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UN food relief agency ‘stands ready’ to help EU shift glut of Ukraine grain 

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:05:32 GMT

The United Nations’ World Food Programme (WFP) “stands ready” to help the EU clear a glut of Ukrainian grain disrupting markets in Eastern Europe and deliver it to countries that need it most, Martin Frick, director of the WFP Global Offices in Brussels and Berlin, told POLITICO.Officials from the European Commission met with representatives from five Eastern European countries on Sunday to discuss proposals to address a vast influx of Ukrainian grain and other food products after four of them — Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and Bulgaria — imposed import bans. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and blockade of its Black Sea ports left Ukrainian grain exports stuck inside the country, driving up global prices and pushing countries in the Global South reliant on Ukrainian grain toward hunger. The EU quickly lifted tariffs and set up transit corridors through Eastern Europe. As a result, grain imports into these countries have shot up — much to the anger of farmers. “Shipping grain to ...

Cool Pattern, Few Showers

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:05:32 GMT

It was a Sunday soakah for sure as 1-3″ of rain fell across much of the state. Although some towns/cities across eastern Mass were under an 1″, the bottom line was that it was an overall beneficial rain for much of Southern New England as the month of April had been quite dry. Today, we start off with a lot of clouds, but not a lot of rain. A few peeks of sun from time to time do appear today as highs head for the mid 50s to near 60. With some moisture and instability in the air, a few isolated, brief showers pop up, but much of the day stays rain free. The them of the several afternoons remains the same… cool, more clouds than sun, with a few scattered showers as highs hold in the mid to upper 50s. A few degrees below average, but a fairly typical April pattern. Rain totals from today – Thursday generally run near/under .25″, so don’t expect big rains, just enough to dampen that freshly planted grass seed from time to time. Friday looks like the ...

American Airlines plane engine catches fire after possible bird strike

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:05:32 GMT

(CNN) — An American Airlines plane was forced to return to the airport Sunday morning in Columbus, Ohio, after a possible bird strike may have sparked an engine fire.The Boeing 737 designated Flight 1958 had departed Columbus for Phoenix before the crew reported a possible bird strike at around 8 a.m. local time, the Federal Aviation Administration said.The plane made a safe return to John Glenn Columbus International Airport, the FAA said.“Emergency crews responded to an aircraft incident at CMH this morning involving a reported engine fire. The aircraft landed safely and the airport is open and operational,” John Glenn Columbus International Airport said in a statement posted on Twitter.The FAA is investigating.The flight made a safe return to Columbus “due to a mechanical issue.” American Airlines said in a statement.“The flight landed normally and taxied safely to the gate under its own power. The aircraft was taken out of service for maintena...

Mass. lawmakers pushing for free rides on the MBTA

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:05:32 GMT

Massachusetts lawmakers are once again pushing for free rides on the MBTA.Senator Ed Markey and Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley are set to announce the reintroduction of legislation to offer fare-free public transportation on Monday. Markey and Pressley first introduced the legislation in 2020 and have filed the bill multiple times, but it failed to make its way through congress. Boston Mayor Wu and LivableStreets Alliance Executive Director Stacy Thompson will join the lawmakers for a news conference at Ruggles Station at 1 p.m.

Police: Skeletal remains found in swamp believed to be missing Hampstead, NH man

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:05:32 GMT

Hampstead, New Hampshire police say they recovered skeletal remains in a dense area of a swamp on Sunday and believe that they belong to a man who has been missing for over nine months. Multiple agencies had been searching for 79-year-old John Matson when a drone picked up what looked like skeletal remains and clothing, police say. Officers waded through thick brush and chest-deep water to reach the remains and say it took three hours to remove them. Police say there is “a very high probability” that the remains are Matson, who was last seen leaving his Hampstead home in July. Police say they hope a positive ID will bring Matson’s family some closure.

ASK IRA: Is Haywood Highsmith next man up for the Heat?

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:05:32 GMT

Q: Ira, with the Heat so shorthanded, any chance of the Heat taking the mothballs off Nikola Jovic? He has been out a very long time with back spasms? – Joel.A: No chance. That’s not the direction you go, with an untested rookie, at such a high-stakes moment. With Tyler Herro and Victor Oladipo out, it could come down to whether Erik Spoelstra just goes eight deep, with Kyle Lowry, Caleb Martin and Duncan Robinson as the reserves (assuming Kevin Love again starts), or whether he adds another player into the mix. That player could be Haywood Highsmth, as another element of perimeter defense. As it is, the Heat basically are down to 11 available players, with Herro and Oladipo out, two-way players Jamal Cain and Orlando Robinson ineligible for the playoffs, Udonis Haslem not a rotation element and with Jovic dealing with very real back spasms. So if you are starting Bam Adebayo, Jimmy Butler, Max Strus, Gabe Vincent and Love, and then if you utilize Lowry, Martin and Robin...

Orioles reset: How a mechanical tweak to his ‘nasty’ stuff turned Yennier Cano into one of Baltimore’s best relievers

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:05:32 GMT

Yennier Cano’s Orioles debut last season could not have gone worse.Pitching in a blowout loss to the Red Sox in September, Cano couldn’t locate his pitches. He walked three batters in the ninth inning, including one with the bases loaded, and was replaced by outfielder Ryan McKenna.The command issues were nothing new for Cano. The right-hander has always displayed the stuff — the heavy sinker, whiffling changeup and sharp slider — to get hitters out, but whether he could find the plate enough to have a big league career was in question.That question, it appears, has been answered.Since he was called up 10 days ago, Cano hasn’t just vaulted himself into a setup role as one of Baltimore’s best bullpen arms; he’s been one of the most dominant relievers in the major leagues, retiring all 17 batters he’s faced across six innings, striking out seven and, miraculously, walking none.“The main thing is just trusting that my stuff is good ...

France bangs pots and pans in fresh anti-pension protest

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:05:32 GMT

PARIS (AP) — A country renowned for its cuisine is turning to pots and pans to express discontent with French President Emmanuel Macron’s pension reforms.French demonstrations against raising the retirement age from 62 to 64 have morphed from lobbing paving stones, dodging tear gas and brandishing banners to something nearer the soul of the gastronomic nation: Making noise by banging kitchen saucepans.This very Gallic culinary cacophony – called the “casserolade” — began last week in during a televised speech by Macron. In front of some 300 town halls, including Paris, Marseille, Toulouse and Strasbourg, gatherings formed in an effort to drown out his voice.The pan beating is taking place across France once more Monday evening at 8pm at the behest of ATTAC, an anti-capitalism activist group.Reacting to the din, Macron proclaimed during his visit to Alsace last week that “it’s not saucepans that will make France move forward.”Yet that only fanned the flames underneath the sauce...

3 men arrested in South Africa for stealing large crocodile

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:05:32 GMT

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — Three men have been arrested in South Africa for stealing a 2.5-meter (8-feet) long Nile crocodile worth about $1,300 from a farm in the North West province, police said Monday.The men, who are all aged between 20 and 35, are believed to have used a pick-up truck to take the animal from a crocodile farm in the Hartbeesfontein area about 200 kilometers (124 miles) west of Johannesburg.The crocodile was found tied up with rope and wire in an abandoned farmhouse. The men had covered it up with tree branches in an attempt to hide it, police said. Police also found the pick-up truck. The men were arrested last week and are due to appear in court on Monday.Police are investigating how they managed to get the large crocodile out of the farm, which had secure fencing, police spokeswoman Col. Adele Myburgh said.“How did they slip this animal out?” she said. “It’s not a baby crocodile by any means.”Myburgh said the crocodile was badly dehydrated when...

European leaders to commit to more wind energy production

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:05:32 GMT

BRUSSELS (AP) — Nine Western European leaders on Monday are committing to ramp up the production of clean energy from wind turbines in the North Sea to both meet climate targets and reduce their strategic energy dependence on Russia. The leaders will also seek to improve security around the growing underwater electricity grid so it cannot fall victim to hybrid threats. Fears of such attacks have increased since the Russian invasion of Ukraine last year. The leaders said in a joint op-ed contribution in Politico that they need more wind turbines and grid infrastructure “to reach our climate goals, and rid ourselves of Russian gas, ensuring a more secure and independent Europe.” To underscore their commitments, the Netherlands, Britain, Norway and the European Union all announced new projects to boost the production of such green energy and move toward greater strategic independence. The summit in Belgium’s North Sea port of Ostend is the second one to address the ever more pressing i...