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Polish farm minister quits amid protests over Ukrainian grain imports

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:24:59 GMT

Polish Agriculture Minister Henryk Kowalczyk resigned Wednesday amid a wave of farmers’ protests over unprecedented inflows of Ukrainian produce into the country.Kowalczyk said he decided to quit because the European Commission would not agree to reimpose tariffs and duties on Ukrainian grain imports, a move his ministry has been calling for since December, despite initial opposition from the country’s leadership.“Since it is very clear that the farmers’ basic demand will not be met by the European Commission, I have made a decision and resigned as minister of agriculture and rural development,” Kowalczyk said in a statement.The protests, in which Kowalczyk was booted out of one conference and egged at another, threaten to shake the bedrock of the right-wing government’s traditional rural support ahead of a general election this fall. Rumors that Kowalczyk would be sacked by the leadership of the ruling Law & Justice (PiS) party, of which EU Agricul...

Quincy Police warn of tattoo artist imposter on social media

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:24:59 GMT

Quincy Police are warning of a possible ink imposter on social media. The department says a dozen people sent money to what looked like a local tattoo studio on Instagram and TikTok. The accounts say they offer services at a shop on South Street. However, police say the company does not exist. Police are now urging people not to send payments to strangers online.

First lady Jill Biden will attend the coronation of King Charles III, White House announces

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:24:59 GMT

(CNN) — First lady Dr. Jill Biden is set to travel to London next month for the coronation of King Charles III of the United Kingdom, leading the US delegation to the highly anticipated event.President Joe Biden spoke by phone Tuesday with King Charles, the White House said, offering his congratulations to the monarch as he reaffirmed the strong ties between the US and the UK.“The President congratulated the King on his upcoming Coronation and informed him that First Lady Jill Biden looks forward to attending on behalf of the United States,” a White House readout of the call said.As reports surfaced that President Biden would not attend the coronation, despite the expected presence of dozens of world leaders, US officials downplayed the possibility and noted that no previous US president has attended a British monarch’s coronation.Instead, the first lady will attend the event, set for Saturday, May 6, and President Biden made clear in the Tuesd...

J&J proposes paying $8.9B to settle talcum powder lawsuits

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:24:59 GMT

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. (AP) — Johnson & Johnson is earmarking nearly $9 billion to cover allegations that its baby power containing talc caused cancer, more than quadrupling the amount that the company had previously set aside to pay for its potential liability.Under a proposal announced Tuesday, a J&J subsidiary will re-file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and seek court approval for a plan that would result in one of the largest product-liability settlements in U.S. history.The $8.9 billion that J&J would transfer to the subsidiary, LTL Management, would be payable over the next 25 years. The amount is up from the $2 billion that the New Brunswick, New Jersey, company set aside in October 2021.The revised amount is being backed by more than 60,000 parties that have filed lawsuits alleging harm from J&J talcum powder, according to the company.J&J isn’t admitting any wrongdoing as part of the proposed settlement, a point that company executive e...

Column: Was Michael Kopech’s home-opener flop just a blip? Or a continuation of the Chicago White Sox starter’s struggles since last June?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:24:59 GMT

The home-opener crowd of 34,784 at White Sox Park was in a festive mood early Monday afternoon, ready for a new start after the disastrous 2022 season.It had been a long, tough winter, and none of the fans’ offseason hopes panned out.Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf did not sell the team, despite a billboard campaign paid for by a GoFundMe page. Rick Hahn was still the general manager, Ken Williams was still the general manager whisperer and Ozzie Guillén did not become the manager.Yasmani Grandal was behind the plate again, Joe Kelly remained in the bullpen and SoxFest was canceled.But none of that mattered now.It was time to get back to the ballpark, to eat some encased meats and fried dough and to remember why they became Sox fans in the first place.Sox fans are a resilient bunch — and optimists down deep under the five layers of clothes for the home opener. Only when provoked do they turn, as evidenced by the “Sell the Team” banners and “Fire Tony̶...

Players in Orioles organization welcome ‘life-changing’ labor deal for minor leaguers

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:24:59 GMT

When Orioles left-hander Cole Irvin first got called up to Double-A as a member of the Philadelphia Phillies organization, he adopted the lease of another minor leaguer who had been moved to Triple-A. Irvin took his place as one of five players living in a two-bedroom apartment, the group unable to afford more comfortable accommodations.It’s hopefully not a situation minor league baseball players will face going forward. On Monday, MLB owners unanimously approved a five-year collective bargaining agreement with minor leaguers that will more than double players’ salaries at each minor league level. The first labor agreement focused solely on minor leaguers’ benefits comes months after the Major League Baseball Players Association, which represents major league players as their union, became minor leaguers’ bargaining representatives in September.“Minor leaguers deserve it,” Irvin said. “They’re in the entertainment business as much as t...

Chicago Bears Q&A: Do you draft for need or ‘best player available’? How far would Ryan Poles trade down?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:24:59 GMT

We’re a little more than three weeks from the NFL draft, and even after trading the No. 1 pick, the Chicago Bears strategy remains full of intrigue. Brad Biggs attempts to sort it out in his weekly Bears mailbag.Does a situation arise picking for need vs. picking the best player on your draft board? — @gcominos“Best player available” is one of the more twisted and misunderstood terms this time of year. It’s fueled at times by teams declaring after the draft how they were delighted so-and-so fell to them because he just happened to be the highest-graded player on their board.Would the Bears draft a safety with their first pick? I’d be stunned. Now, there’s not a safety worthy of a top-10 pick, but consider my point. Review the roster and the Bears have gaping needs at defensive tackle and on the edge, have yet to do enough to overhaul the offensive line and need another cornerback. They could go in at least three directions and satisfy “...

Dolphins NFL draft options: Running backs

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:24:59 GMT

The South Florida Sun Sentinel opens its eight-part series previewing top players in the 2023 NFL draft (April 27-29) with running backs. This year’s class is considered fairly strong at the top, a departure from a year ago when no running back was taken in the first round. The Dolphins aren’t looking for a running back this year, or at least that’s not a top need right now. But you never know what can or will happen in the weeks leading up to the draft.Bijan Robinson, TexasAt 6 foot 1, 220 pounds, he rushed for 1,580 yards last season as a junior. He’s averaged 226 carries each of the past two years, which means he can carry a big workload, and he also had 60 receptions for 805 yards and eight touchdowns in his career, which means he can stay on the field for third down.Jahmyr Gibbs, AlabamaGibbs, a Georgia Tech transfer, rushed for 926 yards (6.1 yards per carry) and seven touchdowns, but at 5-9, 199 pounds his big thing is his versatility. Gibbs had 1,215 ...

Dolphins opted for continuity at running back this offseason over a big move in the backfield

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:24:59 GMT

The Miami Dolphins opted for continuity at running back over a major change for a bell-cow back this offseason.Four tailbacks from last year’s roster were free agents of some kind. Four are returning as members of the 2023 Dolphins.Such running backs like the Raiders’ Josh Jacobs, Giants’ Saquon Barkley and Cowboys’ Tony Pollard were placed on the franchise tag with their teams, so they were erased as offseason options for Miami. The Dolphins then passed on free agents like Miles Sanders (from Philadelphia to Carolina), David Montgomery (Chicago to Detroit) and Jamaal Williams (Detroit to New Orleans).With four running backs brought back — Raheem Mostert, Jeff Wilson Jr., Salvon Ahmed and Myles Gaskin — it seems like that’s the group the team is rolling with, instead of looking into a possible offseason trade with the Titans for Derrick Henry or Vikings to produce a Dalvin Cook homecoming.The Dolphins could still look to add a running back i...

Italian ex-leader Berlusconi hospitalized, reportedly in ICU

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:24:59 GMT

ROME (AP) — Former Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi was hospitalized Wednesday, his spokesman said. Italian media reported he was in intensive care with respiratory problems. The 86-year-old three-time premier was admitted to Milan’s San Raffaele hospital, the clinic where he routinely receives care, said spokesman Paolo Emilio Russo. There was no confirmation of reports from the LaPresse news agency, Sky TG24 and Corriere della Sera that he was in the cardiac ICU.Berlusconi has had a series of health problems in recent years, most significantly recovering from COVID-19 in 2020. He told reporters after being discharged from a 10-day hospital stay then that disease had been “insidious” and was the most dangerous challenge he had ever faced. He has had a pacemaker for years, underwent heart surgery to replace an aortic valve in 2016 and has overcome prostate cancer.Berlusconi had been to San Raffaele, where his personal physician works, for a regular checkup for several days just las...