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Russia launched ‘largest drone attack’ on Ukrainian capital before Kyiv Day; 1 killed

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:37 GMT

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine’s capital was subjected to the largest drone attack since the start of Russia’s war, local officials said, as Kyiv prepared to mark the anniversary of its founding on Sunday. At least one person was killed.Russia launched the “most massive attack” on the city overnight Saturday with Iranian-made Shahed drones, said Serhii Popko, a senior Kyiv military official. The attack lasted more than five hours, with air defense reportedly shooting down more than 40 drones.A 41-year-old man was killed and a 35-year-old woman was hospitalized when debris fell on a seven-story nonresidential building and started a fire, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said.Ukraine’s air force said that Saturday night was also record-breaking in terms of Shahed drone attacks across the country. Of the 54 drones launched, 52 were shot down by air defense systems.In the northeastern Kharkiv province, regional Gov. Oleh Syniehubov said a 61-year-old woman and a 60-year-old man wer...

New Mexico mayor: shooting involving motorcycle gangs kills 3, wounds 5 at annual holiday rally

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:37 GMT

RED RIVER, N.M. (AP) — Three people were killed and five were wounded in a shooting at an annual motorcycle rally in a New Mexico town late Saturday afternoon, the mayor said.Red River Mayor Linda Calhoun said in a video posted on Facebook that the shooting around 5 p.m. resulted in three fatalities and five victims were transported to hospitals in Denver, Albuquerque and nearby Taos.The 41st annual Red River Memorial Motorcycle Rally drew about 20,000 bikers to the town, Calhoun said.The violence occurred between two retail stores and involved members of motorcycle gangs, Calhoun said.“The shooters have all been apprehended,” she said. “There is no threat to the community at all.”The New Mexico State Police previously said in a Twitter post that two people were killed and six were wounded in the shooting.Most of Main Street in Red River, where the shooting occurred, was closed to the public for the investigation and law enforcement requested businesses in the area remain closed on ...

Voters in Turkey choose between Erdogan and Kilicdaroglu in presidential runoff election

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:37 GMT

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Voters in Turkey returned to the polls Sunday to decide whether the country’s longtime leader stretches his increasingly authoritarian rule into a third decade or is unseated by a challenger who has promised to restore a more democratic society.President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has been at Turkey’s helm for 20 years, is favored to win a new five-year term in the second-round runoff after coming just short of an outright victory in the first round on May 14.The divisive populist who turned his country into a geopolitical player finished four percentage points ahead of Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the candidate of a six-party alliance and leader of Turkey’s center-left main opposition party. Erdogan’s performance came despite crippling inflation and the effects of a devastating earthquake three months ago.Kilicdaroglu (pronounced KEH-lich-DAHR-OH-loo), a 74-year-old former bureaucrat, has described the runoff as a referendum on the country’s future.More than 64 million ...

South Korean arrested for opening plane emergency exit door, faces up to 10 years in prison

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:37 GMT

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — A man who opened an emergency exit door during a flight in South Korea was formally arrested Sunday and faces up to 10 years in prison on a charge of violating the aviation security law, officials said.During a preliminary questioning, the 33-year-old told investigators that he felt suffocated and tried to get off the plane quickly, according to police.Twelve people were slightly injured on Friday after he opened the door of the Asiana Airlines Airbus A321-200, causing air to blast inside the cabin. The plane was preparing to land in Daegu on an hour-long flight from the southern island of Jeju. On Sunday, a district court in Daegu approved a warrant to formally arrest the man. Police earlier sought the arrest warrant, citing the graveness of the crime and a possibility the man may flee, according to Daegu police.Daegu police said they have up to 20 days to investigate the man before determining whether to send him to prosecutors for a possible indictment. ...

EgyptAir flight from Cairo blows tire during landing in Saudi Arabia

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:37 GMT

CAIRO (AP) — An EgyptAir jetliner blew out a tire but made a safe landing at its destination early Sunday in Saudi Arabia, Egypt’s national carrier said. No causalities were reported.Flight MS643 took off from Cairo international airport early Sunday and one of its tires burst during landing at King Abdulaziz International Airport in the Saudi coastal city of Jeddah, EgyptAir said in a statement.The Boeing 738 made a safe landing on the runway and all passengers have disembarked the airplane with no injuries reported, the statement said.The airline didn’t elaborate on what caused the problem, and said an examination and maintenance of the plane were underway.The Associated Press

Early snowmelt in Western mountains means drier summers, more wildfire risk: study

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:37 GMT

VANCOUVER — Leaner snowpack in Western Canada and United States mountain ranges is causing drier summers and increasing wildfire risk, says a new study from the University of Colorado Boulder.Lead author Kate Hale said her team analyzed mountain snow data and found snowpack water storage decreased more than 25 per cent from 1950 to 2013. This, she said, can be attributed to earlier snowmelt, less snowfall and more rain.“We actually saw some of the strongest signals up in the Canadian Rockies, by way of this decrease in snowfall and then earlier snowmelts and rainfall generation,” Hale said in an interview.Snowmelt serves as the primary water resource in western mountain regions, the study says. The ranges store snow throughout the winter, which then melts during spring and summer months when demand for water peaks.Hale said snow in these regions typically wouldn’t start melting until late May or June, but has begun showing signs of snow thawing as early as March.Such a shift i...

Mechanical podium, playfully dubbed ‘explodium,’ aims to even B.C.’s political field

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:37 GMT

VICTORIA — It was a sizable British Columbia political issue that called for a one-size-fits-all solution, says Premier David Eby, who at 6-7 is the province’s tallest leader.The tall and the short needed evening out as matters of perception and fairness, he said.Eby towers over most people at news conferences but is juxtaposed with Selina Robinson, minister of post-secondary education and future skills, who at 4-11 often needs to stand on boxes to reach the microphone.The solution: a mechanical podium, which debuted shortly after Eby took office late last year. It can be moved up or down with the flick of a switch to suit the size of the person delivering remarks at a political event.“You might describe me as an unusually tall person, or disturbingly tall person to some people,” Eby told reporters last week. “My colleague Selina Robinson is a much tinier person and we have a whole range of people in between, so the podium moves up and down to accommodate eve...

Police in Hamilton investigate double homicide involving landlord and tenants

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:37 GMT

Hamilton police are investigating a double homicide in the east-end neighbourhood of Stoney Creek.  A landlord allegedly shot and killed two tenants, barricaded himself in their home for hours and fired shots at police.Officers responded to a home on Jones Road at approximately 5:40 p.m. on Saturday evening and found a 27-year-old woman and 28-year-old man, both tenants at the residence, shot dead. The force says the tenants’ 57-year-old landlord barricaded himself in the residence with registered firearms. Police blocked off the area and negotiators were in talks with the man throughout the night in attempts to “peacefully resolve the incident.”Police say he fired at an armoured police vehicle and later fired additional rounds, which “resulted in an interaction with police,” but did not clarify if the suspect was deceased or taken into custody.Hamilton police spokeswoman Jackie Penman says the Special Investigations Unit has been contacted and has invo...

Daily horoscope for May 28, 2023

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:37 GMT

Moon Alert: There are no restrictions to shopping or important decisions today. The Moon is in Virgo.Happy Birthday for Sunday, May 28, 2023:You are clever and witty, but you also have lots of common sense. This is why you are grounded, determined and focused on what you want to achieve. Simplicity is the key to life this year. It’s time to take charge of your health. Physical exercise will be important.ARIES(March 21-April 19) ★★You might hear surprising news that can benefit your health today. Keep your ears open. Unexpected changes that impact your work might also occur. Be aware that this same unpredictable influence might trigger an unexpected situation with a pet. Tonight: Work. This Week: Redecorate; entertain at home.TAURUS(April 20-May 20) ★★Parents must be vigilant with their children today. Remove potential hazards, especially if toddlers are in the picture. Meanwhile, social situations are also unpredictable. You might receive a surprise invitation, or “solid...

The first secular Republic in the Muslim East – İndependence Day

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:37 GMT

Today, 28 May, Azerbaijan is marking one of the most striking and significant days in its history –the 105th anniversary of the founding of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic (ADR)—the first democratic and secular state with a parliamentary form of government in the Muslim World, writes Mazahir Afandiyev, Member of the Parliament of the Azerbaijan Republic.It is one of the brightest pages in the history of the Azerbaijani people, which commemorated the country's unification. The founding fathers of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, Mammad Amin Rasulzadeh, Fatali Khan Khoyski, Nasib Yusifbeyli and others, were committed to building a parliamentary republic in a country with a population. With the South Caucasus becoming a scene for the confrontation between various powers both disappearing and triumphing in the world war, the Azerbaijani people were subject to ethnic cleansing by neighbouring nationalists. At the same time, a group of progressive, Western-minded people proclaimed t...