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Renovations coming to LeLacheur Park, but return of Spinners unlikely

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 15:24:00 GMT

NASHVILLE — Ever since the Lowell Spinners became a casualty of Minor League Baseball’s contraction in 2020, hope has lingered that the franchise could one day make a return. Local and state officials have worked to help make that a reality, and the Red Sox have notably refused to close the door on the possibility.Yet while needed renovations are coming to LeLacheur Park, the prospect of a Red Sox affiliate returning to Lowell seems to be dimming.Since the Spinners folded nearly four years ago, LeLacheur Park has sat mostly vacant. The 25-year-old facility continues to host the UMass Lowell baseball team, but lacking either a full-time minor league affiliate or even an independent club, the park has fallen into a state of disrepair.That may soon change. In July 2022, the City of Lowell agreed to sell LeLacheur Park to the UMass Building Authority for $1 million, effectively handing control of the facility to UMass Lowell. The deal also calls for the university to invest up to ...

As ties warm, Turkey’s president says Greece may be able to benefit from a Turkish power plant

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 15:24:00 GMT

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkey is considering allowing neighboring Greece to benefit from a nuclear power plant it plans to build near its Black Sea coast, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was quoted as saying on Friday.Erdogan made the comments on his return from a visit to Athens on Thursday, where longtime regional rivals Greece and Turkey took significant steps toward mending their troubled ties.“We strive to develop and expand cooperation with Greece not only in the field of energy but also in all areas, including nuclear energy,” Erdogan told a group of journalists on his flight back. “For example, we can provide Greece the opportunity (to benefit) from energy from our nuclear power plant to be built in Sinop (Province).”His comments were reported by state-run Anadolu and other media on Friday.During Erdogan’s visit on Thursday, Greece and Turkey signed more than a dozen cooperation deals on trade, energy and education and announced a roadmap for future high-level consulta...

Key events in Vladimir Putin’s more than two decades in power in Russia

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 15:24:00 GMT

Significant dates in Vladimir Putin’s 24 years in power in Russia:Dec. 31, 1999 — In a surprise address to the nation, President Boris Yeltsin announces his resignation and makes Putin, the prime minister he appointed four months earlier, the acting president.May 7, 2000 — After winning election with about 53% of the vote, Putin is inaugurated for his first four-year term.May 11, 2000 — Tax police raid the offices of NTV, a popular independent broadcaster noted for critical coverage of the Kremlin. It is the first salvo in moves against prominent independent media that have characterized the Putin era.Aug. 12, 2000 — The submarine Kursk sinks in the Barents Sea with 118 people aboard, setting off the first widespread criticism of Putin, who stayed on vacation early in the crisis and waited five days before accepting Western offers of help. Oct. 23, 2002 — Militants from Russia’s region of Chechnya take about 850 people hostage at a Moscow theater. Three days later, Russian spe...

TTC to close six stations along Line 1 this weekend

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 15:24:00 GMT

Transit riders will need to make alternate plans as the TTC is closing an almost three-kilometre stretch of Line 1 this weekend.The transit agency says there will be no subway service between St. George and St. Andrew stations as it performs track work Saturday and Sunday.The TTC will not be using shuttle buses to cover off the closure because of construction and traffic congestion along University Avenue, saying it causes “significant delays” for customers.“While the TTC does most subway maintenance at the conclusion of service each night, it continues to require weekend and early weeknight closures to complete critical infrastructure and state-of-good-repair work,” the TTC said in a statement. Related: Weekend need-to-know: Curtain rises on the Nutcracker ballet The TTC says it plans to increase service on alternate surface routes and suggests riders traveling downtown on the University side of Line 1 take the 510 Spadina streetcar and make...

Putin will seek another presidential term in Russia, extending his rule of over two decades

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 15:24:00 GMT

MOSCOW — Vladimir Putin has moved to prolong his repressive and unyielding grip on Russia for another six years. Putin still commands wide support after nearly a quarter-century in power, despite starting an immensely costly war in Ukraine that has taken thousands of his countrymen’s lives, provoked repeated attacks inside Russia -– including one on the Kremlin itself -– and corroded its aura of invincibility. A short-lived rebellion in June by mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin raised widespread speculation that Putin could be losing Vladimir Putin on Friday moved to prolong his repressive and unyielding grip on Russia for another six years, state media said, announcing his candidacy in the 2024 presidential election that he is all but certain to win.Putin still commands wide support after nearly a quarter-century in power, despite starting an immensely costly war in Ukraine that has taken thousands of his countrymen’s lives, provoked repeated attacks inside Russia -– including one...

Japan’s leader grilled in parliament over widening fundraising scandal, link to Unification Church

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 15:24:00 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and several key Cabinet ministers were grilled by opposition lawmakers in parliament on Friday over a widening fundraising scandal and an alleged connection to the Unification Church which threaten to further drag down the government’s sagging popularity.Support ratings for Kishida’s government have fallen below 30% because of public dissatisfaction over its slow response to rising prices and lagging salaries, and the scandal could weaken his grip on power within the governing Liberal Democratic Party. Still, the long-ruling party remains the voter favorite in media polls because of the fragmented and weak opposition. Dozens of governing party lawmakers, including Cabinet members, are accused of failing to fully report money they received from fundraising. Kishida has acknowledged that authorities are investigating the scandal following a criminal complaint.The party’s largest and most powerful faction, linked to l...

Nintendo cancels its Live 2024 Tokyo event after persistent threats to workers and customers

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 15:24:00 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — Nintendo canceled its upcoming video game showcase and postponed several other events because of persistent threats to the company, its workers and players.“We decided we could not amply ensure the safety of our customers,” Kyoto-based Nintendo Co. said in an online statement Thursday. The Japanese manufacturer behind the Super Mario and Pokemon canceled Nintendo Live 2024 Tokyo, which had been set for Jan. 20 and 21. The annual event showcases Nintendo games and lets visitors sample them in a huge Tokyo exhibition hall.Nintendo also postponed several contests, including the Japan championship for the popular ink-shooting game Splatoon, initially scheduled for later in December, as well as next year’s Mario Kart and Splatoon contests. The company declined to give details of the threats but said police were contacted.Nintendo has been targeted before, but said the potential risk to the public proved too much.The new dates for the postponed events will be announced later,...

Taiwan’s presidential candidates will hold a televised debate as the race heats up

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 15:24:00 GMT

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — The three candidates running in next month’s Taiwanese presidential election will hold a televised debate on Dec. 30 as the race heats up under pressure from China. The outcome of the Jan. 13 election could have a major effect on relations between China and the United States, which is bound by its own laws to provide Taiwan with the weapons it needs to defend itself and to regard threats to the self-governing island as a matter of “grave concern.” Differences over Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory, are a major flashpoint in U.S.-China relations. The debate will feature current Vice President William Lai of the Democratic Progressive Party; Hou Yu-ih, a local government leader representing the main opposition Nationalist Party, or KMT; and former Taipei mayor Ko Wen-je, of the smaller Taiwan People’s Party. Lai, whose party favors the status quo of de-facto independence, is favored to win the election, ensuring that tensions with China will l...

The UK says it has paid Rwanda $300 million for a blocked asylum deal. No flights have taken off

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 15:24:00 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was under pressure Friday to explain why Britain has paid Rwanda 240 million pounds ($300 million) as part of a blocked asylum plan, without a single person being sent to the East African country.The total is almost twice the 140 million pounds that Britain previously said it had handed to the Rwandan government under a deal struck in April 2022. Under the agreement, migrants who reach Britain across the English Channel would be sent to Rwanda, where their asylum claims would be processed and, if successful, they would stay.The plan was challenged in U.K. courts, and no flights to Rwanda have taken off. Last month, Britain’s Supreme Court ruled the policy was illegal because Rwanda isn’t a safe country for refugees.Despite the ruling and the mounting cost, Sunak has pledged to press on with the plan.The Home Office said it had paid a further 100 million pounds to Rwanda in the 2023-24 financial year and expects to hand over 50 million pounds ...

Jon Rahm is leaving for LIV Golf and what it means for both sides

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 15:24:00 GMT

Jon Rahm has been saying that he plays golf for history and for legacy, not for money. And now he’s playing for the Saudi-funded LIV Golf League in a shocking departure from the PGA Tour.A week of speculation on social media ended with Rahm in a jacket — not the green jacket he won at the Master this year but a black letterman’s jacket with LIV Golf across the front — as he discussed reasons for bolting during an appearance on Fox News.“I think the innovation and the vision of LIV Golf is what pushed me over to at least give it a chance and hear the pitch,” Rahm said in an interview with LIV broadcaster David Feherty. “Ultimately, it ended up being what I wanted to hear.”How much? Rahm wasn’t sharing details, but it’s a lot. Various reports put it in the neighborhood of $500 million, which includes equity in his new team. Consider the entire prize fund on the PGA Tour in 2023 was about $460 million.This creates as many questions as answers, from who Rahm brin...