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Braves clinch home field throughout playoffs with sweep of slumping Cubs

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:21 GMT

ATLANTA (AP) — Max Olson hit his major league-leading 54th homer, and the Atlanta Braves clinched home-field advantage throughout the postseason with a 5-3 win over the slumping Chicago Cubs on Thursday night.Austin Riley had three hits and scored two runs as the Braves (103-56) won for the sixth time in seven games. The NL East champions can match the franchise record for wins with a season-ending sweep of the Nationals.“(Truist Park) is one of the best atmospheres in baseball,” Olson said of clinching home-field advantage. “A bunch of fans who come out and support, understand the game. It’s the best place to play.”Chicago has dropped 13 of 19 to fall out of position for an NL wild card. With the three-game sweep by the Braves, the Cubs (82-77) fell a half-game back of Miami for the third wild card.“Very frustrating,” Cubs pitcher Marcus Stroman said. “We seem defeated at times. Everything that could be going wrong is going wrong. Hopefully luck starts to go in our favor in M...

Sweden’s PM calls in army chief as gang violence surges

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:21 GMT

Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson summoned the head of Sweden’s armed forces and the state’s police chief to a meeting to be held Friday, as a wave of gang violence grips the country. “We’re going to hunt down the gangs and we’re going to defeat them,” Kristersson said during a televised address on Thursday evening. A surge in gang-related violence has shaken Sweden over the past few weeks, leaving 11 people dead this month alone. On Thursday, two men were shot in separate incidents close to Stockholm, while a 25-year-old woman was killed in a bomb attack near Uppsala.“It is a difficult time for Sweden,” Kristersson said, adding that the violence is affecting “more and more children and completely innocent people.”“I cannot stress enough how serious the situation is,” he said. “Sweden has never seen anything like this before. No other country in Europe sees anything like it.”Kristersson blamed an “irresponsible immigration policy” and “fail...

More than 70% of Nagorno-Karabakh’s population flees as separatist government says it will dissolve

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:21 GMT

YEREVAN, Armenia (AP) — More than 70% of Nagorno-Karabakh’s original population has fled to Armenia as the region’s separatist government said it will dissolve itself and the unrecognized republic inside Azerbaijan will cease to exist by year’s end after a three-decade bid for independence.By Friday morning 84,770 people had left Nagorno-Karabakh, according to Armenian officials, continuing a mass exodus from the region of ethnic Armenians that began Sunday. The region’s population was around 120,000 before the exodus began.The moves came after Azerbaijan carried out a lightning offensive last week to reclaim full control over the breakaway region and demanded that Armenian troops in Nagorno-Karabakh disarm and the separatist government disband.A decree signed by the region’s separatist President Samvel Shakhramanyan cited a Sept. 20 agreement to end the fighting under which Azerbaijan will allow the “free, voluntary and unhindered movement” of Nagorno-Karabakh res...

Kosovo police conduct raids in Serb-dominated north following clashes that left 4 dead on weekend

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:21 GMT

PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP) — Kosovo police on Friday raided several locations in a tense Serb-dominated area in the north of the country where weekend clashes left four people dead and further strained relations with Serbia.Police said in a statement that they were conducting searches on five locations in three municipalities in northern Kosovo. A statement said the operation was in connection with Sunday’s shootout between Serb insurgents and Kosovo police in the village of Banjska.The confrontation was one of the worst since Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008 and Belgrade refused to recognize the split.About 30 masked men opened fire on a police patrol near Banjska before breaking down the gates of a Serbian Orthodox monastery and barricading themselves inside with the priests and visiting pilgrims. The 12-hour shootout that followed left one police officer and three gunmen dead.The violence further raised tensions in the Balkan region at a time when European Union and U....

Marcos says Philippines is not looking for trouble but will defend waters against Chinese aggression

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:21 GMT

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — The Philippine president said Friday that his country does not want a confrontation but will staunchly defend its waters after its coast guard removed a floating barrier placed by China at a disputed shoal in the South China Sea.It was the first time President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has spoken publicly against China’s installation of the 300-meter (980-foot) -long barrier at the entrance to Scarborough Shoal which was dismantled at his order.“We’re not looking for trouble but what we’ll do is to continue defending the maritime territory of the Philippines and the rights of our fishermen, who have been fishing in those areas for hundreds of years,” Marcos said in response to a question at a news briefing in southern Surigao del Norte province.The latest flare-up between China and the Philippines in the South China Sea, one of the world’s busiest trade routes, comes after Marcos decided earlier this year to allow an expansion of the U.S. mili...

Things to know about the Klamath River dam removal project, the largest in US history

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:21 GMT

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — The largest dam removal project in United States history is underway along the California-Oregon border.The project will remove four dams on the Klamath River. Work has already begun on removing the smallest of the four dams. The other three will come down next year.The project is part of a larger trend across the U.S. to remove dams blocking the natural flow of rivers and streams. Some things to know as the project gets going:WHY ARE THE DAMS BEING REMOVED?The dams were built decades ago to generate electricity. But they also halted the natural flow of the river and disrupted the lifecycle of salmon. The fish are culturally and spiritually important to several Native American tribes in the area.In 2002, a combination of low water levels and warm temperatures caused a bacterial outbreak that killed more than 34,000 fish. That propelled Native American tribes to campaign for removal of the dams. After much negotiation, federal regulators approved a plan last...

Explosion at rally celebrating birthday of Islam’s prophet kills 6 people in southwest Pakistan

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:21 GMT

QUETTA, Pakistan (AP) — A powerful bomb exploded at a rally celebrating the birthday of Islam’s Prophet Muhammad in southwest Pakistan on Friday, killing at least six people and wounding dozens of others, police and a government official said.The bombing occurred in Mastung, a district in Baluchistan province, said government administrator Atta Ullah. The injured people were being taken to nearby hospitals, and some of them were in critical condition, he said.Ullah provided no further details.Muslims in Pakistan and around the world celebrate the birthday of Islam’s prophet by holding public gatherings.The Associated Press

Enjoy the warmth this weekend, next weekend may be a cooler story

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:21 GMT

The temperatures this weekend are amazing, with daytime highs in the 80s—that's June and July-level temperatures. More like mid-70s at the beaches, but if you are inclined to go to the beach the lake's not cold and it will be beautiful. Look at the difference next weekend:The westernmost of the two storms—Tropical Storm Philippe—is 759 miles east of San Juan, Puerto Rico.Brian McNoldy, Senior Research Assistant at the Rosenstiel School at the University of Miami (https://twitter.com/BMcNoldy), points out Rina is the 18th named storm of the Atlantic 2023 hurricane season and notes the average number of named storms for a FULL SEASON is 14.And Dr. Phil Klotzbach, hurricane and tropical weather expert at Colorado State tweets, "If current National #Hurricane Center forecasts for #Philippe and #Rina verify, the Atlantic will officially reach NOAA's definition of an above-average Atlantic hurricane season by October 2nd." (https://twitter.com/philklotzbach)

How China can say 'No' to India

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:21 GMT

In recent years, amidst profound shifts in the global geopolitical landscape, China and India have grappled with new roles and challenges. Against the backdrop of a dynamically changing world, the relationship between these two nations is evolving significantly, writes ANBOUND Think Tank founder Kung Chan, one of China’s renowned experts in information analysis.The current status of China-India relations is characterized by a complex tapestry of contradictions and enduring disputes. These conflicts extend beyond the domains of geopolitics and diplomacy, casting a significant impact on bilateral investments and trade alliances.In the economic domain, India is known for its long-standing tradition of trade protectionism. Indian government agencies often restrict the development of foreign companies under the pretext of "tax issues" and this has disrupted Chinese companies like VIVO, OPPO, and Xiaomi, as well as South Korean giant Samsung. Xiaomi, in particular, has frequently faced in...

Diet changes boost popularity of white wine

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:21 GMT

Photo credit: © Mathieu GolinvauxChanging patterns of consumption has proved an unexpected boon...for white wine production, writes Martin Banks.People are, data shows, increasingly turning away from eating red meat and that, in turn, has helped boost the popularity of white wine.So says wine expert Christophe Chateau who was speaking on Thursday (28 September) at the opening of this year’s Eat Festival at Tour & Taxis in Brussels.The popular annual event aims to showcase the best of both Brussels and Belgian cuisine and also wines from Bordeaux.The aptly-named Chateau, director of communications at the Bordeaux-based Conseil Interprofessionnel Du Vin De Bordeaux, told this website that production of white wine in Bordeaux was rising at a much faster rate than red wine, for which the region is particularly well known throughout the world.“People are eating less meat and that is having a real impact on the production and consumption of white wine,” he said.Red wine still accounts...