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And the Oscar for being snubbed goes to … Ukraine

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:02:08 GMT

KYIV — For Ukrainians, this year’s Oscars left a bitter taste in the mouth.For the second time in two years, the Academy did not grant Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s wish to speak to the assembled Hollywood A-listers and millions of viewers. Why? Because it says it wants to stay out of politics.And yet Chinese actor Donnie Yen, who has ties to the Chinese Communist Party, was allowed to present an award, despite a public backlash.Worst of all, however, was “Navalny” — about the poisoning and imprisonment of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny — winning the Oscar for best documentary ahead of the Ukrainian co-production “House of Splinters,” which is about an orphanage that was destroyed by Russian forces. Navalny may be a hero to many in Russia but he does not hold the same position in Ukraine. “We really wanted to give a little joy to Ukrainians in these difficult times. We should have won not because we are from Ukrai...

UK has ‘no plans’ to return Elgin Marbles to Greece, says Rishi Sunak

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:02:08 GMT

LONDON — The Elgin Marbles remain a “huge asset” to the U.K. and there are “no plans” to change the law so they can be returned to Greece, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said Monday.The marble sculptures were controversially removed from Athens in the 19th century and have been held at the British Museum since then.But campaigners have for years called for their return to Greece, and talks between the museum and Greek officials have been held in recent months to discuss a potential loan arrangement. The dispute is complicated by the 1963 British Museum Act, which still governs the institution and imposes strict curbs on sales, exchanges and disposals of objects in its care.Speaking to reporters during a trip to San Diego, Sunak appeared to stake out a position against a change in the law to ease relocation of the marbles.Sunak said the U.K. had “cared for the Elgin Marbles for generations.”And he added: “Our galleries and museums are fun...

Ex-Haiti mayor, Mass. resident accused of killing, torture faces civil trial

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:02:08 GMT

BOSTON (AP) — The former mayor of a small Haitian town accused of terrorizing his political opponents goes on trial in Boston federal court on Monday in a case that highlights the violent nature of Haiti’s politics and the lack of accountability.The suit filed against Jean Morose Viliena, who now lives in suburban Boston, includes claims of killing, torture and arson in the town of Les Irois, which is about 140 miles (225 kilometers) west of Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince.The plaintiffs in the suit filed by the Center for Justice and Accountability in San Francisco are three Haitian citizens who allege they or their relatives were violently persecuted by Viliena and his political allies.They allege Viliena — a loyalist of former Haitian President Michel Martelly — and his associates killed the brother of a man who accused Viliena of misconduct in office, attempted to kill two others during a raid on a community radio station, and burned down 36 homes while tar...

Jackie Kennedy’s former DC home hits the market — at a price fit for a queen

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:02:08 GMT

(CNN) — You can live like American royalty in the capital kingdom of Washington, DC.For just $26.5 million.That’s the price tag for the sale of three Georgetown mansions, which have been combined into one property with a total area of 16,000 square feet.An early Georgetown mayor and a former Miss America have called one of the buildings home.For the rest of us, the photos on the Sotheby’s listing might be as close as we get inside 3017, 3009 and 3003 N St. NW.“The focal point (at 3017) of this storied estate is a grand Federal style home built in the late 18th century which has been home to several prominent Americans including most notably First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy,” Sotheby’s says.“While retaining its historic elegance, the estate has been meticulously transformed to a modern showplace embracing the highest quality design, fixtures, and finishes. No detail was overlooked,” the listing continues.“In 2017, this home...

Mass. lawmakers may extend pandemic-era policy allowing restaurants to sell cocktails to go

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:02:08 GMT

Massachusetts lawmakers are expected to discuss potentially extending the state’s pandemic -era policy allowing restaurants to sell cocktails to go. Right now, the law is expected to expire on April 1. The Massachusetts Restaurant Association has been pushing to keep the rule in place. The debate is set to kick off on Beacon Hill Monday morning.

US futures fall as US bank failures make markets jittery

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:02:08 GMT

By YURI KAGEYAMA and DAVID McHUGH (AP Business Writers)Bank stocks sagged and U.S. stock futures were mixed Monday ahead of the market’s open in New York, shaken by worries the biggest U.S. bank failure in nearly 15 years might have ripple effects around the world.Futures for the Dow Jones industrials fell 0.7% before the bell, while futures for the S&P 500 were off 0.4% after being up earlier.Wells Fargo fell 4.3% and Bank of America was off more than 5%.The yield on the 2-year Treasury, which moves more on expectations for the Fed, tumbled further to 4.06% early Tuesday. It’s fallen a full point since last week, when it hovered around 15-year highs.Markets in Asia ended mixed after assurances by U.S. officials that they were taking steps to protect depositors at Silicon Valley Bank, or SVB.But the role that recent sharp interest rate increases by the U.S. Federal Reserve and other central banks played in the bank’s collapse caused jitters over the possibilit...

Tom Waddle, WMVP-AM co-host and former Chicago Bears player, lists Lake Forest home for $3.25M

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:02:08 GMT

WMVP-AM weekday afternoon co-host and former Chicago Bears wide receiver Tom Waddle and his wife, Cara, have placed their five-bedroom, 8,000-square-foot mansion in Lake Forest on the market for $3.25 million.Waddle, 56, played for the Bears from 1989 until 1994. He then went into broadcasting, first on WFLD-Channel 32 and then on WLS-Channel 7. He signed on at WMVP in 2007.In Lake Forest, Waddle and his wife paid $2.15 million in 2015 for the house. Built in 2002, the three-story brick and limestone mansion has five full bathrooms, two half bathrooms, a newer DaVinci roof, a grand foyer with a double staircase and a chandelier, 10-foot ceilings, eight-foot doors, hardwood and travertine floors, and tray and barrel ceilings.Other features include five fireplaces, skylights, extensive moldings, wainscoting, a finished third floor with a kitchenette and a cedar closet, a heated four-car garage and radiant heated floors on the main level, in the second-floor guest suite and in the prim...

Ex-NFL QB Griffin sells custom-built estate in Bella Collina

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:02:08 GMT

RG3 is moving on from his Lake County estate in Bella Collina.Public records show former NFL quarterback Robert Griffin III and his wife, Grete Griffin, sold their home to a Texas-based LLC for $4.25 million, according to a report in GrowthSpotter.“They wanted to be somewhere that was family oriented and peaceful. This made sense to them and they loved it here,” said listing agent Penny Stokes-Hilton with Top Villas Realty, who has worked with the family before. “His career is taking him in a different direction and it’s time to move.”The Griffins designed the 7,646-square-foot home on Pendio Drive and finished it in 2020.The builders “worked closely with the family and designed it in a really great way with an open plan concept and high ceilings,” Stokes-Hilton told GrowthSpotter, adding the views of Lake Apopka are different than many others in the area.“It’s literally like a house on the ocean rather than a lake. You don’...

Pfizer buys Seagen for $43B, boosts access to cancer drugs

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:02:08 GMT

Pfizer will spend $43 billion to buy Seagen and deepen its reach into treating cancer.The pharmaceutical giant said Monday that it will pay $229 in cash for each Seagen share.Bothell, Washington-based Seagen Inc. is a biotech drug developer that specializes in antibody-drug conjugate, or ADC, technology. Its key products use lab-made proteins called monoclonal antibodies that seek out cancer cells to help deliver a cancer-killing drug while sparing surrounding healthy tissue.The deal announced Monday will combine Seagen’s technology with Pfizer’s scale and strength, Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said in a statement.Pfizer’s oncology division brought in $12 billion in revenue last year and already includes treatments for prostate cancer and the breast cancer treatment Ibrance.Seagen, which changed its name from Seattle Genetics in 2020, saw total revenue grow about 25% last year to nearly $2 billion. The company shaved its loss to $610 million last year. That’s down from $674 million in 2...

UK: Tens of thousands of doctors kick off 3-day strike

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:02:08 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Tens of thousands of junior doctors went on strike across England on Monday to demand better pay, kicking off three days of widespread disruption at the U.K.’s state-funded hospitals and health clinics.Junior doctors — who are qualified but in the earlier years of their career — make up 45% of all doctors in the National Health Service. Their walkout means that operations and appointments will be canceled for thousands of patients, and senior doctors and other medics have had to be drafted in to cover for emergency services, critical care and maternity services.The British Medical Association, the doctors’ trade union, says pay for junior doctors has fallen 26% in real terms since 2008, while workload and patient waiting lists are at record highs. The union says burnout and the U.K.’s cost-of-living crisis are driving scores of doctors away from the public health service. The union said newly qualified medics earn just 14.09 pounds ($17) an hour.“All ...