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Greece votes in first election since international bailout spending controls ended

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:30:25 GMT

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greeks were voting Sunday in the first election since their country’s economy ceased to be subject to strict supervision and control by international lenders who had provided bailout funds during its nearly decade-long financial crisis.The vote pitches conservative Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, 55, a Harvard-educated former banking executive, against 48-year-old Alexis Tsipras, who heads the left-wing Syriza party and served as prime minister during some of the financial crisis’ most turbulent years, as the two main contenders.The rising cost of living was at the forefront of many voters’ minds as they headed to polling centers set up in schools across the country.“Every year, instead of improving, things are getting worse,” said Athens resident Dimitris Hondrogiannis, 54, “Things are expensive. Every day, things are getting out of control. It’s enough to make you afraid to go to the supermarket to shop. We’ll see how things go.”Ho...

Biden, McCarthy to speak on debt limit; talks stalled as Republicans seek deep spending cuts

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:30:25 GMT

HIROSHIMA, Japan (AP) — President Joe Biden planned on Sunday to speak directly with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, hoping to salvage talks to raise the debt limit that have stalled in recent days while he was abroad at the Group of Seven summit.GOP lawmakers are holding tight to demands for sharp spending cuts, rejecting the alternatives proposed by the White House for reducing deficits. Biden and world leaders at the gathering for industrial nations in Japan had been closely tracking the negotiations, looking for signs of a compromise that would ensure the federal government can keep paying its bills and avoid a potentially catastrophic default.Biden has tried to project optimism even as the talks back in Washington were rocky. Republicans are rejecting a White House plan that would impose less strict cuts while also increasing revenues. The two sides are up against a deadline as soon as June 1 to raise its borrowing limit, now at $31 trillion.“We’re going to get a chance to talk l...

Extremist Israeli Cabinet minister visits sensitive Jerusalem holy site

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:30:25 GMT

JERUSALEM (AP) — An extremist Israeli Cabinet minister visited a sensitive Jerusalem holy site on Sunday at a time of heightened tensions with the Palestinians.The visit by National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, his second known visit since becoming a member of Israel’s most right-leaning government ever, drew condemnations from the Palestinians and Israel’s neighbor Jordan, which acts as the custodian of the site.“I am happy to come up to the Temple Mount, the most important place for the Israeli people,” Ben-Gvir said during his early morning visit to the site, with the golden Dome of the Rock in the background, according to video released by his office. He praised the police presence at the site, saying it “proves who is in charge in Jerusalem.”Palestinian presidential spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh called Ben-Gvir’s visit a “blatant attack” on the mosque. Jordan’s Foreign Ministry called it “a provocative step that is condemned, and a dangerous and unacceptable escalati...

State TV says armed group kills 6 Iranian border guards in clash near Pakistani border

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:30:25 GMT

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Six Iranian border guards were killed in a clash with an unknown armed group trying to enter the country near the Pakistani border, state TV reported Sunday.The fighting happened in the town of Saravan in the southeastern province of Sistan and Baluchistan, some 1,360 kilometers (850 miles) southeast of the capital Tehran. The report said the militants fled the area with casualties, but did not elaborate.TV also said two border guards were wounded in the clash. It did not blame the attack on any group and no group immediately claimed responsibility. There were no additional details.The area is one of the least developed parts of Iran. The relationship between the predominantly Sunni residents of the region and Iran’s Shiite theocracy has long been fraught.On Thursday, the top leaders of Pakistan and Iran inaugurated the first border market as relations warm between the two countries.Located in the remote village of Pashin in Pakistan’s southwestern Baluchistan pr...

Una pareja de Carolina del Norte planea la boda de sus sueños después de que su prometido ganara US$ 150.000 en la lotería

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:30:25 GMT

(CNN) — La boda de ensueño de una pareja se hará realidad después de que un hombre de Carolina del Norte ganara el primer premio máximo de US$ 150.000 dólares en un juego de ‘rasca y gana’ lanzado recientemente.Se trata de la primera vez en que un ganador reclama el premio máximo desde que se lanzó el juego a principios de este mes.Alfred Harrell había prometido a su pareja la boda perfecta, según un comunicado de prensa de la Lotería de Carolina del Norte.“Ha pasado casi un año y esas promesas se harán realidad ahora”, dijo en el comunicado de prensa.Harrell estaba repostando gasolina cuando se detuvo en un Circle K de Cary, Carolina del Norte, y compró un boleto ganador de la Super Lotería de US$ 5.“Todavía estoy tratando de procesarlo”, dijo Harrell. “Si hubiera ido en la otra dirección y no hubiera puesto gasolina allí, no habría ganado”.Ahora Harrell y su prometida están buscando lugares para acomodar lo que espera que sea u...

MLB Notes: Ceddanne Rafaela confident his time will come soon

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:30:25 GMT

Coming off a breakout 2022 in which he emerged as the fastest-rising prospect in the Red Sox system, everything seemed to be coming up Ceddanne Rafaela’s way entering spring training.The 22-year-old from Curaçao had been added to the 40-man roster, was playing every day for the big league club in camp and was even offered a chance to play with Team Netherlands in the World Baseball Classic — an opportunity he turned down in favor of immersing himself with his big league teammates.It seemed like a no-brainer Rafaela would start the season in Triple-A, but when camp broke he was given the disappointing news that he’d be starting off back in Double-A, where he spent the bulk of last season.Why? For all his immense talent and a flair for the highlight-reel play in center field, the club felt Rafaela had more work to do refining his approach at the plate.“Defensively and on the bases, he’s showing all the skill that he has. Frankly, the skill that he has in those ...

State TV says armed group kills 5 Iranian border guards in clash near Pakistani border

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:30:25 GMT

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Five Iranian border guards were killed in a clash with an unknown armed group trying to enter the country near the Pakistani border, state TV reported Sunday.The fighting happened in the town of Saravan in the southeastern province of Sistan and Baluchistan, some 1,360 kilometers (850 miles) southeast of the capital Tehran. The report said the militants fled the area with casualties, but did not elaborate.State TV originally reported that six guards were killed but later said there were five fatalities. Two border guards were also wounded in the clash. It did not blame the attack on any group and no group immediately claimed responsibility. There were no additional details.The area is one of the least developed parts of Iran. The relationship between the predominantly Sunni residents of the region and Iran’s Shiite theocracy has long been fraught.On Thursday, the top leaders of Pakistan and Iran inaugurated the first border market as relations warm between the tw...

Trudeau asserts continued support for Ukraine as G7 summit featuring Zelenskyy ends

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:30:25 GMT

OTTAWA — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau sent a forceful rebuke of Russia at the conclusion of the G7 Leaders’ Summit, which was taken over by the arrival of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who hoped to shore up more support for his country. The support of allies has been crucial to Ukraine’s survival amid a Russian invasion, and countries pushing for a ceasefire must recognize Russia is squarely to blame, Trudeau said Sunday in Hiroshima, Japan. “Had we not been there with significant military support, Ukraine would not be standing today,” Trudeau told reporters at a news conference after attending the G7 Leaders’ Summit. “We will not hesitate to continue to ensure that Russia does not succeed in making might make right once again in this world,” he said. Zelenskyy arrived in Hiroshima on Saturday after G7 nations announced new sanctions on Russia and invited partner countries from the Global South to the summit, in hopes of building...

Zelenskyy says ‘Bakhmut is only in our hearts’ after Russia claims controls of Ukrainian city

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:30:25 GMT

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Sunday that Bakhmut was “only in our hearts,” hours after Russia’s defense ministry reported that forces of the Wagner private army, with the support of Russian troops, had seized the city in eastern Ukraine. Speaking alongside U.S. President Joe Biden at the Group of Seven summit in Hiroshima, Japan, Zelenskyy said the Russians had destroyed “everything.” “You have to understand that there is nothing,” he said.“For today, Bakhmut is only in our hearts,” he said. “There is nothing in this place.”The Russian ministry statement on the Telegram channel came about eight hours after a similar announcement by Wagner head Yevgeny Prigozhin. Ukrainian authorities at that time said that fighting for Bakhmut was continuing. The eight-month battle for Bakhmut has been the longest and probably most bloody of the conflict in Ukraine.Zelenskyy’s comments came as Biden announced $375 million more in aid for Ukraine, which incl...

Daily horoscope for May 21, 2023

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:30:25 GMT

Moon Alert: Avoid shopping or important decisions from 6 p.m. to 11:45 p.m. EDT today (3 p.m. to 8:45 p.m. PDT). After that, the Moon moves from Gemini into Cancer.Happy Birthday for Sunday, May 21, 2023:You are independent, creative and will take control of a situation. You can look tough, but you are very sensitive inside. This is a year of service for you, which means it’s important to take care of yourself so that you can be a resource to others. Is it time for a makeover?ARIES(March 21-April 19) ★★★★Today you have lots of mental energy for financial negotiations or ways to handle your money, your wealth or to deal with your possessions. Not only is your mind energetic, you’re also very resourceful today. Tonight: Entertain! This Week: It’s busy and fast-paced, with short trips.TAURUS(April 20-May 20) ★★★Today you feel an urge to improve your immediate surroundings. Or perhaps you want to improve your appearance and the image you create on your world. (You neve...