Document:

<PAGE>
                                                                   Exhibit 10.25

                          Summary of Principle Terms of
                        2004 Key Employee Retention Plan

Participation:    In order to be a participant in the Plan, the Employee must
                  be selected for participation by the Compensation Committee
                  or Board of Directors of Hollinger International Inc., or
                  by the Hollinger CEO. The Company shall provide a letter
                  confirming participation in the Plan to the participant.

Termination:      Nothing in the Plan shall limit or restrict the ability of
                  the Company to terminate the employment of a participant,
                  and no contract of employment is intended or created by
                  participation in the Plan.

Retention
Payments:         Subject to the forfeiture provisions outlined below, a
                  participant will be entitled to receive from the Company a
                  payment equal in amount to twenty-five percent (25%) of the
                  Employee's annual base salary in effect on April 1, 2004 (the
                  "Retention Payment").

Retention Payment
Installments:     Retention Payments will be made to participants based upon
                  the following schedule:

                      o   Twenty-five percent (25%) of the Retention Payment
                          will become payable to Employee on June 30, 2004;

                      o   Twenty-five percent (25%) of the Retention Payment
                          will become payable to Employee on December 31, 2004;
                          and

                      o   Fifty percent (50%) of the Retention Payment will
                          become payable to Employee on March 31, 2005.

                  Retention Payment installments ("Installments") will be paid
                  to Employees as soon as reasonably practicable following the
                  date on which they become payable to an Employee.

Forfeiture of
Retention
Payments:         Installments will become payable to the Employee subject to
                  the condition that the Employee is an active full-time
                  employee of the Company on the date that an Installment
                  becomes payable (as set forth in the schedule above).
                  Except as otherwise provided in the Plan with respect to
                  accelerated payments, n the event that the Employee, at any
                  time prior to March 31, 2005, is no longer an active
                  full-time employee of the Company, on the date that an
                  Installment becomes payable, then all Installments that
                  have not
<PAGE>

                  yet become payable under the Plan shall be forfeited. However,
                  once an Installment becomes payable to an Employee, it cannot
                  be forfeited.

Retention Payment
Acceleration:     In the event of a Company Termination (hereinafter defined)
                  following a Change in Control, all unpaid amounts
                  designated for Employee under the Plan shall accelerate and
                  immediately become due, and shall be payable within ten
                  (10) days of the date of termination.  In the event of a
                  Good Reason Termination (hereinafter defined), fifty
                  percent (50%) of all unpaid amounts designated for Employee
                  under the Plan shall accelerate and immediately become due,
                  and shall be payable within ten (10) days of the date of
                  termination.

Definitions:      "Good Reason" shall mean the Employee experiencing (i) a
                  material reduction in title, authority or responsibilities,
                  (ii) Employee being required to relocate more than thirty
                  (30) road miles from the office where Employee currently
                  works, or (iii) the failure of the Company to obtain an
                  explicit undertaking from a successor to honor the terms of
                  this Severance Program.  For a Good Reason Termination to
                  be valid, the affected Employee must give notice to the
                  Company of the reasons giving rise to the Good Reason and
                  provide the Company ten (10) days to cure said Good
                  Reason.  In addition, the Company must be notified of a
                  Good Reason Termination within six (6) months of the
                  effective date of the action giving rise to the cause of
                  the Good Reason.

                  "Company Termination" shall mean termination by the Company
                  other than for cause or as a result of death or permanent
                  disability.

                  A "Change in Control" will be deemed to occur if (i) the
                  independent directors constituting a majority of the Board of
                  Directors of Hollinger International Inc. ("Hollinger") on
                  April 1, 2004 at any time do not continue to constitute the
                  majority of the Board of Directors; (ii) there is a change in
                  control of Hollinger, that constitutes a "change in control"
                  for purposes of US securities laws, occurs; (iii) there is a
                  change in ownership control of the primary Hollinger entity
                  under which the Employee is employed (i.e. Hollinger, The
                  Telegraph Group, or The Chicago Group), or (iv) Hollinger or
                  the respective entity enters into a definitive agreement that,
                  when consummated, would result in a Change in Control as
                  defined above.
<PAGE>

Option Vesting
Acceleration:     In the event of a Change in Control (hereinafter defined),
                  all unvested stock options held by the Employee shall
                  immediately become vested and exercisable.

Taxes:            The Company shall withhold from all payments made under the
                  Plan such amounts for taxes and other requirements as may
                  be necessary or appropriate.
<PAGE>

                          Summary of Principle Terms of
                         Key Employee Severance Program

      The principal terms of the Key employee severance program are set forth
below:

Participation:    In order to be a participant in the Key Employee Severance
                  Program (the "Program"), the Employee must (i) be selected for
                  participation by the Compensation Committee of the Hollinger
                  International Inc. Board of Directors, by the full Board, or
                  by the CEO and (ii) sign a participation agreement in the form
                  prescribed by the Company.

Termination:      Nothing in the Program shall limit or restrict the ability
                  of the Company to terminate the employment of a
                  participant, and no contract of employment is intended or
                  created by participation in the Program.  The employment of
                  Employee may be terminated in any of the following ways:
                  (i) as a result of death or permanent disability of the
                  Employee; (ii) by the Company for Cause (hereinafter
                  defined), (iii) by the Employee other than for Good Reason,
                  (iv) by the Company other than for Cause or as a result of
                  death or permanent disability (a "Company Termination"), or
                  (v) by the Employee for Good Reason (hereinafter defined)
                  (a "Good Reason Termination").  The payments and benefits
                  provided for in the Program shall be made to participants
                  only in the event of a Company Termination or a Good Reason
                  Termination.

Notice of
Termination:      In the event of a Company Termination or a Good Reason
                  Termination, the terminating party shall be required to
                  provide the other party with two weeks' advance written
                  notice of termination, which can be waived by the Company.
                  In addition, the Company shall have the unilateral right to
                  require the Employee to remain with the Company for a
                  period of up to thirty (30) days following notice of
                  termination by either party, as a condition to having the
                  Employee receive the payments and benefits provided under
                  this plan.

Payments and
Benefits Upon
Termination:      In the event of a Company Termination or a Good Reason
                  Termination, the Employee shall receive the following:
<PAGE>

                      (a) A lump sum payment equal to the higher of (i) fifty
                          percent (50%), or (ii) the percentage derived by
                          taking the period of January 1 through December 31 and
                          calculating the number of days the Employee is
                          employed by the Company during the current calendar
                          year (to the termination date) on a percentage basis,
                          multiplied by the higher of (x) twenty-five percent
                          (25%) of Employee's base salary, or (y) the most
                          recent annual bonus paid to Employee within the twelve
                          month period preceding the date of termination. This
                          amount shall be payable within ten (10) days of
                          termination;

                      (b) An amount equal to the Employee's base salary in
                          effect on the date of termination, payable in
                          twenty-six (26) bi-weekly installments in the same
                          manner that the Employee's payroll is currently
                          handled, less all appropriate withholding amounts and
                          deductions; and

                      (c) Continuation of all current benefit programs in which
                          the Employee is entitled to participate on the date of
                          Employee's termination of employment, subject only to
                          Employee's continued premium contributions at the same
                          level as on the date of termination. In the event that
                          Employee is precluded by the terms of such programs or
                          by law from participation following termination of
                          employment, the Company shall provide an equivalent
                          benefit in the manner it deems appropriate.

Definitions:      "Cause" shall mean (i) Employee engaging in intentional and
                  willful misconduct, including a breach of the Employee's duty
                  of loyalty to the Company, to the detriment of the Company, or
                  (ii) Employee being convicted of, or pleading nolo contendere
                  to, a crime involving dishonesty, inappropriate moral
                  standards, or violence.

                  "Good Reason" shall mean the Employee experiencing (i) a
                  material reduction in title, authority or responsibilities,
                  (ii) Employee being required to relocate more than thirty (30)
                  road miles from the office where Employee currently works, or
                  (iii) the failure of the Company to obtain an explicit
                  undertaking from a successor to honor the terms of this
                  Severance Program. For a Good Reason Termination to be valid,
                  the affected Employee must give notice to the Company of the
                  reasons giving rise to the Good Reason and provide the Company
                  ten (10) days to cure said Good Reason. In addition, the
                  Company must be notified of a Good
<PAGE>

                  Reason Termination within six (6) months of the effective date
                  of the action giving rise to the cause of the Good Reason.

                  A "Change in Control" will be deemed to occur if (i) the
                  independent directors constituting a majority of the Board of
                  Directors of Hollinger International Inc. ("Hollinger") on
                  April 1, 2004 at any time do not continue to constitute the
                  majority of the Board of Directors; (ii) there is a change in
                  control of Hollinger, that constitutes a "change in control"
                  for purposes of US securities laws, occurs; (iii) there is a
                  change in ownership control of the primary Hollinger entity
                  under which the Employee is employed (i.e. Hollinger, The
                  Telegraph Group, or The Chicago Group), or (iv) Hollinger or
                  the respective entity enters into a definitive agreement that,
                  when consummated, would result in a Change in Control as
                  defined above.

Forfeiture of
Benefits:         The agreement that each participant must sign in order to
                  participate in the Program will contain certain agreements on
                  the part of the participant, including a non-solicitation
                  requirement. In the event that the participant violates the
                  terms of the agreement, then all payments to be made to
                  Employee shall be forfeited.

Other Provisions: The Agreements will have standard additional provisions,
                  covering such topics as confidentiality, return of Company
                  property upon termination, governing law, etc.<PAGE>
                                                                   EXHIBIT 10.26

                          HOLLINGER INTERNATIONAL INC.
                       401 NORTH WABASH AVENUE, SUITE 740
                             CHICAGO, ILLINOIS 60611

                                                                  April 13, 2004

                                   IMPORTANT!

            PLEASE READ THIS LETTER CAREFULLY. EFFECTIVE MAY 1, 2004 ALL OPTION
            TRANSACTIONS WILL BE SUSPENDED UNTIL THE COMPANY BECOMES CURRENT IN
            ITS FILINGS WITH THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION ("SEC").

To:         Option Plan Participants under Hollinger International Inc. (the
            "Company") 1994 Stock Option Plan, 1997 Stock Incentive Plan and
            1999 Stock Incentive Plan ("Option Plans")

Dear Option Plan Participants:

      The purpose of this letter is to let you know that, effective on May
1, 2004, all transactions under our Option Plans will be suspended for a period
of time.

      As you know, the Company formed a Special Committee of independent
directors to investigate related party transactions and other payments made to
certain executives of the Company and its controlling stockholder, Hollinger
Inc., and other affiliates in connection with the sale of the Company's assets
and other transactions. At this time, the Special Committee's investigation is
still ongoing. The Company believes that it needs to review the Special
Committee's final report before it can complete its Annual Report on Form 10-K
for the period ended December 31, 2003 and file it with the Securities and
Exchange Commission. In addition, the Company has experienced a disruption of
management services provided to it arising from a dispute with Ravelston
Corporation Limited, which had provided services to the Company in the past in
connection with the preparation of its financial statements. As a result of
these factors, the Company has not yet been able to file its Annual Report and
will not be in a position to do so until after the Special Committee completes
its final report.

      This issue affects the Option Plans because the shares that are issued
under the Option Plans are required to be registered with the SEC, and in order
to maintain the registration of these shares the Company is required to stay
current with its SEC filings. In order for the registration of the shares under
the Option Plans to continue

<PAGE>

                                                                               2

uninterrupted, we would need to file the 10-K by April 30, 2004. At this time we
do not believe we will be able to file the 10-K by that date.

      As a result, May 1, 2004 will begin a period during which you will not be
able to exercise options under the Option Plans. You will continue to be free to
resell any shares acquired as a result of exercise (even if you choose to resell
after April 30, 2004) subject to the Company's securities trading policies(1).
This non-exercise period will last until the Company once again becomes current
in its SEC filings. As soon as the Company becomes current in its SEC filings,
this suspension of activity will end and you will be free to execute
transactions under the Option Plans in the ordinary course. You should also know
that the suspension of activity does not affect the vesting schedule with
respect to previously granted options.

      The Option Plans generally provide that you have 30 days following the
date of your termination of employment with the Company to exercise your vested
options. If your employment with the Company terminates at any time from now
until the end of the suspension period described above, the Company will extend
the 30-day exercise period to provide you 30 days after the conclusion of the
suspension period to exercise your vested options. PLEASE NOTE THAT THE COMPANY
CANNOT EXTEND THE EXERCISE PERIOD OF ANY OPTIONS BEYOND THE EXPIRATION OF THEIR
10-YEAR TERMS. AS A RESULT, IF YOU HAVE VESTED OPTIONS WITH A 10-YEAR TERM THAT
ARE SCHEDULED TO EXPIRE ON MAY 2, 2004 AND YOU INTEND TO EXERCISE THEM, YOU MUST
ACT ON OR PRIOR TO APRIL 30, 2004

      If you wish to exercise any vested options before the suspension period
begins, you must complete these transactions prior to the close of trading on
April 30, 2004. If you do not complete these transactions prior to the close of
trading on April 30, you will not be able to exercise your vested options until
the Company again becomes current in its SEC filing obligations. If you intend
to exercise vested options prior to April 30, please allow sufficient time for
the completion of paperwork and the processing of your request.

      You should feel free to contact Linda Loye, Assistant Corporate Counsel,
at (312) 321-3136 if you have any further questions regarding any of the
foregoing.

                                           Very truly yours,

                                           James R. Van Horn
                                           Corporate Counsel
                                           Hollinger International Inc.
--------------------
(1)   Note, however, that special rules apply to certain officers, directors and
      other executives of the Company and its subsidiaries that will restrict
      their ability to resell shares after April 30, 2004. Feel free to contact
      Linda Loye, Assistant Corporate Counsel, for further information.

Source: [{"source": "alea-institute/alea-institute/kl3m-data-edgar-agreements/train-00077-of-00352.parquet"}, [{"source": "alea-institute/alea-institute/kl3m-data-edgar-agreements/train-00077-of-00352.parquet"}]]