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Finland’s NATO membership: What’s next?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:13:39 GMT

HELSINKI (AP) — Finland received the green light to join NATO when Turkey ratified the Nordic country’s membership late Thursday, becoming the last country in the 30-member Western military alliance to sign off. All NATO members must vote unanimously to admit a new country. into the alliance. The decision by the Turkish parliament followed Hungary’s ratification of Finland’s bid earlier in the week. The addition of Finland, which shares a 1,340 kilometer (832 miles) border with Russia, will more than double the size of NATO’s border with Russia. However, a few more steps and procedures are required before the northern European nation becomes the 31st full NATO member: ACCEPTANCE LETTERSTurkey and Hungary dispatch acceptance letters to the United States which is the depositary, or safekeeper, of NATO under the alliance’s 1949 founding treaty. The letters will be filed in the archives of the U.S. State Department, which will notify NATO Secretary-General Jens S...

UConn Huskies take on the Miami Hurricanes in Final 4

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:13:39 GMT

Miami Hurricanes (29-7, 15-5 ACC) vs. UConn Huskies (29-8, 13-7 Big East)Houston; Saturday, 8:49 p.m. EDTFANDUEL SPORTSBOOK LINE: UConn -5.5; over/under is 149.5BOTTOM LINE: The No. 10 UConn Huskies and No. 16 Miami Hurricanes meet in the NCAA Tournament Final Four.The Huskies have gone 13-7 against Big East opponents, with a 16-1 record in non-conference play. UConn is 0-4 in one-possession games.The Hurricanes’ record in ACC games is 15-5. Miami (FL) has a 5-4 record in games decided by less than 4 points.TOP PERFORMERS: Adama Sanogo is scoring 17.1 points per game and averaging 7.5 rebounds for the Huskies. Jordan Hawkins is averaging 3.1 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games for UConn.Isaiah Wong is averaging 16.2 points and 3.2 assists for the Hurricanes. Jordan Miller is averaging 16.4 points and 6.8 rebounds over the past 10 games for Miami (FL).LAST 10 GAMES: Huskies: 9-1, averaging 80.9 points, 36.6 rebounds, 19.2 assists, 5.4 steals and 4.9 blocks per game while sh...

San Diego State Aztecs face the Florida Atlantic Owls in Final 4

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:13:39 GMT

Florida Atlantic Owls (35-3, 18-2 C-USA) vs. San Diego State Aztecs (31-6, 15-3 MWC)Houston; Saturday, 6:09 p.m. EDTFANDUEL SPORTSBOOK LINE: San Diego State -3; over/under is 131.5BOTTOM LINE: The No. 18 San Diego State Aztecs take on the No. 25 Florida Atlantic Owls in the NCAA Tournament Final Four.The Aztecs have gone 15-3 against MWC opponents, with a 16-3 record in non-conference play. San Diego State is third in the MWC in rebounding with 33.4 rebounds. Nathan Mensah leads the Aztecs with 5.9 boards.The Owls are 18-2 in C-USA play. Florida Atlantic has a 5-0 record in one-possession games.TOP PERFORMERS: Adam Seiko averages 1.5 made 3-pointers per game for the Aztecs, scoring 6.1 points while shooting 46.1% from beyond the arc. Matt Bradley is shooting 36.0% and averaging 11.0 points over the last 10 games for San Diego State.Johnell Davis is scoring 13.9 points per game with 5.5 rebounds and 1.7 assists for the Owls. Alijah Martin is averaging 13.8 points and 5.4 rebounds wh...

Spain: Easter procession events a ‘yearlong’ operation

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:13:39 GMT

ELCHE, Spain (AP) — Spain is getting ready for one of its most revered holiday periods of the year: Easter Week, which means thousands of colorful and noisy religious street processions that draw multitudes onto the streets to watch. The central pieces of the processions are the richly decorated gigantic floats bearing sculptures of Jesus or the Virgin and often weighing up to a ton or more. The ceremonies see brotherhoods of “nazarenos,” or penitents, with tall conical hats, monkish robes and hoods carrying or escorting the magnificent carriages through ancient streets of cities and towns nationwide.While the processions take place over just a handful of days, preparations are a year-round affair and involve a wide range of small, sometimes family-run businesses. The artisans are responsible for producing all the regalia, from conical hats and huge candles to palm leaf bouquets. There are also workshops in charge of the conservation of religious sculptures, their dresses and adorni...

Marlins begin season at home against the Mets

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:13:39 GMT

New York Mets vs. Miami MarlinsMiami; Friday, 6:40 p.m. EDTPITCHING PROBABLES: Mets: David Peterson (0-0); Marlins: Jesus Luzardo (0-0)FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK MLB LINE: Mets -119, Marlins -100; over/under is 7 1/2 runsBOTTOM LINE: The Miami Marlins start the season at home against the New York Mets.Miami had a 69-93 record overall and a 34-47 record at home last season. The Marlins averaged 2.5 extra base hits per game, including 0.9 home runs.New York had a 101-61 record overall and a 47-34 record in road games last season. The Mets scored 4.8 runs per game while giving up 3.7 last season.INJURIES: Marlins: Max Meyer: 60-Day IL (elbow), Nic Enright: 15-Day IL (illness), Steven Okert: 15-Day IL (adductor), Tommy Nance: 15-Day IL (shoulder), Anthony Bender: 60-Day IL (elbow)Mets: Stephen Ridings: 15-Day IL (lat), Edwin Diaz: 60-Day IL (knee), Elieser Hernandez: 15-Day IL (shoulder), Jose Quintana: 15-Day IL (rib), Bryce Montes de Oca: 15-Day IL (elbow), Sam Coonrod: 15-Day IL (lat)___The ...

Rockies visit the Padres for season opener

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:13:39 GMT

Colorado Rockies vs. San Diego PadresSan Diego; Friday, 9:40 p.m. EDTPITCHING PROBABLES: Rockies: Kyle Freeland (0-0); Padres: Nick Martinez (0-0)FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK MLB LINE: Padres -186, Rockies +158; over/under is 8 runsBOTTOM LINE: The San Diego Padres host the Colorado Rockies for the season opener.San Diego had an 89-73 record overall and a 44-37 record at home last season. The Padres pitching staff had a collective 3.82 ERA last season while averaging 9.1 strikeouts and 2.9 walks per nine innings.Colorado went 68-94 overall and 27-54 in road games a season ago. The Rockies scored 4.3 runs per game in the 2022 season while giving up 5.4.INJURIES: Padres: Joe Musgrove: 15-Day IL (toe), Robert Suarez: 15-Day IL (elbow), Adam Engel: 10-Day IL (hamstring), Adrian Morejon: 60-Day IL (elbow), Jose Castillo: 15-Day IL (shoulder), Drew Pomeranz: 15-Day IL (elbow/flexor), Eguy Rosario: 60-Day IL (ankle)Rockies: Daniel Bard: 15-Day IL (anxiety), Randal Grichuk: 10-Day IL (hernia), Antoni...

Belgian terror gang targeted Antwerp mayor, police say

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:13:39 GMT

Antwerp Mayor Bart De Wever was a possible target of the “radicalized Muslim youths” who were arrested Monday by Belgian police. “De Wever’s name was indeed mentioned in the Antwerp file as one target, among other targets,” Eric Van Der Sypt, spokesman for the Public Prosecutor’s Office, confirmed to POLITICO, “but it is not the case that there was already a day and an hour on which the attack was to take place. It wasn’t that concrete.”On Monday evening Belgian police arrested a total of eight people around the country, most of them in their early 20s, with five of them arrested in the Antwerp area.Seven of those arrested — described by the Public Prosecutor’s spokesman as “radicalized Muslim youths” — remain under arrest suspected of terrorist activities, according to information shared by the Prosecutor’s Office on Wednesday. A spokesperson for De Wever, from the Flemish nationalist N-VA party, did...

Australia concerned by journalist’s delayed verdict in China

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:13:39 GMT

SYDNEY (AP) — Australia remains deeply concerned that Australian journalist Cheng Lei has not learned of a verdict a year after standing trial in China on national security charges, the foreign minister said Friday.Foreign Minister Penny Wong marked the first anniversary of the closed trial in Beijing with a statement saying her government had “advocated at every opportunity for Ms. Cheng to be reunited with her family.”“She is still waiting to learn the outcome of the trial,” Wong said. “We share the deep concerns of Ms. Cheng’s family and friends about the ongoing delays in her case.” “Our thoughts today are with Ms. Cheng and her loved ones, particularly her two children,” she added. The children live with family in the Australian city of Melbourne.Asked about Cheng’s case, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning offered no new information Friday. “China has a clear and consistent position on the case. China’s judicial departments examined the case in accordance with...

Death scene in burned Filipino ferry moves rescuers to tears

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:13:39 GMT

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — A Philippine coast guard commander said Friday that the tragic scenes of death his team saw aboard a gutted ferry, including adults clutching children, had moved them to tears and sparked fears other passengers could be found dead in the still-smoldering ship.At least 29 of more than 250 people onboard the M/V Lady Mary Joy 3 were killed in the blaze that raged through the ferry Wednesday night while it was on an overnight trip from the southern port city of Zamboanga to Jolo town in Sulu province. At least seven passengers, including two army soldiers, remained missing in the country’s deadliest sea disaster this year, the coast guard said.Basilan Governor Jim Hataman initially reported 31 deaths Thursday but later reduced the toll to 29 after search and rescue groups crossed-checked their figures.All 35 crew members survived, including the captain, who issued an abandon-ship order when the fire hit close to midnight, then ran the ferry aground on a...

King Charles III visits Hamburg on final leg of foreign trip

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:13:39 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — King Charles III is boarding a carriage, though not the horse-drawn kind, for the final leg of his three-day visit to Germany, which will bring him and Camilla, the queen consort, by train Friday to the northern port city of Hamburg. German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier plans to accompany the British royals on the two-hour high-speed journey from Berlin.The couple arrived Wednesday in the German capital for Charles’ first foreign trip as king. Steinmeier greeted them at the Brandenburg Gate with full military honors and later hosted a banquet in their honor.On Thursday, Charles became the first monarch to address the German parliament, telling assembled lawmakers that “together we must strive for the security, prosperity and well-being that our people deserve.” He then met with Ukrainian refugees and a German-British military unit before visiting an organic farm where he tried his hand at making cheese.Charles’ trip is part of a carefully calibrat...