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China special envoy to visit Ukraine, Russia

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:39:10 GMT

China’s special representative on Eurasian affairs, Li Hui, will visit Ukraine, Russia and several European countries next week as part of Beijing’s bid to act as a middleman in the war in Ukraine in spite of concerns over its neutrality, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Friday.Li, who was China’s ambassador to Moscow for a decade until 2019, will also visit France, Germany and Poland to “have communications on the political settlement of the Ukrainian crisis,” ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said at a regular press briefing. Li reportedly will be the highest-ranking Chinese diplomat to visit Ukraine since the war started.“This visit by the Chinese representative is a testament to Chinese efforts to promote peace talks and our firm commitment to peace,” Wang added.In spite of being Moscow’s top ally, Chinese President Xi Jinping has sought to position Beijing as a peace broker between Ukraine and Russia in recent months, int...

New Hampshire lab error incorrectly resulted in salad greens recall

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:39:10 GMT

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — A laboratory error incorrectly caused a recall announcement for a brand of salad greens, the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services said.The products from lēf Farms are safe and the recall has been canceled, the department said in a news release Thursday.The May 5 recall notice regarded a “potential” E. coli bacteria contamination of a specific lot of the company’s “Spice” packaged salad greens. When it heard the news, the Loudon-based hydroponics company voluntarily initiated a recall of potentially affected products, the department said.The recall notice was directed at Hannaford and Market Basket supermarkets in Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont.Further analysis determined “the control sample and the lēf Farms sample were nearly identical, indicating that the initial lab results were inaccurate due to a contamination error within the lab itself,” the department said.“I wish to apologize to lēf Farms, ...

Miguel Amaya gives the Chicago Cubs a glimpse of their future at catcher: ‘He has the talent to do whatever he wants to do’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:39:10 GMT

Chicago Cubs left-hander Justin Steele detoured from his locker when he entered the visitors clubhouse at Nationals Park last week with a destination in mind.Across the room, Steele found Miguel Amaya and approached the young catcher with a brief message, complimenting the 24-year-old’s performance during their pregame bullpen. Amaya hadn’t played above Double-A Tennessee when the Cubs promoted him to fill in while Yan Gomes was sidelined on the seven-day concussion injured list. Tommy John surgery and a Lisfranc injury sidelined him for most of the previous two seasons. Since 2020, Amaya had started only 32 minor-league games before earning his first big-league call-up.He appeared in six Cubs games, starting four at catcher.“He’s an unbelievable player, unbelievable person,” Steele said. “I’ve had the pleasure of meeting his family, just beautiful people inside and out. I really know Amaya as a person. I know he’s a great kid. He̵...

Chicago Bears 2023 schedule: Here’s who they’ll play — and our predictions for each matchup

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:39:10 GMT

The 2023 Chicago Bears schedule is set. Season opener against the rival Green Bay Packers. Season finale? Against the Packers. Sandwiched in between are 15 games that will determine the direction and momentum of the team’s resurgence effort. The Bears will play a pair of Thursday night games for the first time — in Weeks 5 and 10 — and have four prime-time games in all.Here’s how our trio of Bears reporters sees the season playing out.Week 1: Bears vs. Green Bay PackersSunday, Sept. 10, 3:25 p.m., Fox-32Great news! Sources have confirmed to the Tribune that Jordan Love doesn’t own anything in or around downtown Chicago. The law of averages also suggests the Packers’ new QB1 couldn’t possibly emerge as one of the league’s top stars for the next decade or longer. So maybe Bears fans can breathe a sigh of relief. And perhaps this rivalry will become legitimately competitive again.Tribune picksBrad Biggs: PackersColleen Kane: BearsDan Wied...

Russia, Belarus have Paralympic membership suspension overturned, but athletes still barred

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:39:10 GMT

BONN, Germany (AP) — Russia and its ally Belarus have had their suspension from membership of the International Paralympic Committee overturned on appeal but their athletes remain barred from competing in IPC-run events.The IPC said Friday that its independent appeals tribunal had ruled that the IPC membership should have considered more evidence before voting to suspend the two countries’ national Paralympic organizations in November, following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The IPC said the tribunal decision on Wednesday was taken on a “technicality” and that some of the evidence the tribunal heard wasn’t available when the vote was taken last year. IPC President Andrew Parsons called the ruling “a decision we certainly respect, but disagree with.”The issue is now set to be considered again by IPC members in September. That meeting was already expected to consider the IPC’s approach to Russian and Belarusian athletes in preparations for the Paralympics in Paris...

Serbia’s populist leader denounces planned Belgrade bridge blockade after shootings

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:39:10 GMT

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Serbia’s populist leader has sharply denounced opposition plans to block a key bridge and motorway in Belgrade on Friday to press their demands in the wake of last week’s mass shootings in the Balkan country that left 17 people dead, including many children.President Aleksandar Vucic said that the planned opposition protest later on Friday amounted to “violence in politics” and “harassment” of citizens. But, Vucic said, police would not intervene to prevent it “unless people’s lives are in danger.”“What gives them the right to block other people’s normal lives?” said Vucic, adding that the opposition were “abusing the tragedy” following the shootings that deeply rattled the nation and triggered calls for change.“They are harassing citizens and not allowing them to travel,” Vucic insisted. “But we don’t like to beat protesters, like France and Germany do.” The rally on Friday comes a week after thousands marched in Belgrade. They ...

Islamabad high court gives ex-PM Imran Khan reprieve from arrest in graft case, grants bail

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:39:10 GMT

ISLAMABAD (AP) — A high court in Islamabad on Friday granted former Prime Minister Imran Khan protection from arrest in a graft case and ordered him freed on bail. The ruling came as the government and legions of Khan’s supporters were on edge after days of violent confrontations sparked by the arrest of the former prime minister earlier this week. The government has vowed it will find a way to take Khan back into custody, a move that would likely cause a resurgence of riots and mob attacks.Friday’s ruling by the Islamabad High Court gave Khan protection from arrest on one of several corruption cases against him for a period of two weeks, a form of interim bail that usually is renewed in the Pakistan judicial system. Khan, however, remained in the court after the decision as his lawyers petitioned the judges for similar protection in a number of other corruption charges, trying to close off a legal avenue for the government to arrest him again. Khan’s chief lawyer, Babar...

UN human rights report says at least 500 believed to have died in Mali village massacre last year

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:39:10 GMT

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — Malian forces backed by foreign military personnel are believed to have killed at least 500 people over several days in a village last year, the U.N. said Friday, significantly raising the death toll from what already has been called the worst single atrocity in Mali’s decade-long fight against extremist groups.The new report from the U.N. Human Rights Office details the violence that took place in the village of Moura in central Mali over the course of five days, and raises a previous toll of 300 dead given by Human Rights Watch.U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk called the findings “extremely disturbing.”“Summary executions, rape and torture during armed conflict amount to war crimes and could, depending on the circumstances, amount to crimes against humanity,” Turk said.Malian authorities have said that their operation last March neutralized extremists and didn’t allow U.N. investigators to visit the village. U.N. investigators a...

Air Canada reports Q1 revenue nearly doubled compared with a year ago

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:39:10 GMT

MONTREAL — Air Canada reported its first-quarter revenue nearly doubled compared with a year ago, boosted by strong demand.Air Canada chief executive Michael Rousseau says the financial results exceeded both internal and external expectations and that the airline expects demand to persist, supported by strong advance bookings for the remainder of the year.The airline reported net income of $4 million for the quarter ended March 31, up from a loss of $974 million in the same quarter last year.Revenue totalled $4.89 billion, up from $2.57 billion in the first three months of 2022.On an adjusted basis, Air Canada says it lost 53 cents per diluted share in its latest quarter compared with an adjusted loss of $2.09 per diluted share a year earlier.The average analyst estimate had been for an adjusted loss of 74 cents per share and $4.35 billion in revenue, according to estimates compiled by financial markets data firm Refinitiv.This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 12...

FIFA fund for unpaid wages helps 225 players at clubs in Portugal and Greece

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:39:10 GMT

ZURICH (AP) — A FIFA fund to compensate for unpaid wages helped 225 players in the latest round of payments, including 61 in Portugal and 50 in Greece, the governing body of soccer said Friday.The $16 million FIFA Fund for Football Players was created in 2020 with the FIFPRO player union. Some clubs were suspected of closing down to avoid paying salaries and then re-started anew as a “phoenix” operation.FIFA allocated $4 million to applications for financial help from the 2021 calendar year.The payments included 22 for players from Greek club Doxa Drama, plus 19 from CD Aves and 18 from Uniao da Madeira in Portugal.Cases in China came from Shanghai Shenxin, Beijing Renhe, Taizhou Yuanda and Guangdong South China Tiger.“Given that it’s deeply frustrating for players not to receive their salaries, we’re pleased that the FIFA (fund) is again providing them with a safety net to ensure that they receive part of what they are owed,” FIFPRO legal director Roy Vermeer said in a statement.FI...