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Thousands of Armenians flee Nagorno-Karabakh as Turkish president is set to visit Azerbaijan

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:58:32 GMT

YEREVAN, Armenia (AP) — Thousands of Armenians streamed out of Nagorno-Karabakh after the Azerbaijani military reclaimed full control of the breakaway region while Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was set to visit Azerbaijan Monday in a show of support to its ally. The Azerbaijani military routed Armenian forces in a 24-hour blitz last week, forcing the separatist authorities to agree to lay down weapons and start talks on Nagorno-Karabakh’s “reintegration” into Azerbaijan after three decades of separatist rule. While Azerbaijan pledged to respect the rights of ethnic Armenians in the region and restore supplies after a 10-month blockade, many local residents feared reprisals and said they were planning to leave for Armenia.The Armenian government said that 4,850 Nagorno-Karabakh residents had fled to Armenia as of midday Monday.“It was a nightmare. There are no words to describe. The village was heavily shelled. Almost no one is left in the village,” said one of the eva...

A trial opens in France over the killing of a police couple in the name of the Islamic State group

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:58:32 GMT

LYON, France (AP) — It wasn’t the deadliest attack in Europe linked to the Islamic State group, but it was among the most disturbing: One evening in 2016, an assailant killed two police officers in their family home, in front of their 3-year-old son.On Monday, a trial opens in a French counterterrorism court over the attack in the Paris suburb of Magnanville.The attacker, Larossi Abballa, was shot to death by police. According to court documents, he told police negotiators that he was responding to an IS leader’s call to “kill miscreants at home with their families.”A childhood friend of Abballa’s, Mohamed Aberouz, is going on trial for complicity to terrorism-related murder, complicity to kidnapping and terrorist conspiracy. He faces up to life in prison if convicted.The killings came amid a wave of attacks in France linked to the Islamic State group and had a lasting effect on police officers around France. Some moved, changed services or resigned to protect their love...

EU Commission blocks Booking’s planned acquisition of flight booking provider Etraveli

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:58:32 GMT

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union’s executive arm said Monday it is blocking leading U.S. online travel agency Booking from acquiring Sweden’s flight booking provider Etraveli Group because it would have allowed it to increase its dominant position on the market on the continent.The European Commission said it had warned Booking Holdings about its concerns but that the remedies offered by the company were not sufficient. Booking’s brands include Booking.com, Rentalcars, Priceline and Agoda.Following its investigation, the Commission said it found out the proposed 1.63-billion-euro ($1.8 billion) deal would have led to higher costs for hotels, and possibly, a negative impact on the price paid by consumers.“Bans are rare, and today’s decision is in fact the first merger to be blocked this year,” EU Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders said.According to the European Commission, online travel agencies handle transactions worth more than 100 billion euros ($106 billion...

RYDER CUP ’23: A look inside the walls of the 11th-century Marco Simone castle

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:58:32 GMT

GUIDONIA MONTECELIO, Italy (AP) — First came the castle. Then the golf course.The nearly 300,000 fans descending on the Marco Simone club for the Ryder Cup this week will be able to see the 11th-century castle with the same name from various points of the course — it’s wedged between the sixth and eighth holes and has a big Italian flag waving from its tower — but they won’t be able to visit it.That’s because it’s the private residence of fashion designer Lavinia Biagiotti Cigna, who owns and runs the golf club.Biagiotti Cigna’s parents bought the castle in 1978 — the year she was born — and then decided to build the surrounding golf course.While the golf course recently underwent an 11 million euro ($12 million) complete restyling in order to host the sport’s biggest team event, keeping up a 1,000-year-old castle is a job that never ends.“I don’t really feel like I own this place. I really feel I’m taking care of this place,” Biagiotti Cigna said in a recent interview with The Asso...

Biden administration announces $1.4 billion to improve rail safety and boost capacity in 35 states

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:58:32 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration announced Monday that it has awarded more than $1.4 billion to projects that improve railway safety and boost capacity, with much of the money coming from the 2021 infrastructure law.“These projects will make American rail safer, more reliable, and more resilient, delivering tangible benefits to dozens of communities where railroads are located, and strengthening supply chains for the entire country,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a statement.The money is funding 70 projects in 35 states and Washington, D.C. Railroad safety has become a key concern nationwide ever since a train carrying hazardous chemicals derailed and caught fire in East Palestine, Ohio, in February. President Joe Biden has ordered federal agencies to hold the train’s operator Norfolk Southern accountable for the crash, but a package of proposed rail safety reforms has stalled in the Senate where the bill is still awaiting a vote. The White Ho...

West Philadephia standout commits to UAlbany men

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:58:32 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Over the weekend the UAlbany men's basketball team made a splash on the recruiting trail. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! They landed a commitment from Ihmotep Institute Charter High School standout Ma'Kye Taylor. His length and versatile skillset caught the eye of Great Danes head coach Dwayne Killings, and Taylor believes that UAlbany just felt like the right fit. "When I was picking a college I was looking for where I was going to be more comfortable at," Taylor said. "I was looking for I would say the type of people I would be around for my next four years. I paid close attention to how players interacted with players, players interacted with coaches, coaches interacted with coaches and Albany seemed to give me that genuine aura that I was looking for," Taylor added. "They play through the fours a lot, so that's a plus for me being a forward that can dribble, pass, and create off the bounce, so jus...

Nagorno-Karabakh: the EU is providing additional humanitarian aid to conflict-affected people

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:58:32 GMT

The Commission is mobilizing €500,000 in additional humanitarian aid to support those affected by the escalation of hostilities in Nagorno-Karabakh. Fleeing the violence, thousands of people are now displaced and in need of assistance. EU humanitarian aid will help the affected people cover their basic needs, while providing them also with shelter and psychosocial support. This emergency funding comes in addition to the €1.17 million of EU humanitarian aid allocated to the Nagorno Karabakh crisis earlier this year.Crisis Management Commissioner Janez Lenarčič said: “The escalation of the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh has had serious repercussions for civilians. In response, the EU is mobilising additional emergency humanitarian aid to support the people displaced. We are closely monitoring the situation on the ground and stand ready to offer more assistance. While the EU welcomes the ceasefire, I strongly urge all parties of the conflict to ensure unimpeded and immediate access to hu...

Bridge: Sept. 25, 2023

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:58:32 GMT

“Avoidance” is declarer’s technique of preventing a “dangerous” defender — one who can make a damaging lead — from getting in.Today’s South opens 1NT, and North-South reach 3NT with a routine Stayman sequence. West leads a low heart, and East plays the ten. Declarer wins with the jack and knows that West is lurking with the A-Q and more hearts, and if East gets in, bad things may happen.South has eight top tricks: a heart in the bag, four clubs, a diamond and two spades. He needs a third spade and must set up dummy’s fourth spade without letting East win a trick.LUCKY LIESouth needs a lucky lie of the spades as well as correct play. At Trick Two he leads a spade, and when West follows with the four, South wins in dummy, returns a club to his hand and leads a second spade.If West plays the ten, declarer takes the king and leads a third spade to West. If West were to play the queen on the second (or first) spade lead, dummy would p...

Horoscopes Sept. 25, 2023: Will Smith, refuse to be caught up in someone else’s dreams

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:58:32 GMT

CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Donald Glover Jr., 40; Catherine Zeta-Jones, 54; Will Smith, 55; Michael Douglas, 79.Happy Birthday: Take control; it’s up to you to start the ball rolling. Use your imagination and let your passion to succeed drive you to the finish line. Refuse to be caught up in someone else’s dreams. Think big, but don’t lose sight of taking a minimalist approach when making a move. Trust your instincts and enjoy the ride. Your numbers are 2, 8, 14, 26, 31, 33, 46.ARIES (March 21-April 19): You’ll resonate with people who are excited and ready to act. Do your part and you’ll gain respect from others. Set high standards and live up to your expectations, and something good will come your way. Romance looks promising. 4 starsTAURUS (April 20-May 20): Take care of yourself. Don’t let temptation turn into a costly affair. Put emotions aside and offer what’s tangible. It’s not up to you to save the world. Do your part, but n...

Ask Amy: When I heard the voicemail, I called back and told her we were done

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:58:32 GMT

Dear Amy: My 82-year-old mother has an undiagnosed mental illness, marked by narcissism, paranoia, delusions and abusive rages.Beginning in my teens (I’m in my 50s now), she has caused long periods of estrangement over perceived slights, so she missed my wedding and the births of my children.My father divorced her when I was 8 years old.And yet she also has better periods when she can be lovely and charming, and so whenever she called me to reconcile, I always did.Throughout the pandemic, I visited her regularly, took her to her many doctor’s appointments, and helped her through other major problems. I did this because she has no one else – literally zero friends or other family willing to talk with or help her.But then last year, because I failed to return her call during the single hour I was in church for a special Mother’s Day service (oh, the irony), she left me more than a half-dozen increasingly hostile and abusive voicemails.I called her back and told her that we were done.I...