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Massachusetts Democrats announce deal on controversial budget bill

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:19:09 GMT

Top Massachusetts Democrats negotiating a multi-billion supplemental budget that closes the books on fiscal year 2023 said Thursday morning they had reached a deal after weeks of closed-door negotiations.Beacon Hill lawmakers broke for the holidays two weeks ago without an agreement on a $2.8 billion supplemental budget that included $250 million for the state’s struggling shelter system and nearly $400 million for more than 90 union contracts. Negotiations were kicked into informal sessions, where any one lawmakers has the power to block advancing policy.Ways and Means Chairs Rep. Aaron Michlewitz and Sen. Michael Rodrigues said they reached an agreement on the budget in a brief statement but it was not immediately clear what survived private talks and if Democrats were potentially running into a Republican blockade.“Our respective staffs are actively working to finalize remaining details and complete the work required to file a conference committee report. We anticipat...

Man hit by San Diego COASTER train dies

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:19:09 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- An investigation is underway after a deadly train collision in the Mission Hills area.According to the San Diego County Sheriff's Department, the incident occurred around 7:55 p.m. Wednesday near the intersection of Noell Street and Kurtz Street. Skateboarder critically injured after colliding with minivan: police Responding San Diego Police Department officers found a man who was hit by a northbound COASTER train, authorities explained. The man was evaluated by the San Diego Fire Department but succumbed to his injuries.The Sheriff's Transit Enforcement Unit (TEU) investigates incidents along the routes of the North County Transit District. SDPD requested the Sheriff's TEU respond to conduct an investigation into the collision.The Medical Examiner's Office will make a positive identification of the man, as well as determine cause and manner of death pending notification of his family.Anyone with information about this case is encouraged to call the Sheriff's Departme...

Cristiano Ronaldo faces $1B class-action lawsuit for promoting for Binance NFTs

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:19:09 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Portuguese soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo has been hit with class-action lawsuit seeking at least $1 billion in damages for his role in promoting cryptocurrency-related “non-fungible tokens,” or NFTs, issued by the beleaguered cryptocurrency exchange Binance. The lawsuit, filed in federal court in the Southern District of Florida Monday, accuses Ronaldo’s promotions of Binance of being “deceptive and unlawful.” Binance’s partnership with high-profile figures like Ronaldo, the plaintiffs claim, caused them to make costly and unsafe investments.“Evidence now reveals that Binance’s fraud was only able to reach such heights through the offer and sale of unregistered securities, with the willing help and assistance of some of the wealthiest, powerful and recognized organizations and celebrities across the globe—just like Defendant Ronaldo,” the suit reads.Representatives for Ronaldo and Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, did not immedia...

Adelson adding NBA team to resume of casino mogul, GOP power broker, US and Israel newspaper owner

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:19:09 GMT

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Miriam Adelson is one of the richest women in the world, a U.S. and Israel newspaper publisher and political powerbroker who, after selling $2 billion in stock to buy the Dallas Mavericks, will still be the majority shareholder of Las Vegas Sands Corp., the casino company her late husband built.A company statement on Wednesday confirmed the deal on behalf of the Adelson and the Dumont families — referring to relatives of her son-in-law, Sands company president and board member Patrick Dumont.The transaction could close in less than five weeks, the statement said, if it gets approval from the NBA board of governors. It could take longer; typically the NBA vetting process takes a month or two to complete, and there is no set timeframe.The $3.5 billion purchase from team owner Mark Cuban would make Adelson one of a few female owners of a U.S. professional sports franchise, and one of the wealthiest overall. Her net worth, including family trusts, was reported by Forbes...

Elderly man seriously injured after being struck by vehicle in North York

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:19:09 GMT

An elderly man suffered serious injuries after being struck by a vehicle in North York. Police were called to the intersection of Jane Street and Maple Leaf Drive around 10 a.m. for reports someone had been struck.Paramedics transported a man via emergency run to a nearby hospital in serious condition. Police say the driver involved in the incident remained on the scene.

Blinken urges Israel to comply with international law in war against Hamas as truce is extended

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:19:09 GMT

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday stepped up calls for Israel to comply with international law as it wages its war against Hamas in Gaza.On his third trip to the Middle East since the war began on Oct. 7, Blinken said the U.S. remains committed to supporting Israel’s right to self defense. But he also said it is imperative that Israel protect civilians if it starts major military operations in southern Gaza. His message aligns with the Biden administration’s shifting rhetoric on the war, which began as a full-throated embrace of Israel’s response to the Hamas attacks but gradually tempered as the number of Palestinian civilian casualties began to rise dramatically. The death toll and scale of destruction has prompted widespread international criticism, including from members of President Joe Biden’s Democratic Party.Meeting in Jerusalem just hours after Israel and Hamas agreed at the last minute to a third extension of a cease-fire agre...

Gambian man convicted in Germany for role in killings under Gambia’s former ruler

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:19:09 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — A German court on Thursday convicted a Gambian man of murder and crimes against humanity for involvement in the killing of government critics in his West African homeland. The killings took place nearly two decades ago when, the court found, the man was a driver for a military unit deployed against opponents of then-President Yahya Jammeh.The 48-year-old suspect, Bai Lowe, was given a life prison sentence by the state court in the district of Celle, which also convicted him of attempted murder. The court described it as the world’s first sentence under international criminal law for human rights violations in Gambia.Judges found that the defendant was a driver for a unit known as the “patrol team,” or “Junglers,” deployed by Jammeh to carry out illegal killings to suppress the opposition and intimidate the public.Jammeh ruled Gambia, a country surrounded by Senegal except for a small Atlantic coastline, for 22 years. He lost a presidential election and went into ...

On ‘Innocence,’ Kenny G’s jazz lullabies aren’t just for kids. They’re for everyone

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:19:09 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Four decades into his career – which include countless world tours, 20 studio albums, the Guinness World Record for bestselling jazz artist, and a Grammy – saxophonist Kenny G is grateful that his music continues to resonate.“It’s not just my hard work, because I work hard. I practice every day for three hours – every single day,” he told The Associated Press. “It’s not just that. There’s more to it. There’s the timing of things. Then there’s the intangibles of why does a melody sound good to me.”That latter element is crucial. If there is a constant in the career of Kenny G, it’s found in his chase and appreciation for melodies. On Dec. 1, that hunt will result in “Innocence,” his latest album and a collection of lullabies — both familiar and new — arranged in an idiosyncratic Kenny G fashion.“I’ve already made music that people get engaged to, and then I made music they get married to and then they tell me how they make babies to my music. Well, I said, I’...

Director Lepage and dancer Cote to premiere wordless ‘Hamlet’ ballet in Toronto

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:19:09 GMT

TORONTO — Robert Lepage and Guillaume Cote have reimagined “Hamlet” without one of its most famous features: the script.The celebrated dancer-choreographer and veteran playwright-stage director say they will premiere a ballet based on the classic tragedy in Toronto in April, five years after reimagining the career of filmmaker Norman McLaren as a multimedia dance for the National Ballet of Canada.This time, they’ve transposed William Shakespeare’s tragedy into a “wordless” performance that weaves classic and contemporary choreography.Cote will star as Hamlet, alongside a company of eight other dancers. John Gzowski supplies the score.Lepage has worked on numerous productions of the play and even played the troubled prince, and says he is excited about the idea of a non-verbal rendition of the story.The production from Ex Machina, Cote Dance and Dvoretsky Productions runs April 3 to 7 at Toronto’s Elgin Theatre.This report by The Canadian Pre...

Bereavement fares worth looking into but do your research before booking: experts

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:19:09 GMT

When Cathy Olliffe-Webster’s 90-year-old mother-in-law died suddenly last year, her family had to make the trek from Cold Lake, Alta., to Ontario in a hurry.The jewelry business owner reckons the flight would have set her and her husband back $2,000 because it was a last-minute booking, but they scored a hefty discount.“We ended up paying $400 each there and back,” Olliffe-Webster recalled. “I was happy with the price.”The savings her family landed came courtesy of Air Canada’s bereavement fare program — an initiative the airline runs to offer discounts to customers travelling before or after the imminent death of a loved one.Such programs are offered by several airlines, but many Canadians don’t know they exist or are too distressed by their family situation to explore them.However, Olliffe-Webster encourages people to research the policies when they find themselves needing to travel following a loved one’s death.“Most people, e...