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Spain and UK warn against sending cluster bombs to Ukraine

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:22 GMT

Madrid and London do not look kindly on the American decision to send cluster bombs to Ukraine.The Biden administration announced on Friday that the weapons will be included in the U.S.’s next $800 million arms package to Kyiv — a decision that has raised humanitarian concerns. A cluster bomb is a weapon engineered to scatter submunitions (or “bomblets”) over a wide area, potentially risking civilian collateral damage. Washington is not party to the 2010 Convention on Cluster Munitions, endorsed by more than 100 countries, including the U.K. and Spain, and banning their use. Neither are Russia and Ukraine. “It is important to note that the Russian Federation has been indiscriminately using cluster munitions from day 1 of the unprovoked large-scale aggression,” tweeted Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov after the U.S. announcement. He committed to use the weapons with caution.But the “five principles” Kyiv is pledging to abide by fai...

Boston City Councilor Kendra Lara apologizes for her role in Jamaica Plain car crash

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:22 GMT

Boston City Councilor Kendra Lara released a statement issuing an apology Saturday for her role in a car crash in Jamaica Plain last Friday.“We are all accountable for our actions, and I am no different, which is why I offer my sincerest apologies to everyone, especially the people of District 6,” she said. “As an elected official, I’ve worked hard to center the dignity and humanity of my constituents. Today, I ask you to also see mine as I work to correct my mistake.”Lara was driving with a revoked license in an unregistered and uninsured car with an expired inspection sticker when she left the roadway and crashed through a fence and into a house, according to 7NEWS sources.In her statement, Lara said she was driving a friend’s car. Sources also said her son, who had to get stitches after the crash, was not in a booster seat required by state law.https://twitter.com/CllrKendraLara/status/1677667706923876353?s=2...

Marble head unearthed during works in Rome piazza

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:22 GMT

(CNN) — Construction workers have unearthed a white marble head in the historic center of Rome, the city’s mayor has revealed on social media.Posting a picture of the mud-covered relic on Twitter on Thursday, Mayor Roberto Gualtieri wrote: “#Roma continues to return precious evidence of its past: a splendid intact marble head was found during the works in Piazza Augusto Imperatore attended by the @Sovrintendenza.”Gualtieri went on to add that archaeologists and restorers are now “busy cleaning and studying the find.”The Sovrintendenza Capitolina (Capitoline Superintendence) manages, maintains and enhances the capital’s historic and archaeological heritage.The impressive piece, which is thought to be part of a statue of a female divinity, was discovered in a foundation uncovered during the works for the “redevelopment of the Mausoleum of Augustus and Piazza Augusto Imperatore,” according to a statement published online by Rome city council. It ...

Ya gotta believe! A look back at the Amazin’ finish that led Mets to the ‘73 NL pennant

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:22 GMT

Fifty years ago Sunday (July 9), a Mets slogan was born. And though “Ya gotta believe” may have had awkward origins, it bloomed into a war cry for the Mets’ improbable rush to the 1973 National League pennant. It also became a signature phrase for Tug McGraw, the garrulous, talented reliever who coined it, and an enduring worldview for a fanbase that still quotes it today.Midway through that memorable season, the ‘73 Mets were beat-up, mired in last place in the NL East. Injuries had clipped their lineup — Jerry Grote, Bud Harrelson, John Milner and Cleon Jones were among those who missed time — and their high hopes were dwindling. Some had already written off the Mets and there were rumors about Yogi Berra’s job status as manager.M. Donald Grant, the Mets chairman, entered the Mets’ clubhouse, looking to talk to the players. “No one knew what to expect, him coming in with a business suit, shirt and tie,” recalls Ed Kranepo...

Victor Wembanyama hype slapped to reality in rocky Summer League debut

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:22 GMT

LAS VEGAS — The game was drawing near, the moment and player everybody in Vegas came to witness.Behind the basket, a Hornets staffer, awaiting his team’s showdown against Victor Wembanyama, spoke to a colleague.“He slapped an American princess,” the staffer said. “She’s royalty.”It was dripping with sarcasm, to be sure. Britney Spears might’ve been a pop sensation in 1999, but she long ago descended into something else. Plus, Wembanyama never slapped Spears. It was Spurs security who connected on the infamous backhand.But the sentiment from the Hornets executive was easy to interpret. For the opposition, Wembanyama is a 7-5 French target. He’s getting all the hype. Sucking up all the attention. ESPN labeled him “the greatest prospect in the history of team sports.” It reached the level of supernatural, as if Wembanyama would emerge in a UFO and evaporate all basketball norms.And for what? Averaging 21 points in the Fr...

Police say 22 officers have been injured during unrest at Eritrean festival in Germany

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:22 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — German police said at least 22 officers were injured and dozens of people were detained Saturday during unrest at an Eritrean cultural event in the western city of Giessen.Police said bottles were thrown and smoke bombs were ignited as groups of Eritreans opposed to the African nation’s autocratic ruler tried to force their way to the venue.About 1,000 officers, a water cannon and helicopters are deployed in the city, which is about 50 kilometers (30 miles) north of Frankfurt. Police spokesman Christopher Pfaff urged the public to avoid the center of Giessen while the operation is ongoing.Authorities had tried to ban the festival after similar unrest occurred there last year, but a court overturned the order.The event was organized by a group considered close to the government of Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki. Tens of thousands of people have fled Eritrea for Europe, many alleging they were mistreated by Afwerki’s government.The Associated Press

Biden is heading to Europe. A king and a war are on his agenda

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:22 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden leaves on Sunday for Europe, where he will spend four days in three nations tending to alliances that have been tested by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.The first stop is London, where Biden will meet with King Charles III for the first time since he was crowned. After that is the centerpiece of the trip, the NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania. Alliance leaders will debate the war and revise plans for dealing with Russian aggression. The final stop is in Helsinki, where Biden is expected to celebrate the expanding alliance, with Finland as the newest member of NATO. His national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, said the trip would “showcase the president’s leadership on the world stage.”A look at Biden’s agenda and the issues he will face:LondonBiden arrives in London on Sunday night is expected to have a full schedule of meetings Monday.“There’s always a lot to talk about with the U.K.,” said Max Bergmann, a former State Departme...

Latvia’s foreign minister, an ardent backer of Ukraine, is sworn in as the new president

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:22 GMT

HELSINKI (AP) — Latvia’s long-serving foreign minister, known for his tough line on neighboring Russia and strong support for Ukraine, was sworn in on Saturday as the Baltic nation’s president for a four-year term. Edgars Rinkevics, who had served as Latvia’s top diplomat since 2011, took the oath of office in ceremonies at an extraordinary session of the Parliament, or Saeima, in the capital, Riga. He succeeds Egils Levits, who didn’t seek reelection.Rinkevics, 49, was elected by lawmakers in late May in a race against two other candidates. He ran as the candidate of his and Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins’ New Unity party.He is the seventh president of Latvia, a nation of 1.8 million that is a member of the European Union and NATO, since it regained its independence in 1991. Latvia’s presidency is largely a ceremonial post and the head of state acts mainly as an opinion leader and uniting figure in the country, where almost one-third of residents speak Russian. The president repre...

Uzbekistan’s leader poised for landslide victory in presidential election

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:22 GMT

MOSCOW (AP) — Uzbekistan holds a snap presidential election on Sunday, a vote that follows a constitutional referendum that extended the incumbent’s term from five to seven years.President Shavkat Mirziyoyev was elected in 2021 to a second five-year term, the limit allowed by the constitution. But the amendments approved in April’s plebiscite allowed him to begin the count of terms anew and run for two more, raising the possibility that he could stay in office until 2037.The 65-year-old Mirziyoyev is set to win the vote by landslide against three token rivals. “The political landscape has remained unchanged, and none of the parliamentary political parties stand in open opposition to the president’s policies and agenda,” the elections observer arm of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe said in a pre-voting report.Since coming to power in 2016 after the death of longtime dictatorial leader Islam Karimov, Mirziyoyev has introduced a slew of political and...

Activists seek to disqualify Trump from ballot in key states under 14th Amendment

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:22 GMT

(The Hill) – Two civil rights organizations are launching a campaign to pressure state governments to disqualify former President Trump from appearing on ballots in 2024.The groups say secretaries of state are empowered by the 14th Amendment to bar Trump from running for office because of the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol insurrection.Starting Sunday, Mi Familia Vota and Free Speech for People will stage a week of rallies and banner drops outside the offices of the secretaries of state of California, Oregon, Colorado and Georgia.The groups also penned a letter to Nevada Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar last month, calling on him to block Trump under what's known as the Insurrectionist Disqualification Clause."We're really focusing on Nevada and California and [Oregon, Colorado and Georgia] to make sure that they are taking a stand by disqualifying Trump in those spaces, which is something that the secretary of state can do," said Héctor Sánchez, executive director of Mi Familia Vota.The gro...