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Mideast countries that are already struggling fear price hikes after Russia exits grain deal

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:54:59 GMT

CAIRO (AP) — Ahmed Salah grew anxious when he heard the news that Russia had suspended a crucial wartime grain deal. The bakery owner in Egypt’s capital is concerned it could mean global food prices soar.“There mightn’t be immediate impact,” the 52-year-old said last week as he oversaw workers baking bread in his shop in Cairo, “but if they didn’t find a solution soonest, things would be very difficult.”Russia pulled out of the deal brokered by the U.N. and Turkey to allow Ukraine’s grain to flow during a global food crisis. It helped stabilize food prices that soared last year after Russia invaded Ukraine — two countries that are major suppliers of wheat, barley, sunflower oil and other food to developing nations.Egypt, the world’s largest wheat importer, and other lower-income Middle Eastern countries like Lebanon and Pakistan worry about what comes next. Struggling with economic woes that have driven more people into poverty, they fear rising food prices could create ...

Drone attacks in Moscow’s glittering business district leave residents on edge

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:54:59 GMT

The glittering towers of the Moscow City business district dominate the skyline of the Russian capital. The sleek glass-and-steel buildings — designed to attract investment amid an economic boom in the early 2000s – are a dramatic, modern contrast to the rest of the more than 800-year-old city.Now they are a sign of its vulnerability, following a series of drone attacks that rattled some Muscovites and brought the war in Ukraine home to the seat of Russian power.The attacks on Sunday and Tuesday aren’t the first to hit Moscow — a drone even struck the Kremlin harmlessly in May. But these latest blasts, which caused no casualties but blew out part of a section of windows on a high-rise building and sent glass cascading to the streets, seemed particularly unsettling.“It’s very frightening because you wake up at night hearing explosions,” said a woman who identified herself only as Ulfiya as she walked her dog, adding that she lived in a nearby building. Like other Mu...

Sweden is conducting an analysis of the possibilities of legally banning desecration of Holy Books

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:54:59 GMT

Ahmad Alush speaks to reporters outside the Israeli embassy in Stockholm where he had been granted permission to burn a Hebrew Bible. The man said he had no intention of burning a holy book and only wanted to draw attention to the recent Koran burning in Sweden, writes Yossi Lempkowicz.In response to a letter from Rabbi Menachem Margolin, head of the European Jewish Association, Sweden’s Justice Minister Gunnar Strömmer stressed that desecrations of Holy Books ”in no way reflect the Swedish government’s opinions”.Sweden’s Justice Minister Gunnar Strömmer said that the Swedish government is examining legal and legislative possibilities to ban the desecration of holy books in the country.He made the announcement in a response to a letter from Rabbi Menachem Margolin, Chairman of the European Jewish Association (EJA), who had called on the Swedish government to ban the desecration of Holy Books.Margolin’s letter followed the burning of a Quran in front of a Stockholm mosque and threats...

Taylor Swift reportedly gives 'Eras Tour' truckers $100,000 bonuses

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:54:59 GMT

As pop superstar Taylor Swift’s “The Eras Tour” continues, the singer has reportedly given the truckers on her tour a $100,000 bonus, according to TMZ.Around 50 truckers received the six-figure bonuses which were reportedly given ahead of the 33-year-old singer’s concert in Santa Clara, California on July 29.The truck drivers are responsible for hauling Swift's concert equipment across the U.S. leg of her global tour. The bonuses totaled about $5 million, TMZ reports.Besides the truckers, Swift also gifted hefty bonuses to just about everyone working on her tour including dancers, riggers, sound technicians, catering, and more.The bonuses total over $55 million, according to PEOPLE.Swift’s sold-out “Eras” tour kicked off in Glendale, Arizona on March 18 and is projected to earn over $1 billion in revenue by the time it concludes on Aug. 17, 2024, in London's Wembley Stadium.Swift is scheduled to headline SoFi Stadium in Inglewood on Aug. 3, 4, 5, 7, 8 and 9 before heading to Mexico ...

San Mateo road-rage incident ends in man’s arrest

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:54:59 GMT

SAN MATEO – A road-rage incident over the weekend in San Mateo ended in the arrest of a 24-year-old man on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, police said.The incident happened Sunday afternoon, the San Mateo Police Department said in a news release. A daughter called her father and told him a black car was following her. The father then drove to her location and saw that she was still being followed.While stopped at a red light at East Hillsdale Boulevard and Curtiss Street, the father got out of his car and confronted the driver of the black car. That’s when the driver of the black car brandished a knife and threatened the father, police said.The driver of the black car then hit the father with his car, causing him to roll onto the hood, police said.The driver of the black car was identified, found and arrested near Lodi Avenue and Norton Street, police said, adding that the knife used during the incident was also recovered.Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | ...

Lance Lynn gives up 3 solo homers in Dodgers debut and LA beats Athletics 7-3 for 60th win

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:54:59 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Lance Lynn gave up three home runs in his Dodgers debut, Mookie Betts hit his 28th homer and Los Angeles beat the Oakland Athletics 7-3 on Tuesday night.“We won, so it was good. That’s all that matters,” Lynn said. “Whenever you come to a new team, you want to make a good impression.”Traded last week by the Chicago White Sox, Lynn retired the first seven batters he faced. But he soon surrendered his 29th, 30th and 31st homers of the season.Zack Gelof went deep in the sixth. Brent Rooker homered on Lynn’s first pitch of the seventh. One out later, Jordan Diaz’s solo shot pulled the A’s to 4-3 in their first visit to Dodger Stadium since the pandemic-shortened 2020 season.Lynn (7-9) allowed three runs and five hits in seven innings. The right-hander struck out seven and walked one while eating up precious innings for a team that needs its starters to go deep to preserve the bullpen.“It’s been quite some time since we had a starter...

Giants rally to beat Diamondbacks 4-3, getting the final out on catcher Patrick Bailey’s pickoff

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:54:59 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Patrick Bailey picked off Geraldo Perdomo at first base for the final out in the San Francisco Giants’ 4-3 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday night.It was the 19th time in 449 innings this season that Bailey has caught runners trying to steal, the most by a catcher since Philadelphia’s Jorge Alfaro had 21 in 869 innings during the 2018 season.“Our catching was as responsible as anything else for winning that game,” Giants manager Gabe Kapler said. “Pat can really change the game with his defense, as we saw today. And there’s very few catchers around the game that can do that.”Perdomo singled off Ryan Walker leading off the inning. Sean Manaea, signed in the offseason to be part of San Francisco’s rotation, came on and got Ketel Marte to foul out and Corbin Carroll to fly out.Manaea made three pitches to Arizona clean-up hitter Christian Walker before Bailey fired over to first to nab Perdomo. The Diamondbacks challenged the call that was upheld on ...

Alex Verdugo, Reese McGuire homer as Red Sox top Mariners 6-4 to snap 3-game losing streak

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:54:59 GMT

SEATTLE (AP) — Between rumors of possibly being on the trade block and a miserable slump at the plate, Boston’s Alex Verdugo was ready to leave July behind. He started August with a jolt that helped wake up the Red Sox’s slumbering offense. Verdugo hit a two-run homer, Reese McGuire added his first of the season fresh off the injured list, and the Red Sox snapped a three-game losing streak with a 6-4 win over the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday night.Following a rather quiet trade deadline for Boston, the Red Sox knocked around Seattle starter Bryce Miller for six runs and some loud contact. Verdugo provided the biggest blow with his eighth homer of the season out to center field and gave Boston a 5-1 lead. It was a welcomed sight for Verdugo after an awful July where he hit just .151. “There’s no secret by July was tough. Going through a lot but I also feel like it was physically and mentally just kind of grinding in certain areas and pressing when I shouldn’t have been,” V...

Mega Millions: el premio mayor sube a US$ 1.250 millones y estos son los números ganadores del 1 de agosto

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:54:59 GMT

(CNN) — Nadie acertó los cinco números más la mega bola en el sorteo Mega Millions de este martes por la noche.Los números ganadores en el sorteo de este martes por la noche fueron 8, 24, 30, 45, 61 y Mega Ball 12.El próximo sorteo será este viernes, en el que el premio mayor estimado es actualmente de US$ 1.250 millones (con un pago en efectivo estimado de US$ 625,3 millones).Si hay un ganador del premio mayor en el sorteo de este viernes, sería el cuarto premio más grande en la historia de Mega Millions.Estas son las recomendaciones si te ganas la loteríaSiete boletos coincidieron con las cinco bolas blancas este martes por la noche para ganar el premio de segundo nivel de Mega Millions. Uno, vendido en Texas, tiene un valor de US$ 4 millones porque incluía el Megaplier opcional (disponible en la mayoría de los estados con una compra adicional de US$ 1).Según el comunicado de Mega Millions, no es sorprendente que Texas haya tenido más premios multimillonarios de segundo nive...

Jesse Scholtens, back in the starting role, pitches well for the Chicago White Sox in 2-0 loss to the Texas Rangers

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:54:59 GMT

Jesse Scholtens struck out Nathaniel Lowe to end the first inning.He struck out each of the batters he faced in the second in Adolis García, Josh Jung and Mitch Garver.Scholtens was back in a starting spot after recent trades. He made the most of the opportunity, allowing one run in six innings Tuesday in a 2-0 loss to the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field.“The key was sticking to the game plan, keeping things mixed and changing looks on these guys,” Scholtens said. “(Catcher) Seby (Zavala) did a good job of staying with the approach no matter what the situation was.“Fortunate to get some double plays in there. One pitch kind of bit me but overall we were able to stick with our game plan and carry us through six innings.”Scholtens retired the first nine batters he faced before allowing a single to Marcus Semien to begin the fourth inning. Scholtens allowed three hits in his outing, two singles to Semien and a solo home run to Mitch Garver in the fi...