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Humza said what now? 7 things we never thought we’d hear from Scotland’s first minister

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:02:46 GMT

LONDON — Humza Yousaf hasn’t had the easiest ride as Scotland’s new first minister. And he’ll happily tell you that himself.As Yousaf wondered how he would tackle the already overflowing in-tray that greeted him when he replaced Nicola Sturgeon, his Scottish National Party was rocked by the arrests of senior figures as part of a police probe into the party’s finances.Yousaf has fronted up throughout the crisis, taking questions from journalists in impromptu huddles almost every day and releasing new information about the party’s finances seemingly as soon as he is made aware of it.But while that openness has earned him credit with journalists, not everyone thinks putting himself front-and-center — and delivering some eyebrow-raising lines while he’s at it — is a great idea.“[Yousaf] thinks he has the political skills to smooth things out but with every DING! of his hammer he’s slowly creating a wreck,” Blair McDougall, the former boss ...

UMass Amherst to celebrate campus installation of Berlin Wall segment 

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:02:46 GMT

UMass Amherst will celebrate the installation of a 12-foot segment of the Berlin Wall painted by famed French artist Thierry Noir on Tuesday afternoon. The event will be held at 2 p.m. on the Memorial Hall patio. Sonja Kreibich, Consul General of Germany to the New England States, will join UMass President Marty Meehan, UMass Amherst Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy and other campus officials for the celebration, which is the highlight of a week of art exhibitions and film screenings related to the structure’s history, impact and legacy.Donated to the university by the family of Eric Hanson, the wall segment painted by Noir is titled “The Power of Creativity over Concrete.” In the 1980s, Noir, credited with being the first artist to paint the Berlin Wall, risked arrest by East German authorities for illicitly painting on the west side of the wall three meters beyond the western border. Noir ultimately painted nearly six kilome...

New York court rules in favor of the Nationals and against the Orioles in yearslong MASN financial dispute

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:02:46 GMT

An arbitration committee of Major League Baseball executives was unbiased when it made a decision in a financial dispute between the Orioles and Washington Nationals, New York’s highest court ruled Tuesday.In the decision — a win for the Nationals — the New York Court of Appeals rejected the Orioles’ appeal and their argument that MLB and Commissioner Rob Manfred were biased against them.The Orioles could, in theory, appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, but it’s unlikely the court would accept the case. The decision Tuesday could pave the way for the Nationals to receive roughly $100 million that the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network placed in escrow in 2019.The teams have disagreed for years as to how much revenue from MASN each team should receive. MASN is co-owned by the clubs, with the Orioles controlling a majority stake.“By affirming the confirmation of the second arbitration award and directing that the money judgment be vacated, we hold the highly ...

From Embiid to Oladipo, NBA players with overwhelming admiration for Butler’s 56: ‘Crazy’, ‘Animal’, ‘That Dude’

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:02:46 GMT

Sometimes it is about more than the competition.Sometimes it is about the admiration.Monday night was one of those moments, after Jimmy Butler scored 56 points for the No. 8 Miami Heat in the rousing comeback victory over the No. 1 Milwaukee Bucks that has Butler’s team within one victory of one of the most shocking NBA playoff upsets in decades.So almost in unison, Butler’s peers took to social media to cite and salute.From sidelined teammate Victor Oladipo:From former 76ers teammate Joel Embiid:From Warriors forward Draymond Green:From former Heat teammate Kelly Olynyk:From Knicks guard and potential second-round opponent Jason Hart:What Charles Barkley had to say: ()

Prince William got ‘very large sum’ in phone hack settlement

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:02:46 GMT

By BRIAN MELLEY (Associated Press)LONDON (AP) — Prince William, the heir to the British throne, quietly received “a very large sum of money” in a 2020 settlement with the British newspaper arm of Rupert Murdoch’s media empire for phone hacking, according to court documents aired Tuesday in one of his brother’s lawsuits.Prince Harry’s lawyer made the revelation in a summary of arguments about why Harry’s lawsuit against the publisher of The Sun and now-defunct News Of The World should not be thrown out. The suit alleges the newspapers unlawfully gathered information in a scandal dating back two decades.News Group Newspapers, which Murdoch owns, argued that a High Court judge should throw out phone hacking lawsuits by the prince and actor Hugh Grant because the claims were brought too late.But Harry, the Duke of Sussex, said he was prevented from bringing his case because of a secret agreement between the royal family and the newspapers that called for a settlement and apology. The de...

Rape lawsuit trial against Donald Trump set to get underway

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:02:46 GMT

By LARRY NEUMEISTER and JENNIFER PELTZ (Associated Press)NEW YORK (AP) — For decades, former President Donald Trump has seemed to shake off allegations, investigations and even impeachments. Now his “Teflon Don” reputation is about to face a new test: a jury of average citizens in a lawsuit accusing him of rape.Jury selection is scheduled to begin Tuesday in a trial over former advice columnist’s E. Jean Carroll’s claim that Trump raped her nearly three decades ago in a department store dressing room. He denies it.The trial is in a federal civil court, meaning that no matter the outcome, Trump isn’t in danger of going to jail. He isn’t required to be in court, either, and his lawyers have indicated he most likely won’t testify.But the trial, which comes as Trump is again running for president, still has the potential to be politically damaging for the Republican. The jury is poised to hear a reprisal of stories of sexual misconduct tha...

Germany detains Syrian suspected of planning Islamist attack

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:02:46 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — German authorities have detained a Syrian man on suspicion of planning to carry out an explosives attack motivated by Islamic extremism, officials said Tuesday.Federal police said officers detained the 28-year-old man early Tuesday in the northern city of Hamburg.Investigators say the man is suspected of trying to obtain substances online that would have allowed him to manufacturer an explosive belt “in order to carry out an attack against civilian targets.”Police say the man was encouraged and supported in his action by his 24-year-old brother, who lives in the southern town of Kempten. The men, whose names weren’t immediately released, are described as being motivated by “radical Islamist and jihadist” views.Authorities said they had no information indicating a concrete target for the planned attack.Police searched properties in Hamburg and Kempten, seizing large amounts of evidence including chemical substances, officials said. Some 250 officers were involved ...

Proud Boys Jan. 6 jury to hear 2nd day of closing arguments

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:02:46 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal jury on Tuesday is scheduled to hear a second day of attorneys’ closing arguments in the landmark trial for former Proud Boys extremist group leaders charged with plotting to violently stop the transfer of presidential power after the 2020 election.A lawyer for former Proud Boys national chairman Enrique Tarrio will address jurors before they begin deliberating, more than three months after the trial started in Washington, D.C.It’s one of the most serious cases to come out of the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, which temporarily halted Congress’ certification of Joe Biden’s presidential election victory over Donald Trump. Tarrio and four lieutenants are charged with seditious conspiracy — a rarely used charge that carries up to 20 years behind bars.A prosecutor told jurors on Monday that the Proud Boys were ready for “all-out war” and viewed themselves as foot soldiers fighting for Trump as the Republican spread lies th...

2 killed, 10 wounded as Russian forces hit Ukrainian museum

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:02:46 GMT

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — A Russian missile hit a museum building in a Ukrainian city on Tuesday, killing at least two people and wounding 10 others, part of a relentless barrage that comes as Ukraine is readying its forces for an expected spring counteroffensive.Ukrainian officials said the Russian military used S-300 air defense missiles to attack Kupiansk in the Kharkiv region, hitting the museum of local history in the city center. The Russian military has repeatedly used S-300s, which Ukraine’s air defenses can’t intercept, to attack ground targets.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy posted a video from the site that shows the ruined building and emergency responders examining the damage.“The terrorist country is doing everything to destroy us completely,” Zelenskyy said. “Our history, our culture, our people. Killing Ukrainians with absolutely barbaric methods.”Zelenskyy said that a museum worker was killed, and Kharkiv regional Gov. Oleh Syniehubov later repo...

Why the federal worker strike will test Canada’s economy and labour market

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:02:46 GMT

For almost a week, Canada’s federal workers have been on strike. The action by the Public Service Alliance of Canada is the largest the country has seen in decades, and there doesn’t seem to be an end in sight. Meanwhile, services in many federal departments are reduced to emergency-only levels, as unions and employers across the country watch to see what comes next.Cormac Mac Sweeney is a Parliament Hill reporter for CityNews. He joins us to discuss why this strike comes at a critical time for both the economy and labour relations, and how inflation, pay scale, return-to-work policies could set a precedent for public and private workers throughout the country.“A lot of unions tend to try and time their job action to have maximum impact. I mean, that’s the point of a strike, it’s to try and put pressure on the other side,” he said. “The closer we get to busier travel seasons and the tax filing deadline, the more pressure it is going to put on the government and the union...