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In keeping with a long-standing Thanksgiving tradition, President Joe Biden recently pardoned a pair of turkeys . During a ceremony at the White House, the birds — named Peach and Blossom — were spared from the dinner table and given a new lease on life. While it was an act of pure political pageantry, it highlights the president’s expansive pardon powers — which could be used liberally during his final two months in office. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings. Get the latest news, sports, weather and more delivered right to your inbox.
BERLIN (AP) — Former German chancellor Angela Merkel recalls Vladimir Putin's “power games” over the years, remembers contrasting meetings with Barack Obama and Donald Trump and says she asked herself whether she could have done more to prevent Brexit, in her memoirs published Tuesday. Merkel, 70, appears to have no significant doubts about the major decisions of her 16 years as German leader, whose major challenges included the global financial crisis, Europe’s debt crisis, the 2015-16 influx of refugees and the COVID-19 pandemic. True to form, her book — titled “Freedom” — offers a matter-of-fact account of her early life in communist East Germany and her later career in politics, laced with moments of dry wit. Merkel served alongside four U.S. presidents , four French presidents and five British prime ministers. But it is perhaps her dealings with the Russian president that have drawn the most scrutiny since she left office in late 2021. Putin's power games Merkel recalls being kept waiting by Putin at the Group of Eight summit she hosted in 2007 — “if there's one thing I can't stand, it's unpunctuality.” And she recounts a visit to the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi that year in which Putin's labrador appeared during a photo opportunity, although Putin knew she was afraid of dogs. Putin appeared to enjoy the situation, she writes, and she didn't bring it up — keeping as she often did to the motto “never explain, never complain.” The previous year, she recounts Putin pointing to wooden houses in Siberia and telling her poor people lived there who “could be easily seduced,” and that similar groups had been encouraged by money from the U.S. government to take part in Ukraine's “Orange Revolution” of 2004 against attempted election fraud. Putin, she says, added: “I will never allow something like that in Russia.” Merkel says she was irritated by Putin's “self-righteousness” in a 2007 speech in Munich in which he turned away from earlier attempts to develop closer ties with the U.S. She said that appearance showed Putin as she knew him, “as someone who was always on guard against being treated badly and ready to give out at any time, including power games with a dog and making other people wait for him.” “One could find this all childish and reprehensible, one could shake one's head over it — but that didn't make Russia disappear from the map,” she writes. As she has before, Merkel defends a much-criticized 2015 peace deal for eastern Ukraine that she helped broker and her government's decisions to buy large quantities of natural gas from Russia. And she argues it was right to keep up diplomatic and trade ties with Moscow until she left power, Obama and Trump Merkel concluded after first meeting then-Sen. Obama in 2008 that they could work well together. More than eight years later, during his last visit as president in Nov. 2016, she was one of the people with whom she discussed whether to seek a fourth term. Obama, she says, asked questions but held back with an opinion, and that in itself was helpful. He “said that Europe could still use me very well, but I should ultimately follow my feelings,” she writes. There was no such warmth with Trump, who had criticized Merkel and Germany in his 2016 campaign. Merkel says she had to seek an “adequate relationship ... without reacting to all the provocations.” In March 2017, there was an awkward moment when Merkel first visited the Trump White House. Photographers shouted “handshake!” and Merkel quietly asked Trump: “Do you want to have a handshake?” There was no response from Trump, who looked ahead with his hands clasped. Merkel faults her own reaction. “He wanted to create a topic of discussion with his behavior, while I had acted as if I were dealing with an interlocutor behaving normally,” she writes. She adds that Putin apparently “fascinated” Trump and, in the following years, she had the impression that “politicians with autocratic and dictatorial traits” beguiled him. Could Brexit have been avoided? Merkel says she tried to help then-Prime Minister David Cameron in the European Union as he faced pressure from British Euroskeptics, but there were limits to what she could do. And, pointing to Cameron's efforts over the years to assuage opponents of the EU, she says the road to Brexit is a textbook example of what can arise from a miscalculation. After Britons voted to leave the EU in 2016, an outcome she calls a “humiliation” for its other members, she says the question of whether she should have made more concessions to the U.K. “tortured me.” “I came to the conclusion that, in view of the political developments inside the country at the time, there would have been no acceptable possibility for me to prevent Britain's way out of the European Union from outside,” Merkel says. Giving up power Merkel was the first German chancellor to leave power at a time of her choosing. She announced in 2018 that she wouldn't seek a fifth term, and says she “let go at the right point.” She points to three 2019 incidents in which her body shook during public engagements as proof. Merkel says she had herself checked thoroughly and there were no neurological or other findings. An osteopath told her that her body was letting off the tension it had accumulated over years, she adds. “Freedom” runs to more than 700 pages in its original German edition, published by Kiepenheuer & Witsch. The English edition is being released simultaneously by St. Martin's Press. Geir Moulson, The Associated PressAlta Global Group Request for Withdrawal of Registration Statement on Form F-1
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Leo A. AugerBy Crime and Courts Reporter- Former cabinet minister and Zanu PF Mashonaland West senator Prisca Mupfumira has become the latest victim of Zimbabwe’s escalating gun-related crime. Armed robbers seized her royal blue Isuzu double cab, valued at US$70,000, in Harare’s Avondale West on the morning of December 11. The incident happened when Mupfumira’s driver, Edmore Mashasha, went to collect church uniforms from a tailor on Ascot Road at around 7 AM. While waiting for the gate to be opened, two armed men approached the vehicle, pointed a pistol at Mashasha’s head, and ordered him to move from the driver’s seat. One of the robbers commandeered the vehicle while the other blindfolded and tied Mashasha, pushing him into the back seat. The carjackers sped off before dumping him at an undisclosed location along Mutoko Road. Mashasha managed to free himself and flagged down a passerby who lent him a phone to alert Mupfumira. Police were subsequently notified. The Criminal Investigations Department (CID) Vehicle Theft Squad is investigating the case, adding it to the growing list of gun-related crimes plaguing the country. Since the 2017 military-led coup that ousted long-time ruler Robert Mugabe, Zimbabwe has witnessed a concerning proliferation of firearms. Analysts point to political instability, weakened law enforcement, and porous borders as key contributors to the surge in illegal guns. This has fueled an alarming rise in violent crimes, including armed robberies, cash heists, carjackings, and home invasions. The brazen attack on a high-profile political figure’s vehicle highlights how gun violence is spiralling out of control, posing a significant threat to public safety.
FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) — Corey Stephenson had 21 points in CSU Bakersfield's 68-60 victory over Northeastern at the Homewood Suites Classic tournament in Fort Myers, Florida on Sunday. Stephenson shot 8 of 16 from the field and 5 for 6 from the line for the Roadrunners (4-3). Marvin McGhee shot 4 for 10 (1 for 5 from 3-point range) and 3 of 3 from the free-throw line to add 12 points. McGhee went 3 of 7 from the field (3 for 5 from 3-point range) to finish with 10 points. LA Pratt led the way for the Huskies (5-2) with 15 points and six rebounds. Masai Troutman added 15 points for Northeastern. Harold Woods also had eight points. CSU Bakersfield led Northeastern at the half, 34-29, with McGhee (six points) its high scorer before the break. Stephenson's layup with 4:08 left in the second half gave CSU Bakersfield the lead for good at 56-54. NEXT UP These two teams both play Saturday. CSU Bakersfield visits Southern Utah and Northeastern visits Vermont. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .
Ed Sheeran has apologised to Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim for interrupting him during a live TV interview. The 33-year-old pop star interrupted Amorim's interview with Sky Sports after Ipswich Town's 1-1 draw with United on Sunday (24.11.24). - but Ed has now taken to social media to issue an apology, explaining that he just wanted to greet Sky pundit Jamie Redknapp and that he didn't realise he was even on the air. Ed - who is a minority shareholder of Ipswich - wrote on Instagram: "Apologies if I offended Amorim yesterday, didn’t realise he was actually being interviewed at the time, was popping to say hi and bye to Jamie. Obz feel a bit of a b****** but life goes on. Great game though, congrats to all involved x (sic)" Ed bought his minority stake in the English soccer team earlier this year. The pop star - who is a life-long fan of the team - has sponsored Ipswich since 2021, and he agreed a deal to acquire a 1.4 percent stake in the club. He said in a statement at the time: "I am really excited to have bought a small percentage of my hometown football club. "It’s any football fan’s dream to be an owner of the club they support, and I feel so grateful for this opportunity." Ed also revealed that he was looking forward to seeing his beloved team back in the Premier League league, after they achieved promotion to the top division. He shared: "It’s such a joy to be a fan of Ipswich Town. There are ups and downs but football is all about taking the highs and the lows. "I’m not a voting shareholder or a board member, this is just me putting some money into the club I love and them returning the gesture, so please don’t get onto me with signing suggestions or tactics to play!"
Methode Electronics' Board Approves DividendThe Dow climbed one percent to a second straight all-time closing high on news of the selection of hedge fund manager Scott Bessent to lead the critical economic policy position. A widely respected figure on Wall Street, Bessent is seen as being in favor of growth and deficit reduction policies and not known overly fond of trade tariffs. The market "breathed a sigh of relief" at Bessent's selection, said Art Hogan from B. Riley Wealth Management. But after an initial surge Monday, the gains in US equities moderated somewhat. While investors are enthusiastic about the possibility of tax cuts and regulatory relief under Trump, "we do have to face the potential for tariffs being a negative as well as a very tight market around immigration, which is not positive for the economy," Hogan said. Earlier, equity gains were limited in Europe as growth concerns returned to the fore with Germany's Thyssenkrupp announcing plans to cut or outsource 11,000 jobs in its languishing steel division. Currently around 27,000 people are employed in the steel division, which has been battered by high production costs and fierce competition from Asian rivals. Elsewhere, crude oil prices fell decisively as Israel's security cabinet prepared to decide whether to accept a ceasefire in its war with Hezbollah, an official said Monday. The United States, the European Union and the United Nations have all pushed in recent days for a truce in the long-running hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, which flared into all-out war in late September. Speaking on condition of anonymity, an Israeli official told AFP the security cabinet "will decide on Tuesday evening on the ceasefire deal." And bitcoin's push toward $100,000 ran out of steam after coming within a whisker of the mark last week, on hopes that Trump would enact policies to bring the cryptocurrency more into the mainstream. Bitcoin was recently trading under $96,000, having set a record high of $99,728.34 Friday -- the digital currency has soared about 50 percent in value since Trump's election. This week's data includes a reading of consumer confidence and an update of personal consumption prices, a key inflation indicator. Those reporting earnings include Best Buy, Dell and Dick's Sporting Goods. New York - Dow: UP 1.0 percent at 44,736.57 (close) New York - S&P 500: UP 0.3 percent at 5,987.37 (close) New York - Nasdaq: UP 0.3 percent at 19,054.84 (close) London - FTSE 100: UP 0.4 percent at 8,291.68 (close) Paris - CAC 40: FLAT at 7,257.47 (close) Frankfurt - DAX: UP 0.4 percent at 19,405.20 (close) Tokyo - Nikkei 225: UP 1.3 percent at 38,780.14 (close) Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: DOWN 0.4 percent at 19,150.99 (close) Shanghai - Composite: DOWN 0.1 percent at 3,263.76 (close) Euro/dollar: UP at $1.0495 from $1.0418 on Friday Pound/dollar: UP at $1.2564 from $1.2530 Dollar/yen: DOWN at 154.23 yen from 154.78 yen Euro/pound: UP at 83.51 pence from 83.14 pence West Texas Intermediate: DOWN 3.2 percent at $68.94 per barrel Brent North Sea Crude: DOWN 2.9 percent at $73.01 per barrel bur-jmb/dw
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