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Putin trolls COP28 with oil talks next door

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:43:06 GMT

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — While everyone else was trying to rescue the world from climate catastrophe, Vladimir Putin was negotiating Russia’s oil exports down the road.As the COP28 climate talks in Dubai reached their scheduled halfway point on Wednesday, the Russian leader landed discreetly just 150 kilometers away. His destination, however, was not the international forum where officials were debating the future of fossil fuels.It was Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates’ capital, where Putin began a quick tour of two critical business partners. First up, Putin’s Emirati counterpart, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Then, it was over to Riyad to see Saudi Arabia’s crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman.If not intentional, Putin’s timing certainly seemed designed to thumb his nose at the global talks happening less than a 90-minute drive away. His presence presented a symbolic split screen: Negotiators haggling over how to wean the world off fossil fuels in one frame,...

Credit card skimmer found at Chelsea Market Basket, police investigating

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:43:06 GMT

The skimmer scammers are at it again, but Market Basket was vigilant.“Members of our Chelsea store management team found a suspicious device attached to a single payment terminal yesterday at 4:24 PM,” a spokesman retained by the Tewksbury-based Market Basket wrote in a statement Wednesday morning.The statement added that security camera footage showed the device had been placed on the terminal just six minutes earlier and the store wasn’t sure if any customer data had been compromised.A skimmer is a device that overlays the credit card machine found anywhere you may use such a card for payment, from grocery store checkouts to gas station pumps. The device records the information on a credit card so thieves can use your card themselves. The skimmer devices look just like the machines they’re placed over, so they’re easy to miss. But if something seems off, try giving the top of the machine a little tug and see if there’s a skimmer.The Chelsea Police Department wrote that it has the ...

Massachusetts town meeting interrupted by antisemitic ‘Zoombombing,’ person displays swastika and gives Nazi salute

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:43:06 GMT

A local town meeting was interrupted by a hateful outburst on Tuesday when someone reportedly shouted an antisemitic slur, displayed a swastika on their Zoom screen and appeared to give a Nazi salute, according to police who are investigating.Winthrop town officials are condemning the “Zoombombing” during the Town Council meeting. The unidentified person interrupted the meeting during a discussion about the town’s flag flying policy.The individual reportedly used an ethnic slur that’s described by the American Jewish Committee as being used by white supremacists to denigrate Jewish people. The hateful outburst is now the subject of a police investigation.“During a civic discussion on the flying of flags on town property, an individual seized the meeting to use it as a platform for hate speech and to display symbols of hate, intimidation and nazism,” said Town Council President James Letterie.“We condemn this act and all acts of hatred in or ...

Chicago Bears Q&A: Would 7-10 save Matt Eberflus’ job? Is Chris Jones a possible free-agent target? Which QBs are in the 1st-round mix?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:43:06 GMT

The bye week is over and the Chicago Bears are about to begin the final five-game stretch of the season with many important questions looming.What would they have to accomplish, beginning Sunday at Soldier Field against the Detroit Lions, for coach Matt Eberflus to return for a third season in 2024? Brad Biggs takes a swing at that and many more questions in his weekly Bears mailbag.Is 7-10 enough to save Matt Eberflus’ job? Is 7-10 enough to save his job but with conditions on his coaching staff moving forward? How do you see this playing out? — @oldvulture23That is one of the biggest questions to be answered in the stretch run as the Bears prepare for Sunday’s NFC North meeting with the Detroit Lions, whom they should have beaten three weeks ago at Ford Field. The Bears are seeking to win consecutive games for the first time under Eberflus, and that would be a step in the right direction. The Lions (9-3) are a high-quality opponent, which makes this a very import...

Daywatch: The best (and worst!) of TV and film this year

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:43:06 GMT

Good morning, Chicago.A Cook County judge overturned the murder conviction of a man who was found guilty in a fatal shooting at a South Side gas station primarily based on the testimony of an eyewitness who turned out to be legally blind.Darien Harris was an 18-year-old high school senior with a clean criminal record when prosecutors charged him in an ambush-style shooting that left one man dead and another seriously injured in June 2011.Now 30, Harris has long maintained his innocence, saying he was at home watching LeBron James play in the NBA finals between the Miami Heat and the Dallas Mavericks. But a now-retired judge found Harris guilty in 2014 and sent him to prison for 76 years.More than four years ago, his legal team, family and friends began urging the conviction integrity unit of Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx to take another look at the case. Among other arguments, they said the key witness had failed to disclose to the trial judge that the witness was lega...

Red Sox broadcaster Joe Castiglione wins Hall of Fame’s Ford Frick Award

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:43:06 GMT

NASHVILLE — Joe Castiglione is going to Cooperstown. Can you believe it?The longtime Red Sox radio broadcaster has been selected as the 2024 recipient of the Ford C. Frick Award, presented annually for excellence in broadcast by the Baseball Hall of Fame. Castiglione will be honored in Cooperstown as part of Hall of Fame Weekend this coming July.“Bringing knowledge and passion to the booth every day for more than four decades, Joe Castiglione has given voice to the greatest era of Red Sox success in the broadcast era,” said Josh Rawitch, President of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, in a statement. “Starting with the team in 1983 in Carl Yastrzemski’s final season, Joe has connected generations of Red Sox fans with a delivery that has become part of the New England fabric. His calls of the team’s four World Series wins in the past 20 seasons provided fans with memories that will echo forever throughout Red Sox nation.”Castiglione recently wrapped up his 41st season cal...

Warning of genocide, New England academics call for Israel-Hamas ceasefire

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:43:06 GMT

More than 1,000 of New England’s top academics have signed onto a letter in which they plead with their elected representatives to support an end to the violence in the Gaza Strip and warn of the potentially genocidal consequences of continued conflict.The letter, which began circulating last week and passed the 1,000-signers mark in less than 72 hours, calls for an immediate end to violence and the establishment of an independent commission tasked with investigating whether or not war crimes were committed in Israel and Palestine in the weeks since the war began.The cries for an end to the ongoing violence in the Gaza Strip comes as the war between the Israeli Defense Forces and Hamas enters its third month, the civilian death toll continues to climb, and water, food, electricity, and medical supplies run short for cornered Palestinians.“The devastation of Gaza by Israel violates the norms of war, not to mention the many international agreements intended to ensure protection ...

‘The Boy and the Heron’ another gift from Studio Ghibli

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:43:06 GMT

From the supposedly retired animation auteur and Studio Ghibli founder Hayao Miyazaki (Academy Award-winner “Spirited Away,” “Howl’s Moving Castle”) comes “The Boy and the Heron,” a hand-drawn fantasy with autobiographical elements. Like “The Wind Rises” (2013), Miyazaki’s announced valedictory effort, “The Boy and the Heron” invokes World War II. In fact, the action begins when the film’s protagonist Mahito Maki (Soma Santoki) sees his beloved mother burned to death in a hospital in an attack on Tokyo.Some time later, Mahito’s father Shoichi Maki (Takuya Kimura), a factory owner, marries his late wife’s younger sister Natsuko (Yoshino Kimura), who becomes pregnant. They then all move to the country to a lavish house on a hill near a river. A big grey heron seems interested in the newly-arrived boy, who injures his head with a sharp rock after getting into a fight with his new classmates. Near to the house is an old tower. Mahito and one of the old maid...

Fake Donald Trump electors settle civil lawsuit in Wisconsin, agree that President Biden won

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:43:06 GMT

By SCOTT BAUER (Associated Press)MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Ten Republicans who posed as fake electors for former President Donald Trump in Wisconsin and filed paperwork falsely saying he had won the battleground state have settled a civil lawsuit and admitted their actions were part of an effort to overturn President Joe Biden’s victory, attorneys who filed the case announced Wednesday.Under the agreement, the fake electors acknowledged that Biden won the state, withdrew their filings and agreed not to serve as presidential electors in 2024 or any other election where Trump is on the ballot.The 10 fake electors agreed to send a statement to the government offices that received the Electoral College votes saying that their actions were “part of an attempt to improperly overturn the 2020 presidential election results.”The settlement marks the first time that any Trump electors have revoked their filings sent to Congress purporting that Trump had won in seven battleg...

Chicago basketball report: Coby White’s star rises as Bulls get first winning streak — without Zach LaVine

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:43:06 GMT

Coby White is fueling the first run of the season for the Chicago Bulls. The team is now on a win streak without Zach LaVine on the court. But injuries could hamper the roster for the rest of the month.Down in the SEC, Chicago native and former DePaul star Aneesah Morrow impressed in her second test against top-ranked NCAA opponents.Every Wednesday throughout the season, Tribune writers will provide an update on what happened — and what’s ahead — for the Bulls, Sky and local basketball.Coby White’s star continues to rise as young players fuel wins — without Zach LavineIt took a few weeks, but the highly anticipated breakout season for Coby White appears to have entered into full swing.The fourth-year guard’s moment seemed to come in Saturday’s win over the New Orleans Pelicans when fans at the United Center joined in chanting White’s name as he led the Bulls in a 31-point performance. White dropped eight 3-pointers in the win while dis...