By Kaley Brown Another free agent who had been linked to the Red Sox this offseason is off the board. Shortstop Willy Adames reportedly agreed to a seven-year, $182 million contract with the San Francisco Giants on Saturday, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan. Boston had been connected to the 29-year-old since the beginning of free agency. Last week, USA Today ’s Bob Nightengale reported that the Red Sox scheduled a meeting with Adames, adding that Boston had “strong interest” in him. The team is publicly in the market for a right-handed hitter, and Adames would have fit the bill. While the Red Sox don’t have a hole at shortstop, the often-injured Trevor Story currently occupies the position. Story has struggled to stay healthy since signing with Boston in 2022, playing in just 163 games over three seasons. On paper, it makes sense that the club would be doing its due diligence regarding who’s available on the market at SS. Additionally, aside from the shakeup at shortstop the acquisition of Adames would have caused, the move would have certainly had an effect on the rest of the infield. Adames is reportedly open to playing third base, which could have shifted the Red Sox’ star third baseman Rafael Devers away from the hot corner. Nightengale reported that Boston had “internally discussed moving Rafael Devers off third base” within his Adames reporting. If Devers had ultimately been moved from third base as a result of the hypothetical move, the organization could have opted to make him the team’s designated hitter or first baseman. The latter would have almost certainly prompted the Red Sox to attempt to trade first baseman Triston Casas, who has emerged as an exciting young player on the club. It’s hard to know if such a tectonic mix-up in the infield would have been the right move for Boston at this point in time. The team’s big-league roster is filled with a plethora of young, promising players, as well as within their minor league system. It feels like the Red Sox have been putting their trust in the kids in recent years, so moving on from Casas with the intention of upgrading another position would have been a head-scratcher. Regardless, with Adames officially off the market, that leaves the baseball world one move closer to finding out which team Juan Soto signs with. Boston is reportedly still in the running for the generational talent as of Saturday night. Sign up for Red Sox updates⚾ Get breaking news and analysis delivered to your inbox during baseball season. Be civil. Be kind.
Trap lies in way of building blueprint THE Government’s overhaul of planning is vital to fast-track new housing. The Sun has long argued for a bonfire of the bureaucratic red tape that has been choking any opportunity to build homes . But tearing up planning rules is only the start. Sir Keir Starmer ’s admirably ambitious target to build 1.5 million homes by 2029 requires an eye-watering amount of resources. Builders estimate that 300,000 new construction workers will have to be hired. They say that 900 homes a day will need to be built — more than one every two minutes. How will Sir Keir do that without turning on the tap of yet more migrant labour ? READ MORE FROM SUN SAYS Foreign workers would also need homes to live in, piling yet more pressure on housing stock and driving up already sky-high prices. One problem is our woeful training of homegrown talent . The apprentice scheme needs a rocket under it to attract and prepare many more young Brits for construction roles. For too long it has been abused by firms and is not fit for purpose. At the same time, the Government must force more of the workshy off their sofas and into training. Most read in The Sun Even then it will take years before skilled tradespeople will be ready. But the clock is ticking for Sir Keir. Unless he rapidly fixes this end of the mess his housing plans will fall down on him like a ton of bricks. Keir's trump cards IT is great to see Prince William gradually emerging as Britain’s head of state in waiting. Yesterday he showed maturity and poise when representing Britain and meeting incoming US President Donald Trump at the reopening of Notre Dame cathedral. The Prince was due to stress the importance of the Special Relationship between the US and Britain. The message could hardly be more timely given the uncertainty around Mr Trump’s foreign and trade policies. King Charles will, of course, play the key role as monarch in any state visit by the US President. A perfect opportunity for this will fall when Mr Trump travels to a Nato summit in the Hague in June. Yet the Prince’s growing confidence in filling in for his father on such sensitive occasions is reassuring. READ MORE SUN STORIES Sir Keir’s own Cabinet ministers have an embarrassing past history of criticising Mr Trump. So the PM must count himself lucky he has such excellent royal ambassadors for Britain on his side.A train is due to arrive at the nation's busiest railway station five years late. Login or signup to continue reading After years of delays and disputes, the first service using a new fleet of intercity trains is due to pull in to Sydney's Central station shortly before 11am. The train left Newcastle at 8.21am on Tuesday - about five years after the first sets were originally due to enter service in NSW. The Korean-built trains were too wide to fit through some tunnels, too long for some platforms and faced opposition from the Rail, Tram and Bus Union due to plans for drivers to monitor platforms using CCTV, reducing staffing requirements. An agreement was eventually reached with the union after a long dispute with the former coalition government and modifications were made locally beginning in August 2023. Transport Minister Jo Haylen said it should not have taken so long for the trains to enter service, but they were finally taking passengers along the Newcastle and Central Coast lines. Passengers along the Blue Mountains, Illawarra and South Coast lines will have to wait a while longer, but Ms Haylen said it would be worth it. "These state-of-the-art trains will make travel between Sydney and our regional cities safer and more comfortable," she said. The trains are due to replace rolling stock that entered service almost five decades earlier. Early renders of the trains featured "NSW TrainLink" branding, which is being abolished as its operations merge with Sydney Trains. Sydney Trains chief executive Matt Longland said getting the trains on the tracks was an incredibly complex project. "But we are pleased we have been able to work with the unions to locally modify these trains and get them into service," he said. "The Mariyung trains are quieter and roomier and will provide our passengers with a much improved and more comfortable travelling experience for decades to come." The electric trains, also known as the "D Set", have been given the name Mariyung after the Darug language word for emu. They will feature artwork from Indigenous artist Leanne Mulgo Watson. Australian Associated Press DAILY Today's top stories curated by our news team. Also includes evening update. WEEKDAYS Grab a quick bite of today's latest news from around the region and the nation. WEEKLY The latest news, results & expert analysis. WEEKDAYS Catch up on the news of the day and unwind with great reading for your evening. WEEKLY Get the editor's insights: what's happening & why it matters. WEEKLY Love footy? We've got all the action covered. WEEKLY Every Saturday and Tuesday, explore destinations deals, tips & travel writing to transport you around the globe. WEEKLY Get the latest property and development news here. WEEKLY Going out or staying in? Find out what's on. WEEKDAYS Sharp. Close to the ground. Digging deep. Your weekday morning newsletter on national affairs, politics and more. WEEKLY Follow the Newcastle Knights in the NRL? Don't miss your weekly Knights update. TWICE WEEKLY Your essential national news digest: all the big issues on Wednesday and great reading every Saturday. WEEKLY Get news, reviews and expert insights every Thursday from CarExpert, ACM's exclusive motoring partner. TWICE WEEKLY Get real, Australia! Let the ACM network's editors and journalists bring you news and views from all over. AS IT HAPPENS Be the first to know when news breaks. DAILY Your digital replica of Today's Paper. Ready to read from 5am! DAILY Test your skills with interactive crosswords, sudoku & trivia. Fresh daily!
Appeal Court sets aside order stopping release of funds to Rivers govt
PUŞ Asset Management Group Announces $1 Billion Investment Plan to Enhance Global Financial Services
TikToker Kylan Darnell Addresses Backlash of Designer Dupes in Gift HaulMumbai: With the city smothered under a blanket of smog for the third consecutive day, angry citizens are demanding to know what action the BMC is taking. On Saturday, Mumbai recorded an AQI of 187, inching closer to the ‘Poor’ category, while seven stations were already in this category (see graphic). With regard to PM2.5 levels, Mazgaon recorded the highest at 335, Borivali East stood at 313, Byculla at 323, Malad West at 321 and Siddharth Nagar, Worli at 311. Citizens are now raising their voice against the lack of action by the government, including the BMC. The civic body launched a Dust Mitigation Plan in October 2023 and reinforced it this December with daily progress reports. However, it has not reflected in the PM2.5 levels across stations. Prakash Belwade, a social activist and resident of Shivaji Park, on Saturday complained about the demolition work being carried out around Shivaji Park despite a stop work notice issued by the BMC on December 27. “Air pollution is consistently increasing in the midst of which these demolitions are being carried out,” he said. “The dust, on account of which people have breathing problems, adds to the AQI. If you look at the demolition sites, there are no water sprinklers as mandated.” Advocate Godfrey Pimenta of the trustee Watchdog Foundation said that an RMC plant placed near Sanjay Gandhi National Park was operational without adhering to the guidelines. “Such places need to be tracked down and handed a stop work notice,” he said. According to the Standard Operating Procedure issued by the BMC for construction sites, water has to be sprinkled on stacked material or open construction surfaces besides other measures. In addition, the BMC has to station nuisance detectors in every ward and clean-up marshals to clear the dust and waste from roads near construction sites. Researchers say that the measures being taken are temporary and will not improve the overall AQI. Manoj Kumar of the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air, said that washing and cleaning roads would make no difference since they would attract dust the next day. “The measures being taken currently are endpoint actions,” he said. “What we need is source-based action plans.” As the visibility continues to remain low, a 70-year-old resident of Juhu who is an asthma patient, finds it tough to step outdoors. “I cannot breathe and feel extremely uneasy when I walk through this smog,” she said. “For the past three days, my breathing has worsened. There are no road-cleaning measures happening in our area.” As per the daily report update by the BMC, civic workers collected 189 metric tons of debris on Saturday and cleaned 243 kilometres of road with water under the Dust Mitigation Plan. MMRDA issues stringent guidelines to curb pollution On Saturday, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) issued stringent guidelines to curb dust pollution caused by construction activities. To ensure strict compliance, MMRDA has introduced a robust penalty structure for contractors failing to adhere to these guidelines. Non-compliance will attract fines starting from ₹ 5 lakh for the first instance, escalating to ₹ 20 lakh and work suspension for repeated violations.