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Ukraine counteroffensive ramps up, but meets stiff Russian resistance

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:04:38 GMT

Ukrainian mechanized brigades are redoubling their assaults around Bakhmut in the Donetsk region and neighboring Zaporizhzhia, but appear to be facing forceful Russian resistance with both sides claiming to have inflicted heavy losses in the past five days.As their counteroffensive ramps up, the Ukrainians say they’ve made advances of up to 1,600 meters around Bakhmut, the salt-mining town that Russian forces only recently overran after months of vicious close-combat warfare. And Russian military bloggers with close ties to the country’s defense ministry have acknowledged the Ukrainians have had some success there. Yevgeny Prigozhin, the boss of the Wagner paramilitary group, bemoaned earlier this week a fallback of Russian troops in Bakhmut, dubbing it a “disgrace.”But in Zaporizhzhia, the picture appears much more mixed. “Ukrainian forces conducted a limited, but still significant attack in the western Zaporizhzhia region on the night of June 7 to 8,” the Institute for the Study o...

Alert level lowered for Hawaii’s erupting Kilauea volcano as thousands watch the dazzling display

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:04:38 GMT

(CNN) — US officials lowered the warning level for Hawaii’s erupting Kīlauea volcano on Thursday, saying the burst of lava spewing from within one of its craters has decreased.The volcano began erupting before sunrise on Wednesday with a burst of lava spewing from within Halemaʻumaʻu crater at Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park – home to two of the world’s most active volcanoes, Kīlauea and Mauna Loa. Officials highlighted a number of safe locations for the thousands who were expected to flock to the area to take in the magnificent view.Kilauea volcano shot up fountain bursts about 200 feet high during the early phase of the eruption Wednesday, with the largest lava fountain consistently coming in at about 50 feet high, according to the US Geological Survey.With lava flowing on the surface of the crater floor, the alert level for Kilauea was raised to red for “warning” while authorities evaluated the hazards from the eruption, the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory said W...

Chicago Bears Q&A: What are some key matchups to watch? Will the Buffalo Bills’ signing of Leonard Floyd jump-start the edge-rusher market?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:04:38 GMT

The Chicago Bears wrapped up their third week of organized team activities ahead of mandatory minicamp next week. What matchups should we be watching? And will the Bears finally sign an edge rusher? Brad Biggs addresses concerns in his weekly mailbag.What are some key matchups we should be paying attention to in minicamp and training camp? — @just_acyI don’t know that there are a lot of matchups that are super intriguing at training camp. Obviously you want to see how wide receiver DJ Moore performs when the pads come on and he’s competing against cornerbacks. I am talking specifically about work where it is starters versus starters. Moore facing the second-team cornerbacks doesn’t generate a ton of intrigue for me. It would be concerning (from an offensive standpoint, anyway) if the current group of edge rushers had a ton of success against the starting offensive tackles.Maybe more interesting will be the few battles for starting spots. I don’t know if...

3 wounded as drone hits residential building in southwestern Russia near Ukraine

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:04:38 GMT

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Three people were lightly wounded after a drone crashed into a residential building in southwestern Russia near Ukraine, a regional governor said, exposing the latest vulnerabilities in the country’s air defense systems as President Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine increasingly affects Russian soil.The latest drone attack to target Russian cities in recent weeks comes as Ukraine has been intensifying its efforts to expel Russian forces and rising talk of a Ukrainian counteroffensive in pockets of a vast swath of southern and eastern Ukraine that Russia invaded more than 15 months ago.In a Telegram post, regional governor Alexander Gusev said the three residents were hurt by shards of glass from broken windows in the city of Voronezh and received help on the spot. Russian state media published photos showing a high-rise apartment building with some windows blown out and damage to the facade. Gusev said the drone was targeting a nearby airbase, but veer...

Climate activist Greta Thunberg won’t be school striking after graduation but vows to still protest

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:04:38 GMT

STOCKHOLM (AP) — Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg said Friday she will no longer be able to skip classes as a way to draw attention to climate change because she is graduating from high school.Thunberg, 20, started staging Friday protests outside the Swedish parliament building during school hours in 2018. Teenagers from around the world followed her lead, leading to an international student movement called Fridays for Future.Because she won’t be a student anymore, Thunberg noted that her future Friday activities that “technically” won’t be school striking. But in a tweet, she vowed to continue protesting, saying, “The fight has only just begun.” “We are still moving in the wrong direction, where those in power are allowed to sacrifice,” Thunberg wrote on Twitter. “We’re rapidly approaching potential nonlinear ecological and climatic tipping points beyond our control.”As a teenager Thunberg was invited to speak to political and business leaders at U.N. confe...

Vatican: Pope sitting up, working from an armchair after abdominal surgery

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:04:38 GMT

ROME (AP) — Pope Francis was “progressively improving” and sitting in an armchair working Friday, following surgery to remove intestinal scar tissue and repair a hernia in his abdominal wall, the Vatican said.After a restful night, Francis had breakfast and read the newspapers from his armchair, spokesman Matteo Bruni said in a statement. He quoted doctors as saying Francis’ condition was “progressively improving and the post-operative course is smooth.”The 86-year-old pope was admitted to the Gemelli hospital on Wednesday for his second major abdominal operation in two years, following a 2021 procedure to remove part of his colon. During the procedure, doctors removed adhesions, or internal scarring, on the intestine that had caused a partial blockage. They also repaired a hernia that had formed over a previous scar, placing a prosthetic mesh in the abdominal wall. Francis is expected to remain at Gemelli for several days.The Associated Press

Air quality statement ends for GTA as wildfire smoke eases

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:04:38 GMT

GTA residents who have found it difficult to catch their breathe outdoors over the past couple of days will be breathing a sigh of relief on Friday,A special air quality statement for all of Southern Ontario has now been lifted by Environment Canada as wildfire smoke that has blanketed the region for much of the week starts to move out.The forecast is still calling for local smoke through Friday evening, however it is expected to be far less intense than what was experienced over the past couple of days with fresher air thanks to shifting winds.Forecasters are warning that the hazy skies could make a return if winds change direction again.CityNews weather specialist Denise Andreacchi says Toronto can expect sunny skies on Friday with a chance of showers. The guaranteed high is 20 C. Saturday and Sunday call for a mix of sun and cloud with a guaranteed highs of 23 C and 20 C, before potential showers late Sunday.The number of fires burning across the country fell slightly Thursday, b...

No. 1 Iga Swiatek seeks a 3rd French Open title in women’s final against Karolina Muchova

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:04:38 GMT

PARIS (AP) — A little more than four years ago, in the first round of a tiny clay-court tournament in the Czech Republic, 95th-ranked Iga Swiatek lost in three sets to 106th-ranked Karolina Muchova.That was the only time they’ve ever played each other, although they are frequent practice partners.On Saturday, the same two players will step into Court Philippe Chatrier for a second matchup — on a far grander stage and with far larger stakes: the French Open championship. Swiatek is now ranked No. 1, where she’s been for more than a year, and is bidding for her third title at Roland Garros and fourth at a major tournament.Muchova’s career has been sidetracked by various injuries, so she is ranked just 43rd and is unseeded, but she has been at her best over the past two weeks, particularly when coming back after facing a match point to eliminate No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka in the semifinals on Thursday.And Muchova did it with the same mix of old-school and new-school tennis that Swiatek reme...

Some in Georgia GOP seek purity test as Trump appears at convention in aftermath of indictment

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:04:38 GMT

ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia’s state Republican convention gets underway Friday with Donald Trump still expected on Saturday, even as a right-wing party faction seeks to punish GOP officials it considers ideological traitors by banning them from future primary election ballots.Trump could feed an air of vengeance after announcing Thursday that he’s been indicted on charges of mishandling classified documents, overshadowing party business and speakers including Republican presidential candidates Asa Hutchinson and Vivek Ramaswamy. The proposal to ban candidates could be used to penalize elected Republican leaders including Gov. Brian Kemp or Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, who crossed Trump by refusing the then-president’s demands to overturn his loss in the 2020 election. It also could be used against candidates who show insufficient purity on abortion or taxes.Kemp, Raffensperger and some other officials are skipping the two-day gathering in Columbus.The proposals could be s...

Maple Leafs planning to add Coyotes legend Shane Doan to front office

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:04:38 GMT

Shane Doan, the long-time Arizona Coyotes captain, will be joining the Toronto Maple Leafs front office alongside new general manager Brad Treliving, Sportsnet can confirm.Sportsnet 590 The Fan’s Nick Kypreos and ESPN’s Kevin Weekes were the first to report the connection between Doan and the Maple Leafs.A timeline for when Doan will join the Maple Leafs or what role he will hold was not immediately known. It’s been speculated that Doan will be assistant to the general manager, a similar position to the title Jason Spezza had last year in Toronto’s front office alongside Kyle Dubas.Doan played his entire 1,570-game career with the Winnipeg Jets-Arizona Coyotes organization, the vast majority as captain, scoring 402 goals and 972 points.After he retired in 2017, Doan joined the NHL front office, and in 2021, he returned to the Coyotes as chief hockey development officer. Doan and the Coyotes parted ways in September 2022.Doan and Treliving have a strong workin...