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Auction of signed Zelenskyy painting to help Ukraine

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:33 GMT

An original painting of Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed by the Ukrainian president is being sold at auction, and proceeds from the sale will be used to benefit the nation’s people suffering during its war with Russia.Bidding on the 40-by-24-inch painting by American artist Oleg Jones starts at $50,000, and the goal is to sell it for at least $100,000, Bobby Livingston, executive vice president of auctioneer RR Auction in Boston, said Thursday.The painting features an image of Zelenskyy against the background of Ukraine’s blue and yellow flag. Several raised stars in the upper left of the piece form a heart around the gold trident from the nation’s coat of arms.The acrylic paints are coated in resin sprinkled with glass dust, giving it a sparkling effect.It is signed, in English, “Zelenskyy, Glory to Ukraine.” It’s also signed by the artist.The auction, which concludes April 12, includes photos of the president signing it in his office.The proceeds of t...

Trump indicted by grand jury in Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg’s ‘hush money’ probe

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:33 GMT

Donald Trump was indicted Thursday by a Manhattan grand jury in the Stormy Daniels hush money probe, an unprecedented legal move that marks the first criminal charges in U.S. history brought against a former president, the Daily News has learned.Trump lawyer Joe Tacopina confirmed he had been indicted to The News. He did not immediately confirm the specific charges filed by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.A court source told The News a grand jury foreman was in the process of handing up an indictment at about 5:30 p.m.The grand jury had been investigating hush money payments made to porn star Daniels on the eve of Trump’s 2016 election as president, how Trump classified payback checks to his then-fixer Michael Cohen, and how he hid the transaction to conceal its purpose of influencing the election.Logistics of Trump’s surrender at Manhattan Supreme Court, where he must enter a plea to the charges, were unclear.The hush money deal has long been public knowledge. Cohen detaile...

Julius Randle out for rest of the regular season due to ankle sprain

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:33 GMT

Julius Randle is out for the remainder of the regular season and maybe some of the playoffs are in jeopardy.The Knicks All-Star’s ankle sprain will be “re-evaluated in two weeks,” the team announced, a timeline that automatically rules out the final five games.The first round of the postseason begins April 15 —  or two days after Randle’s scheduled re-evaluation — and the Knicks are on the brink of clinching a spot.Randle suffered the injury in the first half of Wednesday’s victory over Miami, when he limped off the court in and doubled-over in agony as he walked through the Garden tunnel.“Injuries happen,” Tom Thibodeau said, “and the thing that we have to understand is when you have a guy who’s averaging 25 points and 10 rebounds and five assists and doing the things that he’s doing, you’re not replacing him with an individual player.“But what we can do is we can play great defense, we can reb...

Nico Hoerner and the Chicago Cubs make a short-term bet on each other with 3-year extension: ‘This is where I want to be’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:33 GMT

Within his locker in the Chicago Cubs clubhouse, Nico Hoerner keeps a physical reminder of his connection to the organization’s most successful stretch in the modern era.Hoerner’s stall previously belonged to Anthony Rizzo, and the second baseman still stashes a pair of Rizzo’s batting gloves featuring dachshunds inspired by his dog, Kevin.“What was there before, stuff like that really does matter,” Hoerner said Thursday before the Cubs’ 4-0 victory against the Milwaukee Brewers in the season opener at Wrigley Field. “And it changes fast. It’s not something to forget.”Hoerner’s three-year, $35 million contract extension that goes into effect next season positions him to be a bridge from the Cubs’ past title stretch and the path they hope this group is trending toward. He is the first Cubs player to receive a contract extension since David Bote’s five-year, $15 million deal in April 2019.The sides discussed varia...

Texas judge strikes down preventative care requirements

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:33 GMT

AUSTIN, Texas — A federal judge in Texas who previously ruled the entire Affordable Care Act was illegal,  struck down a narrower but key part of the nation’s health law Thursday that requires most insurers to cover preventive services including screenings for cancer, diabetes and mental health.Other no-cost services, including HIV screenings, are also impacted under the ruling by U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor that opponents say will jeopardize preventive care for millions of Americans.Experts cautioned that insurers are unlikely to stop any coverage immediately. The Biden administration was expected to appeal and seek a stay of the ruling.“This is not the potential fatal blow to the ACA like previous court cases, but it would limit a very popular benefit that tens of millions of people use,” said Larry Levitt, executive vice president for health policy at the Kaiser Family Foundation.The decision comes more than four years after O’Connor, a nominee...

Boston’s COVID data continues to fall, Massachusetts virus cases and hospitalizations trending down

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:33 GMT

Boston’s COVID cases, hospitalizations and wastewater keeps falling, as state health officials on Thursday also reported a dip in new virus cases and declining hospitalizations.In the city, the number of new COVID cases has decreased 17% over the past week, and virus hospitalizations have gone down 12%.The seven-day average of new virus cases is now 3.1 cases per 100,000, and Boston hospitals reported a weekly count of 95 new hospital admissions.Data from the Boston Public Health Commission’s wastewater surveillance program shows that the number of COVID particles in the wastewater declined 21% over the past week.Related ArticlesHealth | Franklin & Weinstein: Americans’ health big reason for high COVID death rate Health | Boston COVID wastewater data keeps dropping, Massachusetts virus cases down 20% Health | Gathering for St. Patrick’s Day? Boston health officials recommend wearing a mask as COVID cases go down ...

Bad Bunny says first onscreen kiss with a man ‘was very cool’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:33 GMT

By Karu F. DanielsKissing another man for the world to see wasn’t a thing for Bad Bunny with his upcoming role in the true life drama “Cassandro.”In fact, the Reggaetón superstar — whose real name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio — referred to it as “badass.”Gracing the very first cover of Time Magazine with all Spanish text, Bad Bunny opened up about his first onscreen movie kiss, which happened to be with the film’s leading man.“It was cabrón (badass). My first kiss for a movie and it was with a man,” he said.“That’s the penalty I get for being with so many women during my life,” Bad Bunny — currently romantically linked to model Kendall Jenner — then joked.In the Roger Ross Williams-directed film, which premiered at the 2023 Sundance Festival in January, Bad Bunny portrays Gael García Bernal’s love interest in the story about the openly gay Mexican wrestler known as “Liberace of Lucha Libre.”And Bad Bunny took his part in “Cassandro” seriously.“If you’re acting, you’re being som...

Florida OKs bill to carry concealed guns without a permit

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:33 GMT

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Floridians will be able to carry concealed guns without a permit under a bill the Legislature sent to Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday. The governor said at a suburban Atlanta gun store that he will sign the bill.The Senate passed the bill on a 27-13 vote. It will allow anyone who can legally own a gun in Florida to carry one without a permit. It means training and a background check will not be needed for people to carry concealed guns in public.The arguments over the legislation were divided on political lines, with Republicans saying law-abiding citizens have a right to carry guns and protect themselves and Democrats saying a state that has seen horrific mass shootings such as the Parkland high school and Pulse nightclub massacres will become even more dangerous.“The second amendment of the Constitution gives its people the right to keep and bear arms. It doesn’t say if you have a permit; it doesn’t say if you’ve gone through tra...

Legal changes would require explanation for questionable wealth in B.C.

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:33 GMT

VICTORIA — People or companies in British Columbia will need to explain how they obtained their cash, fancy homes, cars and luxury goods if there’s a suspicion they came from criminal activity. The provincial government has tabled changes to its Civil Forfeiture Act that would allow for the creation of unexplained wealth orders to help prevent money laundering by those who hide their assets in goods or through family members or associates. If there is reason to suspect property was used in or acquired through crime or the person doesn’t appear to have sufficient income to own what they have, a B.C. Supreme Court judge could require them to explain their income sources.Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth said Thursday organized crime and money laundering techniques have become increasingly sophisticated, so the province has to become more agile.“Too many people are recruited into organized crime with dreams of exotic cars, fancy homes and glamorous lifestyle. It i...

U.S. argues for immunity in MK-ULTRA mind-control case before Quebec Court of Appeal

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:33 GMT

MONTREAL — A proposed class-action lawsuit over infamous brainwashing experiments at a Montreal psychiatric hospital was before Quebec’s highest court Thursday, as victims attempted to remove immunity granted to the United States government.The U.S. government successfully argued in Quebec Superior Court last August that the country couldn’t be sued for the project known as MK-ULTRA — allegedly funded by the Canadian government and the CIA. U.S. lawyers argued that foreign states had absolute immunity from lawsuits in Canada between the 1940s and 1960s, when the program took place.But survivors, and their families, of the experiments at Montreal’s Allan Memorial Institute — which included experimental drugs, rounds of electroshocks and sleep deprivation — appealed that decision.On Thursday, a lawyer representing the United States government told the Quebec Court of Appeal that the country should be immune from prosecution and that any lawsuit against the U.S. gover...