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Death toll rises to 12 in Ukraine's Kramatorsk after Russian strike

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:54:24 GMT

Rescuers have pulled another body from the ruins of a restaurant in eastern Ukraine's city of Kramatorsk, taking to 12 the death toll following a Russian missile strike, Ukraine's emergency services said on Thursday (29 June)Three children were among the dead, while 60 more people were wounded, the authorities said.

Aahana Pereira Talks Advertising and Living Out of Her Comfort Zone

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:54:24 GMT

In the sphere of creative copywriting, Aahana Pereira has emerged as a global powerhouse. The diversity of her cultural exposure, coupled with an innate understanding of the human mind, is uniquely encapsulated in each of her creative pursuits. A native of Mumbai, India, she transcended geographical boundaries to lend her creative genius to brands in Asia and America, earning a revered spot in the global advertising panorama.In her illustrious career, Aahana has added a range of accolades to her name, spanning from Markies Awards to multiple film festivals for the Chypre Film. Her creative journey, fuelled by the inspiration drawn from advertising legends like John Caples, David Abbot, and David Ogilvy, led her to work in Hong Kong, Malaysia, Shanghai, New York, and LA.Though successful, her story is not one of smooth sailing but rather a testimony of constant learning, evolving, and conquering challenges. She candidly shares that innovation—though rewarding—often means treading unc...

Four-bedroom home sells for $1.9 million in Pleasanton

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:54:24 GMT

1975 Foxswallow Circle – Google Street ViewA house located in the 1900 block of Foxswallow Circle in Pleasanton has a new owner. The 1,923-square-foot property, built in 1971, was sold on May 12, 2023, for $1,852,000, or $963 per square foot. The property features four bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a garage. It sits on a 6,999-square-foot lot, which also has a pool.Additional houses have recently changed hands nearby:On Brooktree Way, Pleasanton, in June 2022, a 1,790-square-foot home was sold for $1,550,000, a price per square foot of $866. The home has 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.In May 2023, a 2,047-square-foot home on Brooktree Way in Pleasanton sold for $1,795,000, a price per square foot of $877. The home has 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.A 2,047-square-foot home on the 1800 block of Rosetree Court in Pleasanton sold in May 2023, for $1,779,500, a price per square foot of $869. The home has 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms. 

Las Vegas hosts Connecticut following Carrington’s 23-point showing

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:54:24 GMT

Connecticut Sun (12-4, 6-3 Eastern Conference) at Las Vegas Aces (13-1, 7-0 Western Conference)Las Vegas; Saturday, 3 p.m. EDTBOTTOM LINE: Connecticut plays the Las Vegas Aces after DiJonai Carrington scored 23 points in the Sun’s 89-81 loss to the New York Liberty.The Aces have gone 8-0 at home. Las Vegas is the best team in the Western Conference at limiting opponent scoring, allowing 77.4 points while holding opponents to 40.8% shooting.The Sun are 7-1 on the road. Connecticut ranks third in the WNBA giving up 78.2 points while holding opponents to 42.4% shooting.The teams meet for the third time this season. In the last matchup on June 8 the Sun won 94-77 led by 41 points from DeWanna Bonner, while Kelsey Plum scored 16 points for the Aces.TOP PERFORMERS: A’ja Wilson is scoring 19.6 points per game and averaging 9.4 rebounds for the Aces.Alyssa Thomas is averaging 14.6 points, 10.4 rebounds, eight assists and 2.1 steals for the Sun.LAST 10 GAMES: Aces: 9-1, averaging...

Macron calls crisis talks after another night of violence across France, with more than 600 arrested

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:54:24 GMT

PARIS — French President Emmanuel Macron will chair a government crisis meeting later Friday following another night of violence after a teenager was shot dead by police.Macron was in Brussels Thursday to attend the European Council summit and will join his fellow EU leaders for early Friday talks but will leave late morning to attend the ministerial meeting at 1 p.m., Playbook Paris reported. The president was “kept fully informed of events” while in Brussels, one of his advisers said.For three nights in a row, there has been unrest across France after a 17-year-old was killed by police in a Paris suburb. For local authorities, law enforcement, and young people in the impoverished banlieues, the shadow of the 2005 riots that rocked French suburbs for weeks looms large. French authorities on Thursday mobilized 40,000 security forces throughout the country, including 5,000 in Paris. The interior ministry announced that 667 people had been arrested and 249 members of ...

Under-fire minister Zac Goldsmith quits with blast at UK climate ‘apathy’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:54:24 GMT

LONDON — Minister Zac Goldsmith quit the British government Friday with a stinging attack on Rishi Sunak’s environmental record. His exit comes a day after MPs took him to task for sticking up for Boris Johnson.In a highly-critical letter to the U.K. prime minister, the environment minister — who once ran for London mayor and was placed in the House of Lords by Johnson — said “this government’s apathy in the face of the greatest challenge we have faced makes continuing in my current role untenable.” The dramatic exit comes after Goldsmith, a longstanding environmentalist, was criticized by a cross-party committee for his role in backing Johnson. The privileges committee argued Thursday that allies of the former prime minister had led a “coordinated campaign to interfere with” its work investigating Johnson’s conduct. Goldsmith was criticized for retweeting a social media post branding the committee a “kangaroo court.” The committ...

EU leaders resume migration talks but Poland and Hungary’s governments slow progress

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:54:24 GMT

BRUSSELS (AP) — European Union leaders opened a second day of migration talks Friday as Poland and Hungary continued to block progress after they were outvoted earlier this month on a plan to share refugees arriving in Europe among the 27 member countries.Some leaders said that Poland and Hungary seemed to be fighting a battle started years ago, when well over 1 million migrants entered Europe, most of them refugees fleeing Syria, in 2015 and sparked one of the bloc’s biggest crises. Others said the two simply must not be permitted to break EU rules.“My feeling was there’s a lot of bitterness about the debates on migration from 2015,” Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas told reporters at EU headquarters in Brussels. “If you just say no to everything and everybody else tries to compromise that doesn’t really work out.”Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golob said that “Hungary was totally adamant” about having the issue removed altogether from the leader’s final summit commu...

Affirmative action is out in higher education. What comes next for college admissions?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:54:24 GMT

Colleges across the country will be forced to stop considering race in admissions under Thursday’s Supreme Court ruling, ending affirmative action policies that date back decades. Schools that have relied on race-conscious admissions policies to build diversity will have to rethink how they admit students. It’s expected to result in campuses that have more white and Asian American students and fewer Black and Hispanic students.The impact of the decision will be felt most strongly at the nation’s most selective colleges, which have been more likely to consider race as one of many factors in admissions. But some less selective universities also consider race, and hundreds of colleges may need to adjust their admissions systems in response to the decision.Colleges say they’re still analyzing the decision, but it’s sure to have a dramatic impact nationwide. Here’s what we know so far.WHEN WILL THE RULING TAKE EFFECT?Today’s incoming high school senior...

Poland detains Russian hockey player on suspicion of spying

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:54:24 GMT

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Polish authorities have detained a Russian hockey player who competes in a top Polish league on suspicion of spying, officials said Friday.“Russian spies are falling one by one!” said Zbigniew Ziobro, the justice minister and chief prosecutor. “A spy who operated under the guise of an athlete was caught.”Ziobro said the suspect played for a first league club and was the 14th member of a spy network who has been arrested.The National Prosecutor’s Office said the man, who was arrested on June 11, was accused of participating in an organized crime group and acting on behalf of foreign intelligence against the interests of Poland. Such acts are punishable by up to 10 years in prison.The state news agency PAP reported that the organized crime group was being used by Russia to monitor railway routes leading to Ukraine. Poland is a major hub for Western weapons going to Ukraine in support of its fight against Russia’s invasion.The Associated Press

Dutch semiconductor machine export restrictions to come into force in September

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:54:24 GMT

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Dutch companies that create machines that make advanced processor chips will be required to have an export license before they can be sold overseas starting in September, the government announced Friday.The new measure that was first announced in March, “is country neutral,” the government said. But it is seen as part of a U.S. policy that aims at restricting China’s access to materials used to make such chips, which can be used in military technology. The requirement will notably affect Duch company ASML, the world’s only producer of machines that use extreme ultraviolet lithography to make advanced semiconductor chips. The Dutch government has prohibited the Veldhoven-based company from exporting some of its machines to China since 2019.″We have taken this step in the interest of our national security. It is good that the companies concerned now know where they stand. This way they can adapt to the new regulations in time,” Foreign Trade and Developme...