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Blue Jays acquire shortstop Paul DeJong from Cardinals

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:24:31 GMT

The Toronto Blue Jays have acquired some insurance to replace Bo Bichette in the interim, agreeing to a deal with the St. Louis Cardinals for shortstop Paul DeJong, the club announced on Tuesday.The Blue Jays will send 24-year-old minor league pitcher Matt Svanson to the Cardinals as part of the deal.DeJong has a $12.5-million team option for next season and a $2-million buyout. Should the Blue Jays exercise that, the veteran infielder would carry a $15-million club option and $1-million buyout for 2025, too.Bichette left Monday’s game against the Baltimore Orioles in the third inning with a sore knee after rounding first base. It was officially labelled as knee discomfort, though his status remains up in the air.DeJong, who turns 30 on Wednesday, has played his entire seven-year career with the Cardinals. A 4th-round draft pick of the Cardinals in 2015, DeJong burst onto the scene as a 23-year-old rookie in 2017 but has not been able to regain that form and has struggled to p...

Justice minister takes new oath after wording prompted by SNC-Lavalin affair left out

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:24:31 GMT

OTTAWA — The new federal justice minister and attorney general was slated to swear a fresh oath Tuesday because the one he recited last week left out wording ushered in following the SNC-Lavalin affair. Toronto MP Arif Virani, who once worked as a human rights and constitutional lawyer, took over the key portfolio from David Lametti in the recent federal cabinet shuffle, among the biggest since the Liberal government assumed office nearly eight years ago. A political storm hit the Liberals in early 2019 amid allegations prime ministerial aides leaned on Jody Wilson-Raybould, attorney general at the time, to ensure there was a deal to avoid prosecution of engineering firm SNC-Lavalin on corruption and fraud charges.The federal ethics watchdog also found that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau violated the Conflict of Interest Act.The affair highlighted the fact the jobs of justice minister and attorney general are held by the same person in Canada, which is not the case in some countries....

Calgary home sales set new July record as they climbed 18% from last year: board

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:24:31 GMT

CALGARY — The Calgary Real Estate Board says rising interest rates had little impact on last month’s home sales, which reached a record level for July.The Albertan board says sales for the month totalled 2,647, up 18 per cent from the prior July.It attributes the increase to significant gains in the relatively affordable apartment condominium sector. However, the board says despite recent gains, year-to-date sales have declined by 19 per cent compared with last year and inventory levels remain near the July record low set in 2006.July’s new listings totalled 3,247, up two per cent from a year earlier.The average price of a home was up almost 10 per cent from last year to $539,461, while the benchmark price ticked up nearly six per cent to $567,700.“Continued migration to the province, along with our relative affordability, has supported the stronger demand for housing despite higher lending rates,” said Ann-Marie Lurie, the board’s chief economist, in a news releas...

Police charge Australian man with 1,600 child abuse offenses in ‘one of the most horrific cases’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:24:31 GMT

SYDNEY, Australia — Australian police on Tuesday charged a former childcare worker with abusing 91 girls in what officials are calling one of the worst such cases in recent history.The 45-year-old man faces life in prison.“This is one of the most horrific child abuse cases that I’ve seen in nearly 40 years of policing,” New South Wales Police Assistant Commissioner Michael Fitzgerald said.Australian Federal Police Assistant Commissioner Justine Gough said that the man was charged with 1,623 child abuse offenses that allegedly took place in Brisbane, Sydney and overseas over a 15-year period. The charges include rape and sexual intercourse with a child under 10.The suspect allegedly recorded his acts on his phone and cameras, Gough said. Police believe that all the Australian children involved have been identified and their parents have been informed of the investigation, she said.“Given there were so many alleged images and videos of children recorded over 15...

Saudi Arabia to grant Yemen $1.2 billion in economic aid

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:24:31 GMT

Ahmed al-Haj (AP) — Saudi Arabia said Tuesday it will grant $1.2 billion in financial aid to Yemen’s internationally recognized government in a bid to bolster the country’s struggling economy.Riyadh said in a statement the cash injection is part of Saudi Arabia’s ongoing efforts to help stabilize Yemini food prices, address the country’s budget deficit and support salary payments.Yemen’s civil war, now entering its ninth year, has ravaged the country’s economy, catapulted food prices and pushed half of the population to the brink of famine.The conflict in the South Arabian country broke out in 2014 when Iran-backed Houthi rebels seized Yemen’s capital Sanaa, along with much of the north of the country, forcing the internationally recognized government into exile. A Saudi coalition, including the United Arab Emirates, intervened the following year to try to restore the ousted government.Yemen’s central bank has since been divided between the warring sides, wit...

Israel holds over 1,200 detainees without charge. That’s the most in 3 decades, a rights group says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:24:31 GMT

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel is holding over 1,200 detainees — nearly all of them Palestinians — without charge or trial, the highest number in over three decades, an Israeli human rights group said Tuesday. The detainees, 99% of whom are Palestinians, are held under Israel’s policy of “administrative detention,” without trial and under allegations that Israeli authorities keep secret. The detentions can range from a few months to years — and authorities often extend them for unknown reasons, according to Jessica Montell, the executive director of Hamoked, the rights group that published the figures. Hamoked said this makes it nearly impossible for detainees or their lawyers to mount a proper defense.“The overall figure is outrageous,” Montell said. “This is a patently illegal practice. These people should be given a fair trial or released.”Israeli authorities can renew administrative detentions indefinitely. While detention orders are usually set for periods of t...

The US lacks that 2019 magic at this Women’s World Cup

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:24:31 GMT

The United States is clearly not the dominant team that won the 2019 Women’s World Cup.The Americans have advanced to the knockout stage at this edition of the tournament, but just barely after a 0-0 draw with Portugal in their final group match. After the final whistle on Tuesday night, Alex Morgan stood expressionless with her hands on her hips.It was a look of frustration. If the Americans don’t pick up their play, their run to a third straight World Cup title could soon be over.With just one win and a pair of draws, the United States fell to second in Group E behind the Netherlands. The Americans now head to Melbourne, Australia, for a Round of 16 match against the top finisher from Group G, which wraps up Wednesday.The United States scored just four goals in group play — a sharp contrast to the 18 they scored in the group in 2019. In each of their first six matches four years ago in France, the Americans scored within the opening 12 minutes.“I think there’s th...

Masked woman robs $20K from Bank of America in Kildeer: police

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:24:31 GMT

KILDEER, Ill. — A woman is charged with an armed robbery at a Bank of America in Kildeer.Tina Lambert faces charges of armed robbery, burglary and felony theft.According to police, officers responded to a call of an "armed robbery in progress" around 10 a.m. Monday to the Bank of America on Rand Road.It was reported that Lambert, who was wearing a white face covering, told a bank employee that she had a gun, and to put the money in a duffle bag. No gun was actually displayed during the robbery, police said. $50K reward offered after armed robbery of USPS carrier in River Grove According to police, Lambert was located near the intersection of Rand Road and Plum Grove Road. She made a statement to officers of her involvement in the robbery and approximately $20,000 in cash was found inside the duffle bag in her possession.A bond hearing is scheduled for Tuesday

WATCH LIVE | New temporary sign unveiled for Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley National Monument

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:24:31 GMT

As President Joe Biden signed a proclamation on Tuesday establishing a national monument honoring Emmett Till and his mother, Mamie Till-Mobley, it marked the fulfillment of a promise Till’s relatives made after his death 68 years ago.The Black teenager from Chicago, whose abduction, torture and killing in Mississippi in 1955 helped propel the civil rights movement, will be seen as more than just a cause of that movement, said Till’s cousin the Rev. Wheeler Parker Jr. “We are resolute that it now becomes an American story and not just a civil rights story,” Parker told The Associated Press, ahead of a proclamation signing ceremony at the White House attended by dozens, including other family members, members of Congress and civil rights leaders.With the stroke of Biden’s pen, the Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley National Monument, located across three sites in two states, became federally protected places. But Till’s family members, along with a ...

Years after retirement, Michael Jordan memorabilia still going strong

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:24:31 GMT

CHICAGO — The greatest player in the history of the Chicago Bulls continues to be popular with fans a generation later, which one could see in a display in Lakeview last weekend. That's when Upper Deck brought a truck full of rare autographed Michael Jordan memorabilia to Clark Street just outside of Wrigley Field. It was brought to Chicago as part of the 43rd National Sports Collectors Card Convention that was held in Rosemont. Inside the truck, fans had the chance to check out a variety of game-used items from the six-time NBA Champion and five-time NBA MVP. It included a variety of signed shoes, basketballs, and photos, along with a piece of a game-used floor during Jordan's legendary years with the Bulls.Prices on the items ranged from $8,000 to $30,000 and were available for purchase for those die-hard fans of the superstar, who played in Chicago from 1984-1993 and then from 1995-1998. This promotion was done in celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Basketball Hall of Fame...