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Nerve agents, poison and window falls. Over the years, Kremlin foes have been attacked or killed

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:01:42 GMT

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — The attacks range from the exotic — poisoned by drinking polonium-laced tea or touching a deadly nerve agent — to the more mundane of getting shot at close range. Some take a fatal plunge from an open window.Over the years, Kremlin political critics, turncoat spies and investigative journalists have been killed or assaulted in a variety of ways.None, however, has been known to perish in an air accident. But on Wednesday, a private plane carrying a mercenary chief who staged a brief rebellion in Russia plummeted into a field from tens of thousands of feet after breaking apart.Assassination attempts against foes of President Vladimir Putin have been common during his nearly quarter century in power. Those close to the victims and the few survivors have blamed Russian authorities, but the Kremlin has routinely denied any involvement.There also have been reports of prominent Russian executives dying under mysterious circumstances, including falling from windows, ...

Australian, US, Filipino militaries practice retaking an island in a drill along the South China Sea

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:01:42 GMT

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Australian and Filipino forces, backed by U.S. Marines, practiced retaking an island seized by hostile forces in a large military drill Friday on the northwestern Philippine coast facing the disputed South China Sea.President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and visiting Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles watched the mock beach landings, assaults and helicopter insertion of forces on a Philippine navy base with 1,200 Australians, 560 Filipinos and 120 U.S. Marines participating.The three countries are among the most vocal critics of China’s increasingly aggressive and confrontational actions in the disputed waters, but the Philippine military said Beijing was not an imaginary target of the combat drills, which were the largest so far between Australia and the Philippines.“It’s is an important aspect of how we prepare for any eventuality and considering that there have been so many events that attest to the volatility of the region,” Marcos said in ...

UNICEF says a year on from Pakistan’s catastrophic floods, millions of children still need support

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:01:42 GMT

ISLAMABAD (AP) — The United Nations children’s agency on Friday warned that a year on from Pakistan’s devastating floods, an estimated 4 million children continue to need humanitarian assistance and access to essential services as a shortage of funds remains a hurdle in recovery. The warning from UNICEF comes as authorities in Pakistan’s eastern Punjab province are racing against time to evacuate people from areas affected by the overflowing River Sutlej. Since Aug. 1, rescuers have evacuated over 100,000 people from marooned areas in the districts of Kasur and Bahawalpur.More than six months ago, dozens of countries and international institutions at a U.N.-backed conference in Geneva pledged more than $9 billion to help Pakistan recover and rebuild from last summer’s floods. But most of the pledges were in the form of loans for projects, which are still in the planning stages.“This season’s monsoon rains are worsening the already challenging conditions for flood-a...

Create your maps with IMAGE, our map generator tool

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:01:42 GMT

Have you ever wondered how statistical maps are prepared? Would you like to prepare your own?The Interactive Map Generator (IMAGE) is a web-based tool that allows users to quickly make professional statistical maps in several predefined map layouts. You can add your data, or load data directly from the Eurostat database. What’s special about our map generator is that it offers a wide variety of options. For example, you can create maps of the EU at the national and regional level, including all the overseas regions, but also a map of your own country or a world map.Another interesting feature is the map type, where you can choose the map format according to the characteristics of the data and what you want to show. For example, we have choropleth maps for densities, proportions and rates of change, but if you want to show volumes and total amounts, we recommend the use of proportional symbols. To make sure all the requirements to have the perfect map are met and the best practi...

Washington hosts Las Vegas in cross-conference contest

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:01:42 GMT

Las Vegas Aces (29-4, 15-2 Western Conference) at Washington Mystics (15-18, 8-10 Eastern Conference)Washington; Saturday, 7 p.m. EDTBOTTOM LINE: Brittney Sykes and the Washington Mystics host A’ja Wilson and the Las Vegas Aces in out-of-conference action.The Mystics are 10-7 on their home court. Washington is 3-10 against opponents over .500.The Aces are 14-3 on the road. Las Vegas currently has the WNBA’s best offense averaging 93.7 points while shooting 49.0%.The teams meet for the second time this season. The Aces won 113-89 in the last meeting on Aug. 12. Wilson led the Aces with 40 points, and Natasha Cloud led the Mystics with 21 points.TOP PERFORMERS: Sykes is averaging 15.3 points, 3.8 assists and 2.2 steals for the Mystics. Cloud is averaging 13.0 points over the last 10 games for Washington.Wilson is averaging 22.4 points, 9.5 rebounds and 2.1 blocks for the Aces. Kelsey Plum is averaging 18.3 points and 2.4 rebounds while shooting 45.2% over the last 10 games...

New York plays Minnesota after Stewart’s 24-point performance

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:01:42 GMT

New York Liberty (26-7, 14-3 Eastern Conference) at Minnesota Lynx (16-17, 11-8 Western Conference)Minneapolis; Saturday, 8 p.m. EDTBOTTOM LINE: New York plays the Minnesota Lynx after Breanna Stewart scored 24 points in the Liberty’s 95-90 overtime victory against the Connecticut Sun.The Lynx are 7-10 in home games. Minnesota ranks eighth in the WNBA with 7.7 offensive rebounds per game led by Jessica Shepard averaging 2.2 offensive boards.The Liberty are 14-3 in road games. New York leads the WNBA averaging 11.1 made 3-pointers per game while shooting 37.5% from downtown. Sabrina Ionescu leads the team averaging 3.6 makes while shooting 44.2% from 3-point range.The teams play for the third time this season. The Liberty won the last meeting 76-66 on Aug. 5, with Ionescu scoring 18 points in the victory.TOP PERFORMERS: Napheesa Collier is shooting 48.3% and averaging 21.5 points for the Lynx. Kayla McBride is averaging 17.2 points over the last 10 games for Minnesota.Stewart i...

Erik Spoelstra believes coaching in Philippines at World Cup is a perfect homecoming

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:01:42 GMT

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Erik Spoelstra had a plan. He was going to finish college and head to the Philippines to play professional basketball in his mother’s homeland. He’d been watching games from that part of the world on VHS tapes for years and wanted to experience those atmospheres for himself.The plan changed. The paperwork he needed to play in the Philippines got delayed, so he played in Germany instead. And after a little time there, he got a chance to interview for a video-room job with the Miami Heat. The rest is history. He never got to Manila as a player.But on Saturday, 30 years or so behind his original schedule, Spoelstra has a game awaiting in the Philippines. He’s an assistant coach for USA Basketball, which plays its World Cup opener in Manila against New Zealand on Saturday night. Spoelstra will wear the red, white and blue of the U.S. — in an arena where the blue, red and white of the Philippines flag will sway. And, after thousands of games he’s been par...

Heineken completes exit from Russia

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:01:42 GMT

Heineken said on Friday it had completed its exit from Russia, over a year after first announcing its plans to leave following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.The Dutch brewing giant said it had sold all its Russian operations to manufacturer Arnest Group for €1, in an exit that is expected to cost the company €300 million. All assets — including its seven breweries in Russia — will be transferred to the Russian packaging group, which has committed to guarantee work for Heineken’s 1,800 employees in Russia for three years.“Recent developments demonstrate the significant challenges faced by large manufacturing companies in exiting Russia,” CEO Dolf van den Brink said. “While it took much longer than we had hoped, this transaction secures the livelihoods of our employees and allows us to exit the country in a responsible manner.”Heineken first announced its plans to leave Russia in March 2022, alongside many other companies and businesses that pulled out of the country follow...

UN Geneva complex shuts briefly after ‘intruder’ breaks into security perimeter in ‘minor’ incident

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:01:42 GMT

GENEVA (AP) — The sprawling U.N. compound in Geneva was briefly shut down Friday after an intruder broke through the security perimeter, a spokesperson said.Alessandra Vellucci said the incident lasted no more than about half an hour, and that U.N. security teams and Geneva police were investigating. She declined to identify the “intruder” or say whether he or she was in custody, but called it a “minor” incident.The Geneva site, which houses a vast array of operations by the world body, is the second-largest U.N. facility outside of its headquarters in New York and is home to its European headquarters. Vellucci said the last such security breach at the U.N. offices in Geneva occurred in 2017, also without major incident.The Associated Press

In the news today: Travel restrictions lifted in B.C., phone disruptions in NWT

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:01:42 GMT

Here is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to bring you up to speed on what you need to know today…Evacuation, travel orders lifted as fires diminishThe last travel restriction for the Okanagan region in British Columbia has been lifted alongside all previous evacuation orders within Kelowna’s city limits, as wildfires there diminish after this week’s rainfall.Emergency Management Minister Bowinn Ma said in a statement late yesterday that travel restrictions to West Kelowna — adjacent to the McDougall Creek wildfire — has been lifted as of midnight.The ban for Kelowna, Penticton, Vernon and Kamloops was lifted earlier this week after being placed over much of the region on Aug. 19 to ensure there are accommodations for evacuees and emergency personnel.N.W.T. wildfires disrupt phone, internet services as evacuee anxiety mountsWildfires in the Northwest Territories are continuing to disrupt communication services as fire crews fight the blaze threa...