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Montenegro vote pits incumbent president against new blood

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:36:41 GMT

PODGORICA, Montenegro (AP) — Voters in small Montenegro go to the polls this weekend to choose their next president in a runoff between pro-Western incumbent Milo Djukanovic and Jakov Milatovic, a newcomer supported by the shaky governing coalition with links to neighboring Serbia.Observers say Milatovic, a politician on the rise, stands a better chance than Djukanovic, who is credited with leading the Balkan nation to independence from Serbia and into NATO but whose long presence in Montenegrin politics has fueled a desire for change.The ballot is being held after none of the candidates won enough support in the first round of voting two weeks ago. Here is a look at the main facts on Montenegro, Sunday’s election and the two candidates:MONTENEGRO, IN A NUTSHELLMontenegro is a small nation of some 620,000 people, located in Europe’s Balkan peninsula, by the Adriatic Sea. The country became independent after a referendum in 2006 following decades in a union with Serbia, b...

World Bank says recoveries in Asian economies losing steam

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:36:41 GMT

BANGKOK (AP) — Developing economies in Asia have mostly regained ground lost during the pandemic but are seeing their recoveries stall as productivity lags, the World Bank said in a report released Friday.The report forecasts that growth in the region including China will pick up pace this year after the world’s No. 2 economy relaxed pandemic restrictions on travel and other activities. But recoveries elsewhere in the region, excluding China, will moderate as pressures of inflation and growing household debt slow consumer spending, it said. Across the Asia-Pacific, economies are expected to grow at a 5.1% annual pace this year, up from 3.5% in 2022, the report said. But not including China, growth is expected to slip to 4.9% in 2023 after a rebound from the worst of the pandemic of 5.8% in 2022, it said. Major Asian economies like Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam will see their recoveries slow and meanwhile face risks from weakening global growth, spillover from th...

Poor Albanian town pins tourism hopes on communist tunnels

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:36:41 GMT

KUKES, Albania (AP) — If you’d like to walk for miles in concrete burrows built to defend an isolationist totalitarian regime that nobody wanted to attack, Kukes in northeastern Albania is the place for you.The small Balkan country’s post World War II communist dictatorship reveled in massive defensive works; the countryside is still littered with the crumbling remains of 175,000 concrete mini-bunkers — again built to stop imaginary invaders. But Kukes’ tunnels take the prize.Dug from the 1970s to the early 1990s — just in time for the communist regime’s collapse — the underground network was meant to house the town’s entire population of 16,000 for up to six months in case of war. Equipped with amenities running from a prosecutor’s office to a maternity clinic, it was Albania’s biggest fortification project with tunnels extending for up to seven kilometers (4 miles).Now, local authorities hope to turn it into a tourist attraction, with the ...

Gas pipeline under repair in Siberia catches fire -Tass

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:36:41 GMT

An oil pipeline in northern Siberia that was being repaired caught fire Wednesday (29 March), but there was no interruption to supplies, Tass reported, Gazprom said.Pelym is located approximately 430km (270 miles) from Tyumen, the Siberian energy hub. Gazprom reported that there was a depressurization of the Yamburg–Yelets 1 pipeline and then a fire."There were no casualties. "The depressurization occurred when the gas pipeline section was turned off for repairs, and was not involved with gas transportation," Tass quoted Gazprom as saying.It stated "Consumers are being fully suppled with gas via parallel pipes," adding that the cause of the incident is unknown. Tass previously cited a local official who said that the pipeline caught on fire following an explosion.

Ukraine hits Russian-held city deep behind front lines

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:36:41 GMT

Ukraine struck a railway depot and knocked out power in the Russian-occupied city of Melitopol deep behind front lines on Wednesday (29 March) amid growing talk from Kyiv of a counterassault against Russian forces worn out by a failed winter offensive.Unverified images on the internet showed explosions lighting up the night sky with streaks of contrails in Melitopol, base of the Russian-controlled administration in Zaporizhzhia, one of five Ukrainian provinces Russia claims to have annexed.Ukraine's exiled mayor of the city confirmed there were explosions there. Russia's state TASS news agency, citing Moscow-installed officials, said a railway depot was damaged and power knocked out to the city and nearby villages.Melitopol, which had a pre-war population of around 150,000, is a railway logistics hub for Russian forces in southern Ukraine and part of the land bridge linking Russia to the occupied Crimea peninsula.There was no public information about the weapons Ukraine might have u...

Boyle Heights hit-and-run crash leaves 13-year-old boy without leg

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:36:41 GMT

A hit-and-run crash left a 13-year-old boy severely injured with the loss of his right leg in Boyle Heights on Thursday afternoon.The victim was identified as Joshua Mora, an eighth grader at Hollenbeck Middle School.Mora was struck by a motorcyclist near the intersection of Whittier Boulevard and Orme Avenue around 3:27 p.m., according to the Los Angeles Police Department. The impact had severed the boy's leg, leaving him hospitalized with severe injuries.The suspect, described as a white male, was riding his motorcycle when he struck Mora who was using a crosswalk at the time, authorities said.Instead of rendering aid, the suspect fled the scene, leaving the injured boy lying on the road.Locals in the area say the crash happened in an intersection that is known to be dangerous. The lone crosswalk boasts no signal lights or visible traffic signs.A 13-year-old boy was left severely injured after a hit-and-run crash in Boyle Heights on March 30, 2023. (Los Angeles Police Department C...

Sharks’ rookie defenseman enjoys near-historic start to NHL career; what’s next for him?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:36:41 GMT

SAN JOSE – It didn’t take long for San Jose Sharks defenseman Henry Thrun to make an impact in his first NHL game.Thrun assisted on first-period goals by Mario Ferraro and Oskar Lindblom as the Sharks took a two-goal lead over the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday and later earned a 4-3 overtime win at SAP Center on a goal by Logan Couture.Thrun finished with 18:46 of ice time, third-most among all Sharks defensemen, and also had two blocked shots and spent a bit of time on the penalty kill.“He didn’t have to earn a lot of my trust because we have a history and I’ve known him from afar for a long time,” Sharks coach David Quinn said. “So I knew what we were getting and you know, when I watched them the after two periods, he kind of did what I thought he was going to do.“He had a really good night.”Thrun and Scott Hannan are the only San Jose defensemen to record two points in their respective NHL debuts. Hannan had two assists for the Sharks ...

Líderes republicanos y leales a Trump en el Capitolio se unen tras la acusación del expresidente

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:36:41 GMT

(CNN) — Líderes republicanos clave de la Cámara de Representantes se alinearon para defender al expresidente Donald Trump este jueves tras la noticia de que Trump fue acusado por un jurado investigador de Manhattan, una señal del poderoso control que Trump todavía tiene sobre su partido en el Capitolio.El presidente de la Cámara de Representantes, Kevin McCarthy, tuiteó que “el pueblo estadounidense no tolerará esta injusticia”, mientras criticaba al fiscal del distrito de Manhattan, Alvin Bragg. “La Cámara de Representantes pedirá cuentas a Alvin Bragg y a su abuso de poder sin precedentes”, dijo.El número dos republicano de la Cámara –el líder de la mayoría, Steve Scalise– lo calificó de “indignante”. En un tuit, Scalise calificó la acusación de “uno de los ejemplos más claros de demócratas extremistas que utilizan el gobierno como arma para atacar a sus oponentes políticos”.Jurado investigador acusa a Trump en caso de supuesto...

Klauss leads Saint Louis City SC against Minnesota United

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:36:41 GMT

Minnesota United FC (2-0-2) vs. Saint Louis City SC (5-0-0)Old North Saint Louis, St. Louis; Saturday, 8:30 p.m. EDTFANDUEL SPORTSBOOK MLS LINE: Saint Louis -126, Minnesota United FC +313, Draw +275; over/under is 2.5 goalsBOTTOM LINE: Klauss leads Saint Louis City SC into a matchup with Minnesota United fresh off of a two-goal outing against Real Salt Lake.Saint Louis takes the field for the sixth game in franchise history. Saint Louis has outscored opponents 15-4 through its first five games of MLS play.United finished 14-14-6 overall and 6-11-1 on the road in the 2022 season. United averaged 1.4 goals on 4.3 shots on goal per game a season ago.NOT EXPECTED TO PLAY: Saint Louis: Njabulo Blom (injured), Joakim Nilsson (injured).United: Ryen Jiba (injured), Mikael Josh Marques de Pombal Vivar (injured), Bakaye Dibassy (injured), Doneil Henry (injured).___The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.Source

Red Bull chief criticizes new F1 pit wall celebration edict

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:36:41 GMT

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Red Bull principal Christian Horner has criticized the stricter interpretation of a rule that bans Formula One team employees from climbing pit wall for victory celebrations.Horner said on Friday at the Australian Grand Prix that F1 will lose out by stopping what he described as “iconic” celebrations after ruling body FIA issued a new safety memo before Sunday’s Australian race, the third in this year’s seriesF1 race director Niels Wittich issued instructions stating “it is forbidden to climb on a pit wall debris fence at any time.” Stating team personnel are only allowed in pit lane just before or after they are required to work on a car, the safety edict said employees must exit as soon as the work is complete.“Any action by a team breaching this ban will be reported to the stewards,” the statement reads.After Red Bull’s Max Verstappen recorded the fastest lap time in the opening practice session around the Albert Park circuit, Horner appear...