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Ex-Boris aide barred from Georgia amid opposition crackdown fears

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:11:21 GMT

A former senior political advisor to ex-U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson was detained at the airport in Tbilisi and forced to leave Georgia, where he has been advising the country’s leading opposition party.Speaking to journalists on Monday, the chairman of the United National Movement, Georgia’s main opposition bloc, confirmed that Ben Mallet, a veteran political campaigner, was questioned upon his arrival in the capital. Accusing the government of double standards and sparking a “diplomatic scandal,” Levan Khabeishvili asked: “Can you imagine that a British citizen was not allowed, but they lay a red carpet for [Russian Foreign Minister Sergei] Lavrov and Russian generals?”Border guards questioned Mallet, who works as director of international campaigns for U.S. strategic consultancy The Messina Group, after he arrived on a flight from Paris for talks with opposition leaders. The authorities later issued a formal entry rejection on ambiguous grounds, said ...

Borrell says ‘no’ to Israel’s reoccupying Gaza after war

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:11:21 GMT

Israel cannot stay in Gaza after the war, EU top diplomat Josep Borrell said on Monday while presenting his vision ahead of his trip to Israel and the Palestinian territories. Borrell’s comments aligned with a warning by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken that Israel cannot reoccupy Gaza after its war with Hamas ends. Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had stated earlier that Israel would take “overall security responsibility” for Gaza “for an indefinite period.” Borrell announced on Monday that he will visit Israel and the Palestinian territories this week. Following the Hamas attacks of October 7, Israel’s airstrikes and ground operation in Gaza have led to the killing of more than 11,000 Palestinians, according to figures provided by the Palestinian Authority, including more than 4,500 children. This will be Borrell’s first visit to Israel since becoming EU foreign minister four years ago.Days after the Hamas attack...

Boston police seek vehicle, people of interest after dog fatally shot

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:11:21 GMT

Boston police are turning to the public for help as they search for three people and a motor vehicle in connection with the fatal shooting of a dog last month.Police released images Monday of three people and a vehicle sought in the Oct. 19 shooting around 4 p.m. in the area of 279 Centre St.Anyone with information is strongly urged to contact District E-13 Detectives at (617) 343-5628.Community members wishing to assist in this investigation anonymously can do so by calling the CrimeStoppers Tip Line at 1 (800) 494-TIPS or by texting the word ‘TIP’ to CRIME (27463).This is a developing news story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest details.

Chicago Bears want to see Justin Fields do full-team work in practice before deciding on status for Detroit Lions

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:11:21 GMT

Chicago Bears coach Matt Eberflus said Justin Fields’ throws “look good” as the quarterback works his way back from a dislocated right thumb. But whether Fields is healthy enough and ready to return Sunday against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field is something the Bears must monitor in practice this week.The Bears returned to Halas Hall from their mini-bye Monday for a short practice that included individual work in helmets, a special teams period, and an offensive and defensive walk-through. Fields participated in the practice. But Eberflus said the Bears want to see how Fields looks in full-team work before determining whether he can play for the first time since Oct. 15. The Bears will hold a full practice Wednesday.“Once we see him in the game of football in terms of going against the scout team and taking snaps and playing full speed, then we’ll make a determination,” Eberflus told reporters Monday after practice. “But it’s not ther...

Hyundai joins Honda, Toyota with wage hikes

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:11:21 GMT

South Korean automaker Hyundai has joined Honda and Toyota in raising factory worker wages after the United Auto Workers union reached new contract agreements with Detroit automakers.Hyundai said Monday it will raise factory worker pay 25% by 2028, matching the general wage increase won by the UAW during that period. Toyota raised factory pay 9% to 10% starting in January, while Honda said it will increase wages 11% during the same period.Labor experts say the increases are at least in part aimed at thwarting UAW President Shawn Fain’s strategy of trying to organize U.S. auto plants run by foreign automakers and Tesla in order to increase the union’s bargaining power. Fain said terrified auto executives at nonunion plants are raising wages, and he called Toyota’s pay increase the UAW bump.“UAW, that stands for ‘You Are Welcome,'” he said.About 146,000 UAW members are voting on new contracts with General Motors, Ford and Jeep maker Stellantis that ...

Patriots release troubled CB Jack Jones, claim RB JaMychal Hasty

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:11:21 GMT

The Patriots waived troubled second-year cornerback Jack Jones on Monday.Related ArticlesNew England Patriots | Patriots captains declare belief in Bill Belichick after latest loss New England Patriots | Callahan: It’s time for the Mac Jones era to end in New England New England Patriots | Bill Belichick addresses job security after Patriots’ 10-6 loss to Colts New England Patriots | Bailey Zappe blows another opportunity with Patriots starting QB job on the line New England Patriots | Bill Belichick not committing to Patriots QB Mac Jones after third benching Jones returned with the team from Germany late Sunday night after he played a season-low 10 snaps in the Patriots’ 10-6 loss to the Colts. Jones ends his New England tenure amid the worst playing stretch of his young career. He sat out the first quarter of the team’s last two games due to performance and off-field issues.The...

Gambling pioneer Steve Norton, who ran first US casino outside Nevada, dies at age 89

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:11:21 GMT

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — Steve Norton, who ran the first U.S. gambling facility outside Nevada — Resorts casino in Atlantic City — and gave advice around the world on how to set up and operate casinos, has died. He was 89.His son, Rob, president of Cordish Gaming, said Norton died Sunday following an accident in his Oceanside, California, home.Norton spent more than half a century in the casino industry, running companies and advising state governments on the expansion of gambling, including on riverboats. He helped create the industry’s national trade association and worked to address gambling addiction.“Steve was an early and influential gaming executive in Atlantic City and at Resorts,” said the casino’s current president, Mark Giannantonio. “He was an important leader in the Atlantic City market dating back to the 1970s. He was always a pleasure to speak with over the years, and a true gentleman in our business.”Norton was executive vice president of Resorts when t...

The 2024 Republican presidential field is rapidly shrinking. But is it too late to stop Trump?

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:11:21 GMT

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — The Republican Party’s once-crowded 2024 presidential primary field has suddenly shrunk to just a handful of viable candidates.But a day after Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina stunned many of his own staff by suspending his campaign, it’s unclear whether the GOP is any closer to coalescing behind a clear alternative to former President Donald Trump. Instead, the fight between Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis for a distant second place appears to be intensifying. And some lower-tier candidates insist on battling for relevance, despite growing pressure to bow out of the race altogether.Meanwhile, Trump’s team is cheering on the muddle for second place with Iowa’s Jan. 15 kickoff caucuses just two months away. Still, there were new positive signs on Monday for Haley, Scott’s South Carolina rival, who had been rising in the Republican contest even before the senator’s sudden announcement. Billionaire investor Stanley Druckenmillier, who had give...

Officials exhume the body of a Mississippi man buried without his family’s knowledge

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:11:21 GMT

RAYMOND, Miss. (AP) — The body of a Mississippi man who died after being hit by a police SUV driven by an off-duty officer was exhumed Monday, months after officials failed to notify his family of his death. At a news conference, civil rights attorney Ben Crump, local leaders and family members of 37-year-old Dexter Wade said they had hired an independent medical examiner to perform an autopsy on the man’s body. They will also give him a proper funeral. While Dexter Wade’s remains were released Monday, his family said officials failed to honor the agreed-upon time approved by a county attorney for exhuming the body. “Now, I ask, can I exhume my child and try to get some peace and try to get a state of mind,” said Dexter Wade’s mother, Bettersten Wade. “Now y’all take that from me. I couldn’t even see him come out of the ground.” Dexter Wade’s family members, his attorneys and other witnesses said they did not get to see the exhumation ...

Sun Life sees net income rise in third quarter to $871 million

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:11:21 GMT

TORONTO — Sun Life Financial Inc. says net income for the first quarter was $871 million, up from $111 million a year earlier. The Toronto-based company says earnings per share were $1.48, up from 19 cents during the third quarter last year.Sun Life says the higher income was due in part to favourable market-related impacts from interest rates. Underlying net income was $930 million, slightly down from $949 million a year earlier. The company says it completed its acquisition of virtual health and wellness provider Dialogue during the quarter. Sun Life increased its dividend by three cents to 78 cents per common share. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 13, 2023.Companies in this story: (TSX:SLF)The Canadian Press