been serving a 19-year sentence on charges of extremism. As President Vladimir Putin’s fiercest foe, he campaigned against official c...

Tories forcing delay of government bills, spending as holiday recess nears

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:11:26 GMT

OTTAWA — The official Opposition continues to force the delay of government bills and billions in spending, in an attempt to get the Liberal government to remove the federal carbon-pricing plan from all home heating by the holidays. The Conservatives are doing this by prompting 135 votes in the House of Commons today, most of them on the government’s estimates. The party says this will result in round-the-clock voting that will likely last until Friday evening and stall the Liberal agenda as the holiday recess nears. The Tory votes oppose small amounts of money to billions of dollars in spending that have been earmarked for different government departments. Some votes oppose as little as $0 to a loonie in funding for departments and agencies, such as Indigenous Services Canada and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. The Tories launched their campaign to delay government work on Wednesday, saying they won’t stop until families, farmers and First Nations are exempt...

Rapper Kodak Black is arrested on cocaine charges in South Florida

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:11:26 GMT

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Rapper Kodak Black has been arrested again in South Florida, this time on charges of possessing cocaine, jail records show.The Broward County jail listed Bill Kapri, Kodak Black’s legal name, as being in custody Thursday. The jail records say Plantation police charged him with improperly stopping or parking his vehicle, cocaine possession and tampering with evidence.Kapri is no stranger to South Florida law enforcement. He was arrested last year on charges of trafficking in oxycodone and possession of a controlled substance without a prescription. He was freed on a $75,000 bond, and regular drug testing was a condition of his release.Kapri was ordered to drug rehab for 30 days earlier this year after missing a drug test in February and then testing positive for fentanyl several days later, according to court records.Then last June a warrant for his arrest was issued after authorities said he didn’t show up for a June 9 drug test. In January 2021, t...

UN says Africa faces unprecedented food crisis, with 3 in 4 people unable to afford a healthy diet

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:11:26 GMT

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — At least three-fourths of Africans can’t afford a healthy diet, and a fifth are undernourished due to an “unprecedented food crisis,” United Nations agencies said in a report released Thursday with the African Union Commission.The continent’s 1.4 billion people are confronting high levels of hunger and malnutrition as the hit on world grain supplies from Russia’s war in Ukraine compounds the ills of African conflicts, climate change and the aftereffects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the report said.It warned that “millions are expected to be at risk of worsening hunger in the near future.”With a young population set to double by 2050, Africa is the only rapidly growing region where people are getting poorer, and some are beginning to celebrate coups by soldiers who promise a better life. Despite its wealth of natural resources, Africa is far from meeting its commitment to end hunger and all forms of malnutrition by 2025.Armed violence in West and Central Afri...

Cap on greenhouse gas emissions singles out Alberta, Premier Smith says

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:11:26 GMT

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says Ottawa’s proposed cap on greenhouse gas emissions from the oilpatch singles out her province for punitive measures and she promises another court fight with the federal government over it.In a press conference from Dubai, where she is attending the COP 28 climate meetings, Smith called federal Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault an extremist and a menace who refuses to work with her province.She says Canada is facing a crisis because of the proposal. Alberta Environment Minister Rebecca Schulz is calling the federal proposal a new National Energy Program, a ’70s-era federal policy that still evokes anger in the oilpatch.  Under Guilbeault’s policy, the oil and gas industry will have to cut emissions by more than one-third by 2030 or buy offset credits. The Canadian Energy Regulator says Alberta is the only jurisdiction in Canada where greenhouse gas emissions continue to increase, mostly because of oilpatch production. Recent ...

Two babies infected with rare bacteria sometimes found in powdered infant formula

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:11:26 GMT

ST. LOUIS (AP) — The dangerous bacteria that sparked powdered formula recalls and shortages last year has infected two babies this year, killing a Kentucky child and causing brain damage in a Missouri infant.Federal health officials confirmed Thursday that two cases of invasive infections caused by cronobacter sakazakii have been reported in 2023, both in infants who consumed powdered infant formula made by Abbott Nutrition, the company at the center of the 2022 crisis. Food and Drug Administration officials said there was no evidence that the infections were linked to manufacturing and no reason to issue new recalls. The bacteria are found naturally in the environment and also can make their way into infant formula after the packaging is opened.“There is no indication of a broader public health concern related to this product at this time,” the FDA said in a statement. Kentucky health officials notified the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Nov. 15 that a child who cons...

‘Barbie,’ ‘Oppenheimer,’ ‘Succession’ are among AFI Award recipients

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:11:26 GMT

Barbenheimer is continuing into awards season. Both “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” are among the 10 films that will receive an AFI Award in January, the American Film Institute said Thursday.The organization is recognizing a wide swath of the year’s best films, with blockbusters, an animated film, indies and movies released by both streamers and traditional studios. Honorees include Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon,” Alexander Payne’s “The Holdovers,” Celine Song’s “Past Lives” and Yorgos Lanthimos’ “Poor Things.” The list also has two Netflix films: Todd Haynes’ “May December” and Bradley Cooper’s “Maestro,” as well as Sony’s animated “Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse.”“As our nation and our world continue to navigate difficult times, AFI is honored to shine a proper light upon these works of art that lift us up and, ultimately, lead us to empathy,” said Bob Gazzale, AFI president and CEO. “That we do so without competition is AFI’s hallmark, and we are proud to gather ...