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EU plan to buy Ukraine shells hits legal snag over who gets the money

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:36:19 GMT

BRUSSELS — The devil is now in the (legal) details. Two weeks after the EU announced a historic agreement to give Ukraine piles of ammunition, the bloc is still sorting out the legal specifics of how to actually implement it.The squabble has stalled a first-of-its-kind plan to jointly buy ammunition for Ukraine. EU ambassadors met Wednesday to discuss the issue but were unable to make significant progress on one of the key issues, according to several diplomats with knowledge of the negotiations. The bone of contention remains whether these arms contracts will go exclusively to EU companies (and how to legally define them), or also be open to outside manufacturers. France is pushing for the money to stay within EU borders, several diplomats said. And Greece and Cyprus back Paris in a move that some of the diplomats said is linked to their desire to avoid contracts going to Turkish manufacturers. Two diplomats added that the European Commission, the EU’s executive, also ne...

Chicago Cubs’ series finale against the Cincinnati Reds postponed because of rain

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:36:19 GMT

The Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati Reds tried to wait out the stormy weather to conclude their three-game series Wednesday.Instead, after a 1-hour, 43-minute rain delay before a pitch was thrown, the series finale was postponed.The game was rescheduled as part of a split doubleheader September 1 at Great American Ball Park. Both games, scheduled to start at 12:10 p.m. and 5:40 p.m., respectively, will be nine innings. Major League Baseball used seven-inning doubleheader games during the 2020 and 2021 seasons.The postponement gives the Cubs back-to-back days off with Thursday’s scheduled off day. They are pushing their starters back one game, lining up Marcus Stroman, Justin Steele and Jameson Taillon to start the weekend series at Wrigley Field against the Texas Rangers. ()

Eloy Jiménez will be out 2-3 weeks — but Chicago White Sox ‘optimistic it’s not going to be anything long-term’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:36:19 GMT

Eloy Jiménez went from first to third on Andrew Vaughn’s double to right field in the seventh inning Monday.The Chicago White Sox outfielder/designated hitter suffered a low-grade left hamstring strain during that sequence. He was placed on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to Tuesday, and will miss an estimated two-to-three weeks.“I didn’t really notice anything, I don’t think anybody did until next time at-bat,” Sox manager Pedro Grifol said before Wednesday’s game against the San Francisco Giants at Guaranteed Rate Field.“He had mentioned that he felt a little something in his hamstring and that he could take his at-bat and that he might need a pinch-runner, and then at that point in time, there was just no use taking any chances so we erred on the side of caution.”When healthy, Jiménez is one of the more dangerous hitters in the American League. But he played 84 games last season after spending more than two months on ...

Yankees game in Baltimore Thursday for Orioles home opener postponed until Friday

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:36:19 GMT

It’s raining in Baltimore, or at least it’s expected to on Thursday.The Yankees’ first road trip of the season will start with a postponement after the Orioles pushed their home opener back to Friday. The team, citing “severe inclement weather,” made the decision Wednesday after consulting with Major League Baseball.The game will still be played at 3:05 p.m. on Friday, which originally served as an off day to protect against this very scenario. The Yankees will play the Orioles again on Saturday and Sunday before finishing their road trip with a three-game series in Cleveland.After that, the Yankees will return to the Bronx for a three-series homestand that begins with a four-game set against the Twins. ()

Mets notes: Struggling Eduardo Escobar sits

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:36:19 GMT

MILWAUKEE — Eduardo Escobar received another day off as the Mets searched for ways to jumpstart their third baseman.Escobar spent time talking to manager Buck Showalter in his office at American Family Field ahead of the Mets’ series finale with the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday morning, along with infield coach Joey Cora, and while the contents of the meeting were not disclosed, Showalter did voice his confidence in the 34-year-old Venezuelan that played such an important role for the Mets last summer.“We’re just trying to put our best foot forward today in the idea that it might make us better in the long run,” Showalter said. “And him, individually.”Showalter has always liked Escobar and it’s tough to not like him. He’s effusively positive and he’s a well-liked teammate in the clubhouse. But Brett Baty outplayed him in spring training and his offensive struggles over the first week of the 2023 season have been magnified...

SR-78 emergency repair project continues; eastbound lane closures take effect

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:36:19 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- There's some relief for drivers in North County as Caltrans reopens the westbound lanes on the State Route 78 after nearly a month. But the repair work is far from over. All of the eastbound lanes between College Avenue and El Camino Real are closed for the next three weeks as Caltrans, once again, repairs several aged culverts. This is the largest bridge replacement project ever completed in San Diego history "Most of the pipes in this area are 70 years old," said Shawn Rizzutto, Caltrans District 11 Division Chief of Maintenance.The repairs needed on the SR-78 freeway in Oceanside were far greater than Caltrans anticipated, following a series of atmospheric rivers that drenched the region since the beginning of the year.On Wednesday morning, Caltrans finally opened up two of the three westbound lanes of the freeway after they had to been shut down for emergency repairs."We were delayed because of several rain events. That was challenging for us, to work in the ...

Putin: West helped Ukraine mount acts of sabotage

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:36:19 GMT

MOSCOW (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin charged Wednesday that Western intelligence agencies have helped Ukraine carry out acts of sabotage, as he urged his officials to mount a stronger response. Putin spoke during a call with members of his Security Council that focused on efforts to shore up control of the four Ukrainian provinces that Russia claimed as part of its territory in September — a move that most of the world rejected as an illegal annexation.“There are reasons to believe that the capabilities of third countries, Western special services, have been involved in preparation of acts of sabotage and terror attacks,” Putin said, without elaborating and without providing any evidence.He said the four provinces have experienced Ukrainian shelling and acts of sabotage aimed at scaring the local population, and that Russian authorities must act “harshly and effectively to ensure control over the situation.”Several Moscow-appointed officials in the newly incorporated provi...

Zelenskyy boosts ties with Poland, warns of peril in Bakhmut

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:36:19 GMT

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy won new pledges of military and economic cooperation Wednesday on a state visit to staunch ally Poland, and he also said that Kyiv’s troops battling in the eastern city of Bakhmut could pull out if they face a threat of being encircled by Russian forces.Polish President Andrzej Duda said Warsaw has provided four Soviet-designed MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine, with four more in the process of being handed over and another six being prepared.At a news conference with his Polish counterpart, Zelenskyy described the perils in the grinding siege of Bakhmut, which has been all but destroyed by eight months of fighting that also has cost many lives on both sides.“For me, the most important issue is our military,” he said. “And certainly, if there is a moment of even hotter events and the danger that we may lose personnel due to the encirclement, there will certainly be corresponding correct decisions of the general o...

Randy Bachman offers look at more than 80 of his guitars NAC exhibit in Studio Bell

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:36:19 GMT

TORONTO — Randy Bachman is shedding light on his incredible guitar obsession with a new temporary exhibit set to open at Calgary’s National Music Centre inside Studio Bell next month.Organizers say the Guess Who co-founder and “Taking Care of Business” hitmaker will showcase more than 80 of his prized axes for “Randy Bachman: Every Guitar Tells a Story.”The exhibit will include instruments from every part of Bachman’s career and feature videos of the 79-year-old musician telling the stories behind them.Highlights include the first guitar Bachman purchased from a Sears catalogue at 13 years old and his signature 1959 Les Paul electric guitar, which was used on the Guess Who’s beloved hits “These Eyes,” “No Time” and “American Woman.”Also planned for the display is his rare first-year white Stratocaster, which he played on numerous Bachman-Turner Overdrive albums, and his 1957 Gretsch electric guitar, which ...

Energy executives say feds must make good on pledge to speed up project approvals

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:36:19 GMT

TORONTO — Canada’s oil and gas sector is hopeful the federal government will live up to its budget-day pledge to speed up the time it takes to build major infrastructure projects.The Liberal government announced last week that it will unveil a plan aimed at speeding up the federal permitting process for major infrastructure projects before the end of the year.The promise was part of a federal budget that also contained a host of tax credits and incentives for clean electricity, hydrogen, critical minerals and other technologies the government believes Canada must invest in to meet its international climate commitments.But for many in the Canadian oil and gas sector, it’s that promise of swift regulatory approval for new projects that remains key. “It’s still about permitting,” said Enbridge Inc. chief executive Greg Ebel, at an annual oil and gas conference taking place this week in Toronto. “We can put all the incentives you want in place. Whether it’s...