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Russia accidentally bombs its own city

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:45 GMT

A Russian war plane accidentally discharged a weapon that exploded in the Russian city of Belgorod, close to the Ukrainian border, late Thursday night, causing an explosion and injuring several people, according to state media.“At around 22:15 Moscow time on April 20, when a Su-34 plane of the Russian Aerospace Forces was performing a flight above the city of Belgorod, an emergency release of an air ordnance occurred,” the Russian defense ministry said in a statement to TASS, which didn’t specify the weapon that caused the damage. The Sukhoi Su-34 is a supersonic fighter-bomber jet.Belgorod’s regional governor, Vyacheslav Gladkov, said earlier on Telegram that there had been an explosion in the center of the city, leaving a crater measuring 20 meters, with several cars and buildings damaged.In an update Friday morning, Gladkov added that three people had been hurt, though their injuries weren’t life-threatening.The Belgorod region, which is about an hour̵...

Rishi Sunak ‘taking his time’ over Dominic Raab bullying report

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:45 GMT

LONDON — Rishi Sunak is “taking his time” as he pores over a report into the conduct of Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab, the government’s transport secretary said.In a round of interviews Friday morning, Mark Harper would not guarantee that the long-awaited report into bullying allegations will be published today. In November, the prime minister tasked a top senior lawyer with investigating multiple allegations of bullying from Raab, who also serves as justice secretary. After months of interviews and new complaints the lawyer, Adam Tolley, handed the report to the prime minister on Thursday morning. But Sunak is yet to publish the report or address its contents — leaving Raab’s fate in the balance.The deputy PM, who denies the allegations, has promised to resign if the bullying claims are upheld.The report is still expected to be published imminently, with a decision on whether Raab stays in government expected at the same time. However, asked if the repo...

Strikes bring German railways to standstill, hit 4 airports

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:45 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — An eight-hour strike brought Germany’s railways to a standstill on Friday morning, while walkouts also were underway at four major German airports in a parallel pay dispute.The EVG rail workers’ union called for members to walk out between 3 a.m. and 11 a.m. Germany’s main train operator, state-owned Deutsche Bahn, announced shortly after that call on Wednesday that it was canceling long-distance services between 3 a.m. and 1 p.m. and that most regional trains also would be canceled.EVG says it needs to step up pressure on employers as it seeks an inflation-busting pay raise. Deutsche Bahn, which is one of dozens of companies hit by the strike, has called the walkout “pointless and unnecessary” and accused EVG of trying to score points in a bitter long-term rivalry with another rail union.The walkout follows a full-day strike on March 27 that paralyzed the railway network. That strike was coordinated with another union, ver.di, which brought most of G...

China foreign minister steps up threats against Taiwan

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:45 GMT

BEIJING (AP) — China’s foreign minister stepped up threats Friday against the self-governing island of Taiwan, saying any who go against Beijing’s demand to exert control over the island are “playing with fire.” Qin Gang’s remarks Friday came at the end of a speech espousing China’s contribution to the global economy and the interests of developing nations, in which he repeatedly praised Communist Party Secretary General Xi Jinping’s Global Security Initiative. The concept is the latest of China’s moves to position its single-party political system, with its claim to social stability and economic growth, as an alternative to the Western liberal approach that largely defines international relations. Toward the end of his speech in the financial hub of Shanghai, Qin turned to what China calls the “Taiwan problem,” using harsher terms than Chinese diplomats have typically employed in past in international settings. “The safeguarding of national sovereignty and territorial integrity is ...

Kiszla: Avs beat crisis of confidence and kicked Kraken tail with big assist from injured captain Gabe Landeskog

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:45 GMT

Slobbered by a big ugly Kraken kiss, the defending Stanley Cup champs had slime on their cheeks and doubt rattling inside their heads.Hard as it was to believe, the Avs were teetering on the brink of collapse, players pressing every shift with confidence running on empty, in danger of being embarrassed in the first round of the playoffs by an expansion team from Seattle named after a silly sea monster.“It was all mental,” said Avs coach Jared Bednar, as shocked as every one of the 18,141 fans in Ball Arena that his team had lost its championship mojo.And then captain Gabriel Landeskog walked in the shaken Colorado dressing room at the first intermission of Game 2 in this best-of-seven series to remind the Avs who they were. Yes, the captain is hurt, unable to skate until next season, reduced to wearing a suit instead of a sweater.But I swear the Avs wouldn’t have rediscovered their swagger, recovered from a two-goal deficit and beat Seattle 3-2 Thursday without the calm, reassuring ...

Europe's strikes could spell more flights havoc into summer

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:45 GMT

Strikes in Europe have caused a surge of flight cancellations and delays, as well as a drop in bookings for cities such Paris. This is despite the efforts made by airlines to prevent a repeat of disruptions from last year.AirHelp, a flight claim management company, says that the number of flights cancelled and delayed by more than three hours over Easter weekend in Europe was up from 2022 to 2019 and most notably in France and Britain.The situation rapidly deteriorated, as France sank into the pension crisis. Charles de Gaulle Airport is negatively affected as both a destination as well as hub, said Olivier Ponti VP of Insights, at travel data company ForwardKeys.Airhelp data provided shows that in France, where the air traffic control staff went on strike recently, only 62% of flights arrived on time. This compares with 75% for 2022 and 76% for 2019 before the pandemic halted international travel.This year's Easter saw 33,300 cancellations, compared to 7,800 the year before. 9,000 ...

Single-family residence in Dublin sells for $1.5 million

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:45 GMT

11506 Silvergate Drive – Google Street ViewThe spacious property located in the 11500 block of Silvergate Drive in Dublin was sold on March 10, 2023. The $1,502,500 purchase price works out to $692 per square foot. The house, built in 1967, has an interior space of 2,170 square feet. The property features three bedrooms, three baths, and a garage. The unit sits on a 10,034-square-foot lot.Additional houses have recently changed hands nearby:On Manzanita Lane, Dublin, in August 2022, a 2,220-square-foot home was sold for $1,575,000, a price per square foot of $709. The home has 5 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.A 2,544-square-foot home on the 11400 block of Rampart Drive in Dublin sold in September 2022, for $1,606,000, a price per square foot of $631. The home has 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.In September 2022, a 2,697-square-foot home on Buckeye Court in Dublin sold for $1,800,000, a price per square foot of $667. The home has 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms. 

Talor Gooch leads after 1st round of LIV Golf in Australia

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:45 GMT

ADELAIDE, Australia (AP) — Talor Gooch upstaged the more-fancied names on the LIV Golf tour by shooting a 10-under 62 Friday to take a four-stroke lead after the first round of the inaugural Australian tournament at The Grange.The 31-year-old American started with a par on his opening hole in the shotgun-start format — the par-3 12th — but then had 10 birdies, including five in a row.Two more players in the unfancied category — Richard Bland and Dean Burmester — shot 66s and were tied for second. Five players were tied for fourth, including New Zealander Danny Lee, who won the second LIV event in Arizona in mid-March.The higher-profile names in the 48-player field were further behind on the leaderboard.Sergio Garcia shot 68 and British Open champion and local favorite Cameron Smith and Brooks Koepka had 69s. Phil Mickelson and Bubba Watson had 70s and Patrick Reed and Dustin Johnson shot 71. Bryson DeChambeau had a 73.Johnson’s team, Aces GC, toppedthe team leaderboard entering the ...

Padres face the Diamondbacks with 1-0 series lead

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:45 GMT

San Diego Padres (9-11, third in the NL West) vs. Arizona Diamondbacks (11-8, first in the NL West)Phoenix; Friday, 9:40 p.m. EDTPITCHING PROBABLES: Padres: Seth Lugo (2-0, 2.70 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, 17 strikeouts); Diamondbacks: Zac Gallen (2-1, 3.33 ERA, .95 WHIP, 28 strikeouts)FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK MLB LINE: Padres -111, Diamondbacks -108; over/under is 8 1/2 runsBOTTOM LINE: The San Diego Padres meet the Arizona Diamondbacks leading the series 1-0.Arizona is 5-3 at home and 11-8 overall. The Diamondbacks have a 4-1 record in games when they did not allow a home run.San Diego has gone 5-3 in road games and 9-11 overall. The Padres are 4-8 in games when they have allowed at least one home run.The teams match up Friday for the fourth time this season.TOP PERFORMERS: Corbin Carroll has five doubles and four home runs for the Diamondbacks. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. is 12-for-38 with four doubles, a triple, a home run and seven RBI over the last 10 games.Trent Grisham has seven doubles and four home...

Phillies host the Rockies on home losing streak

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:45 GMT

Colorado Rockies (6-14, fifth in the NL West) vs. Philadelphia Phillies (8-12, fourth in the NL East)Philadelphia; Friday, 7:05 p.m. EDTPITCHING PROBABLES: Rockies: Noah Davis (0-0, .00 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, five strikeouts); Phillies: Aaron Nola (1-2, 5.91 ERA, 1.45 WHIP, 19 strikeouts)FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK MLB LINE: Phillies -289, Rockies +235; over/under is 8 1/2 runsBOTTOM LINE: The Philadelphia Phillies play the Colorado Rockies looking to stop their three-game home losing streak.Philadelphia is 8-12 overall and 3-4 in home games. The Phillies are 7-4 in games when they have more hits than their opponents.Colorado has a 3-7 record on the road and a 6-14 record overall. The Rockies have the ninth-ranked team batting average in the NL at .250.Friday’s game is the second time these teams meet this season.TOP PERFORMERS: Bryson Stott leads the Phillies with a .360 batting average, and has seven doubles, a home run, two walks and seven RBI. Nicholas Castellanos is 12-for-40 with five R...