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Ukrainian troops liberate southern village, while Russia shoots down drone attack on Moscow

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:35:18 GMT

Ukrainian forces have recaptured a strategic village in the Russian-occupied southeast, as their troops continue a southbound advance in a summer counteroffensive.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Thursday that troops had reclaimed the village of Staromayorske in the Donetsk region. It is the first major gain in days. Battles are continuing around Bakhmut for the villages of Klishchiivka and Andriivka.“The 35th brigade and the Ariy territorial defense unit have fulfilled their task and liberated the village of Staromayorske. Glory to Ukraine!” a soldier said in a video posted on Zelenskyy’s Telegram.Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar also confirmed the liberation of the village in a Telegram post. “Our defenders continue to clear the settlement,” she posted Thursday evening.Overnight, Russia shot down an attempted drone attack directed at Moscow, the city’s Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said on his Telegram channel.“At night, an attempt was...

Mets beat Nationals behind Mark Canha sacrifice fly after long delay

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:35:18 GMT

The Mets played until nearly midnight, battling through a lightning delay and torrential downpours for nearly two hours Thursday night at Citi Field. When they resumed play in a tie game in the bottom of the eighth with one out and the bases loaded against the Nationals’ Kyle Finnegan, Mark Canha gave them all they needed with a fly ball to right field that was deep enough to score Pete Alonso.Alonso came sliding in just ahead of the tag to help the Mets (48-54) defeat the Nationals, 2-1.Every win is crucial for the Amazins’ right now and this one was no different. The Mets have continued a frustrating pattern of taking steps forward, only to take more of them back, since the All-Star break. They’ve been no closer to reaching their goal of getting into the Wild Card mix, but they have a chance to gain ground this weekend against lowly Washington.In the first game of the series, the last one before Tuesday’s trade deadline, one of Washington’s future sta...

Jake Burger homers twice, but the Chicago White Sox drop their 6th straight with a 6-3 loss to the Cleveland Guardians

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:35:18 GMT

The Chicago White Sox needed to find a way to keep Jake Burger in the lineup when third baseman Yoán Moncada returned from the injured list Tuesday.So the team moved him to second base.Regardless of the position, Burger continues to do damage at the plate.He homered twice in Thursday’s 6-3 loss to the Cleveland Guardians in front of 20,893 at Guaranteed Rate Field.“Burger (hit) the two homers, but that wasn’t enough to do what we came here to do today,” manager Pedro Grifol said.The Sox lost their sixth straight, which is their second-longest slide of the season. They are a season-worst 22 games under .500 at 41-63.“A lot of it is development and trying to get better in areas where you can improve,” Burger said of the focus moving forward. “Trying to stick to that and work as hard as we can and get as many wins and results as we can.”Burger made an impact at the plate with the second multihomer game of his career.He homered in bac...

Typhoon Doksuri makes landfall in China after bringing deadly landslides to Philippines

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:35:18 GMT

BEIJING (AP) — Typhoon Doksuri made landfall in China after bringing deadly landslides to the Philippines. The storm plowed into the eastern province of Fujian on Friday morning after bringing heavy rains and gale-force winds to parts of Taiwan, especially the Penghu island group, also known as the Pescadores. In the Philippines, a week of stormy weather across the main island of Luzon caused 39 deaths, including 26 killed in the capsizing of a passenger ship. At least 13 people were reported killed earlier due to Doksuri’s onslaught, mostly due to landslides, flooding and toppled trees, and thousands were displaced, disaster response officials said. More than 20 others remained missing, including four coast guard personnel whose boat overturned while on a rescue mission in hard-hit Cagayan province, disaster response officials said Friday.The storm caused widespread power outages and agricultural damage in the archipelagic country and prompted the suspension of work, classes and se...

Nearly 200 million people in US are under heat or flood advisories

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:35:18 GMT

Nearly 200 million people in the United States, or 60% of the U.S. population, are under a heat advisory or flood warning or watch as high temperatures spread and new areas are told to expect severe storms.The National Weather Service said a “dangerous” heat wave began to scorch the Northeast and mid-Atlantic on Thursday and will continue into the weekend. Severe thunderstorms and flash floods are possible for parts of the Northeast and South, New England and South Florida. Meanwhile, the string of record-breaking temperatures will persist for the Southwest and Midwest.“It’s (hitting) all the big cities,” said Bob Oravec, lead forecaster with the National Weather Service’s Weather Prediction Center. “That’s why the population (affected) is so high.”Scientists have long warned that climate change, driven by the burning of fossil fuels, will lead to more and prolonged bouts of extreme weather. The prediction for continued excessive heat comes a day after the World Me...

Defense Secretary Austin says the US stands with countries against China’s ‘bullying behavior’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:35:18 GMT

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Friday the United States stands with countries fighting Chinese “bullying behavior” as he launched bilateral talks in Australia aimed at countering Beijing’s growing influence in the Indo-Pacific region.Austin and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in the Australian city of Brisbane late Thursday ahead of annual bilateral meetings on Friday and Saturday that will focus on a deal to provide Australia, a defense treaty partner, with a fleet of submarines powered by U.S. nuclear technology.Ahead of a meeting with Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles, Austin said both countries share concerns about China’s break from international laws and norms that resolve disputes peacefully and without coercion.“We’ve seen troubling P.R.C. coercion from the East China Sea, to the South China Sea, to right here in the Southwest Pacific,” Austin told reporters, referring to the People’s Republic of China.“We’ll conti...

No clarity about who’s in charge in Niger, 2 days after mutinous soldiers ousted the president

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:35:18 GMT

NIAMEY, Niger (AP) — Two days after mutinous soldiers ousted Niger’s democratically elected president, it was still unclear Friday morning who was running the country and what mediation efforts were underway, as analysts warned that political chaos could set back the fight on extremist groups and increase Russia’s influence in the region.On Thursday, several hundred people gathered in the capital, Niamey, and chanted support for the Russian private military group Wagner while waving Russian flags. Later, they burned cars and ransacked the headquarters of the president’s political party. “We’re fed up,” said Omar Issaka, one of the protestors. “We are tired of being targeted by the men in the bush … Down with the French people. We’re going to collaborate with Russia now,” he said. The soldiers have not announced a leader and President Mohamed Bazoum, who was elected two years ago in Niger’s first peaceful, democratic transfer of power since its independence from Fra...

Russia says a Ukrainian drone was shot down outside Moscow

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:35:18 GMT

A Ukrainian drone was shot down early Friday outside Moscow, Russia’s defense ministry said. It was the third drone strike or attempt on the capital region this month.The ministry said there were no injuries or damage in the early morning incident. It did not give details about where the drone was shot down, but said it took place in the Moscow Oblast, a region that surrounds but does not include the city itself.The shootdown adds to concern about Moscow’s vulnerability to attack as the war drags into its 18th month.Two drones struck the Russian capital on Monday, one of them falling in the center of the city near the Defense Ministry’s headquarters along the Moscow River about 3 kilometers (2 miles) from the Kremlin. The other drone hit an office building in southern Moscow, gutting several upper floors.In another attack on July 4, the Russian military said four drones were downed by air defenses on the outskirts of Moscow and the fifth was jammed by electronic warfare ...

Wildfires: EU provides crucial assistance to the Mediterranean region

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:35:18 GMT

As several countries grapple with rapidly spreading wildfires, the EU steps in to reinforce firefighting efforts and provide much-needed support to the affected communities with over 490 firefighters and nine firefighting planes deployed to Greece and Tunisia since 18 July.The two Mediterranean countries have activated the EU Civil Protection Mechanism and the EU has swiftly replied. 10 countries (Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, France, Italy, Malta, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Serbia) are contributing to the EU Civil Protection Mechanism's response to the wildfires in Greece. In total, over 490 firefighters and seven planes have been deployed to different areas of the country. One EU Liaison Officer is supporting the coordination of operations in Greece and the EU's Copernicus satellite mapping is providing damage assessment on several areas in the Attica region and Rhodes.In addition, two Canadairs from the rescEU reserve hosted by Spain are being deployed to northwest Tunisia.Crisis...

Four-bedroom home sells in Danville for $2.3 million

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:35:18 GMT

70 Country Hills Court – Google Street ViewThe spacious property located in the first block of Country Hills Court in Danville was sold on June 30, 2023. The $2,300,000 purchase price works out to $806 per square foot. The house, built in 1990, has an interior space of 2,854 square feet. This single-story home presents a roomy floor plan, featuring four bedrooms and three bathrooms. The property is equipped with central A/C. In addition, the house includes an attached two-car garage, offering generous space for vehicles and storage requirements. The lot size of the property measures an impressive 0.4-acre.Additional houses that have recently been sold close by include:A 2,854-square-foot home on the first block of Northview Court in Danville sold in April 2023, for $2,650,000, a price per square foot of $929. The home has 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.In October 2022, a 3,102-square-foot home on Chadbourne Court in Danville sold for $1,830,000, a price per square foot of $590. The home...