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https://www.springfieldnewssun.com/local/recalls-baby-rattle-poses-choking-hazard-alarm-may-fail-to-alert-co-hazard/ASVOPGIHXZDG3BLDE5JEGSJQAQ/
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A baby teether rattle, Bluetooth speaker, drug lockbox and a combination smoke and carbon monoxide alarm are the latest products under recall, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced Thursday.
Kid O Hudson Glow Rattle
PlayMonster has recalled its Kid O Hudson Glow Rattle, a motion-activated rattle shaped like a puppy that makes a soft rattling sound when shaken. The puppy is white with spots that can glow in red or green, and its legs are textured soft plastic for teething children.
The company received three reports of the rattle’s legs breaking off. This poses a choking hazard, but no injuries have been reported.
Consumers should immediately take the recalled rattles away and contact PlayMonster for instructions on receiving a $25 refund. PlayMonster will provide a prepaid shipping label to return the product.
For more information, visit the PlayMonster website, email hudsonglowrattlerecall@playmonster.com or call 1-800-469-7506.
Universal Security Instruments smoke & CO alarm
Universal Security Instruments has recalled its combination photoelectric smoke and carbon monoxide alarms because it can fail to alert consumers to the presence of a hazardous level of CO, which poses a risk of CO poisoning or death. CO is an odorless, colorless, poisonous gas.
Consumers should immediately contact Universal Security Instruments for a free replacement alarm but should keep using the recalled alarms until they install replacement alarms.
The recall is for models MPC322S with a manufacture date of June 9, 2017, and MPC122S with a manufacture date of June 2, 2017.
Consumers can visit the Universal Security Instruments website or call 1-800-220-0046 for more information.
Soundboks Bluetooth Speakers with Lithium-Ion batteries
Soundboks is recalling Bluetooth speakers with lithium-ion batteries because the speaker battery can overheat, posting a fire hazard.
Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled speakers, remove the battery and contact the company to receive a new battery. Soundboks will provide free replacement lithium-ion batteries and a $100 credit toward purchases at Soundboks web shop, as well as instructions for properly disposing of lithium-ion batteries according to federal and state regulations.
Soundboks has notified all known users, but for more information consumers can visit their website or call 1-866-761-9472.
Helix Metal Lockable Drug Chests
Maped Helix USA has recalled its metal lockable drug chests because the locking mechanism can fail.
The failed mechanism allows access to the contents inside the chest, which could pose a risk of poisoning.
Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled chests until repaired and should contact Maped Helix USA for a free consumer-installable repair kit.
For more information, visit the Maped Helix USA website, email contact@maped-helixusa.com or call 1-800-645-1421.
About the Author
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www.springfieldnewssun
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20220401
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https://www.springfieldnewssun.com/nation-world/amazon-workers-in-alabama-reject-union-final-result-unclear/2VNWRPPFPFFDBNK4QC4PK2A7RI/
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“This is just the beginning and we will continue to fight,” said Stuart Appelbaum, president of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, which is organizing the union drive in Bessemer, at a Thursday press conference. “Regardless of the final outcome, workers have shown what is possible. They have helped ignite a movement.”
Appelbaum said RWDSU will be filing objections to how Amazon handled the election but declined to be specific. He also took the opportunity to lash out at current labor laws, which he believes are rigged against unions and favor of corporations.
“It should not be so difficult to organize a union in the United States," he said.
If a majority of Amazon workers votes yes in either Bessemer or Staten Island, it would mark the first successful U.S. organizing effort in the company's history. Organizers have faced an uphill battle against the nation’s second-largest private employer, which is making every effort to keep unions out.
In New York, the ALU has led the charge to form a union along with Chris Smalls, a fired Amazon employee who now heads the fledging group. Turnout for the in-person election was unclear but Smalls was hopeful of victory.
“To be leading in Day One and be up a couple hundred against a trillion dollar company, this is the best feeling in the world,” Smalls said after the conclusion of Thursday’s counting.
While Smalls’ attention has been focused on securing victory in New York, similar efforts in Alabama also weighed heavily.
“I’m not too sure what’s going in Alabama right now, but I know that the sky’s the limit if you can organize any warehouse,” he said, noting that the vote in Alabama could well end up differently. “I hope that they’re successful. I don’t know what’s going on yet, but we know we show our support and solidarity with them.”
The warehouse in Staten Island employs more than 8,300 workers, who pack and ship supplies to customers based mostly in the Northeast. A labor win there was considered difficult, but organizers believe their grassroots approach is more relatable to workers and could help them overcome where established unions have failed in the past.
John Logan, director of Labor and Employment Studies at San Francisco State University, said the early vote counts in New York has been “shocking.” ALU has no backing from an established union and is powered by former and current warehouse workers. The group had also filed for a union election after getting support from about 30% of the facility's workforce, a much lower percentage than what unions usually seek.
“I don’t think that many people thought that the Amazon Labor Union had much of a chance of winning at all,” Logan said. “And I think we’re likely to see more of those (approaches) going forward.”
Though RWDSU is currently lagging behind with challenged ballots outstanding, Logan said that election was also remarkable because the union has made a good effort narrowing its margin from last year’s election.
After a crushing defeat last year, when a majority of workers voted against forming a union, RWDSU is hoping for a different outcome in the Bessemer election, in which mail-in ballots were sent to 6,100 workers in early February. Federal labor officials scrapped the results of the first election there and ordered a re-do after ruling Amazon tainted the election process.
The RWDSU said election there had a turnout rate of about 39% this year, much smaller than last year. Appelbaum blamed the low numbers on high turnover — he believes thousands of people who worked for Amazon in January and were on the official list to be eligible to vote either quit or were fired. He also believes that an in-person election, which the RWDSU had asked for, would have made a difference
Amazon has pushed back hard in both elections. The retail giant held mandatory meetings, where workers were told unions are a bad idea. The company also launched an anti-union website targeting workers and placed English and Spanish posters across the Staten Island facility urging them to reject the union. In Bessemer, Amazon has made some changes to but still kept a controversial U.S. Postal Service mailbox that was key in the NLRB's decision to invalidate last year's vote.
Both labor fights faced unique challenges. Alabama, for instance, is a right-to-work state that prohibits a company and a union from signing a contract that requires workers to pay dues to the union that represents them.
The mostly Black workforce at the Amazon facility, which opened in 2020, mirrors the Bessemer population of more than 70% Black residents, according to the latest U.S. Census data.
Pro-union workers say they want better working conditions, longer breaks and higher wages. Regular full-time employees at the Bessemer facility earn at least $15.80 an hour, higher than the estimated $14.55 per hour on average in the city. That figure is based on an analysis of the U.S. Census Bureau’s annual median household income for Bessemer of $30,284, which could include more than one worker.
The ALU said they don’t have a demographic breakdown of the warehouse workers on Staten Island and Amazon declined to provide the information to The Associated Press, citing the union vote. Internal records leaked to The New York Times from 2019 showed more than 60% of the hourly associates at the facility were Black or Latino, while most of managers were white or Asian.
Amazon workers there are seeking longer breaks, paid time off for injured employees and an hourly wage of $30, up from a minimum of just over $18 per hour offered by the company. The estimated average wage for the borough is $41 per hour, according to a similar U.S. Census Bureau analysis of Staten Island’s $85,381 median household income.
A spokesperson for Amazon said the company invests in wages and benefits, such as health care, 401(k) plans and a prepaid college tuition program to help grow workers’ careers.
“As a company, we don’t think unions are the best answer for our employees,” the spokesperson said in an emailed statement. “Our focus remains on working directly with our team to continue making Amazon a great place to work.”
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Associated Press staff writers Tali Arbel and Bobby Caina Calvan in New York contributed to this report.
Caption Signs are posted outside the the Amazon fulfillment center in Staten Island borough of New York at a bus stop on March 16, 2022. An independent group formed by former and current Amazon workers are trying to unionize a company warehouse in New York City. If successful, the effort at the Amazon fulfillment center in Staten Island could lead to the first unionized Amazon facility in the U.S. (AP Photo/Haleluya Hadero)
Credit: Haleluya Hadero
Caption Signs are posted outside the the Amazon fulfillment center in Staten Island borough of New York at a bus stop on March 16, 2022. An independent group formed by former and current Amazon workers are trying to unionize a company warehouse in New York City. If successful, the effort at the Amazon fulfillment center in Staten Island could lead to the first unionized Amazon facility in the U.S. (AP Photo/Haleluya Hadero)
Credit: Haleluya Hadero
Credit: Haleluya Hadero
Caption Elijah Ramos stands outside the the Amazon fulfillment center in Staten Island borough of New York at a bus stop on March 16, 2022. An independent group formed by former and current Amazon workers are trying to unionize a company warehouse in New York City. If successful, the effort at the Amazon fulfillment center in Staten Island could lead to the first unionized Amazon facility in the U.S. (AP Photo/Haleluya Hadero)
Credit: Haleluya Hadero
Caption Elijah Ramos stands outside the the Amazon fulfillment center in Staten Island borough of New York at a bus stop on March 16, 2022. An independent group formed by former and current Amazon workers are trying to unionize a company warehouse in New York City. If successful, the effort at the Amazon fulfillment center in Staten Island could lead to the first unionized Amazon facility in the U.S. (AP Photo/Haleluya Hadero)
Credit: Haleluya Hadero
Credit: Haleluya Hadero
Caption Michelle Valentin Nieves stand outside the the Amazon fulfillment center in Staten Island borough of New York at a bus stop on March 16, 2022. An independent group formed by former and current Amazon workers are trying to unionize a company warehouse in New York City. If successful, the effort at the Amazon fulfillment center in Staten Island could lead to the first unionized Amazon facility in the U.S. (AP Photo/Haleluya Hadero)
Credit: Haleluya Hadero
Caption Michelle Valentin Nieves stand outside the the Amazon fulfillment center in Staten Island borough of New York at a bus stop on March 16, 2022. An independent group formed by former and current Amazon workers are trying to unionize a company warehouse in New York City. If successful, the effort at the Amazon fulfillment center in Staten Island could lead to the first unionized Amazon facility in the U.S. (AP Photo/Haleluya Hadero)
Credit: Haleluya Hadero
Credit: Haleluya Hadero
Caption Signs are posted outside the the Amazon fulfillment center in Staten Island borough of New York at a bus stop on March 16, 2022. An independent group formed by former and current Amazon workers are trying to unionize a company warehouse in New York City. If successful, the effort at the Amazon fulfillment center in Staten Island could lead to the first unionized Amazon facility in the U.S. (AP Photo/Haleluya Hadero)
Credit: Haleluya Hadero
Caption Signs are posted outside the the Amazon fulfillment center in Staten Island borough of New York at a bus stop on March 16, 2022. An independent group formed by former and current Amazon workers are trying to unionize a company warehouse in New York City. If successful, the effort at the Amazon fulfillment center in Staten Island could lead to the first unionized Amazon facility in the U.S. (AP Photo/Haleluya Hadero)
Credit: Haleluya Hadero
Credit: Haleluya Hadero
Caption Amazon worker Dale Wyatt talks about a drive to unionize the company's fulfillment center in Bessemer, Ala., during an interview in Birmingham, Ala., on Thursday, March 10, 2022. Workers are voting for a second time on a labor push at the warehouse after the National Labor Relations Board ordered a do-over election upon determining that Amazon unfairly influenced an initial vote in 2021. (AP Photo/Jay Reeves)
Credit: Jay Reeves
Caption Amazon worker Dale Wyatt talks about a drive to unionize the company's fulfillment center in Bessemer, Ala., during an interview in Birmingham, Ala., on Thursday, March 10, 2022. Workers are voting for a second time on a labor push at the warehouse after the National Labor Relations Board ordered a do-over election upon determining that Amazon unfairly influenced an initial vote in 2021. (AP Photo/Jay Reeves)
Credit: Jay Reeves
Credit: Jay Reeves
Caption Signs supporting the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union are shown near an Amazon fulfillment center in Bessemer, Ala., on Thursday, March 10, 2022. Workers are voting for a second time on a labor push at the warehouse after the National Labor Relations Board ordered a do-over election upon determining that Amazon unfairly influenced an initial vote in 2021. (AP Photo/Jay Reeves)
Credit: Jay reeves
Caption Signs supporting the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union are shown near an Amazon fulfillment center in Bessemer, Ala., on Thursday, March 10, 2022. Workers are voting for a second time on a labor push at the warehouse after the National Labor Relations Board ordered a do-over election upon determining that Amazon unfairly influenced an initial vote in 2021. (AP Photo/Jay Reeves)
Credit: Jay reeves
Credit: Jay reeves
Caption Suspended Amazon employee Reyn McGuire talks about her support for a drive to unionize the company's fulfillment center in Bessemer, Ala., during an interview in Birmingham, Ala., on Thursday, March 10, 2022. Workers are voting for a second time on a labor push at the warehouse after the National Labor Relations Board ordered a do-over election upon determining that Amazon unfairly influenced an initial vote in 2021. (AP Photo/Jay Reeves)
Credit: Jay Reeves
Caption Suspended Amazon employee Reyn McGuire talks about her support for a drive to unionize the company's fulfillment center in Bessemer, Ala., during an interview in Birmingham, Ala., on Thursday, March 10, 2022. Workers are voting for a second time on a labor push at the warehouse after the National Labor Relations Board ordered a do-over election upon determining that Amazon unfairly influenced an initial vote in 2021. (AP Photo/Jay Reeves)
Credit: Jay Reeves
Credit: Jay Reeves
Caption Suspended Amazon employee Reyn McGuire, right, talks with an unidentified union organizer in Birmingham, Ala., on Thursday, March 10, 2022. Workers are voting for a second time on a labor push at the company's warehouse in Bessemer, Ala., after the National Labor Relations Board ordered a do-over election upon determining that Amazon unfairly influenced an initial vote in 2021. (AP Photo/Jay Reeves)
Credit: Jay Reeves
Caption Suspended Amazon employee Reyn McGuire, right, talks with an unidentified union organizer in Birmingham, Ala., on Thursday, March 10, 2022. Workers are voting for a second time on a labor push at the company's warehouse in Bessemer, Ala., after the National Labor Relations Board ordered a do-over election upon determining that Amazon unfairly influenced an initial vote in 2021. (AP Photo/Jay Reeves)
Credit: Jay Reeves
Credit: Jay Reeves
Caption Angelika Maldonado, right, Amazon Labor Union (ALU) chairwoman of workers committee at Staten Island Amazon warehouse, and Brett Daniels, director of organizing for ALU workers committee, watch a zoom-cast of vote counting to unionize Amazon warehouse on Staten Island, N.Y., Thursday March 31, 2022, in New York. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)
Credit: Bebeto Matthews
Caption Angelika Maldonado, right, Amazon Labor Union (ALU) chairwoman of workers committee at Staten Island Amazon warehouse, and Brett Daniels, director of organizing for ALU workers committee, watch a zoom-cast of vote counting to unionize Amazon warehouse on Staten Island, N.Y., Thursday March 31, 2022, in New York. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)
Credit: Bebeto Matthews
Credit: Bebeto Matthews
Caption Amazon Labor Union (ALU) lead organizer Mat Cusick, second from right standing, watches a zoom-cast of vote counting to unionize Amazon warehouse on Staten Island, N.Y., Thursday, March 31, 2022, in New York. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)
Credit: Bebeto Matthews
Caption Amazon Labor Union (ALU) lead organizer Mat Cusick, second from right standing, watches a zoom-cast of vote counting to unionize Amazon warehouse on Staten Island, N.Y., Thursday, March 31, 2022, in New York. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)
Credit: Bebeto Matthews
Credit: Bebeto Matthews
Caption Amazon Labor Union (ALU) volunteers Tim Hunter, right, and Drisana Hughes, left, watch a zoom-cast of vote counting to unionize Amazon warehouse on Staten Island, N.Y., Thursday, March 31, 2022, in New York. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)
Credit: Bebeto Matthews
Caption Amazon Labor Union (ALU) volunteers Tim Hunter, right, and Drisana Hughes, left, watch a zoom-cast of vote counting to unionize Amazon warehouse on Staten Island, N.Y., Thursday, March 31, 2022, in New York. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)
Credit: Bebeto Matthews
Credit: Bebeto Matthews
Caption Angelika Maldonado, right, Amazon Labor Union (ALU) chairwoman of workers committee at Staten Island Amazon warehouse, and Brett Daniels, director of organizing for ALU workers committee, react while watching a zoom-cast of vote counting to unionize Amazon warehouse on Staten Island, N.Y., , Thursday March 31, 2022, in New York. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)
Credit: Bebeto Matthews
Caption Angelika Maldonado, right, Amazon Labor Union (ALU) chairwoman of workers committee at Staten Island Amazon warehouse, and Brett Daniels, director of organizing for ALU workers committee, react while watching a zoom-cast of vote counting to unionize Amazon warehouse on Staten Island, N.Y., , Thursday March 31, 2022, in New York. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)
Credit: Bebeto Matthews
Credit: Bebeto Matthews
Caption Angelika Maldonado, right, Amazon Labor Union (ALU) chairwoman of workers committee at Staten Island Amazon warehouse, Brett Daniels, center, director of organizing for ALU workers committee, and Connor Spence, left, ALU Vice President for membership, check their phones during a watch party of vote counting to unionize Amazon warehouse on Staten Island, N.Y., Thursday March 31, 2022, in New York. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)
Credit: Bebeto Matthews
Caption Angelika Maldonado, right, Amazon Labor Union (ALU) chairwoman of workers committee at Staten Island Amazon warehouse, Brett Daniels, center, director of organizing for ALU workers committee, and Connor Spence, left, ALU Vice President for membership, check their phones during a watch party of vote counting to unionize Amazon warehouse on Staten Island, N.Y., Thursday March 31, 2022, in New York. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)
Credit: Bebeto Matthews
Credit: Bebeto Matthews
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https://www.springfieldnewssun.com/nation-world/arizona-governor-wont-say-transgender-people-exist/A4X3WKECFNGJDH4SKJK2E46KKI/
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PHOENIX (AP) — Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey refused to say Thursday if transgender people actually exist, twice dodging direct questions on the subject just a day after he signed legislation limiting transgender rights.
The Republican worked instead to defend his signatures on bills that bar transgender girls and women from playing on girls high school and women's college sports teams and barring gender affirming surgery for anyone under age 18.
When specifically asked if he believed that there “are really transgender people,” the governor paused for several seconds before answering.
“I’m going to ask you to read the legislation and to see that the legislation that we passed was in the spirit of fairness to protect girls sports in competitive situations,” Ducey said, referring to the new law that targets transgender girls who want to play on girls sports teams. “That’s what the legislation is intended to do, and that’s what it does.”
Asked again if he believed there are “actual transgender people,” he again answered slowly and carefully.
“I ... am going to respect everyone, and I’m going to respect everyone’s rights. And I’m going to protect female sports. And that’s what the legislation does,” Ducey said.
Ducey's response was “appalling,” according to the Arizona director of the Human Rights Campaign, a national civil rights group that advocates for equality for LGBTQ people. The organization worked to ensure families and transgender young people came to the Capitol to testify against the bills as the Republican-led House and Senate considered them this session.
“It's quite shocking that he can't even address trans people or even say that he thinks they exist,” Bridget Sharpe said.
Wednesday's signing of the two transgender bills and a third that bars abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy and is currently unconstitutional put Ducey right in the middle of two top issues national Republicans are highlighting in the runup to November's midterm elections.
Ducey also signed election legislation that minority Democrats said amounted to voter suppression by requiring longtime Arizonans to be thrown off the voter rolls if they did not prove their citizenship and residence location.
The governor leads the Republican Governors Association, which is charged with helping elect GOP chief executives in U.S. states. He in is the last year of his second term as Arizona governor and term limits bar him from seeking reelection.
The top Democrat in the state House, Rep. Reginald Bolding, called Wednesday “probably one of the darkest days we've seen in the history of Arizona."
“With the stroke of a pen, Gov. Ducey has hurled Arizona backwards to its ugliest past,” Bolding said Wednesday. “And today, he put in jeopardy pregnant people, transgender youth in danger and curtailed voting rights for people of color.”
Social conservative groups and the Arizona Republican Party praised Ducey's action. The Center for Arizona Policy, whose president shepherded the abortion and women's sports bills through the Legislature, called it a victory.
"Thank you, Governor Ducey, for taking a bold stand for women athletes, vulnerable children, and the unborn by putting your signature on (the bills) in the face of intense opposition from activists," Center for Arizona Policy president Cathi Herrod said in a news release she posted on Twitter.
She said the legislation protects the unborn, ensures a level playing field for female athletes and shows that “Arizona will do everything it can to protect vulnerable children struggling with gender confusion” by enacting the surgery ban.
Ducey said the surgery ban protects children from irreversible decisions.
“These are permanent surgeries of reassignment that are irreversible, and those discussions can happen once adulthood is reached,” he said.
The American Civil Liberties Association has vowed to sue over the surgery ban. U.S. Supreme Court precedent currently says women have a constitutional right to abortion until about 24 weeks of pregnancy, although it is considering whether to uphold a 15-week ban enacted in Mississippi and may overturn Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision enshrining a woman's right to choose.
Arizona joins 13 other states in enacting laws preventing transgender girls and women from playing on girls teams. Utah Gov. Spencer Cox vetoed a transgender sports ban in his state, saying it would harm transgender girls, but the Legislature overrode the veto. Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb also vetoed a sports bill, but lawmakers hope to override his action as well.
Credit: Ross D. Franklin
Credit: Ross D. Franklin
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20220401
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https://www.springfieldnewssun.com/nation-world/epa-upholds-trump-era-decision-not-to-regulate-contaminant/27A6VM3V3FCWBIVMVWOBM3OTLQ/
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WASHINGTON (AP) — Upholding a Trump-era environmental policy, the Environmental Protection Agency said Thursday it will not regulate a drinking water contaminant that has been linked to brain damage in infants.
The agency said the Trump administration's decision in 2020 not to regulate perchlorate in drinking water was made with the “best available peer reviewed science.” The chemical is used in rocket fuel and fireworks.
At the time, Trump's EPA said perchlorate was not found widely enough in drinking water or "at levels of public health concern" to warrant federal regulation. The decision was one of many Trump-era rollbacks or eliminations of existing or pending public health and environmental protections. The Biden administration ordered a review of that decision at the start of his term.
EPA Assistant Administrator Radhika Fox said the agency was “applying the right tools to support public health protections.”
Environmental groups slammed the Biden administration’s decision.
“The Trump EPA gave perchlorate a pass; it was a bad decision then, and it’s a bad decision now,” said Erik Olson of the Natural Resources Defense Council advocacy group. “Tap water across America will remain contaminated by this toxic chemical.”
Perchlorate from runoff contaminates the drinking water of as many as 16 million Americans, the Obama administration said in 2011 when it announced the EPA would for the first time set maximum limits for the chemical compound. It has been used in the U.S. for decades, particularly by the military and defense industries, and is commonly found in munitions, fireworks, matches and signal flares.
Exposure to the compound can damage the development of fetuses and children and cause measurable drops in IQ in newborns, the American Academy of Pediatrics said in 2019, when it called for stringent federal limits. It damages human development by disrupting the functioning of the thyroid gland.
In its 2020 review, the EPA said state-level regulations and cleanup activities at contaminated sites had lowered the health risks posed by the compound. Massachusetts and California, for example, limit perchlorate in drinking water to 2 parts per billion and 6 parts per billion, respectively.
“But the problem is that for the rest of the country the states have not set standards,” said Olson of the Natural Resources Defense Council.
In the Southwest, perchlorate has been detected in groundwater that entered Lake Mead in Nevada. Manufacturing activities in Henderson, Nevada, were thought to be the source of the chemical. The EPA said cleanup activities at two industrial sites near Las Vegas between 2002 and 2006 resulted in reduced levels of perchlorate in samples provided since then by Nevada environmental and water agencies.
The EPA said Thursday it was considering other steps besides a federal drinking water limit, such as setting standards at open burning and detonation sites of waste explosives, where severe perchlorate contamination is known to exist.
But environmental advocates said such measures fall short of what's needed.
“Simply put, toxic chemicals used in rocket fuel do not belong in our drinking water," said John Rumpler, senior attorney with Environment America.
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AP reporter Matthew Daly contributed to this report.
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The Associated Press receives support from the Walton Family Foundation for coverage of water and environmental policy. The AP is solely responsible for all content. For all of AP's environmental coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/environment
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20220401
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https://www.springfieldnewssun.com/nation-world/ex-minor-leaguer-ran-major-league-sports-betting-operation/7EHBZBBUZ5GW3KD4FNHUP5JANU/
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LOS ANGELES (AP) — A former minor league pitcher ran a major league illegal sports betting operation in California that used other former pro athletes to take bets and took wagers from players still in the game, federal prosecutors said Thursday.
Wayne Nix, who threw for Oakland Athletics farm teams, used his connections to recruit three former Major League Baseball players and a former pro football player as fellow bookies, prosecutors said.
The MLB began looking into the matter when it learned of it Thursday, but was unaware any of those involved other than Nix, a spokesman said.
Court records offered no names of the players who worked for Nix or those who placed bets with his business, but they provide a glimpse of the kind of money being wagered, earned and lost.
A professional football player paid Nix $245,000 for gambling losses in 2016. An MLB coach paid $4,000 in losses that same year. It was not disclosed if either bet on their own games or their own sports.
MLB prohibits players from betting on baseball or gambling illegally on sports. They can bet on other sports if it’s legal. The National Football League policy bars all personnel from betting on football games.
A Los Angeles check cashing business that has agreed to plead guilty to failing to prevent money laundering in the scheme cashed over $18 million in checks from two single bettors, prosecutors said.
One client wagered $5 million on the Super Bowl but it was not revealed if that gambit paid off.
Sports betting is legal in 30 states, but not in California. However, voters will have a chance to legalize it at the polls in November.
Nix, 45, has agreed to plead guilty to conspiring to run an illegal gambling operation and faces up to eight years in prison. He also admitted he failed to report $1.4 million in income in 2017 and 2018. He has agreed to pay back taxes and interest of $1.25 million and forfeit $1.3 million seized from bank accounts.
Nix began the sports bookmaking business about 20 years ago after his six-year minor league career — with stops in Arizona, Texas and California — ended, prosecutors said.
His client list was created from contacts he had made in the sports world and included current and former pro athletes. The agents he hired helped expand that clientele.
The operation eventually began using a Costa Rican business, Sand Island Sports, to create accounts where bets could be placed and tracked and credit limits set, prosecutors said. Bets were placed online or through a call center, though Nix paid winners and kept most of the money from losing bets.
Those who exceeded credit limits were shut off, though exceptions were made, according to court documents.
A sports broadcaster's account was reactivated in February 2019 after he told Nix he was refinancing his home mortgage to pay off his gambling debts.
In September 2019, Nix increased the credit limit to a baseball player with debts so he could make additional bets.
In November, 2019, Nix's partner, Edon Kagasoff, told a business manager for a professional basketball player that he would increase the maximum wager he could place to $25,000 per NBA game.
Kagasoff, 44, faces the same conspiracy charge as Nix. He also agreed to plead guilty and forfeit over $3 million in funds seized from his home and bank accounts.
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20220401
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https://www.springfieldnewssun.com/nation-world/live-updates-last-russian-troops-leave-chernobyl-plant/FQ4CNF4OLBFEPH3GINNW2SBMBE/
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The last Russian troops left the Chernobyl nuclear plant early Friday, according to the Ukrainian government agency responsible for the exclusion zone around the plant.
Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said Russian troops who dug trenches in the forest were exposed to radiation, but that could not be confirmed.
The Ukrainian nuclear operator company Energoatom said Thursday that Russian troops were headed toward Ukraine’s border with Belarus.
Energoatom said that the Russian military was also preparing to leave Slavutych, a nearby city where power plant workers live.
___
KEY DEVELOPMENTS IN THE RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR:
— Heavy fighting rages near Kyiv as Russia appears to regroup
— Kremlin decree says foreign currency can still buy natural gas
— As Russia sees tech brain drain, other nations hope to gain
— Ukraine refugees encouraged to find work as exodus slows
— Ukrainians in US mobilize to help expected refugees
— Go to https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine for more coverage
___
OTHER DEVELOPMENTS:
LVIV, UKRAINE — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said after Russian troops withdrew from the north and center of the country, the situation has been heating up in the southeast where Russian forces are building up for new powerful attacks.
In his nighttime video address to the nation Thursday, Zelenskyy said it was heartening for all Ukrainians to see Russian troops retreating from north of Kyiv, from around the northern town of Chernihiv and from Sumy in the northeast. By he urged Ukrainians not to let up, saying the withdrawal was just a Russian tactic.
“We know their intentions. We know what they are planning and what they are doing,” Zelenskyy said. ““We know that they are moving away from those areas where we hit them in order to focus on other, very important ones where it may be difficult for us.
“We all want to win,” Zelenskyy added. “But there will be battles ahead. We still have to go through a very difficult path ahead to get everything we are striving for.”
Zelenskyy said he spoke Thursday with European Council President Charles Michel and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, while his adviser spoke with U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan.
“We need more support from our partners right now when Russian troops are concentrating additional forces in certain areas,” Zelenskyy said.
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WASHINGTON — The top-ranking Ukrainian Catholic cleric in the United States warned Thursday that religious minorities in the Eastern European country stand to be “crushed” if Moscow gains control, as fighting raged on more than a month after the Russian invasion began.
Archbishop Borys Gudziak said groups at risk include Catholics, Muslims and Orthodox who have broken away from the patriarch of Moscow.
Gudziak also cited reports that Russian forces have damaged two Holocaust memorials and Moscow’s false portrayal of Ukraine as a “Nazi” state although Ukraine overwhelmingly elected a Jewish president in Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
“What is at stake for the people of faith is their freedom to practice their faith,” Gudziak said during an online panel discussion on the war, hosted by the Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life at Georgetown University.
Gudziak is head of the Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia and president of Ukrainian Catholic University in Lviv, Ukraine. He also oversees external relations for the Kyiv-based Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church.
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WASHINGTON — The Pentagon says an initial half-dozen shipments of weapons and other security assistance have reached Ukraine as part of the $800 million package of aid that President Joe Biden approved on March 16.
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said Thursday that the shipments included Javelin anti-tank weapons, Stinger anti-aircraft missile systems, body armor, medical supplies and other material. He said the 100 Switchblade armed drones that Biden approved as part of the package have not yet been delivered.
Kirby said the $800 million in assistance is likely to be fully delivered within about two weeks. It also includes Mi-17 helicopters, small arms, ammunition, vehicles, secure communications systems, and satellite imagery and analysis capability.
Separately, Kirby said U.S. troops are not training Ukrainian troops in Poland but are acting as liaisons with Ukrainian personnel who cross the border into Poland to take possession of U.S. security assistance. He noted that the standard U.S. military training mission that had existed in Ukraine for years was suspended shortly before Russia invaded.
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DOHA, Qatar — A video showing the head of Ukrainian soccer wearing an armored vest on the streets of Kyiv brought the impact of Russia’s war into the FIFA Congress.
Andriy Pavelko used a recorded message to the gathering in Qatar on Thursday to talk about the deaths of footballers even as the sport “has taken a back seat in our country.”
The gathering in Doha featured delegates from Russia, including Alexey Sorokin, the chief executive of Russia’s 2018 World Cup organizing committee.
Russia won’t be in the draw for the World Cup on Friday after being disqualified from playing internationally by FIFA over the war. Ukraine can still qualify but its playoff semifinal against Scotland has been postponed until June with the hope the team will be in a position to return to the field by then.
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LVIV, Ukraine — Ukraine’s ombudsperson says that at least one person has been killed and four others have been wounded in the Russian shelling of a humanitarian convoy.
Ukrainian Human Rights Commissioner Lyudmyla Denisova said those who came under the shelling on Thursday were volunteers accompanying a convoy of buses sent to the northern city of Chernihiv to evacuate residents.
She said that the Russian forces besieging Chernihiv have made it impossible to evacuate civilians from the city that has been cut from food, water and other supplies.
The Russian shelling continued two days after Moscow announced it would scale back military operations around Kyiv and Chernihiv.
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BERLIN — The International Atomic Energy Agency says it has been informed by Ukraine that the Russian forces which were in control of the Chernobyl nuclear plant have “in writing, transferred control” of the facility to Ukrainian personnel.
Ukraine said three convoys of Russian forces have already left the site toward Belarus, while the remaining troops were presumed to be preparing to leave, the agency said Thursday.
The IAEA added that it was in close consultations with Ukrainian authorities on sending a first assistance and support mission to Chernobyl in the next few days.
The agency said it has not been able to confirm reports of Russian forces receiving high doses of radiation while being inside the exclusion zone of the now-closed plant, but is seeking further information in order to provide an independent assessment of the situation.
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ANKARA, Turkey — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan renewed his offer to host a meeting between the Ukrainian and Russian leaders during a telephone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
A statement from Erdogan’s office said the Turkish president also told Zelenskyy Thursday that a meeting between Ukrainian and Russian negotiators who met in Istanbul earlier this week had given “a meaningful impetus” to efforts to end the fighting.
Earlier this week, Ukraine’s delegation laid out a framework under which the country would declare itself neutral and its security would be guaranteed by an array of nations, including Turkey.
Meanwhile, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said during a joint news conference with a top Turkish Cypriot official that Erdogan also is expected to speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
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WASHINGTON — U.S. President Joe Biden on Thursday said there’s “no clear evidence” that Vladimir Putin is scaling back military operations around Kyiv and suggested that the Russian president may have ordered some of his advisers fired or placed under house arrest.
Biden told reporters that “there’s some indication” that Putin has taken those steps against some of his advisers. He added, “But I don’t want to put too much stock in that at this time because we don’t have that much hard evidence.”
The White House on Wednesday released unclassified intelligence findings that Putin is being misinformed by his advisors about how badly the Russian military is performing.
The president made the comments after formally announcing that the U.S. would release 1 million barrels of oil per day from the nation’s strategic petroleum reserve in hopes of easing surging gasoline prices.
Biden also reiterated that his administration remains skeptical that Russia will scale back operations around Kyiv as Moscow announced earlier this week.
Russian forces continued to shell Kyiv suburbs Thursday, two days after the Kremlin announced it would significantly scale back operations near both the capital and the northern city of Chernihiv.
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UNITED NATIONS — The U.N. humanitarian coordinator in Ukraine says the United Nations and its partners have delivered supplies for thousands of people in the country’s northeast but have been unable to reach some encircled cities in the south.
Osnat Lubrani said Thursday that food rations from the humanitarian organization People in Need and the U.N. World Food Program will benefit nearly 6,000 people in Sumy and areas including Trostianets and Okhtyrka.
In addition, she said, basic household items including blankets and kettles from the U.N. refugee agency will support 1,500 people and sanitation kits will help 6,000 people with hygiene and drinking water.
Lubrani said medical supplies and trauma kits from the U.N. World Health Organization will treat 150 patients needing intensive care for serious injuries while other medical supplies will support 10,000 people for three months.
Shei said the U.N.-facilitated humanitarian notification system with Ukraine and Russia enabled safe passage for the convoy to Sumy on Thursday “but this is clearly not enough.” Efforts over the past month to reach Mauripol, Kherson and other encircled cities in the south have been unsuccessful because of safety concerns.
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BERLIN — The U.N. nuclear watchdog says its director-general has arrived in Russia’s Baltic Sea exclave of Kaliningrad for talks with senior Russian officials.
The International Atomic Energy Agency didn’t specify in a tweet whom exactly Rafael Mariano Grossi will meet on Friday or give further details of his agenda.
He arrived in Kaliningrad Thursday following a visit to Ukraine, where he visited a nuclear power plant and conferred with the energy minister and other officials on efforts to ensure the safety of Ukraine’s nuclear power plants.
Ukraine has 15 active nuclear reactors at four plants -- one of which, at Zaporizhzhia, is under the Russian military’s control.
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GENEVA — A team with the International Committee of the Red Cross has arrived in a Ukraine-held city where staff are preparing to take civilians out of the beleaguered port city of Mariupol.
Julien Lerisson, deputy director of operations for the ICRC, said Thursday that the team assembling in the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia, has medicines, food, water, hygiene items and other essentials.
He said the organization has high-level agreement for the mission but is focused on making sure “the order trickles down the chain of command,” allowing the team to enter and leave Mariupol safely.
The Russian military has said it committed to a cease-fire along the route from Mariupol to Zaporizhzhia. Ukrainian authorities have said 45 buses would be sent to collect citizens and provide resources to those who remain.
Lucile Marbeau, a staff member with the ICRC team hoping to enter Mariupol, said on Thursday: “We’re here because really, we hope to be able to facilitate safe passage for civilians desperately wanting to flee Mariupol.”
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LONDON — Britain’s defense minister says Ukraine’s international allies have agreed to send more military equipment, including artillery ammunition and armored vehicles.
U.K. Defence Secretary Ben Wallace held a conference call Thursday with defense ministers from more than 35 countries, including the United States, New Zealand, South Korea and Japan.
Wallace said that as a result “there will be more lethal aid going into Ukraine.” He said that would include “more long-range artillery, ammunition predominantly,” to help counter Russia’s bombardment of Ukraine’s cities.
Wallace said Ukraine was “also looking for armoured vehicles of some types, not tanks necessarily, but certainly protective vehicles.”
He said allies were also “looking to see what more we can do” to help Ukraine defend its coastline.
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WASHINGTON — The Biden administration has sanctioned an employee of a state-affiliated Russian defense firm that developed malicious software that was used to target the energy sector.
The Treasury Department on Thursday sanctioned Evgeny Viktorovich Gladkikh. He was one of four Russians charged in Justice Department indictments unsealed last week that alleged the hacking by Russia of critical infrastructure around the globe, including in the U.S. energy and aviation sectors.
Among the thousands of computers targeted in some 135 countries were of a Saudi petro-chemical plant where the hackers overrode safety controls.
That hack is singled out in a Treasury Department release announcing sanctions against Gladikh and several other employees of the research firm. In total, the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control announced that it was designating 21 entities and 13 individuals, including in the aerospace, marine and electronics sectors.
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LVIV, Ukraine — Russian troops were leaving the Chernobyl nuclear power plant and heading towards Ukraine’s border with Belarus, the Ukrainian nuclear operator company said Thursday.
The operator, Energoatom, said that the Russian military was also preparing to leave Slavutych, a nearby city where power plant workers live.
Energoatom also said reports were confirmed that the Russians dug trenches in the Red Forest, the 10-square-kilometer (nearly four-square-mile) area surrounding the Chernobyl plant within the Exclusion Zone, and received “significant doses of radiation.”
The Russian troops “panicked at the first sign of illness,” which “showed up very quickly,” and began to prepare to leave, the operator said. The claim couldn’t be independently verified.
Energoatom said the Russians have signed a document confirming the handover of the Chernobyl plant and stating that the plant’s administration doesn’t have any complaints about the Russian troops who were “guarding” the facility.
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LONDON — The head of Britain’s military says Russian President Vladimir Putin has “already lost” in Ukraine and is weaker than he was before the invasion.
Adm. Tony Radakin at a think-tank seminar Thursday in London said Moscow’s aim to “take the whole of Ukraine” fell apart. He added that the coming weeks “will continue to be very difficult” for Ukraine.
“But in many ways, Putin has already lost,” he said. “Far from being the far-sighted manipulator of events that he would have us believe, Putin has damaged himself through a series of catastrophic misjudgements.”
Radakin also said there was “disquiet” at all levels of Russia’s military about the campaign, from troops who were not told they were invading Ukraine up to senior commanders.
Western officials say Putin’s small inner circle is not giving him the true picture of the war, and his isolation may have contributed to miscalculating the strength of resistance Russian troops would meet.
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BERLIN — The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe expressed regret Thursday at Russia’s decision to veto the extension of its observer mission in Ukraine.
The OSCE’s special monitoring mission has been present in Ukraine since 2014, when fighting between Ukrainians and Russia-backed separatists broke out in the country’s eastern regions after Russia’s annexation of Crimea.
Polish Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau, who holds the OSCE rotating chair, said the observers had played a “crucial role by providing objective information on the security and humanitarian situation on the ground and relentlessly working to ease the effects of the conflict on the civilian population” in Ukraine for the past eight year.
The Vienna-based body’s secretary general, Helga Maria Schmid, expressed gratitude to the mission’s members, several of whom were wounded or killed over the years.
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BERLIN — Germany’s economy minister says Europe should impose additional sanctions on Russia to prevent what he described as a “barbaric” war in Ukraine.
Robert Habeck said he discussed what further measures could be taken with his French counterpart during a bilateral meeting in Berlin on Thursday.
“The last package (of sanctions) doesn’t need to be the final one, it should not be the final one,” he told reporters, adding that he and French Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire had “identified additional points that could be included in a (sanctions) package.”
Habeck declined to elaborate on what those points might be.
Speaking ahead of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s announcement on new rules requiring countries to pay for Russia’s natural gas sales in rubles, Habeck insisted that contracts would be adhered to. These stipulate payment in euros or dollars.
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BERLIN — The Austrian and German leaders have underlined their rejection of a halt to Russian energy deliveries at this point.
Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer noted that several central and eastern European countries depend to one extent or another on Russian gas deliveries.
He and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz argued that existing sanctions already are having a significant effect and said they need time to switch to new providers and renewable energy sources.
Nehammer said that “sanctions only make sense … when they hit those they are supposed to hit, and don’t weaken those who carry out sanctions.”
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ROME — A Kremlin decree says “unfriendly countries” can continue to pay for natural gas in foreign currency through a Russian bank that will convert the money into rubles.
The decree published Thursday by state media came a day after the leaders of Italy and Germany said they received assurances from President Vladimir Putin.
Putin talked tougher, saying Russia will start accepting ruble payments starting Friday for Western countries that imposed sanctions over its conflict with Ukraine. He said contracts will be stopped if buyers don’t sign up to the new conditions, including opening ruble accounts in Russian banks.
European leaders had rejected paying for deliveries in rubles, saying it would undermine sanctions imposed because of the war in Ukraine.
The decree Putin signed and published by state news agency RIA Novosti says a designated bank will open two accounts for each buyer, one in foreign currency and one in rubles. The buyers will pay in foreign currency and authorize the bank to sell that currency for rubles, which are placed in the second account, where the gas is formally purchased.
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ROME — Italy’s leader is urging Europe to “cultivate all available land” as a partial remedy to reductions in agricultural imports, especially of Russian grain, due to the war in Ukraine.
Premier Mario Draghi told reporters on Thursday that under existing agricultural practices in the European Union 10% of land is purposely left fallow, but that must now change as European countries search for ways to reduce dependency on farm imports.
It’s not clear whether Ukraine, one of the world’s largest exporters of wheat, maize and sunflower oil, might be able to salvage any of this planting season.
Meanwhile, Draghi noted that Western Europe will be looking to food producers like Canada, the United States and Argentina to help make up the shortfall of imports from Ukraine and Russia.
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STOCKHOLM — The deputy director of Sweden’s Military Intelligence and Security agency says Russia has made “a strategic miscalculation when invading Ukraine.”
Daniel Olsson said the invasion of Ukraine “has shown that the Russian leadership is ready to take great risks, larger than previously taken.”
The government agency’s analysis suggested a likely “a western containment of Russia,” including reducing trade in Russian energy.
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LOS ANGELES (AP) — Oscars producer Will Packer said Los Angeles police were ready to arrest Will Smith after Smith slapped Chris Rock on the Academy Awards stage.
"They were saying, you know, this is battery, was a word they used in that moment," Packer said in a clip released by ABC News Thursday night of an interview he gave to "Good Morning America." "They said we will go get him. We are prepared. We're prepared to get him right now. You can press charges, we can arrest him. They were laying out the options."
But Packer said Rock was “very dismissive” of the idea.
“He was like, ‘No, no, no, I’m fine,” Packer said. "And even to the point where I said, ‘Rock, let them finish.’ The LAPD officers finished laying out what his options were and they said, ‘Would you like us to take any action?’ And he said no.”
The LAPD said in a statement after Sunday night's ceremony that they were aware of the incident, and that Rock had declined to file a police report. The department declined comment Thursday on Packer's interview, a longer version of which will air on Friday morning.
The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences met Wednesday to initiate disciplinary proceedings against Smith for violations against the group's standards of conduct. Smith could be suspended, expelled or otherwise sanctioned.
The academy said in a statement that “Mr. Smith’s actions at the 94th Oscars were a deeply shocking, traumatic event to witness in-person and on television."
Without giving specifics, the academy said Smith was asked to leave the ceremony at the Dolby Theatre, but refused to do so.
Smith strode from his front row seat on to the stage and slapped Rock after a joke Rock made about Smith's wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, when he was on stage to present the Oscar for best documentary.
On Monday, Smith issued an apology to Rock, the academy and to viewers, saying "I was out of line and I was wrong."
The academy said Smith has the opportunity to defend himself in a written response before the board meets again on April 18.
Rock publicly addressed the incident for the first time, but only briefly, at the beginning of a standup show Wednesday night in Boston, where he was greeted by a thunderous standing ovation. He said "I'm still kind of processing what happened."
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Follow AP Entertainment Writer Andrew Dalton on Twitter: https://twitter.com/andyjamesdalton
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“There will be battles ahead,” he added.
Meanwhile, a convoy of 45 buses headed to Mariupol in another bid to evacuate people from the besieged port city after the Russian military agreed to a limited cease-fire in the area. But Russian forces blocked the buses, and only 631 people were able to get out of the city in private cars, according to the Ukrainian government.
Twelve Ukrainian trucks were able to deliver humanitarian supplies to Mariupol, but they were all seized by Russian troops, Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said late Thursday.
The city has been the scene of some of the worst suffering of the war. Tens of thousands have managed to get out of Mariupol in the past few weeks by way of humanitarian corridors, reducing its population from a prewar 430,000 to an estimated 100,000 as of last week, but other relief efforts have been thwarted by continued Russian attacks.
A new round of talks was scheduled for Friday, five weeks into the war that has left thousands dead and driven 4 million Ukrainians from the country.
The International Atomic Energy Agency said it had been informed by Ukraine that the Russian forces at the site of the world's worst nuclear disaster had transferred control of it in writing to the Ukrainians.
The last Russian troops left the Chernobyl plant early Friday, the Ukrainian government agency responsible for the exclusion zone said.
Energoatom gave no details on the condition of the soldiers it said were exposed to radiation and did not say how many were affected. There was no immediate comment from the Kremlin, and the IAEA said it had not been able to confirm the reports of Russian troops receiving high doses. It said it was seeking more information.
Russian forces seized the Chernobyl site in the opening stages of the Feb. 24 invasion, raising fears that they would cause damage or disruption that could spread radiation. The workforce at the site oversees the safe storage of spent fuel rods and the concrete-entombed ruins of the reactor that exploded in 1986.
Edwin Lyman, a nuclear expert with the U.S.-based Union of Concerned Scientists, said it “seems unlikely" a large number of troops would develop severe radiation illness, but it was impossible to know for sure without more details.
He said contaminated material was probably buried or covered with new topsoil during the cleanup of Chernobyl, and some soldiers may have been exposed to a “hot spot” of radiation while digging. Others may have assumed they were at risk too, he said.
Early this week, the Russians said they would significantly scale back military operations in areas around Kyiv and the northern city of Chernihiv to increase trust between the two sides and help negotiations along.
But in the Kyiv suburbs, regional governor Oleksandr Palviuk said on social media Thursday that Russian forces shelled Irpin and Makariv and that there were battles around Hostomel. Pavliuk said there were Ukrainian counterattacks and some Russian withdrawals around the suburb of Brovary to the east.
Chernihiv came under attack as well. At least one person was killed and four were wounded in the Russian shelling of a humanitarian convoy of buses sent to Chernihiv to evacuate residents cut off from food, water and other supplies, said Ukrainian Human Rights Commissioner Lyudmyla Denisova
Ukraine also reported Russian artillery barrages in and around the northeastern city of Kharkiv.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said intelligence indicates Russia is not scaling back its military operations in Ukraine but is instead trying to regroup, resupply its forces and reinforce its offensive in the Donbas.
“Russia has repeatedly lied about its intentions,” Stoltenberg said. At the same time, he said, pressure is being kept up on Kyiv and other cities, and “we can expect additional offensive actions bringing even more suffering.”
The Donbas is the predominantly Russian-speaking industrial region where Moscow-backed separatists have been battling Ukrainian forces since 2014. In the past few days, the Kremlin, in a seeming shift in its war aims, said that its “main goal” now is gaining control of the Donbas, which consists of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, including Mariupol.
The top rebel leader in Donetsk, Denis Pushilin, issued an order to set up a rival city government for Mariupol, according to Russian state news agencies, in a sign of Russian intent to hold and administer the city.
With talks set to resume between Ukraine and Russia via video, there seemed little faith that the two sides would resolve the conflict any time soon.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said that conditions weren’t yet “ripe” for a cease-fire and that he wasn’t ready for a meeting with Zelenskyy until negotiators do more work, Italian Premier Mario Draghi said after a telephone conversation with the Russian leader.
In other developments, Ukraine’s emergency services said the death toll had risen to 20 in a Russian missile strike Tuesday on a government administration building in the southern city of Mykolaiv.
As Western officials search for clues about what Russia's next move might be, a top British intelligence official said demoralized Russian soldiers in Ukraine are refusing to carry out orders and sabotaging their equipment and had accidentally shot down their own aircraft.
In a speech in Australia, Jeremy Fleming, head of the GCHQ electronic spy agency, said Putin had apparently “massively misjudged” the invasion.
The Pentagon reported Thursday that an initial half-dozen shipments of weapons and other security assistance from the U.S. have reached Ukraine as part of an $800 million aid package President Joe Biden approved this month.
The shipments included Javelin anti-tank weapons, Stinger anti-aircraft missile systems, body armor, medical supplies and other materials, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said.
U.S. intelligence officials have concluded that Putin is being misinformed by his advisers about how badly the war is going because they are afraid to tell him the truth.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the U.S. is wrong and that “neither the State Department nor the Pentagon possesses the real information about what is happening in the Kremlin.”
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Karmanau reported from Lviv, Ukraine. Associated Press journalists around the world contributed to this report.
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Follow the AP's coverage of the war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
Caption People hide in a basement of a church which is used as a bomb shelter, after fleeing from nearby villages, that have been attacked by the Russian army, in the town of Bashtanka, Mykolaiv district, Ukraine, on Thursday, March 31, 2022. The talks between Ukraine and Russia will resume on Friday as NATO Secretary-General says Russia does not appear to be scaling back its military operations in Ukraine but is instead redeploying forces to the eastern Donbas region. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
Credit: Petros Giannakouris
Credit: Petros Giannakouris
Caption People hide in a basement of a church which is used as a bomb shelter, after fleeing from nearby villages, that have been attacked by the Russian army, in the town of Bashtanka, Mykolaiv district, Ukraine, on Thursday, March 31, 2022. The talks between Ukraine and Russia will resume on Friday as NATO Secretary-General says Russia does not appear to be scaling back its military operations in Ukraine but is instead redeploying forces to the eastern Donbas region. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
Credit: Petros Giannakouris
Credit: Petros Giannakouris
Caption Destroyed Russian armor vehicles are seen in the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, March 31, 2022. Russian forces shelled Kyiv suburbs, two days after the Kremlin announced it would significantly scale back operations near both the capital and the northern city of Chernihiv to “increase mutual trust and create conditions for further negotiations.” (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Credit: Rodrigo Abd
Caption Destroyed Russian armor vehicles are seen in the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, March 31, 2022. Russian forces shelled Kyiv suburbs, two days after the Kremlin announced it would significantly scale back operations near both the capital and the northern city of Chernihiv to “increase mutual trust and create conditions for further negotiations.” (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Credit: Rodrigo Abd
Credit: Rodrigo Abd
Caption Ukrainian soldiers carry a body of a civilian killed by the Russian forces over the destroyed bridge in Irpin close to Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, March 31, 2022. The more than month-old war has killed thousands and driven more than 10 million Ukrainians from their homes including almost 4 million from their country. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
Credit: Efrem Lukatsky
Caption Ukrainian soldiers carry a body of a civilian killed by the Russian forces over the destroyed bridge in Irpin close to Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, March 31, 2022. The more than month-old war has killed thousands and driven more than 10 million Ukrainians from their homes including almost 4 million from their country. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
Credit: Efrem Lukatsky
Credit: Efrem Lukatsky
Caption Oleksandr, 81, rides a bicycle next to a destroyed Russian tank in the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, March 31, 2022. Russian forces shelled Kyiv suburbs, two days after the Kremlin announced it would significantly scale back operations near both the capital and the northern city of Chernihiv to “increase mutual trust and create conditions for further negotiations.” (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Credit: Rodrigo Abd
Caption Oleksandr, 81, rides a bicycle next to a destroyed Russian tank in the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, March 31, 2022. Russian forces shelled Kyiv suburbs, two days after the Kremlin announced it would significantly scale back operations near both the capital and the northern city of Chernihiv to “increase mutual trust and create conditions for further negotiations.” (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Credit: Rodrigo Abd
Credit: Rodrigo Abd
Caption A Ukrainian soldier stands one top of a destroyed Russian tank on the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, March 31, 2022. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Credit: Rodrigo Abd
Caption A Ukrainian soldier stands one top of a destroyed Russian tank on the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, March 31, 2022. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Credit: Rodrigo Abd
Credit: Rodrigo Abd
Caption Ukrainian servicemen ride on an armored transporter driving through a Russian position overran by Ukrainian forces outside Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, March 31, 2022. Heavy fighting raged on the outskirts of Kyiv and other zones Thursday amid indications the Kremlin is using talk of de-escalation as cover while regrouping and resupplying its forces and redeploying them for a stepped-up offensive in eastern Ukraine.(AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
Credit: Vadim Ghirda
Caption Ukrainian servicemen ride on an armored transporter driving through a Russian position overran by Ukrainian forces outside Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, March 31, 2022. Heavy fighting raged on the outskirts of Kyiv and other zones Thursday amid indications the Kremlin is using talk of de-escalation as cover while regrouping and resupplying its forces and redeploying them for a stepped-up offensive in eastern Ukraine.(AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
Credit: Vadim Ghirda
Credit: Vadim Ghirda
Caption A Ukrainian soldier crosses the destroyed bridge in Irpin close to Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, March 31, 2022. The more than month-old war has killed thousands and driven more than 10 million Ukrainians from their homes including almost 4 million from their country. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
Credit: Efrem Lukatsky
Caption A Ukrainian soldier crosses the destroyed bridge in Irpin close to Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, March 31, 2022. The more than month-old war has killed thousands and driven more than 10 million Ukrainians from their homes including almost 4 million from their country. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
Credit: Efrem Lukatsky
Credit: Efrem Lukatsky
Caption Ukrainian soldiers carry a body of a civilian killed by the Russian forces under the destroyed bridge in Irpin close to Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, March 31, 2022. The more than month-old war has killed thousands and driven more than 10 million Ukrainians from their homes including almost 4 million from their country. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
Credit: Efrem Lukatsky
Caption Ukrainian soldiers carry a body of a civilian killed by the Russian forces under the destroyed bridge in Irpin close to Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, March 31, 2022. The more than month-old war has killed thousands and driven more than 10 million Ukrainians from their homes including almost 4 million from their country. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
Credit: Efrem Lukatsky
Credit: Efrem Lukatsky
Caption Private cars burnt by the Russian forces and left by refugees on the road outside Irpin close to Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, March 31, 2022. The more than month-old war has killed thousands and driven more than 10 million Ukrainians from their homes including almost 4 million from their country. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
Credit: Efrem Lukatsky
Caption Private cars burnt by the Russian forces and left by refugees on the road outside Irpin close to Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, March 31, 2022. The more than month-old war has killed thousands and driven more than 10 million Ukrainians from their homes including almost 4 million from their country. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
Credit: Efrem Lukatsky
Credit: Efrem Lukatsky
Caption A Russian military hat lies on the pavement after Ukrainian forces overran a Russian position outside Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, March 31, 2022. Heavy fighting raged on the outskirts of Kyiv and other zones Thursday amid indications the Kremlin is using talk of de-escalation as cover while regrouping and resupplying its forces and redeploying them for a stepped-up offensive in eastern Ukraine.(AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
Credit: Vadim Ghirda
Caption A Russian military hat lies on the pavement after Ukrainian forces overran a Russian position outside Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, March 31, 2022. Heavy fighting raged on the outskirts of Kyiv and other zones Thursday amid indications the Kremlin is using talk of de-escalation as cover while regrouping and resupplying its forces and redeploying them for a stepped-up offensive in eastern Ukraine.(AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
Credit: Vadim Ghirda
Credit: Vadim Ghirda
Caption Ukrainian soldiers collect bodies of civilians killed by the Russian forces at the destroyed bridge in Irpin close to Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, March 31, 2022. The more than month-old war has killed thousands and driven more than 10 million Ukrainians from their homes including almost 4 million from their country. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
Credit: Efrem Lukatsky
Caption Ukrainian soldiers collect bodies of civilians killed by the Russian forces at the destroyed bridge in Irpin close to Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, March 31, 2022. The more than month-old war has killed thousands and driven more than 10 million Ukrainians from their homes including almost 4 million from their country. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
Credit: Efrem Lukatsky
Credit: Efrem Lukatsky
Caption A machine gun of a Ukrainian soldier rests next to condiments for lunch in the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, March 31, 2022. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Credit: Rodrigo Abd
Caption A machine gun of a Ukrainian soldier rests next to condiments for lunch in the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, March 31, 2022. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Credit: Rodrigo Abd
Credit: Rodrigo Abd
Caption A Ukrainian soldier carries a dog saved from under the ruins of houses destroyed by the Russian forces in Irpin close to Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, March 31, 2022. The more than month-old war has killed thousands and driven more than 10 million Ukrainians from their homes including almost 4 million from their country. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
Credit: Efrem Lukatsky
Caption A Ukrainian soldier carries a dog saved from under the ruins of houses destroyed by the Russian forces in Irpin close to Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, March 31, 2022. The more than month-old war has killed thousands and driven more than 10 million Ukrainians from their homes including almost 4 million from their country. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
Credit: Efrem Lukatsky
Credit: Efrem Lukatsky
Caption An elderly woman who was evacuated from Irpin, lies on a stretcher on the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, March 31, 2022. Heavy fighting raged on the outskirts of Kyiv and other zones Thursday amid indications the Kremlin is using talk of de-escalation as cover while regrouping and resupplying its forces and redeploying them for a stepped-up offensive in eastern Ukraine.(AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
Credit: Vadim Ghirda
Caption An elderly woman who was evacuated from Irpin, lies on a stretcher on the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, March 31, 2022. Heavy fighting raged on the outskirts of Kyiv and other zones Thursday amid indications the Kremlin is using talk of de-escalation as cover while regrouping and resupplying its forces and redeploying them for a stepped-up offensive in eastern Ukraine.(AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
Credit: Vadim Ghirda
Credit: Vadim Ghirda
Caption Ukrainians arrive at the border crossing in Medyka, southeastern Poland, Thursday, March 31, 2022. The talks between Ukraine and Russia will resume on Friday as NATO Secretary-General says Russia does not appear to be scaling back its military operations in Ukraine but is instead redeploying forces to the eastern Donbas region. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits)
Credit: Sergei Grits
Caption Ukrainians arrive at the border crossing in Medyka, southeastern Poland, Thursday, March 31, 2022. The talks between Ukraine and Russia will resume on Friday as NATO Secretary-General says Russia does not appear to be scaling back its military operations in Ukraine but is instead redeploying forces to the eastern Donbas region. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits)
Credit: Sergei Grits
Credit: Sergei Grits
Caption Ukrainian servicemen ride on an armored transporter driving through a Russian position overran by Ukrainian forces outside Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, March 31, 2022. Heavy fighting raged on the outskirts of Kyiv and other zones Thursday amid indications the Kremlin is using talk of de-escalation as cover while regrouping and resupplying its forces and redeploying them for a stepped-up offensive in eastern Ukraine. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
Credit: Vadim Ghirda
Caption Ukrainian servicemen ride on an armored transporter driving through a Russian position overran by Ukrainian forces outside Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, March 31, 2022. Heavy fighting raged on the outskirts of Kyiv and other zones Thursday amid indications the Kremlin is using talk of de-escalation as cover while regrouping and resupplying its forces and redeploying them for a stepped-up offensive in eastern Ukraine. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
Credit: Vadim Ghirda
Credit: Vadim Ghirda
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https://www.springfieldnewssun.com/nation-world/wwf-report-says-online-wildlife-trade-on-rise-in-myanmar/UAH7JMF4CNB4ZDBMLGKNBFA7JA/
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BANGKOK (AP) — A report by the World Wildlife Fund shows illegal purchases of wildlife online are growing in Myanmar in a threat both to public health and to endangered species.
The report released Friday found that enforcement of bans on such transactions has weakened amid political turmoil following a 2021 military takeover.
The number of such dealings rose 74% over a year earlier to 11,046, nearly all of them involving sales of live animals. For the 173 species traded, 54 are threatened with global extinction, the report said.
Researchers identified 639 Facebook accounts belonging to wildlife traders. The largest online trading group had more than 19,000 members and dozens of posts per week, it said.
The animals bought and sold included elephants, bears and gibbons, Tibetan antelope, critically endangered pangolins and an Asian giant tortoise. The most popular were various species of monkeys, often bought as pets.
Most of the animals advertised for sale were taken from the wild. They also included civets, which along with pangolins have been identified as potential vectors in the spread of diseases such as SARS and COVID-19.
Shaun Martin, who heads the WWF's Asia-Pacific regional cybercrime project, said monitoring of the online wildlife trade shows different species being kept close together, sometimes in the same cage.
“With Asia’s track record as a breeding ground for many recent zoonotic diseases, this sharp uptick in online trade of wildlife in Myanmar is extremely concerning,” he said.
The unregulated trade in wild species and resulting interactions between wild species and humans raise the risks of new and possibly vaccine-resistant mutations of illnesses such as the COVID-19 that could evolve undetected in non-human hosts into more dangerous variants of disease, experts say.
COVID-19 is one of many diseases traced back to animals. The killing and sale of what is known as bushmeat in Africa was thought to be a source for Ebola. Bird flu likely came from chickens at a market in Hong Kong in 1997. Measles is believed to have evolved from a virus that infected cattle.
“Illegal wildlife trade is a serious concern from the point of view of biodiversity preservation and conservation and its potential impact on health security," said Mary Elizabeth G. Miranda, an expert on zoonotic diseases and illness and CEO of the Field Epidemiology Training Program Alumni Foundation in the Philippines.
Social media and other online platforms have joined a worldwide effort to crack down on the thriving trade in birds, reptiles, mammals and animal parts. In Myanmar, much of the trade in wildlife is through Facebook, which as a member of the Coalition to End Wildlife Trafficking online has taken action to block or remove accounts of people engaged in such transactions.
But as is true elsewhere, new accounts often pop up just as soon as old ones are shut down, hindering enforcement, the report noted. Easy online access to the animals also is driving up demand, worsening the problem.
Discussions of purchases of protected species often took place in open Facebook groups, suggesting that such dealings remain “largely risk-free,” the report said. Since payments and deliveries often are done using messenger apps, controlling the problem is doubly difficult.
Highlighting the lack of enforcement, people in the illegal wildlife trade in Myanmar often use rudimentary methods of moving the animals and animal products around — with buses being the usual form of transport.
The study by WWF in Myanmar focused on trade online of animals and other creatures inside the country, though there were some imports from neighboring Thailand, mainly of birds such as hornbills and salmon crested cockatoos, and of crocodiles, to India.
Some deals might involve animals or parts being sent into China, it said.
The conservation group said it plans future studies to better understand Myanmar’s role in the global trade in endangered species.
Credit: James Morgan
Credit: James Morgan
Credit: Robert Patterson
Credit: Robert Patterson
Credit: James Morgan
Credit: James Morgan
Credit: Uncredited
Credit: Uncredited
Credit: Michele Depraz
Credit: Michele Depraz
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20220401
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https://www.springfieldnewssun.com/news/musicals-walks-and-tours-among-events-around-clark-and-champaign-counties-this-weekend/DXKXHFSISJEAFLLRJTKP336L34/
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Here are some events that will be going on in Clark and Champaign counties this weekend:
Mechanicsburg Blood Drive
A blood drive sponsored by Mechanicsburg Exempted Village Schools will be held from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. today in the high school gymnasium, 60 High St.
To schedule an appointment, contact Elizabeth Porter.
Graham High School Musical
The Graham High School Music Department will present the musical, The Addams Family, at 7 p.m. today and Saturday in the Graham Middle School Auditeria.
There is full capacity seating and reserved seats are on sale. Tickets can be purchased by emailing Katie Setty at ghstickets@gmail.com or by calling GHS main office at 937-663-4127. All requests will be taken in order they are timestamped.
Due to the rising costs involved in producing a musical as well as the pandemic, the musical theater department is offering the opportunity to make additional contributions to assist with production costs and to help ensure the continuation of these performances. If you feel you want to help, fill out the form that can be found on the district’s website and social media accounts.
Tecumseh Walking Club
The Tecumseh Trailblazers Walking Club, a local club of the nonprofit national group American Volkssport Association (AVA), will host a walk to celebrate National Walking Week on Saturday starting at the Depot Coffee House, 644 Miami St. in Urbana.
The walk is free, but registration is required and will be held from 9 a.m. to noon and ends at 3 p.m. Everyone is welcome. Written directions will be offered for a 5K, 10K or 15K walk. Members of AVA can receive IVV achievement credit for $3. Parking is available across the street from the Depot Coffee House. The walk should be suitable for strollers and wagons but difficult for wheelchairs. Pets are welcome but not inside the Depot Coffee House.
For more information, email beacon811@yahoo.com or visit the Tecumseh Trailblazers on Facebook.
Kidney Disease Presentation
The Springfield Chapter of The Links, Incorporation will host a Chronic Kidney Disease Presentation via Zoom from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday.
The presenting physicians will be Dr. Annick Edon, DO Nephrologist and Dr. Denise Rodney, MD, Family Practice, with special guests Charles Sanders, a kidney transplant recipient. Registration is through Eventbrite. The Springfield Links have been collaborating with black K.A.R.E., Kidney awareness, resources, and education.
For more information about black K.A.R.E., visit www.pdempowers.com/black-kare.
Pennsylvania House Museum Tour
The Pennsylvania House Museum will be open for tours from 1 to 3 p.m. on Sunday. The cost is a donation of $10 for adults and $3 for children.
Graham Food Pantry
Graham Local School District’s Falconland Market, located in the second-grade pod at the elementary school, will be open from 1 to 3 p.m. on Sunday.
Tunes-n-Tales Show
The Clark County Public Library and the Springfield Symphony Orchestra will present Tunes-n-Tales: The Frog Prince on Sunday in the Gaier Room of the Main Library, 201 S. Fountain Ave. in Springfield. Two performances will be held: a regular performance at 2 p.m. and a sensory friendly performance at 3:30 p.m. This performance is presented in the memory of Janet McCrosky.
The afternoon will include live music, the story featuring narration of Sonya Knisley, Children’s Librarian, and the Springfield Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Music Director, Peter Stafford Wilson.
Tickets are free and available in the Lenski Children’s Center of the Main Library. Limit of five tickets per family. Tickets are required for entry to the program. For more information, call 937-328-6905.
About the Author
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20220401
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https://www.springfieldnewssun.com/news/ohio/winning-numbers-drawn-in-pick-3-evening-game/NPIXMKEJLVGU5G3TRYUIKMCP6E/
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CLEVELAND (AP) _ The winning numbers in Thursday evening's drawing of the Ohio Lottery's "Pick 3 Evening" game were:
9-7-3
(nine, seven, three)
CLEVELAND (AP) _ The winning numbers in Thursday evening's drawing of the Ohio Lottery's "Pick 3 Evening" game were:
9-7-3
(nine, seven, three)
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https://www.springfieldnewssun.com/news/ohio/winning-numbers-drawn-in-pick-4-evening-game/K5ZV2BQBZ5HPTI77FCZZLYY2VI/
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CLEVELAND (AP) _ The winning numbers in Thursday evening's drawing of the Ohio Lottery's "Pick 4 Evening" game were:
1-7-5-6
(one, seven, five, six)
CLEVELAND (AP) _ The winning numbers in Thursday evening's drawing of the Ohio Lottery's "Pick 4 Evening" game were:
1-7-5-6
(one, seven, five, six)
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20220401
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https://www.springfieldnewssun.com/news/ohio/winning-numbers-drawn-in-pick-5-evening-game/F3XK4UAY6BH7VD6YP6PGMZS6DY/
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CLEVELAND (AP) _ The winning numbers in Thursday evening's drawing of the Ohio Lottery's "Pick 5 Evening" game were:
2-3-5-4-1
(two, three, five, four, one)
CLEVELAND (AP) _ The winning numbers in Thursday evening's drawing of the Ohio Lottery's "Pick 5 Evening" game were:
2-3-5-4-1
(two, three, five, four, one)
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20220401
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https://www.springfieldnewssun.com/news/ohio/winning-numbers-drawn-in-rolling-cash-5-game/NEZCRNDRVBDXJHWBA24HZNARJE/
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CLEVELAND (AP) _ The winning numbers in Thursday evening's drawing of the Ohio Lottery's "Rolling Cash 5" game were:
23-25-26-35-39
(twenty-three, twenty-five, twenty-six, thirty-five, thirty-nine)
Estimated jackpot: $245,000
CLEVELAND (AP) _ The winning numbers in Thursday evening's drawing of the Ohio Lottery's "Rolling Cash 5" game were:
23-25-26-35-39
(twenty-three, twenty-five, twenty-six, thirty-five, thirty-nine)
Estimated jackpot: $245,000
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https://www.springfieldnewssun.com/nation-world/amazon-staff-reject-union-in-alabama-lean-toward-it-in-nyc/2VNWRPPFPFFDBNK4QC4PK2A7RI/
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“This is just the beginning and we will continue to fight,” said Stuart Appelbaum, president of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, which is organizing the union drive in Bessemer, at a Thursday press conference. “Regardless of the final outcome, workers have shown what is possible. They have helped ignite a movement.”
Appelbaum said RWDSU will be filing objections to how Amazon handled the election but declined to be specific. He also took the opportunity to lash out at current labor laws, which he believes are rigged against unions and favor corporations.
“It should not be so difficult to organize a union in the United States," he said.
If a majority of Amazon workers votes yes in either Bessemer or Staten Island, it would mark the first successful U.S. organizing effort in the company's history. Organizers have faced an uphill battle against the nation’s second-largest private employer, which is making every effort to keep unions out.
In New York, the ALU has led the charge to form a union along with Chris Smalls, a fired Amazon employee who now heads the fledging group. Turnout for the in-person election was unclear but Smalls was hopeful of victory.
“To be leading in Day One and be up a couple hundred against a trillion dollar company, this is the best feeling in the world,” Smalls said after the conclusion of Thursday’s counting.
While Smalls’ attention has been focused on securing victory in New York, similar efforts in Alabama also weighed heavily.
“I’m not too sure what’s going in Alabama right now, but I know that the sky’s the limit if you can organize any warehouse,” he said, noting that the vote in Alabama could well end up differently. “I hope that they’re successful. I don’t know what’s going on yet, but we know we show our support and solidarity with them.”
The warehouse in Staten Island employs more than 8,300 workers, who pack and ship supplies to customers based mostly in the Northeast. A labor win there was considered difficult, but organizers believe their grassroots approach is more relatable to workers and could help them overcome where established unions have failed in the past.
John Logan, director of labor and employment studies at San Francisco State University, said the early vote counts in New York has been “shocking.” ALU has no backing from an established union and is powered by former and current warehouse workers. The group had also filed for a union election after getting support from about 30% of the facility's workforce, a much lower percentage than what unions usually seek.
“I don’t think that many people thought that the Amazon Labor Union had much of a chance of winning at all,” Logan said. “And I think we’re likely to see more of those (approaches) going forward.”
Though RWDSU is currently lagging behind with challenged ballots outstanding, Logan said that election was also remarkable because the union has made a good effort narrowing its margin from last year’s election.
After a crushing defeat last year, when a majority of workers voted against forming a union, RWDSU is hoping for a different outcome in the Bessemer election, in which mail-in ballots were sent to 6,100 workers in early February. Federal labor officials scrapped the results of the first election there and ordered a re-do after ruling Amazon tainted the election process.
The RWDSU said election there had a turnout rate of about 39% this year, much smaller than last year. Appelbaum blamed the low numbers on high turnover — he believes thousands of people who worked for Amazon in January and were on the official list to be eligible to vote either quit or were fired. He also believes that an in-person election, which the RWDSU had asked for, would have made a difference
Amazon has pushed back hard in both elections. The retail giant held mandatory meetings, where workers were told unions are a bad idea. The company also launched an anti-union website targeting workers and placed English and Spanish posters across the Staten Island facility urging them to reject the union. In Bessemer, Amazon has made some changes to but still kept a controversial U.S. Postal Service mailbox that was key in the NLRB's decision to invalidate last year's vote.
Both labor fights faced unique challenges. Alabama, for instance, is a right-to-work state that prohibits a company and a union from signing a contract that requires workers to pay dues to the union that represents them.
The mostly Black workforce at the Amazon facility, which opened in 2020, mirrors the Bessemer population of more than 70% Black residents, according to the latest U.S. Census data.
Pro-union workers say they want better working conditions, longer breaks and higher wages. Regular full-time employees at the Bessemer facility earn at least $15.80 an hour, higher than the estimated $14.55 per hour on average in the city. That figure is based on an analysis of the U.S. Census Bureau’s annual median household income for Bessemer of $30,284, which could include more than one worker.
The ALU said they don’t have a demographic breakdown of the warehouse workers on Staten Island and Amazon declined to provide the information to The Associated Press, citing the union vote. Internal records leaked to The New York Times from 2019 showed more than 60% of the hourly associates at the facility were Black or Latino, while most of managers were white or Asian.
Amazon workers there are seeking longer breaks, paid time off for injured employees and an hourly wage of $30, up from a minimum of just over $18 per hour offered by the company. The estimated average wage for the borough is $41 per hour, according to a similar U.S. Census Bureau analysis of Staten Island’s $85,381 median household income.
A spokesperson for Amazon said the company invests in wages and benefits, such as health care, 401(k) plans and a prepaid college tuition program to help grow workers’ careers.
“As a company, we don’t think unions are the best answer for our employees,” the spokesperson said in an emailed statement. “Our focus remains on working directly with our team to continue making Amazon a great place to work.”
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Associated Press staff writers Tali Arbel and Bobby Caina Calvan in New York contributed to this report.
Caption Signs are posted outside the the Amazon fulfillment center in Staten Island borough of New York at a bus stop on March 16, 2022. An independent group formed by former and current Amazon workers are trying to unionize a company warehouse in New York City. If successful, the effort at the Amazon fulfillment center in Staten Island could lead to the first unionized Amazon facility in the U.S. (AP Photo/Haleluya Hadero)
Credit: Haleluya Hadero
Caption Signs are posted outside the the Amazon fulfillment center in Staten Island borough of New York at a bus stop on March 16, 2022. An independent group formed by former and current Amazon workers are trying to unionize a company warehouse in New York City. If successful, the effort at the Amazon fulfillment center in Staten Island could lead to the first unionized Amazon facility in the U.S. (AP Photo/Haleluya Hadero)
Credit: Haleluya Hadero
Credit: Haleluya Hadero
Caption Elijah Ramos stands outside the the Amazon fulfillment center in Staten Island borough of New York at a bus stop on March 16, 2022. An independent group formed by former and current Amazon workers are trying to unionize a company warehouse in New York City. If successful, the effort at the Amazon fulfillment center in Staten Island could lead to the first unionized Amazon facility in the U.S. (AP Photo/Haleluya Hadero)
Credit: Haleluya Hadero
Caption Elijah Ramos stands outside the the Amazon fulfillment center in Staten Island borough of New York at a bus stop on March 16, 2022. An independent group formed by former and current Amazon workers are trying to unionize a company warehouse in New York City. If successful, the effort at the Amazon fulfillment center in Staten Island could lead to the first unionized Amazon facility in the U.S. (AP Photo/Haleluya Hadero)
Credit: Haleluya Hadero
Credit: Haleluya Hadero
Caption Michelle Valentin Nieves stand outside the the Amazon fulfillment center in Staten Island borough of New York at a bus stop on March 16, 2022. An independent group formed by former and current Amazon workers are trying to unionize a company warehouse in New York City. If successful, the effort at the Amazon fulfillment center in Staten Island could lead to the first unionized Amazon facility in the U.S. (AP Photo/Haleluya Hadero)
Credit: Haleluya Hadero
Caption Michelle Valentin Nieves stand outside the the Amazon fulfillment center in Staten Island borough of New York at a bus stop on March 16, 2022. An independent group formed by former and current Amazon workers are trying to unionize a company warehouse in New York City. If successful, the effort at the Amazon fulfillment center in Staten Island could lead to the first unionized Amazon facility in the U.S. (AP Photo/Haleluya Hadero)
Credit: Haleluya Hadero
Credit: Haleluya Hadero
Caption Signs are posted outside the the Amazon fulfillment center in Staten Island borough of New York at a bus stop on March 16, 2022. An independent group formed by former and current Amazon workers are trying to unionize a company warehouse in New York City. If successful, the effort at the Amazon fulfillment center in Staten Island could lead to the first unionized Amazon facility in the U.S. (AP Photo/Haleluya Hadero)
Credit: Haleluya Hadero
Caption Signs are posted outside the the Amazon fulfillment center in Staten Island borough of New York at a bus stop on March 16, 2022. An independent group formed by former and current Amazon workers are trying to unionize a company warehouse in New York City. If successful, the effort at the Amazon fulfillment center in Staten Island could lead to the first unionized Amazon facility in the U.S. (AP Photo/Haleluya Hadero)
Credit: Haleluya Hadero
Credit: Haleluya Hadero
Caption Amazon worker Dale Wyatt talks about a drive to unionize the company's fulfillment center in Bessemer, Ala., during an interview in Birmingham, Ala., on Thursday, March 10, 2022. Workers are voting for a second time on a labor push at the warehouse after the National Labor Relations Board ordered a do-over election upon determining that Amazon unfairly influenced an initial vote in 2021. (AP Photo/Jay Reeves)
Credit: Jay Reeves
Caption Amazon worker Dale Wyatt talks about a drive to unionize the company's fulfillment center in Bessemer, Ala., during an interview in Birmingham, Ala., on Thursday, March 10, 2022. Workers are voting for a second time on a labor push at the warehouse after the National Labor Relations Board ordered a do-over election upon determining that Amazon unfairly influenced an initial vote in 2021. (AP Photo/Jay Reeves)
Credit: Jay Reeves
Credit: Jay Reeves
Caption Signs supporting the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union are shown near an Amazon fulfillment center in Bessemer, Ala., on Thursday, March 10, 2022. Workers are voting for a second time on a labor push at the warehouse after the National Labor Relations Board ordered a do-over election upon determining that Amazon unfairly influenced an initial vote in 2021. (AP Photo/Jay Reeves)
Credit: Jay reeves
Caption Signs supporting the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union are shown near an Amazon fulfillment center in Bessemer, Ala., on Thursday, March 10, 2022. Workers are voting for a second time on a labor push at the warehouse after the National Labor Relations Board ordered a do-over election upon determining that Amazon unfairly influenced an initial vote in 2021. (AP Photo/Jay Reeves)
Credit: Jay reeves
Credit: Jay reeves
Caption Suspended Amazon employee Reyn McGuire talks about her support for a drive to unionize the company's fulfillment center in Bessemer, Ala., during an interview in Birmingham, Ala., on Thursday, March 10, 2022. Workers are voting for a second time on a labor push at the warehouse after the National Labor Relations Board ordered a do-over election upon determining that Amazon unfairly influenced an initial vote in 2021. (AP Photo/Jay Reeves)
Credit: Jay Reeves
Caption Suspended Amazon employee Reyn McGuire talks about her support for a drive to unionize the company's fulfillment center in Bessemer, Ala., during an interview in Birmingham, Ala., on Thursday, March 10, 2022. Workers are voting for a second time on a labor push at the warehouse after the National Labor Relations Board ordered a do-over election upon determining that Amazon unfairly influenced an initial vote in 2021. (AP Photo/Jay Reeves)
Credit: Jay Reeves
Credit: Jay Reeves
Caption Suspended Amazon employee Reyn McGuire, right, talks with an unidentified union organizer in Birmingham, Ala., on Thursday, March 10, 2022. Workers are voting for a second time on a labor push at the company's warehouse in Bessemer, Ala., after the National Labor Relations Board ordered a do-over election upon determining that Amazon unfairly influenced an initial vote in 2021. (AP Photo/Jay Reeves)
Credit: Jay Reeves
Caption Suspended Amazon employee Reyn McGuire, right, talks with an unidentified union organizer in Birmingham, Ala., on Thursday, March 10, 2022. Workers are voting for a second time on a labor push at the company's warehouse in Bessemer, Ala., after the National Labor Relations Board ordered a do-over election upon determining that Amazon unfairly influenced an initial vote in 2021. (AP Photo/Jay Reeves)
Credit: Jay Reeves
Credit: Jay Reeves
Caption Angelika Maldonado, right, Amazon Labor Union (ALU) chairwoman of workers committee at Staten Island Amazon warehouse, and Brett Daniels, director of organizing for ALU workers committee, watch a zoom-cast of vote counting to unionize Amazon warehouse on Staten Island, N.Y., Thursday March 31, 2022, in New York. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)
Credit: Bebeto Matthews
Caption Angelika Maldonado, right, Amazon Labor Union (ALU) chairwoman of workers committee at Staten Island Amazon warehouse, and Brett Daniels, director of organizing for ALU workers committee, watch a zoom-cast of vote counting to unionize Amazon warehouse on Staten Island, N.Y., Thursday March 31, 2022, in New York. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)
Credit: Bebeto Matthews
Credit: Bebeto Matthews
Caption Amazon Labor Union (ALU) lead organizer Mat Cusick, second from right standing, watches a zoom-cast of vote counting to unionize Amazon warehouse on Staten Island, N.Y., Thursday, March 31, 2022, in New York. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)
Credit: Bebeto Matthews
Caption Amazon Labor Union (ALU) lead organizer Mat Cusick, second from right standing, watches a zoom-cast of vote counting to unionize Amazon warehouse on Staten Island, N.Y., Thursday, March 31, 2022, in New York. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)
Credit: Bebeto Matthews
Credit: Bebeto Matthews
Caption Amazon Labor Union (ALU) volunteers Tim Hunter, right, and Drisana Hughes, left, watch a zoom-cast of vote counting to unionize Amazon warehouse on Staten Island, N.Y., Thursday, March 31, 2022, in New York. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)
Credit: Bebeto Matthews
Caption Amazon Labor Union (ALU) volunteers Tim Hunter, right, and Drisana Hughes, left, watch a zoom-cast of vote counting to unionize Amazon warehouse on Staten Island, N.Y., Thursday, March 31, 2022, in New York. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)
Credit: Bebeto Matthews
Credit: Bebeto Matthews
Caption Angelika Maldonado, right, Amazon Labor Union (ALU) chairwoman of workers committee at Staten Island Amazon warehouse, and Brett Daniels, director of organizing for ALU workers committee, react while watching a zoom-cast of vote counting to unionize Amazon warehouse on Staten Island, N.Y., , Thursday March 31, 2022, in New York. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)
Credit: Bebeto Matthews
Caption Angelika Maldonado, right, Amazon Labor Union (ALU) chairwoman of workers committee at Staten Island Amazon warehouse, and Brett Daniels, director of organizing for ALU workers committee, react while watching a zoom-cast of vote counting to unionize Amazon warehouse on Staten Island, N.Y., , Thursday March 31, 2022, in New York. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)
Credit: Bebeto Matthews
Credit: Bebeto Matthews
Caption Angelika Maldonado, right, Amazon Labor Union (ALU) chairwoman of workers committee at Staten Island Amazon warehouse, Brett Daniels, center, director of organizing for ALU workers committee, and Connor Spence, left, ALU Vice President for membership, check their phones during a watch party of vote counting to unionize Amazon warehouse on Staten Island, N.Y., Thursday March 31, 2022, in New York. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)
Credit: Bebeto Matthews
Caption Angelika Maldonado, right, Amazon Labor Union (ALU) chairwoman of workers committee at Staten Island Amazon warehouse, Brett Daniels, center, director of organizing for ALU workers committee, and Connor Spence, left, ALU Vice President for membership, check their phones during a watch party of vote counting to unionize Amazon warehouse on Staten Island, N.Y., Thursday March 31, 2022, in New York. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)
Credit: Bebeto Matthews
Credit: Bebeto Matthews
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RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. (AP) — Jennifer Kupcho shared the lead Thursday in The Chevron Championship in her second — and last — start at Mission Hills, the tree-lined layout she has quickly fallen in love with.
“Honestly, I think it’s just being comfortable on this golf course,” Kupcho said. “I get here and I just, I feel comfortable. I love this place."
Kupcho shot a 6-under 66 in sunny and calm morning conditions to join fellow early starter Minjee Lee atop the leaderboard after the first round of the final edition of the major championship at Mission Hills.
“I really like the layout of this golf course, the beautiful shape that it’s in every year,” Kupcho said. “It always is so fun to be here, so just taking advantage of how much I like the course and the atmosphere.”
Unable to find a sponsor willing to remain at Mission Hills, the tournament that started in 1972 as the Colgate-Dinah Shore Winner’s Circle and became a major in 1983 is shifting to Houston next year under a deal with Chevron.
“Definitely sad," Carolina Masson said after a 68. "I understand why we’re doing it, but I’m just trying to soak in every second being out here. The golf course is playing as good as ever."
Defending champion Patty Tavatanakit was a stroke back, finishing late in the afternoon in gusting wind.
“Really proud,” Tavatanakit said. “I feel like I really got my momentum going, was really present today.”
Kupcho birdied Nos. 11-14 to get to 8 under, then bogeyed the next two holes. She birdied four of the first five and finished with nine birdies and three bogeys.
“You really need to hit fairways on a major golf course, so that was like my biggest thing today, to hit a bunch of fairways,” Kupcho said. “That really set me up for all my birdies.”
Winless on the LPGA Tour, Kupcho won the 2018 NCAA individual title for Wake Forest and took the inaugural Augusta National Women’s Amateur the following year after passing up a spot that week at Mission Hills.
The 24-year-old from Colorado arrived early in the desert after missing the cut Friday in Carlsbad. "I just used the two days that I did have on the weekend to come here and practice,” she said.
Lee birdied all four par 5s in a bogey-free round on the mountain-framed course.
“It was perfect,” Lee said. “Not like a breath of wind when we played. Maybe just a tiny bit. But conditions are great. Putting greens are rolling real nice. I don’t think you can get better than that.”
The 25-year-old Australian, ranked fourth in the world, won the Evian Championship last summer for her first major title and sixth LPGA Tour victory.
“I know I have one under my belt, but I do want a little bit more,” Lee said. “I just think I have a little bit more belief in myself and my game, so I can be a little bit more comfortable just hitting the shots."
Third-ranked Lydia Ko, the 2015 champion, was at 68 with Masson, Anna Nordqvist, Georgia Hall, Gabriela Ruffels and Pajaree Anannarukarn. Lexi Thompson, the 2014 winner, was another stroke back with Sarah Schmelzel, Annie Park, Lauren Stephenson, Pauline Roussin-Bouchard and Hinako Shibuno.
Thompson marveled at course she first played as a 14-year-old amateur.
“I’ve never seen it this good," Thompson said. “It always surprises me every year. It’s always better. The greens are amazing. I’m one to putt and usually aim at things along the way, and there is just not an imperfection on greens to aim at. It’s a good problem.”
Schmelzel is making her fourth appearance.
“This place is really special,” Schmelzel said. “I feel like growing up watching the LPGA Tour, these are holes that I remember. These are holes that I wanted to be on one day.”
Park played as a single in the first group in the afternoon off the first tee.
“It was kind of weird the first couple holes just playing by myself,” Park said. “It was really peaceful."
Top-ranked Jin Young Ko, the 2019 winner, shot a 74 to end her under-par streak at 34 rounds. Her run of at least one birdie ended at 53 rounds.
“I was hitting lots of great shots, but my putting wasn’t good,” she said. “I couldn’t see the break as much or speed. Everything was wrong."
Ally Ewing and Moriya Jutanugarn had an eventful finish on the par-5 18th when the sprinklers on the green turned on at about 6 p.m. as Ewing was preparing for a 4-foot birdie putt. After a short delay, she holed out for a 70.
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More AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
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Credit: Marcio Jose Sanchez
Credit: Marcio Jose Sanchez
Credit: Marcio Jose Sanchez
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The Ukrainian government said Russian forces blocked 45 buses that had been sent to evacuate civilians from the besieged port city of Mariupol, and only 631 people were able to get out of the city in private cars.
Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said late Thursday that 12 Ukrainian buses with humanitarian aid left Melitopol for Mariupol, but the Russian forces stopped the buses and seized the 14 tons of food and medicines.
According to Ukrainian officials, tens of thousands of people have made it out of Mariupol in recent weeks along humanitarian corridors, reducing the prewar population of 430,000 to about 100,000 by last week.
Vereshchuk said about 45,000 Mariupol residents have been forcefully deported to Russia and areas of eastern Ukraine controlled by Russian-backed separatists.
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KEY DEVELOPMENTS IN THE RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR:
— Heavy fighting rages near Kyiv as Russia appears to regroup
— Kremlin decree says foreign currency can still buy natural gas
— As Russia sees tech brain drain, other nations hope to gain
— Ukraine refugees encouraged to find work as exodus slows
— Ukrainians in US mobilize to help expected refugees
— Go to https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine for more coverage
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OTHER DEVELOPMENTS:
LVIV, Ukraine — The last Russian troops left the Chernobyl nuclear plant early Friday, according to the Ukrainian government agency responsible for the exclusion zone around the plant.
Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said Russian troops who dug trenches in the forest were exposed to radiation, but that could not be confirmed.
The Ukrainian nuclear operator company Energoatom said Thursday that Russian troops were headed toward Ukraine’s border with Belarus.
Energoatom said that the Russian military was also preparing to leave Slavutych, a nearby city where power plant workers live.
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LVIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said after Russian troops withdrew from the north and center of the country, the situation has been heating up in the southeast where Russian forces are building up for new powerful attacks.
In his nighttime video address to the nation Thursday, Zelenskyy said it was heartening for all Ukrainians to see Russian troops retreating from north of Kyiv, from around the northern town of Chernihiv and from Sumy in the northeast. By he urged Ukrainians not to let up, saying the withdrawal was just a Russian tactic.
Zelenskyy said he spoke Thursday with European Council President Charles Michel and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, while his adviser spoke with U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan.
“We need more support from our partners right now when Russian troops are concentrating additional forces in certain areas,” Zelenskyy said.
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WASHINGTON — The top-ranking Ukrainian Catholic cleric in the United States warned Thursday that religious minorities in the Eastern European country stand to be “crushed” if Moscow gains control, as fighting raged on more than a month after the Russian invasion began.
Archbishop Borys Gudziak said groups at risk include Catholics, Muslims and Orthodox who have broken away from the patriarch of Moscow.
Gudziak also cited reports that Russian forces have damaged two Holocaust memorials and Moscow’s false portrayal of Ukraine as a “Nazi” state although Ukraine overwhelmingly elected a Jewish president in Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
“What is at stake for the people of faith is their freedom to practice their faith,” Gudziak said during an online panel discussion on the war, hosted by the Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life at Georgetown University.
Gudziak is head of the Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia and president of Ukrainian Catholic University in Lviv, Ukraine. He also oversees external relations for the Kyiv-based Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church.
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WASHINGTON — The Pentagon says an initial half-dozen shipments of weapons and other security assistance have reached Ukraine as part of the $800 million package of aid that President Joe Biden approved on March 16.
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said Thursday that the shipments included Javelin anti-tank weapons, Stinger anti-aircraft missile systems, body armor, medical supplies and other material. He said the 100 Switchblade armed drones that Biden approved as part of the package have not yet been delivered.
Kirby said the $800 million in assistance is likely to be fully delivered within about two weeks. It also includes Mi-17 helicopters, small arms, ammunition, vehicles, secure communications systems, and satellite imagery and analysis capability.
Separately, Kirby said U.S. troops are not training Ukrainian troops in Poland but are acting as liaisons with Ukrainian personnel who cross the border into Poland to take possession of U.S. security assistance. He noted that the standard U.S. military training mission that had existed in Ukraine for years was suspended shortly before Russia invaded.
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DOHA, Qatar — A video showing the head of Ukrainian soccer wearing an armored vest on the streets of Kyiv brought the impact of Russia’s war into the FIFA Congress.
Andriy Pavelko used a recorded message to the gathering in Qatar on Thursday to talk about the deaths of footballers even as the sport “has taken a back seat in our country.”
The gathering in Doha featured delegates from Russia, including Alexey Sorokin, the chief executive of Russia’s 2018 World Cup organizing committee.
Russia won’t be in the draw for the World Cup on Friday after being disqualified from playing internationally by FIFA over the war. Ukraine can still qualify but its playoff semifinal against Scotland has been postponed until June with the hope the team will be in a position to return to the field by then.
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LVIV, Ukraine — Ukraine’s ombudsperson says that at least one person has been killed and four others have been wounded in the Russian shelling of a humanitarian convoy.
Ukrainian Human Rights Commissioner Lyudmyla Denisova said those who came under the shelling on Thursday were volunteers accompanying a convoy of buses sent to the northern city of Chernihiv to evacuate residents.
She said that the Russian forces besieging Chernihiv have made it impossible to evacuate civilians from the city that has been cut from food, water and other supplies.
The Russian shelling continued two days after Moscow announced it would scale back military operations around Kyiv and Chernihiv.
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BERLIN — The International Atomic Energy Agency says it has been informed by Ukraine that the Russian forces which were in control of the Chernobyl nuclear plant have “in writing, transferred control” of the facility to Ukrainian personnel.
Ukraine said three convoys of Russian forces have already left the site toward Belarus, while the remaining troops were presumed to be preparing to leave, the agency said Thursday.
The IAEA added that it was in close consultations with Ukrainian authorities on sending a first assistance and support mission to Chernobyl in the next few days.
The agency said it has not been able to confirm reports of Russian forces receiving high doses of radiation while being inside the exclusion zone of the now-closed plant, but is seeking further information in order to provide an independent assessment of the situation.
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ANKARA, Turkey — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan renewed his offer to host a meeting between the Ukrainian and Russian leaders during a telephone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
A statement from Erdogan’s office said the Turkish president also told Zelenskyy Thursday that a meeting between Ukrainian and Russian negotiators who met in Istanbul earlier this week had given “a meaningful impetus” to efforts to end the fighting.
Earlier this week, Ukraine’s delegation laid out a framework under which the country would declare itself neutral and its security would be guaranteed by an array of nations, including Turkey.
Meanwhile, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said during a joint news conference with a top Turkish Cypriot official that Erdogan also is expected to speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
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WASHINGTON — U.S. President Joe Biden on Thursday said there’s “no clear evidence” that Vladimir Putin is scaling back military operations around Kyiv and suggested that the Russian president may have ordered some of his advisers fired or placed under house arrest.
Biden told reporters that “there’s some indication” that Putin has taken those steps against some of his advisers. He added, “But I don’t want to put too much stock in that at this time because we don’t have that much hard evidence.”
The White House on Wednesday released unclassified intelligence findings that Putin is being misinformed by his advisors about how badly the Russian military is performing.
The president made the comments after formally announcing that the U.S. would release 1 million barrels of oil per day from the nation’s strategic petroleum reserve in hopes of easing surging gasoline prices.
Biden also reiterated that his administration remains skeptical that Russia will scale back operations around Kyiv as Moscow announced earlier this week.
Russian forces continued to shell Kyiv suburbs Thursday, two days after the Kremlin announced it would significantly scale back operations near both the capital and the northern city of Chernihiv.
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UNITED NATIONS — The U.N. humanitarian coordinator in Ukraine says the United Nations and its partners have delivered supplies for thousands of people in the country’s northeast but have been unable to reach some encircled cities in the south.
Osnat Lubrani said Thursday that food rations from the humanitarian organization People in Need and the U.N. World Food Program will benefit nearly 6,000 people in Sumy and areas including Trostianets and Okhtyrka.
In addition, she said, basic household items including blankets and kettles from the U.N. refugee agency will support 1,500 people and sanitation kits will help 6,000 people with hygiene and drinking water.
Lubrani said medical supplies and trauma kits from the U.N. World Health Organization will treat 150 patients needing intensive care for serious injuries while other medical supplies will support 10,000 people for three months.
Shei said the U.N.-facilitated humanitarian notification system with Ukraine and Russia enabled safe passage for the convoy to Sumy on Thursday “but this is clearly not enough.” Efforts over the past month to reach Mauripol, Kherson and other encircled cities in the south have been unsuccessful because of safety concerns.
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BERLIN — The U.N. nuclear watchdog says its director-general has arrived in Russia’s Baltic Sea exclave of Kaliningrad for talks with senior Russian officials.
The International Atomic Energy Agency didn’t specify in a tweet whom exactly Rafael Mariano Grossi will meet on Friday or give further details of his agenda.
He arrived in Kaliningrad Thursday following a visit to Ukraine, where he visited a nuclear power plant and conferred with the energy minister and other officials on efforts to ensure the safety of Ukraine’s nuclear power plants.
Ukraine has 15 active nuclear reactors at four plants -- one of which, at Zaporizhzhia, is under the Russian military’s control.
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GENEVA — A team with the International Committee of the Red Cross has arrived in a Ukraine-held city where staff are preparing to take civilians out of the beleaguered port city of Mariupol.
Julien Lerisson, deputy director of operations for the ICRC, said Thursday that the team assembling in the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia, has medicines, food, water, hygiene items and other essentials.
He said the organization has high-level agreement for the mission but is focused on making sure “the order trickles down the chain of command,” allowing the team to enter and leave Mariupol safely.
The Russian military has said it committed to a cease-fire along the route from Mariupol to Zaporizhzhia. Ukrainian authorities have said 45 buses would be sent to collect citizens and provide resources to those who remain.
Lucile Marbeau, a staff member with the ICRC team hoping to enter Mariupol, said on Thursday: “We’re here because really, we hope to be able to facilitate safe passage for civilians desperately wanting to flee Mariupol.”
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LONDON — Britain’s defense minister says Ukraine’s international allies have agreed to send more military equipment, including artillery ammunition and armored vehicles.
U.K. Defence Secretary Ben Wallace held a conference call Thursday with defense ministers from more than 35 countries, including the United States, New Zealand, South Korea and Japan.
Wallace said that as a result “there will be more lethal aid going into Ukraine.” He said that would include “more long-range artillery, ammunition predominantly,” to help counter Russia’s bombardment of Ukraine’s cities.
Wallace said Ukraine was “also looking for armoured vehicles of some types, not tanks necessarily, but certainly protective vehicles.”
He said allies were also “looking to see what more we can do” to help Ukraine defend its coastline.
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WASHINGTON — The Biden administration has sanctioned an employee of a state-affiliated Russian defense firm that developed malicious software that was used to target the energy sector.
The Treasury Department on Thursday sanctioned Evgeny Viktorovich Gladkikh. He was one of four Russians charged in Justice Department indictments unsealed last week that alleged the hacking by Russia of critical infrastructure around the globe, including in the U.S. energy and aviation sectors.
Among the thousands of computers targeted in some 135 countries were of a Saudi petro-chemical plant where the hackers overrode safety controls.
That hack is singled out in a Treasury Department release announcing sanctions against Gladikh and several other employees of the research firm. In total, the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control announced that it was designating 21 entities and 13 individuals, including in the aerospace, marine and electronics sectors.
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LVIV, Ukraine — Russian troops were leaving the Chernobyl nuclear power plant and heading towards Ukraine’s border with Belarus, the Ukrainian nuclear operator company said Thursday.
The operator, Energoatom, said that the Russian military was also preparing to leave Slavutych, a nearby city where power plant workers live.
Energoatom also said reports were confirmed that the Russians dug trenches in the Red Forest, the 10-square-kilometer (nearly four-square-mile) area surrounding the Chernobyl plant within the Exclusion Zone, and received “significant doses of radiation.”
The Russian troops “panicked at the first sign of illness,” which “showed up very quickly,” and began to prepare to leave, the operator said. The claim couldn’t be independently verified.
Energoatom said the Russians have signed a document confirming the handover of the Chernobyl plant and stating that the plant’s administration doesn’t have any complaints about the Russian troops who were “guarding” the facility.
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LONDON — The head of Britain’s military says Russian President Vladimir Putin has “already lost” in Ukraine and is weaker than he was before the invasion.
Adm. Tony Radakin at a think-tank seminar Thursday in London said Moscow’s aim to “take the whole of Ukraine” fell apart. He added that the coming weeks “will continue to be very difficult” for Ukraine.
“But in many ways, Putin has already lost,” he said. “Far from being the far-sighted manipulator of events that he would have us believe, Putin has damaged himself through a series of catastrophic misjudgements.”
Radakin also said there was “disquiet” at all levels of Russia’s military about the campaign, from troops who were not told they were invading Ukraine up to senior commanders.
Western officials say Putin’s small inner circle is not giving him the true picture of the war, and his isolation may have contributed to miscalculating the strength of resistance Russian troops would meet.
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BERLIN — The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe expressed regret Thursday at Russia’s decision to veto the extension of its observer mission in Ukraine.
The OSCE’s special monitoring mission has been present in Ukraine since 2014, when fighting between Ukrainians and Russia-backed separatists broke out in the country’s eastern regions after Russia’s annexation of Crimea.
Polish Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau, who holds the OSCE rotating chair, said the observers had played a “crucial role by providing objective information on the security and humanitarian situation on the ground and relentlessly working to ease the effects of the conflict on the civilian population” in Ukraine for the past eight year.
The Vienna-based body’s secretary general, Helga Maria Schmid, expressed gratitude to the mission’s members, several of whom were wounded or killed over the years.
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BERLIN — Germany’s economy minister says Europe should impose additional sanctions on Russia to prevent what he described as a “barbaric” war in Ukraine.
Robert Habeck said he discussed what further measures could be taken with his French counterpart during a bilateral meeting in Berlin on Thursday.
“The last package (of sanctions) doesn’t need to be the final one, it should not be the final one,” he told reporters, adding that he and French Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire had “identified additional points that could be included in a (sanctions) package.”
Habeck declined to elaborate on what those points might be.
Speaking ahead of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s announcement on new rules requiring countries to pay for Russia’s natural gas sales in rubles, Habeck insisted that contracts would be adhered to. These stipulate payment in euros or dollars.
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BERLIN — The Austrian and German leaders have underlined their rejection of a halt to Russian energy deliveries at this point.
Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer noted that several central and eastern European countries depend to one extent or another on Russian gas deliveries.
He and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz argued that existing sanctions already are having a significant effect and said they need time to switch to new providers and renewable energy sources.
Nehammer said that “sanctions only make sense … when they hit those they are supposed to hit, and don’t weaken those who carry out sanctions.”
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ROME — A Kremlin decree says “unfriendly countries” can continue to pay for natural gas in foreign currency through a Russian bank that will convert the money into rubles.
The decree published Thursday by state media came a day after the leaders of Italy and Germany said they received assurances from President Vladimir Putin.
Putin talked tougher, saying Russia will start accepting ruble payments starting Friday for Western countries that imposed sanctions over its conflict with Ukraine. He said contracts will be stopped if buyers don’t sign up to the new conditions, including opening ruble accounts in Russian banks.
European leaders had rejected paying for deliveries in rubles, saying it would undermine sanctions imposed because of the war in Ukraine.
The decree Putin signed and published by state news agency RIA Novosti says a designated bank will open two accounts for each buyer, one in foreign currency and one in rubles. The buyers will pay in foreign currency and authorize the bank to sell that currency for rubles, which are placed in the second account, where the gas is formally purchased.
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ROME — Italy’s leader is urging Europe to “cultivate all available land” as a partial remedy to reductions in agricultural imports, especially of Russian grain, due to the war in Ukraine.
Premier Mario Draghi told reporters on Thursday that under existing agricultural practices in the European Union 10% of land is purposely left fallow, but that must now change as European countries search for ways to reduce dependency on farm imports.
It’s not clear whether Ukraine, one of the world’s largest exporters of wheat, maize and sunflower oil, might be able to salvage any of this planting season.
Meanwhile, Draghi noted that Western Europe will be looking to food producers like Canada, the United States and Argentina to help make up the shortfall of imports from Ukraine and Russia.
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STOCKHOLM — The deputy director of Sweden’s Military Intelligence and Security agency says Russia has made “a strategic miscalculation when invading Ukraine.”
Daniel Olsson said the invasion of Ukraine “has shown that the Russian leadership is ready to take great risks, larger than previously taken.”
The government agency’s analysis suggested a likely “a western containment of Russia,” including reducing trade in Russian energy.
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Credit: Rodrigo Abd
Credit: Rodrigo Abd
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Credit: Efrem Lukatsky
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Credit: Martin Meissner
Credit: Efrem Lukatsky
Credit: Efrem Lukatsky
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Credit: Rodrigo Abd
Credit: Efrem Lukatsky
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Credit: Efrem Lukatsky
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RICHMOND, Calif. (AP) — The nation’s oldest active park ranger is hanging up her Smokey hat at the age of 100.
Betty Reid Soskin retired Thursday after more than 15 years at the Rosie the Riveter/WWII Home Front National Historical Park in Richmond, California, the National Park Service announced.
Soskin “spent her last day providing an interpretive program to the public and visiting with coworkers," a Park Service statement said.
She led tours at the park and museum honoring the women who worked in factories during wartime and shared her own experience as a Black woman during the conflict. She worked for the U.S. Air Force in 1942 but quit after learning that "she was employed only because her superiors believed she was white," according to a Park Service biography.
“Being a primary source in the sharing of that history – my history – and giving shape to a new national park has been exciting and fulfilling,” Soskin said in the Park Service statement. “It has proven to bring meaning to my final years.”
Soskin won a temporary Park Service position at the age of 84 and became a permanent Park Service employee in 2011. She celebrated her 100th birthday last September.
“Betty has made a profound impact on the National Park Service and the way we carry out our mission,” Director Chuck Sams said. “Her efforts remind us that we must seek out and give space for all perspectives so that we can tell a more full and inclusive history of our nation.”
Soskin was born Betty Charbonnet in Detroit in 1921 but recalled surviving the devastating Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 while living with her Creole family in New Orleans, according to the Park Service biography.
Her family then moved to Oakland, California, and Soskin remained in the San Francisco Bay Area, where in 1945 she and her first husband founded one of the first Black-owned record stores in the area, the biography said.
She also was a civil rights activist and took part in meetings to develop a general management plan for the Home Front park. She has received several honors.
She was named California Woman of the Year in 1995.
In 2015, Soskin received a presidential coin from President Barack Obama after she lit the National Christmas tree at the White House.
In June 2016, she was awakened in her home by a robber who punched her repeatedly in the face, dragged her out of her bedroom and beat her before making off with the coin and other items. Soskin, then 94, recovered and returned to work just weeks after the attack. The coin was replaced.
Soskin also was honored with entry into the Congressional Record. Glamour Magazine named her woman of the year in 2018.
Credit: Ben Margot
Credit: Ben Margot
Credit: Ben Margot
Credit: Ben Margot
Credit: Ben Margot
Credit: Ben Margot
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MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Naomi Osaka's eyes welled with tears when her match ended, an all-too-familiar scene for her in recent years.
These were of the happy variety.
For the former world No. 1, that's major progress.
The unseeded Osaka defeated No. 22 Belinda Bencic 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 on Thursday in the Miami Open semifinals. She's in a championship match for the first time since the 2021 Australian Open, and will meet either No. 16 Jessica Pegula or No. 2 Iga Swiatek on Saturday.
“Damn, I'm almost crying," Osaka said.
Maybe not even almost. She hid her face in an orange towel a few times right after the match ended, at least one tear clearly making its way down her right cheek. Osaka entered this tournament ranked No. 77 in the world, will leave Miami no worse than 36th and would be back in the top 30 if she wins the title.
It has been a long, trying and often emotional ride for Osaka since her win in the 2018 U.S. Open final over Serena Williams. She was rattled during a loss at Indian Wells on March 12 following a derogatory shout from a spectator, withdrew from last year’s French Open to address her mental state and left last year’s U.S. Open in tears.
But in South Florida, one of the places she considers home, it's been all support from the fans.
“From the bottom of my heart, thank you," Osaka told them in her on-court interview.
Pegula and Swiatek — who will replace the now-retired Ashleigh Barty as the No. 1-ranked women's player in the world next week — were meeting in the other women's semifinal on Thursday night.
Meanwhile, Daniil Medvedev came into the tournament as the No. 2-ranked men's player in the world. Hubert Hurkacz ensured he will stay there.
Hurkacz — the No. 8 seed and defending Miami champion — wore down the top-seeded and cramp-riddled Medvedev 7-6 (7), 6-3 on Thursday in a men’s quarterfinal.
“Every muscle just went ‘cramp, cramp, cramp, cramp,'" Medvedev said.
Had Medvedev prevailed, he would have overtaken Novak Djokovic on Monday and returned to No. 1 in the world rankings. Instead, the Russian will stay No. 2 in the world and find out who wins the Miami title on Sunday like everyone else.
“For me, it was more important in a way just to win the match itself than to become No. 1,” Medvedev said. “Winning the match, I saw it more as a bonus.”
Hurkacz, who is from Poland, will next meet No. 14 Carlos Alcaraz of Spain in the semifinals. Alcaraz defeated unseeded Miomir Kecmanovic of Serbia 6-7 (5), 6-3, 7-6 (5) on Thursday night in the last men's quarterfinal.
“I was returning pretty well, I was putting some pressure on his serves and that was helping my game,” Hurkacz said. “I was able to get some free points on my serve and that was pretty big.”
The other semifinal pits sixth-seeded Casper Ruud of Norway against unseeded Francisco Cerundolo of Argentina.
Hurkacz has played Medvedev four times, and Medvedev has been ranked No. 2 in the world in each of those meetings — which they’ve now split. Hurkacz improved to 14-5 this year, and his record in Miami is 12-1 all-time.
“Coming here is so much fun,” Hurkacz said.
___
More AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
Credit: Rebecca Blackwell
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Credit: Rebecca Blackwell
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WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Seeking to counter international fears over its new security alliance with China, the Solomon Islands said Friday it won't allow China to build a military base there.
But that insistence will do little to ease concerns about the pact from the nation's traditional partners that include New Zealand, Australia and the United States.
The leader of neighboring Micronesia added his voice to those expressing trepidation by invoking the bloody battles of World War II and warning that the pact could again see the South Pacific region become a battleground for much larger powers.
The Solomon Islands government said Thursday a draft agreement of the new security pact had been initialed by representatives from the Solomons and China and would be "cleaned up" and signed.
In a statement Friday, the Solomon Islands government said that “contrary to the misinformation promoted by anti-government commentators” the agreement did not invite China to establish a military base.
“Government is conscious of the security ramification of hosting a military base, and it will not be careless to allow such initiative to take place under its watch,” the statement said.
The statement seemed to more emphatically rule out the possibility of a base after Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare had earlier told parliament it had no intention of asking China to build a base.
Sogavare said his nation sought only peace and prosperity, citing its foreign policy mantra: “We are friends to all and enemies to none.” He said it wasn't a secret deal but a sovereign issue.
Under the terms of the draft agreement, China could send police, military personnel and other armed forces to the Solomon Islands “to assist in maintaining social order” and for a variety of other reasons. It could also send warships to the islands for stopovers and to replenish supplies, which had led to speculation about the possibility of China establishing a naval base on the South Pacific islands.
Micronesia President David Panuelo wrote a letter to Sogavare saying Micronesia had “grave security concerns” about the "novel and unprecedented" arrangement.
He said the two small nations had become battle grounds during World War II and that it could happen again as China, the U.S. and Australia asserted themselves in the region.
“And is it plausible that, once the spheres have been carved out, that our concerns about climate change — today’s problem — would manifest into all-too-real concerns about a war in our backyards, with our people, our islands, as the playground for children playing as adults?” Panuelo wrote to Sogavare.
Australian Defense Minister Peter Dutton said Friday that while it respected the Solomons' sovereignty, the deal showed that China was acting aggressively in the region.
“We need to be very cautious here because the Chinese are incredibly aggressive, the tactics that they’re deploying into small island nations are quite remarkable,” he told Sky News.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern this week described the possibility of Chinese military forces stationed on the Solomon Islands as “the potential militarization of the region.” And the U.S. State Department said Washington did not believe China’s security forces and methods needed to be exported.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said Thursday that “relevant parties should see the China-Solomon Islands security cooperation objectively and rationally and stop making irresponsible remarks.”
“Attempts to provoke, obstruct and undermine China’s friendly relations with the island countries is not popular and will not succeed,” Wang told reporters at a daily briefing.
“China-Solomon Islands cooperation does not target any third party and is not in conflict with Solomon Islands’ cooperation with other countries. Instead, it complements the existing regional cooperation mechanisms in a positive way,” he added.
The Solomon Islands, home to about 700,000 people, switched its diplomatic allegiance from Taiwan to Beijing in 2019 — a contributing factor to riots in November last year between residents of different islands within the country.
Australian police have been in the capital, Honiara, maintaining peace since then under a bilateral security treaty established in 2017. It provides a legal basis for the rapid deployment of Australian police, troops and associated civilians in the event of a major security challenge.
Chinese police are already on the islands conducting a training mission.
The Federated States of Micronesia is home to about 100,000 people. It has diplomatic relations and considers itself a “friend” of China, as well as having a close relationship with the U.S. under a compact of free association.
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NEW YORK (AP) — Kyle Palmieri scored the go-ahead goal early in the third period to lift the New York Islanders to a 5-2 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday night.
Mathew Barzal had a goal and an assist, and Sebastian Aho, Oliver Wahlstrom and Ryan Pulock also scored as New York improved to 7-1 in their last eight home games dating to a 6-0 win against the Blue Jackets on March 10.
Semyon Varlamov made 30 saves in his second consecutive start and third straight appearance with Ilya Sorokin sidelined with an upper-body injury.
Emil Bemstrom and Justin Danforth scored for Columbus, which lost its fifth straight. Elvis Merzlikins made 31 saves.
Palmieri broke a 2-2 tie at 3:16 of the third period with his 12th goal of the season. The 31-year-old winger breezed by Blue Jackets forward Patrik Laine and roofed a wrist shot to give New York a one-goal advantage. Merlikins was unable to close off the short side and Palmieri took advantage of the opening.
Barzal stretched the Islanders' lead to 4-2 with a pretty breakaway deke after he blew by two Blue Jackets defenders in the neutral zone at 9:52 of the third period.
Pulock added an empty-net goal in the final minute.
The Blue Jackets erased a two-goal deficit in a span of 1:39 midway through the second period. The Islanders left Bemstrom all alone at the top of the crease and he finished a pass from Eric Robinson at 8:47. Jake Bean also assisted on the play.
Danforth tied it at 2 with his fifth goal of the season. Yegor Chinakov skated into the offensive zone and found Vladislav Gavrikov in the slot after Islanders defenseman Zdeno Chara prevented the forward from getting behind him. Varlamov stopped the initial shot from Gavrikov, but was unable to hold onto the rebound and Danforth was able to capitalize.
The Islanders took a 2-0 lead with two goals in 11 seconds midway through the first period.
Aho opened the scoring when he stopped short and wired a wrist shot over the glove of Merzlikins at 8:39. Brock Nelson extended his point streak to six games with an assist on the play.
Wahlstrom extended the Islanders lead to 2-0 after he buried a feed from Zach Parise at 8:50. Barzal started the sequence with a floating backhand that Parise was able to corral in the offensive zone.
New York outshot Columbus 10-0 in the first half of the opening frame.
90 YEARS YOUNG
The Islanders honored hockey historian and veteran journalist Stan Fischler at the game to celebrate his 90th birthday. "The Hockey Maven” has been a hockey television personality in the northeast since the early 1970s and has authored over 100 books. He began his career with the New York Rangers in the 1950s, working in the team’s public relations department.
COVID IN COLUMBUS
Blue Jackets coach Brad Larsen and assistant coach Steve McCarthy were placed in the COVID-19 protocols and each missed their second straight game. Associate coach Pascal Vincent led the team behind the bench. ... D Zach Weresnki missed his second straight game after he sustained a hit to the head late in the late first period of Saturday night’s 3-2 overtime loss against Minnesota.
MARCH MAYHEM
The Islanders closed out a hectic March schedule with a 10-6-1 record. The 17 games New York played in March are the most the franchise has played in a single month in franchise history.
DIVISION FOES
Nine of the final 16 games remaining in the Islanders' regular season are against division opponents. The Islanders are 8-2-1 against Metropolitan teams since returning from the holiday break.
UP NEXT
Blue Jackets: Visit the Boston Bruins on Saturday night.
Islanders: Visit the New York Rangers on Friday night.
—
More AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
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Credit: Frank Franklin II
Credit: Frank Franklin II
Credit: Frank Franklin II
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Credit: Frank Franklin II
Credit: Frank Franklin II
Credit: Frank Franklin II
Credit: Frank Franklin II
Credit: Frank Franklin II
Credit: Frank Franklin II
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NEW YORK (AP) — Jack Nunge made the go-ahead basket with 3.1 seconds left and Xavier won its first NIT championship in 64 years Thursday night, rallying for a 73-72 victory over Texas A&M at Madison Square Garden.
Colby Jones scored 21 points for the Musketeers (23-13) and was selected the tournament's most outstanding player. Dwon Odom added 18, and Nunge had 15 points and 11 rebounds to help Xavier erase a 10-point deficit under interim coach Jonas Hayes.
It was the last National Invitation Tournament title game at Madison Square Garden for at least a couple of years — ending a college basketball tradition that dates to 1938.
MSG won’t host the semifinals and finals in 2023 and 2024, the NIT announced Monday, saying it has started a bid process to find new sites for those years and an announcement is expected this spring.
Quenton Jackson had 23 points for the Aggies (27-13), left out of the NCAA Tournament despite reaching the SEC final, where they lost to Tennessee. It was a surprising snub by the selection committee that drew criticism from Aggies coach Buzz Williams and others.
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More AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25
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ATLANTA (AP) — Trae Young scored 30 points and the surging Atlanta Hawks never trailed while beating the short-handed Cleveland Cavaliers 131-107 on Thursday night to clinch a spot in the Eastern Conference play-in tournament.
Cedi Osman led Cleveland with 21 points. Darius Garland had 18 points and eight assists while sitting out the final quarter of the blowout loss.
Cavaliers standout rookie Evan Mobley missed his second consecutive game with a sprained ankle. Cleveland has lost two straight and five of six as it attempts to keep the No. 7 spot in the Eastern Conference.
Young had nine assists as the Hawks' fourth consecutive win clinched no worse than the No. 10 spot in the Eastern Conference and a berth in the play-in tournament. The Hawks began the night one-half game behind Charlotte and one game behind Brooklyn.
“We’re in a tight race here at the end and we’re starting to click at the right time,” Young said, before offering the reminder the Hawks advanced to the Eastern Conference finals last year. “We did the same thing last year and we were able to make a run.”
Kevin Huerter continued his strong finish to the regular season with 23 points, his fourth consecutive game with at least 20 points. Clint Capela added 12 points with 14 rebounds.
Cavaliers coach B.J. Bickerstaff said before the game “we’re searching at this point” for a playing rotation due to injuries. Guard Rajon Rando (ankle) missed his 10th consecutive game. Center Jarrett Allen missed his 12th straight with a finger injury.
Bickerstaff said he respected the Hawks' “firepower” and said “they have the ability to blow you out because of that.”
The Hawks delivered on Bickerstaff's assessment.
Atlanta took its first double-digit lead at 29-19 on Bogdan Bogdanovic's 3-pointer with 3 minutes remaining in the opening period. The Hawks stretched the lead to 20 points, 73-53, early in the second half on Young's 3 and extended the advantage to 30 points in the final period.
TIP-INS
Cavaliers: Mobley did not travel to Atlanta and is “headed in the right direction,” according to Bickerstaff. ... G RJ Nembhard was converted to a standard NBA contract. ... C Moses Brown had 15 points and 13 rebounds in his second consecutive start after he was signed to a two-way contract.
Hawks: C Onyeka Oknogwu had 17 points and 12 rebounds. ... There was no update on F John Collins almost two weeks after the team announced he would be out indefinitely with a plantar fascia tear in his right foot and a right finger sprain. Coach Nate McMillan said Collins “is not doing anything as far as running and jumping” but added “we're not saying he's shut down.” ... In a pregame ceremony, Young was presented the team's Jason Collier Memorial Trophy for community service. The award is given each year in honor of the late Atlanta center who died in 2005.
INJURY SCARE
Young played the third quarter after suffering what McMillan said he feared was a serious groin injury in the first half.
“It’s been kind of sore these past couple of weeks,” Young said. “... I just took a wrong step and it kind of shocked me for a second. ... I’ll be all right.”
HUERTER’S SCORING SURGE
Huerter is taking advantage of increased scoring opportunities, especially in games when Danilo Gallinari (right elbow contusion) has joined John Collins on the inactive list. Huerter sank five of six 3-pointers, his fourth consecutive game making at least four 3s.
Some of Huerter’s shots are the result of defenses placing extra attention on Young.
“Kevin has been getting more minutes, and playing with Trae the ball has found him,” McMillan said.
UP NEXT
Cavaliers: Continue a stretch of three games in four days when they visit the New York Knicks on Saturday.
Hawks: Remain home to play the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday.
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More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
Credit: Hakim Wright Sr.
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Art created by a Springfield teen and her friends will be unveiled today to raise awareness of self-love and to raise funds for a local nonprofit agency.
Maddie McCutcheon, a senior at Global Impact STEM Academy, and friend Robin Clingerman have works that will be for sale at the Self-Love Art Showcase during First Friday activities, 6 to 9 p.m. today, at the Hatch Artist Studios, 105 N. Center St.
The showcase will be in the Ridgewood School Zero Waste Store on the first floor of Hatch. Proceeds raised will be donated to Project Woman.
A member of the teen service group Bringing Awareness to Students (BATS), McCutcheon met Project Woman staff at one of their events and was inspired to approach BATS adult ally/advisor Beth Dixon about a way to support their mission. The answer was through her art, a way she expresses herself and ties in her theme of self-love.
“I realized with their mission that these women deal with self-loathing and it made me so sad they were hurt so badly and they couldn’t see themselves as beautiful anymore,” McCutcheon said.
She describes self-love as meaning anything from having a relaxing day to accepting who you are and the art will reflect that. Daffodils represent self-love and daffodil bulbs with custom tags with self-love quotes attached will be for sale.
McCutcheon said Daffodils are appropriate as they represent renewal as the first flowers to bloom in spring.
She and Clingerman also worked with nationally-recognized potter Bruce Grimes to create pottery art pieces. Stone coasters, plastic cherry blossoms, lava bracelets created by BATS member Addie Powell and other items will also be sold including baskets donated by Project Woman and Winan’s.
“They’ve really gone all out. It’s great to see kids feeling empowered to make a change,” Dixon said.
McCutcheon also painted six pictures, three of which are very personal, for sale. She’ll contribute an original poem when she and a representative of Project Woman give speeches at 7 p.m.
Public speaking and organizing events have helped McCutcheon step outside her comfort zone, but this is a step in her own self-love goal.
“It’s very cathartic,” she said. “I feel good sharing this information and helping others to not be afraid.”
For more information on the Self-Love Art Showcase, go to www.facebook.com/BringingAwarenessToStudents/.
About the Author
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https://www.springfieldnewssun.com/nation-world/closing-arguments-next-in-michigan-gov-whitmer-kidnap-plot/ABP3Y4XU2NER5K2SLUWDH4WCKY/
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Jurors will hear closing arguments Friday in the trial of four men accused of a brazen conspiracy to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a case built with informants, undercover agents, secret recordings and two people who pleaded guilty and cooperated.
Only one defendant, Daniel Harris, chose to testify in his own defense. But his denial of any crime Thursday was met by an aggressive cross-examination in which prosecutors used his own words to show his contempt for Whitmer and even suggestions about how to kill her.
Adam Fox, Barry Croft Jr. and Brandon Caserta declined to testify, and defense attorneys called only a few witnesses. The four deny any scheme to get Whitmer at her vacation home in fall 2020, though they were livid with government as well as restrictions imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The men were arrested in October 2020 amid talk of raising $4,000 for an explosive that could blow up a bridge and stymie police after a kidnapping, according to trial evidence. Fox twice traveled to northern Michigan to scout the area.
Defense attorneys, however, insist they were under the spell of informants and agents who got them to say and do violent, provocative things.
Harris repeatedly answered “absolutely not” when asked by his lawyer if he was part of a plot. His testimony was perilous because he exposed himself to numerous challenges by prosecutors who had been offering evidence against the group for days.
Harris and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Roth sometimes talked over each other. At one point, Harris snapped, “Next question.”
“Everyone can take it down a notch,” U.S. District Judge Robert Jonker said later.
Roth confronted Harris with his own chat messages about posing as a pizza deliveryman and killing Whitmer at her door. He reminded Harris, a former Marine, that he worked with explosives while training with the group, especially in Luther, Michigan, in September 2020, about a month before their arrest.
Roth played a conversation of Croft talking about militias overthrowing governments in various states and “breaking a few eggs” if necessary.
“When this man talks to you at a diner about killing people, you don’t stand up and walk out, do you sir?” Roth asked. “You don’t say, ‘This group is not for me,’ do you sir?”
“No,” Harris answered.
A “shoot house” that was intended to resemble Whitmer's second home was a key part of the Luther training weekend, according to the government. Harris admitted that he brought materials but said he didn’t build it with her house in mind.
He didn't participate in an evening ride to Elk Rapids, Michigan, to scout Whitmer’s home and a bridge during that same weekend. Harris said he had purchased $200 of cheap beer and cigarettes so he could return to the camp and “get wasted” with others.
Two more men, Ty Garbin and Kaleb Franks, pleaded guilty and cooperated with investigators. Garbin last week said the group acted willingly and hoped to strike before the election, cause national chaos and prevent Joe Biden from winning the presidency.
Whitmer, a Democrat, rarely talks publicly about the kidnapping plot, though she referred to "surprises" during her term that seemed like "something out of fiction" when she filed for reelection on March 17.
She has blamed former President Donald Trump for fomenting anger over coronavirus restrictions and refusing to condemn right-wing extremists like those charged in the case. Whitmer has said Trump was complicit in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
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Find AP's full coverage of the Whitmer kidnap plot trial at: https://apnews.com/hub/whitmer-kidnap-plot-trial
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White reported from Detroit.
Credit: Uncredited
Credit: Uncredited
Credit: Dave Eggert
Credit: Dave Eggert
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NEW YORK (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo loved the fact that he became Milwaukee's career scoring leader on a 3-pointer, so nobody can say he's just a dunker anymore.
Otherwise, there was no reason for celebrating after passing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
“When I’m done we can talk about it, but now there’s no time,” Antetokoumpo said, looking ahead to Friday's game against the Clippers. “There’s things that have to be done.”
Antetokounmpo's record-setting 3-pointer forced overtime, and he made two free throws in the final seconds to give the Bucks a 120-119 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday night.
The defending NBA champions clinched a return to the postseason with the win, in which Antetokounmpo had 44 points, 14 rebounds and six assists. Jrue Holiday added 19 points and Khris Middleton had 16 before being ejected for a flagrant foul midway through the third quarter.
Kevin Durant had 26 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds for the Nets, but missed a 3-pointer that would have won it. Kyrie Irving scored 25 points and Bruce Brown had 23.
Just as in the memorable end to their second-round series last summer, when the Bucks overcame 48 points from Durant — most ever in a Game 7 — overtime was needed to determine a winner. Milwaukee took that one 115-111 and pulled it out Thursday behind a second straight 40-point game from Antetokounmpo.
The Greek Freak has been dismissed, famously by James Harden, as a great athlete but not necessarily a skilled basketball player. But the NBA Finals MVP has become a confident shooter and his teammates are confident in him.
“We just fight, compete, compete and know that obviously it helps to have that big fellow on your team that can literally break a game open for you and make plays,” Bucks swingman Wesley Matthews said.
Antetokounmpo came into the game 39 points behind Abdul-Jabbar, the NBA's career scoring leader who had 14,211 points after beginning his career in Milwaukee. Antetokounmpo passed him with 18 seconds left to knot the game at 110.
The Bucks and Nets could be headed for a first-round matchup this year. The Bucks are a half-game behind Miami for the top spot in the Eastern Conference, while the Nets are tied for eighth and can likely hope for nothing better than the No. 7 or 8 seed by coming out of the play-in tournament.
The Bucks led by four in overtime but the Nets rallied to take a 119-118 lead when Durant was fouled on a 3-point attempt and made all three shots with 8.7 seconds left. Antetokounmpo quickly rushed into the lane and was fouled by Nic Claxton. He made both free throws and finished 15 of 19 from the line.
The Nets led 99-96 with 5 1/2 minutes left in regulation when Antetokounmpo re-entered the game but threw a bad pass that Brown grabbed and appeared to be on his way to an uncontested layup. But Middleton raced back and grabbed Brown’s upper arm as he was in the air, sending him to a hard landing. Referees reviewed the replay and informed a stunned Middleton that he received the harsher Flagrant 2 and was ejected.
Crew chief John Goble said the play was ruled a Flagrant 2 because a “high potential for injury.”
Brown made the free throws, Irving scored and the Nets built a 108-99 lead when Durant threw down Irving’s lob pass with 3:52 left. But they managed only two more points in regulation.
“It was just one of those games that got funky at the end, but we’ve just got to finish it out in regulation,” Irving said.
TIP-INS
Bucks: Coach Mike Budenholzer coached in Brooklyn for the first time this season, having missed the Bucks’ 121-109 victory on Jan. 7 while in the NBA’s health and safety protocols.
Nets: Coach Steve Nash said he isn’t closely watching the results of the Cleveland Cavaliers, who have tumbled all the way to seventh in the East. If they remain behind Toronto, the removes the possibility of having to play a play-in game in Canada, where the unvaccinated Irving is unable to travel.
“I’m not averse to seeing how they’re doing and where they’re at, but it’s not something that I’m, like I said the other day, refreshing my feed daily,” Nash said.
THE GREEK’S KNEE
Though Antetokounmpo appeared on the injury report with right knee soreness, Budenholzer said it’s nothing beyond what the two-time NBA MVP has been dealing with for years.
“I think it’s in a good place,” Budenholzer said. “I don’t think it’s anything that we’re concerned about, but there’s a daily attention and effort that it takes from the sports performance team and him and what he does to be his best. It’s impressive.”
UP NEXT
Bucks: Host the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday.
Nets: Visit Atlanta on Saturday.
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More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
Credit: Noah K. Murray
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Credit: Noah K. Murray
Credit: Noah K. Murray
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Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Friday that his country will be sending armored Bushmaster vehicles to Ukraine to help in its war against Russia.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy specifically asked for them during a video appeal to Australian lawmakers for more aid.
Zelenskyy addressed the Australian Parliament on Thursday and asked for the Australian-manufactured four-wheel-drive vehicles.
Morrison told reporters the vehicles will be flown over on Boeing C-17 Globemaster transport planes, but he didn’t specify how many Bushmaster vehicles would be sent or when.
“We’re not just sending our prayers, we are sending our guns, we’re sending our munitions, we’re sending our humanitarian aid, we’re sending all of this, our body armor, all of these things and we’re going to be sending our armored vehicles, our Bushmasters as well,” Morrison said.
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KEY DEVELOPMENTS IN THE RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR:
— Heavy fighting rages near Kyiv as Russia appears to regroup
— Kremlin decree says foreign currency can still buy natural gas
— As Russia sees tech brain drain, other nations hope to gain
— Ukraine refugees encouraged to find work as exodus slows
— Ukrainians in US mobilize to help expected refugees
— Go to https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine for more coverage
___
OTHER DEVELOPMENTS:
LVIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he has stripped two generals of their military rank.
Zelenskyy said “something prevented them from determining where their homeland was” and they “violated their military oath of allegiance to the Ukrainian people.”
According to Zelenskyy, one of the generals had headed internal security at the SBU, the main intelligence agency.
He said the other general had been the SBU head in the Kherson region, the first major city to fall to the Russians.
Zelenskyy didn’t say anything about the fates of the two generals other than them being stripped of their rank.
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LVIV, Ukraine — The Ukrainian government said Russian forces blocked 45 buses that had been sent to evacuate civilians from the besieged port city of Mariupol, and only 631 people were able to get out of the city in private cars.
Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said late Thursday that 12 Ukrainian buses with humanitarian aid left Melitopol for Mariupol, but the Russian forces stopped the buses and seized the 14 tons of food and medicines.
According to Ukrainian officials, tens of thousands of people have made it out of Mariupol in recent weeks along humanitarian corridors, reducing the prewar population of 430,000 to about 100,000 by last week.
Vereshchuk said about 45,000 Mariupol residents have been forcefully deported to Russia and areas of eastern Ukraine controlled by Russian-backed separatists.
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LVIV, Ukraine — The last Russian troops left the Chernobyl nuclear plant early Friday, according to the Ukrainian government agency responsible for the exclusion zone around the plant.
Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said Russian troops who dug trenches in the forest were exposed to radiation, but that could not be confirmed.
The Ukrainian nuclear operator company Energoatom said Thursday that Russian troops were headed toward Ukraine’s border with Belarus.
Energoatom said that the Russian military was also preparing to leave Slavutych, a nearby city where power plant workers live.
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LVIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said after Russian troops withdrew from the north and center of the country, the situation has been heating up in the southeast where Russian forces are building up for new powerful attacks.
In his nighttime video address to the nation Thursday, Zelenskyy said it was heartening for all Ukrainians to see Russian troops retreating from north of Kyiv, from around the northern town of Chernihiv and from Sumy in the northeast. By he urged Ukrainians not to let up, saying the withdrawal was just a Russian tactic.
Zelenskyy said he spoke Thursday with European Council President Charles Michel and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, while his adviser spoke with U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan.
“We need more support from our partners right now when Russian troops are concentrating additional forces in certain areas,” Zelenskyy said.
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WASHINGTON — The top-ranking Ukrainian Catholic cleric in the United States warned Thursday that religious minorities in the Eastern European country stand to be “crushed” if Moscow gains control, as fighting raged on more than a month after the Russian invasion began.
Archbishop Borys Gudziak said groups at risk include Catholics, Muslims and Orthodox who have broken away from the patriarch of Moscow.
Gudziak also cited reports that Russian forces have damaged two Holocaust memorials and Moscow’s false portrayal of Ukraine as a “Nazi” state although Ukraine overwhelmingly elected a Jewish president in Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
“What is at stake for the people of faith is their freedom to practice their faith,” Gudziak said during an online panel discussion on the war, hosted by the Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life at Georgetown University.
Gudziak is head of the Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia and president of Ukrainian Catholic University in Lviv, Ukraine. He also oversees external relations for the Kyiv-based Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church.
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WASHINGTON — The Pentagon says an initial half-dozen shipments of weapons and other security assistance have reached Ukraine as part of the $800 million package of aid that President Joe Biden approved on March 16.
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said Thursday that the shipments included Javelin anti-tank weapons, Stinger anti-aircraft missile systems, body armor, medical supplies and other material. He said the 100 Switchblade armed drones that Biden approved as part of the package have not yet been delivered.
Kirby said the $800 million in assistance is likely to be fully delivered within about two weeks. It also includes Mi-17 helicopters, small arms, ammunition, vehicles, secure communications systems, and satellite imagery and analysis capability.
Separately, Kirby said U.S. troops are not training Ukrainian troops in Poland but are acting as liaisons with Ukrainian personnel who cross the border into Poland to take possession of U.S. security assistance. He noted that the standard U.S. military training mission that had existed in Ukraine for years was suspended shortly before Russia invaded.
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DOHA, Qatar — A video showing the head of Ukrainian soccer wearing an armored vest on the streets of Kyiv brought the impact of Russia’s war into the FIFA Congress.
Andriy Pavelko used a recorded message to the gathering in Qatar on Thursday to talk about the deaths of footballers even as the sport “has taken a back seat in our country.”
The gathering in Doha featured delegates from Russia, including Alexey Sorokin, the chief executive of Russia’s 2018 World Cup organizing committee.
Russia won’t be in the draw for the World Cup on Friday after being disqualified from playing internationally by FIFA over the war. Ukraine can still qualify but its playoff semifinal against Scotland has been postponed until June with the hope the team will be in a position to return to the field by then.
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LVIV, Ukraine — Ukraine’s ombudsperson says that at least one person has been killed and four others have been wounded in the Russian shelling of a humanitarian convoy.
Ukrainian Human Rights Commissioner Lyudmyla Denisova said those who came under the shelling on Thursday were volunteers accompanying a convoy of buses sent to the northern city of Chernihiv to evacuate residents.
She said that the Russian forces besieging Chernihiv have made it impossible to evacuate civilians from the city that has been cut from food, water and other supplies.
The Russian shelling continued two days after Moscow announced it would scale back military operations around Kyiv and Chernihiv.
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BERLIN — The International Atomic Energy Agency says it has been informed by Ukraine that the Russian forces which were in control of the Chernobyl nuclear plant have “in writing, transferred control” of the facility to Ukrainian personnel.
Ukraine said three convoys of Russian forces have already left the site toward Belarus, while the remaining troops were presumed to be preparing to leave, the agency said Thursday.
The IAEA added that it was in close consultations with Ukrainian authorities on sending a first assistance and support mission to Chernobyl in the next few days.
The agency said it has not been able to confirm reports of Russian forces receiving high doses of radiation while being inside the exclusion zone of the now-closed plant, but is seeking further information in order to provide an independent assessment of the situation.
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ANKARA, Turkey — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan renewed his offer to host a meeting between the Ukrainian and Russian leaders during a telephone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
A statement from Erdogan’s office said the Turkish president also told Zelenskyy Thursday that a meeting between Ukrainian and Russian negotiators who met in Istanbul earlier this week had given “a meaningful impetus” to efforts to end the fighting.
Earlier this week, Ukraine’s delegation laid out a framework under which the country would declare itself neutral and its security would be guaranteed by an array of nations, including Turkey.
Meanwhile, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said during a joint news conference with a top Turkish Cypriot official that Erdogan also is expected to speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
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WASHINGTON — U.S. President Joe Biden on Thursday said there’s “no clear evidence” that Vladimir Putin is scaling back military operations around Kyiv and suggested that the Russian president may have ordered some of his advisers fired or placed under house arrest.
Biden told reporters that “there’s some indication” that Putin has taken those steps against some of his advisers. He added, “But I don’t want to put too much stock in that at this time because we don’t have that much hard evidence.”
The White House on Wednesday released unclassified intelligence findings that Putin is being misinformed by his advisors about how badly the Russian military is performing.
The president made the comments after formally announcing that the U.S. would release 1 million barrels of oil per day from the nation’s strategic petroleum reserve in hopes of easing surging gasoline prices.
Biden also reiterated that his administration remains skeptical that Russia will scale back operations around Kyiv as Moscow announced earlier this week.
Russian forces continued to shell Kyiv suburbs Thursday, two days after the Kremlin announced it would significantly scale back operations near both the capital and the northern city of Chernihiv.
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UNITED NATIONS — The U.N. humanitarian coordinator in Ukraine says the United Nations and its partners have delivered supplies for thousands of people in the country’s northeast but have been unable to reach some encircled cities in the south.
Osnat Lubrani said Thursday that food rations from the humanitarian organization People in Need and the U.N. World Food Program will benefit nearly 6,000 people in Sumy and areas including Trostianets and Okhtyrka.
In addition, she said, basic household items including blankets and kettles from the U.N. refugee agency will support 1,500 people and sanitation kits will help 6,000 people with hygiene and drinking water.
Lubrani said medical supplies and trauma kits from the U.N. World Health Organization will treat 150 patients needing intensive care for serious injuries while other medical supplies will support 10,000 people for three months.
Shei said the U.N.-facilitated humanitarian notification system with Ukraine and Russia enabled safe passage for the convoy to Sumy on Thursday “but this is clearly not enough.” Efforts over the past month to reach Mauripol, Kherson and other encircled cities in the south have been unsuccessful because of safety concerns.
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BERLIN — The U.N. nuclear watchdog says its director-general has arrived in Russia’s Baltic Sea exclave of Kaliningrad for talks with senior Russian officials.
The International Atomic Energy Agency didn’t specify in a tweet whom exactly Rafael Mariano Grossi will meet on Friday or give further details of his agenda.
He arrived in Kaliningrad Thursday following a visit to Ukraine, where he visited a nuclear power plant and conferred with the energy minister and other officials on efforts to ensure the safety of Ukraine’s nuclear power plants.
Ukraine has 15 active nuclear reactors at four plants -- one of which, at Zaporizhzhia, is under the Russian military’s control.
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GENEVA — A team with the International Committee of the Red Cross has arrived in a Ukraine-held city where staff are preparing to take civilians out of the beleaguered port city of Mariupol.
Julien Lerisson, deputy director of operations for the ICRC, said Thursday that the team assembling in the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia, has medicines, food, water, hygiene items and other essentials.
He said the organization has high-level agreement for the mission but is focused on making sure “the order trickles down the chain of command,” allowing the team to enter and leave Mariupol safely.
The Russian military has said it committed to a cease-fire along the route from Mariupol to Zaporizhzhia. Ukrainian authorities have said 45 buses would be sent to collect citizens and provide resources to those who remain.
Lucile Marbeau, a staff member with the ICRC team hoping to enter Mariupol, said on Thursday: “We’re here because really, we hope to be able to facilitate safe passage for civilians desperately wanting to flee Mariupol.”
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LONDON — Britain’s defense minister says Ukraine’s international allies have agreed to send more military equipment, including artillery ammunition and armored vehicles.
U.K. Defence Secretary Ben Wallace held a conference call Thursday with defense ministers from more than 35 countries, including the United States, New Zealand, South Korea and Japan.
Wallace said that as a result “there will be more lethal aid going into Ukraine.” He said that would include “more long-range artillery, ammunition predominantly,” to help counter Russia’s bombardment of Ukraine’s cities.
Wallace said Ukraine was “also looking for armoured vehicles of some types, not tanks necessarily, but certainly protective vehicles.”
He said allies were also “looking to see what more we can do” to help Ukraine defend its coastline.
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WASHINGTON — The Biden administration has sanctioned an employee of a state-affiliated Russian defense firm that developed malicious software that was used to target the energy sector.
The Treasury Department on Thursday sanctioned Evgeny Viktorovich Gladkikh. He was one of four Russians charged in Justice Department indictments unsealed last week that alleged the hacking by Russia of critical infrastructure around the globe, including in the U.S. energy and aviation sectors.
Among the thousands of computers targeted in some 135 countries were of a Saudi petro-chemical plant where the hackers overrode safety controls.
That hack is singled out in a Treasury Department release announcing sanctions against Gladikh and several other employees of the research firm. In total, the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control announced that it was designating 21 entities and 13 individuals, including in the aerospace, marine and electronics sectors.
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LVIV, Ukraine — Russian troops were leaving the Chernobyl nuclear power plant and heading towards Ukraine’s border with Belarus, the Ukrainian nuclear operator company said Thursday.
The operator, Energoatom, said that the Russian military was also preparing to leave Slavutych, a nearby city where power plant workers live.
Energoatom also said reports were confirmed that the Russians dug trenches in the Red Forest, the 10-square-kilometer (nearly four-square-mile) area surrounding the Chernobyl plant within the Exclusion Zone, and received “significant doses of radiation.”
The Russian troops “panicked at the first sign of illness,” which “showed up very quickly,” and began to prepare to leave, the operator said. The claim couldn’t be independently verified.
Energoatom said the Russians have signed a document confirming the handover of the Chernobyl plant and stating that the plant’s administration doesn’t have any complaints about the Russian troops who were “guarding” the facility.
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LONDON — The head of Britain’s military says Russian President Vladimir Putin has “already lost” in Ukraine and is weaker than he was before the invasion.
Adm. Tony Radakin at a think-tank seminar Thursday in London said Moscow’s aim to “take the whole of Ukraine” fell apart. He added that the coming weeks “will continue to be very difficult” for Ukraine.
“But in many ways, Putin has already lost,” he said. “Far from being the far-sighted manipulator of events that he would have us believe, Putin has damaged himself through a series of catastrophic misjudgements.”
Radakin also said there was “disquiet” at all levels of Russia’s military about the campaign, from troops who were not told they were invading Ukraine up to senior commanders.
Western officials say Putin’s small inner circle is not giving him the true picture of the war, and his isolation may have contributed to miscalculating the strength of resistance Russian troops would meet.
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BERLIN — The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe expressed regret Thursday at Russia’s decision to veto the extension of its observer mission in Ukraine.
The OSCE’s special monitoring mission has been present in Ukraine since 2014, when fighting between Ukrainians and Russia-backed separatists broke out in the country’s eastern regions after Russia’s annexation of Crimea.
Polish Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau, who holds the OSCE rotating chair, said the observers had played a “crucial role by providing objective information on the security and humanitarian situation on the ground and relentlessly working to ease the effects of the conflict on the civilian population” in Ukraine for the past eight year.
The Vienna-based body’s secretary general, Helga Maria Schmid, expressed gratitude to the mission’s members, several of whom were wounded or killed over the years.
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BERLIN — Germany’s economy minister says Europe should impose additional sanctions on Russia to prevent what he described as a “barbaric” war in Ukraine.
Robert Habeck said he discussed what further measures could be taken with his French counterpart during a bilateral meeting in Berlin on Thursday.
“The last package (of sanctions) doesn’t need to be the final one, it should not be the final one,” he told reporters, adding that he and French Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire had “identified additional points that could be included in a (sanctions) package.”
Habeck declined to elaborate on what those points might be.
Speaking ahead of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s announcement on new rules requiring countries to pay for Russia’s natural gas sales in rubles, Habeck insisted that contracts would be adhered to. These stipulate payment in euros or dollars.
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BERLIN — The Austrian and German leaders have underlined their rejection of a halt to Russian energy deliveries at this point.
Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer noted that several central and eastern European countries depend to one extent or another on Russian gas deliveries.
He and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz argued that existing sanctions already are having a significant effect and said they need time to switch to new providers and renewable energy sources.
Nehammer said that “sanctions only make sense … when they hit those they are supposed to hit, and don’t weaken those who carry out sanctions.”
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ROME — A Kremlin decree says “unfriendly countries” can continue to pay for natural gas in foreign currency through a Russian bank that will convert the money into rubles.
The decree published Thursday by state media came a day after the leaders of Italy and Germany said they received assurances from President Vladimir Putin.
Putin talked tougher, saying Russia will start accepting ruble payments starting Friday for Western countries that imposed sanctions over its conflict with Ukraine. He said contracts will be stopped if buyers don’t sign up to the new conditions, including opening ruble accounts in Russian banks.
European leaders had rejected paying for deliveries in rubles, saying it would undermine sanctions imposed because of the war in Ukraine.
The decree Putin signed and published by state news agency RIA Novosti says a designated bank will open two accounts for each buyer, one in foreign currency and one in rubles. The buyers will pay in foreign currency and authorize the bank to sell that currency for rubles, which are placed in the second account, where the gas is formally purchased.
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ROME — Italy’s leader is urging Europe to “cultivate all available land” as a partial remedy to reductions in agricultural imports, especially of Russian grain, due to the war in Ukraine.
Premier Mario Draghi told reporters on Thursday that under existing agricultural practices in the European Union 10% of land is purposely left fallow, but that must now change as European countries search for ways to reduce dependency on farm imports.
It’s not clear whether Ukraine, one of the world’s largest exporters of wheat, maize and sunflower oil, might be able to salvage any of this planting season.
Meanwhile, Draghi noted that Western Europe will be looking to food producers like Canada, the United States and Argentina to help make up the shortfall of imports from Ukraine and Russia.
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STOCKHOLM — The deputy director of Sweden’s Military Intelligence and Security agency says Russia has made “a strategic miscalculation when invading Ukraine.”
Daniel Olsson said the invasion of Ukraine “has shown that the Russian leadership is ready to take great risks, larger than previously taken.”
The government agency’s analysis suggested a likely “a western containment of Russia,” including reducing trade in Russian energy.
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Credit: Rodrigo Abd
Credit: Rodrigo Abd
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Credit: Planet Labs PBC
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Credit: Markus Schreiber
Credit: Efrem Lukatsky
Credit: Efrem Lukatsky
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Credit: Martin Meissner
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Credit: Efrem Lukatsky
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Credit: Rodrigo Abd
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Credit: Efrem Lukatsky
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SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea will ease some of its pandemic restrictions starting next week as officials express cautious hope the worst of its omicron outbreak has passed.
The limit on private social gatherings will be raised from eight to 10 people starting Monday, while restaurants, bars and other indoor spaces can stay open an hour later, until midnight, Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said Friday.
Officials said most social distancing restrictions could be removed, except for an indoor mask mandate, if the outbreak further slows and the medical response remains stable over the next two weeks.
Kim’s announcement from a government anti-virus meeting came after the country reported a daily average of 316,000 new coronavirus cases in the past seven days, a modest decrease from the average of 357,800 a week before. The one-day record was 621,187 on March 17.
While Kim said the country has likely passed the peak of infections, there’s still worry about the pressure on hospitals, given the week or longer intervals between infections, hospitalizations and deaths. Officials also say the highly transmissible omicron subvariant called BA.2 is slowing the decline in overall infections.
“Fortunately, the outbreak has slowed for the second consecutive week,” Kim said. “But there’s persisting concern about an increase in serious cases and deaths that might come after time lags, the spread of ‘stealth omicron,’ or BA.2, which has become the dominant strain, and an expected increase in travel during spring weather."
The country has averaged 328 deaths in the past week, including 360 in the latest 24 hours, while around 1,300 virus patients were in serious or critical condition. More than 64% of South Korea's 2,800 intensive care units designated for COVID-19 treatment were occupied.
Health Minister Kwon Deok-cheol said social distancing measures have clearly become less effective because omicron is much more contagious than previous variants of the virus.
“Even if we ease social distancing, the increase in infections is expected to be only around 10 to 20%,” he said during a briefing.
Quarantine requirements for close contacts, hospitalization for mild cases and proof of vaccination or negative tests when entering public spaces were some of the measures eased or lifted earlier.
Credit: Ahn Young-joon
Credit: Ahn Young-joon
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WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden marked Transgender Day of Visibility on Thursday by denouncing “hateful bills” being passed at the state level as the White House played host to “Jeopardy!” champion Amy Schneider, the first openly transgender winner on the popular quiz show.
Schneider met with second gentleman Doug Emhoff, who joined Rachel Levine, the assistant health secretary and the first openly transgender federal official to be confirmed by the Senate, for a conversation with transgender kids and their parents.
Schneider used the moment in the Washington spotlight to speak out against bills affecting transgender people.
“They’re really scary and some of them in particular that are denying medical services to trans youth, those are, those are lifesaving medical treatments," Schneider told reporters. "These bills will cause the deaths of children and that’s really sad to me and it’s really frightening.”
Biden, in a brief video message, said that "the onslaught of anti-transgender state laws attacking you and your families is simply wrong." The president said his administration "is standing up for you against all these hateful bills. And we're committed to advancing transgender equality in the classroom, on the playing field, at work, in our military and our housing and health care systems."
The administration announced several actions to make the federal government more inclusive for transgender people and said the Health and Human Services Department will be the first agency to fly a trans pride flag.. The steps come as Republican leaders have advanced state measures targeting transgender people as part of a broader push to stoke culture wars heading into a critical election season.
The administration said the federal government will become more inclusive for transgender people, including through the use of a new "X" gender marker on U.S. passport applications, beginning on April 11, and new Transportation Security Administration scanners that are gender-neutral.
It is working to expand the availability of the “X” gender marker to airlines and federal travel programs and will make it easier for transgender people to change their gender information in Social Security Administration records.
Visitors to the White House complex soon will also be able to choose an “X” gender marker option in the White House Worker and Visitor Entry System, which is used to conduct screening background checks.
At airports, changes will be made to screening scanners along with the introduction of the use of an “X” for travelers going through Precheck who do not identify as male or female. Transportation Security Administration agents will receive new instructions on how to make screening procedures less invasive and will work with airlines to promote acceptance of the “X” gender marker.
“Jeopardy!” star Schneider spoke of “being a trans person out there that isn’t monstrous and isn’t threatening and is just a normal person, like we all are,” and said "the more that people like me can be seen, the harder it is to sustain the myths that are ... kind of driving a lot of this hate and fear.”
In his video, Biden said there is work still to be done to end “the epidemic of violence against transgender women of color and girls of color” and to ensure that transgender seniors “can age with dignity.” He called anew on Congress to pass the Equality Act to help transgender people around the world “live free from discrimination and violence.”
Biden tried to reassure any transgender person who is struggling, telling them to remember that “you're not alone.”
“You’re so brave. You belong. And we have your back,” Biden said.
The administration's actions follow recent steps at the state level to limit activity by transgender people. At least 10 states have banned transgender athletes from participating in sports at all levels in a way that is consistent with their gender identity.
In Texas, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, who is seeking reelection, has ordered the state's child welfare agency to probe reports of gender-confirming care for kids as abuse.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican who is running for reelection and considering a 2024 presidential bid, on Monday signed into law a measure that bars instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in kindergarten through third grade. The law has drawn intense national scrutiny from critics who argue it marginalizes LGBTQ people. Republicans and advocates of the law argue that discussion of these topics should be between parents and their children.
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Associated Press writers Meg Kinnard in Columbia, South Carolina, and Colleen Long and Ben Fox contributed to this report.
Credit: Patrick Semansky
Credit: Patrick Semansky
Credit: Patrick Semansky
Credit: Patrick Semansky
Credit: Patrick Semansky
Credit: Patrick Semansky
Credit: Patrick Semansky
Credit: Patrick Semansky
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NEW YORK (AP) — If this was the last NIT championship game at Madison Square Garden, it certainly was a thriller.
Especially for Xavier.
Jack Nunge made the go-ahead basket with 3.1 seconds left and the Musketeers won their first NIT crown in 64 years Thursday night, rallying for a 73-72 victory over Texas A&M.
Colby Jones scored 21 points for Xavier (23-13) and was selected the tournament’s most outstanding player. Dwon Odom added 18, and Nunge had 15 points and 11 rebounds to help the Musketeers erase an eight-point halftime deficit under interim coach Jonas Hayes.
“I can’t say enough about our guys,” Hayes said. “That’s what Xavier basketball is.”
It was the final National Invitation Tournament title game at Madison Square Garden for at least a couple of years — ending a college basketball tradition that dates to 1938.
MSG won’t host the semifinals and finals in 2023 and 2024, the NIT announced this week, saying a bid process has begun to find new sites for those years and an announcement is expected this spring. Nothing has been determined beyond 2024.
“Madison Square Garden is a special court,” Nunge said. “Everybody knows the feel when you’re playing out there and you just want to give it your all — all the history that’s there. I’m just grateful to be part of this team and have our names in the record books.”
Quenton Jackson had 23 points for the Aggies (27-13), left out of the NCAA Tournament despite reaching the SEC final, where they lost to Tennessee. It was a surprising snub by the selection committee that drew criticism from Texas A&M coach Buzz Williams and others.
After getting over their disappointment, the Aggies nearly took the consolation prize.
“We've been through a lot this year, a lot of ups, a lot of downs, but through it all I think we’ve all learned just how to persevere and remain resilient through everything,” Jackson said. “I think everybody in this room should have learned something from this year. But like I said, it’s probably one of the greater experiences I’ve had playing basketball.”
In a championship game with 17 lead changes, Adam Kunkel made one of two free throws to give Xavier a 71-70 advantage with 1:28 left.
Jackson was fouled by Odom on a drive and sank both free throws to put the Aggies in front with 27 seconds remaining.
Texas A&M blocked a shot out of bounds on the other end, and Xavier inbounded from the baseline. Jones found Nunge inside and he wheeled into the lane and banked in a one-handed turnaround shot that put Xavier ahead 73-72.
“Ever since Jonas has taken over as head coach, we haven’t really had any out-of-bounds plays," Nunge said. "I tried to call — look at the bench and call a simple one everybody knows, and Colby looked at me and said he was going to throw me the ball and I was fortunate enough to knock down the shot.”
After a timeout by the Aggies, they still had a chance to win. Tyrece Radford dribbled up the left side and tossed up a runner from the 3-point line that rimmed out.
“Unbelievable game,” Hayes said. “I thought our guys met the challenge. I’m fortunate enough to have had the opportunity to lead these guys for a couple weeks, and these guys deserve the amount of success they have.”
Nunge grabbed the rebound at the buzzer to seal Xavier's second NIT championship. The other one came in 1958.
“What has happened in their program over the last two weeks is historical and any AD that has a job opening should hire the undefeated head coach at Xavier, Coach Hayes,” Williams said.
Hayes took over when head coach Travis Steele was fired following Xavier’s victory over Cleveland State in the first round of the NIT.
Sean Miller, the former Arizona coach, was hired for his second stint at Xavier and will now take charge of the program. A smiling Miller watched from the MSG stands Thursday night.
Radford finished with 15 points and Hassan Diarra, a New York City native, added 12 for the Aggies.
Texas A&M had a 10-point lead, its largest of the night, late in the first half.
Jackson and Diarra combined for 22 points to give the Aggies a 40-32 edge at the break. Texas A&M shot 14 for 25 from the field.
Diarra came off the bench to spark a 18-10 surge over the final six minutes of the first half. His layup evened it 26-all and he capped a 7-0 spurt with a 3-pointer that extended the Aggies' lead to 31-26.
Jackson then took advantage of a Xavier turnover and ignited another 7-0 run with a 3-pointer and a pair of free throws before Radford tipped in Jackson’s miss to make it 40-30.
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More AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25
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NEW YORK — Jack Nunge made the go-ahead basket with 3.1 seconds left and Xavier won its first NIT championship in 64 years Thursday night, rallying for a 73-72 victory over Texas A&M at Madison Square Garden.
Colby Jones scored 21 points for the Musketeers (23-13) and was selected the tournament’s most outstanding player. Dwon Odom added 18, and Nunge had 15 points and 11 rebounds to help Xavier erase an eight-point halftime deficit under interim coach Jonas Hayes.
“I can’t say enough about our guys,” Hayes said. “That’s what Xavier basketball is.”
It was the last National Invitation Tournament title game at Madison Square Garden for at least a couple of years — ending a college basketball tradition that dates to 1938.
MSG won’t host the semifinals and finals in 2023 and 2024, the NIT announced this week, saying a bid process has begun to find new sites for those years and an announcement is expected this spring. Nothing has been determined beyond 2024.
Quenton Jackson had 23 points for the Aggies (27-13), left out of the NCAA Tournament despite reaching the SEC final, where they lost to Tennessee. It was a surprising snub by the selection committee that drew criticism from Texas A&M coach Buzz Williams and others.
After getting over their disappointment, the Aggies nearly took the consolation prize.
In a championship game with 17 lead changes, Adam Kunkel made one of two free throws to give Xavier a 71-70 advantage with 1:28 left.
Jackson was fouled by Odom on a drive and sank both free throws to put the Aggies in front with 27 seconds remaining.
Texas A&M blocked a shot out of bounds on the other end, and Xavier inbounded from the baseline. Jones found Nunge inside and he wheeled into the lane and banked in a turnaround shot that put Xavier ahead 73-72.
After a timeout by the Aggies, they still had a chance to win it. Tyrece Radford dribbled up the left side and tossed up a runner from the 3-point line that rimmed out.
Nunge grabbed the rebound at the buzzer.
Radford finished with 15 points and Hassan Diarra, a New York City native, added 12 for Texas A&M.
Hayes took over when head coach Travis Steele was fired following Xavier’s victory over Cleveland State in the first round of the NIT.
Sean Miller, the former Arizona coach, was hired for his second stint at Xavier and will now take charge of the program. A smiling Miller watched from the MSG stands Thursday night.
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Wilfred Tebah doesn’t begrudge the U.S. for swiftly granting humanitarian protections to Ukrainians escaping Russia’s devastating invasion of their homeland.
But the 27-year-old, who fled Cameroon during its ongoing conflict, can’t help but wonder what would happen if the millions fleeing that Eastern Europe nation were a different hue.
As the U.S. prepares to welcome tens of thousands of Ukrainians fleeing war, the country continues to deport scores of African and Caribbean refugees back to unstable and violent homelands where they've faced rape, torture, arbitrary arrest and other abuses.
“They do not care about a Black man,” the Columbus, Ohio, resident said, referring to U.S. politicians. “The difference is really clear. They know what is happening over there, and they have decided to close their eyes and ears.”
Tebah's concerns echo protests against the swift expulsions of Haitian refugees crossing the border this summer without a chance to seek asylum, not to mention the frosty reception African and Middle Eastern refugees have faced in western Europe compared with how those nations have enthusiastically embraced displaced Ukrainians.
In March, when President Joe Biden made a series of announcements welcoming 100,000 Ukrainian refugees, granting Temporary Protected Status to another 30,000 already in the U.S. and halting Ukrainian deportations, two Democratic lawmakers seized on the moment to call for similar humanitarian considerations for Haitians.
"There is every reason to extend the same level of compassion," U.S. Reps. Ayanna Pressley, of Massachusetts, and Mondaire Jones, of New York, wrote to the administration, noting more than 20,000 Haitians have been deported despite continued instability after the assassination of Haiti's president and a powerful earthquake this summer.
Cameroonian advocates have similarly ratcheted up their calls for humanitarian relief, protesting in front of the Washington residence of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and the offices of leading members of Congress this month.
Their calls come as hundreds of thousands in Cameroon have been displaced in recent years by the country's civil war between its French-speaking government and English-speaking separatists, attacks by the terrorist group Boko Haram and other regional conflicts.
The advocacy group Human Rights Watch, in a February report, found many Cameroonians deported from the U.S. suffered persecution and human rights violations upon returning there.
Tebah, who is a leading member of the Cameroon American Council, an advocacy group organizing protests this month, said that’s a fate he hopes to avoid.
Hailing from the country’s English-speaking northwest, he said he was branded a separatist and apprehended by the government because of his activism as a college student. Tebah said he managed to escape, as many Cameroonians have, by flying to Latin America, trekking overland to the U.S.-Mexico border and petitioning for asylum in 2019.
“I will be held in prison, tortured and even killed if I am deported,” he said. "I’m very scared. As a human, my life matters too.”
The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees TPS and other humanitarian programs, declined to respond to the complaints of racism in American immigration policy. It also declined to say whether it was weighing granting TPS to Cameroonians or other African nationals, saying in a written statement only that it will “continue to monitor conditions in various countries.”
The agency noted, however, that it has recently issued TPS designations for Haiti, Somalia, Sudan and South Sudan — all African or Caribbean nations — as well as to more than 75,000 Afghans living in the U.S. after the Taliban takeover of that Central Asian nation. Haitians are among the largest and longest-tenured beneficiaries of TPS, with more than 40,000 currently on the status.
Other TPS countries include Burma, Honduras, Nepal, Nicaragua, Syria, Venezuela and Yemen, and the majority of the nearly 320,000 immigrants with Temporary Protected Status hail from El Salvador.
Lisa Parisio, who helped launch Catholics Against Racism in Immigration, argues the program could easily help protect millions more refugees fleeing danger but has historically been underused and over-politicized.
TPS, which provides a work permit and staves off deportation for up to 18 months, doesn’t have limits for how many countries or people can be placed on it, said Parisio, who is the advocacy director for the Catholic Legal Immigration Network.
Yet former President Donald Trump, in his broader efforts to restrict immigration, pared down TPS, allowing designations for Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea in West Africa to expire.
Although programs like TPS provide critical protections for vulnerable refugees, they can also leave many in legal limbo for years without providing a pathway to citizenship, said Karla Morales, a 24-year-old from El Salvador who has been on TPS nearly her whole life.
“It’s absurd to consider 20 years in this country temporary,” the University of Massachusetts Boston nursing student said. “We need validation that the work we’ve put in is appreciated and that our lives have value.”
At least in the case of Ukraine, Biden appears motivated by broader foreign policy goals in Europe, rather than racial bias, suggests María Cristina García, a history professor at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, focused on refugees and immigrants.
But Tom Wong, founding director of the U.S. Immigration Policy Center at the University of California, San Diego, said the racial disparities couldn’t be clearer.
“The U.S. has responded without hesitation by extending humanitarian protections to predominately white and European refugees,” he said. “All the while, predominately people of color from Africa, the Middle East, and Asia continue to languish.”
Besides Cameroon, immigrant advocates also argue that Congo and Ethiopia should qualify for humanitarian relief because of their ongoing conflicts, as should Mauritania, since slavery is still practiced there.
And they complain Ukrainian asylum seekers are being exempted from asylum limits meant to prevent the spread of COVID-19 while those from other nations are being turned away.
“Black pain and Black suffering do not get the same attention,” says Sylvie Bello, founder of the D.C.-based Cameroon American Council. “The same anti-Blackness that permeates American life also permeates American immigration policy.”
Vera Arnot, a Ukrainian in Boston who is considering seeking TPS, says she didn’t know much about the special status until the war started and wasn’t aware of the concerns from immigrants of color. But the Berklee College of Music sophomore hopes the relief can be extended to other deserving nations.
Arnot says TPS could help her seek an off-campus job with better pay so she doesn’t have to rely on her family’s support, as most in Ukraine have lost their jobs due to the war.
“Ukrainians as a people aren’t used to relying on others,” she said. “We want to work. We don’t want welfare.”
For Tebah, who is staying with relatives in Ohio, TPS would make it easier for him to open a bank account, get a driver’s license and seek better employment while he awaits a decision on his asylum case.
“We’ll continue to beg, to plead," Tebah said. “We are in danger. I want to emphasize it. And only TPS for Cameroon will help us be taken out of that danger. It is very necessary.”
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Associated Press video journalist Patrick Orsagos in Columbus, Ohio contributed to this story.
Credit: Patrick Orsagos
Credit: Patrick Orsagos
Credit: Steven Senne
Credit: Steven Senne
Credit: Steven Senne
Credit: Steven Senne
Credit: Steven Senne
Credit: Steven Senne
Credit: Steven Senne
Credit: Steven Senne
Credit: Steven Senne
Credit: Steven Senne
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Defying a pandemic and supply chain disruptions, the U.S. economy has cranked out more than 400,000 jobs every month for nearly a year — a blazing winning streak in wildly uncertain times.
And despite surging inflation, the hiring wave likely continued last month in the face of yet another jolt: Russia’s war in Ukraine, which has unsettled the economic outlook and catapulted gasoline prices to painful levels.
Economists surveyed by the data firm FactSet expect the Labor Department’s jobs report for March to show that employers added 478,000 jobs and that the unemployment rate dipped from 3.8% to 3.7%. That would mark the lowest unemployment rate since just before the pandemic struck two years ago, when joblessness reached a 50-year low of 3.5%.
The government will issue the March jobs report at 8:30 a.m. Eastern time Friday.
“With the war in Ukraine, economic uncertainty rising and surging energy prices, we may see a modest slowdown in hiring in March,’’ said Daniel Zhao, senior economist at the jobs website Glassdoor. “However, employer demand remains strong, which should sustain a healthy level of hiring.''
The booming U.S. job market reflects a robust rebound from the brief but devastating coronavirus recession, which wiped out 22 million jobs in March and April 2020 as businesses shut down or cut hours and Americans stayed home to avoid infection.
But the recovery has been swift. Fueled by generous federal aid, savings amassed during the pandemic and ultra-low borrowing rates engineered by the Federal Reserve, U.S. consumers have spent so fast that many factories, warehouses, shipping companies and ports have failed to keep pace with their customer demand. Supply chains have snarled, forcing up prices.
As the pandemic has eased, consumers have been broadening their spending beyond goods to services, such as health care, travel and entertainment, which they had long avoided during the worst of the pandemic. The result: Inflation is running at 40-year highs, causing hardships for many lower-income households that face sharp increases for such necessities as food, gasoline and rent.
It's unclear whether the economy can maintain its momentum of the past year. The government relief checks are gone. The Fed raised its benchmark short-term interest rate two weeks ago and will likely keep raising it well into next year. Those rate hikes will result in more expensive loans for many consumers and businesses.
Inflation has also eroded consumers' spending power: Hourly pay, adjusted for higher consumer prices, fell 2.6% in February from a year earlier — the 11th straight month in which inflation has outpaced year-over-year wage growth. According to AAA, average gasoline prices, at $4.23 a gallon, are up a dizzying 47% from a year ago.
Squeezed by inflation, some consumers are paring their spending. The Commerce Department reported Thursday that consumer spending rose just 0.2%% in February — and fell 0.4% when adjusted for inflation — down from a 2.7% increase in January.
Still, the job market has kept hurtling ahead. Employers posted a near-record 11.3 million positions in February. Nearly 4.4 million Americans quit their jobs, a sign of confidence that they could find something better.
“We’re still seeing a very tight labor market,’’ said Karen Fichuk, CEO of the staffing company Randstad North America, who noted that the United States now has a record 1.7 job openings for every unemployed person.
Even so, so many jobs were lost in 2020 that the economy still remains more than 2 million shy of the number it had just before the pandemic struck. Over the past year, employers have added an average of 556,000 jobs a month. At that pace — no guarantee to continue — the nation would recover all the jobs lost to the pandemic by June. (That still wouldn't include all the additional hiring that would have been done over the past two years under normal circumstances.)
Brighter job prospects are beginning to draw back into the labor force people who had remained on the sidelines because of health concerns, difficulty finding or affording daycare, generous unemployment benefits that have now expired or other reasons.
Over the past year, 3.6 million people have joined the U.S. labor force, meaning they now either have a job or are looking for one. But their ranks are still nearly 600,000 short of where they stood in February 2020, just before the pandemic slammed into the economy.
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WASHINGTON (AP) — Lawmakers have moved to the brink of shaking hands on a scaled-back bipartisan compromise providing a fresh $10 billion to combat COVID-19, a deal that could set up final congressional approval next week.
The price tag was down from an earlier $15.6 billion agreement between the two parties that collapsed weeks ago after House Democrats rejected cutting unused pandemic aid to states to help pay for it. President Joe Biden requested $22.5 billion in early March. With leaders hoping to move the package through Congress quickly, the lowered cost seemed to reflect both parties' calculations that agreeing soon to additional savings would be too hard.
The effort, which would finance steps like vaccines, treatments and tests, comes as Biden and other Democrats have warned the government is running out of money to counter the pandemic. At the same time, the more transmissible omicron variant BA.2 has been spreading quickly in the U.S. and abroad.
“We’ve reached an agreement in principle on all the spending and all of the offsets,” Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah, the lead Republican bargainer, told reporters Thursday, using Washington-speak for savings. “It’s entirely balanced by offsets.”
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and others were more circumspect.
“We are getting close to a final agreement that would garner bipartisan support,” Schumer said on the Senate floor. He said lawmakers were still finalizing the bill’s components and language, and awaiting a cost estimate from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.
Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., chair of the Senate health committee and another bargainer, said, “I’m hoping,” when asked about Romney’s assessment.
Once clinched, an agreement would represent a semblance of bipartisan cooperation in battling the pandemic that dissolved a year ago, when a far larger, $1.9 trillion measure proposed by the new president cleared Congress with only Democratic votes. That bill was laden with spending to help struggling families, businesses and communities, while this one would be aimed exclusively at public health.
Many Republicans have been willing to go along with the new expenditures but have insisted on paying for them with unspent funds from previous bills Congress has enacted to address the pandemic.
Half the new measure's $10 billion would be used for treatments, said Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., who has helped negotiate the agreement. He said top federal health officials would be given wide discretion on spending the rest of it but it would include research and other steps for battling the disease, which has killed around 975,000 Americans and millions across the world.
Romney and others said savings the two parties had agreed to for the new bill would not include the cuts in state assistance that House Democrats opposed. He said some unused funds would be culled from another pandemic program that gives state and local governments funds for grants to local businesses.
Blunt said both sides had also agreed to savings that include pulling back an unspent $2.2 billion for aiding entertainment venues closed during the pandemic and more than $2 billion still available for assisting aviation manufacturing.
Romney said the $10 billion might include $1 billion for vaccines, treatments and other support for countries overseas. Blunt said that figure seemed unresolved. One third of the earlier, $15.6 billion measure had been slated to go abroad.
The lowered figure for assisting other countries encountered opposition in the House, where some Democrats wanted to boost the figure. Epidemiologists have cited the need to vaccinate more people around the world and reduce the virus’ opportunities for spinning off new variants.
“It's a problem," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., told reporters. “It's a shame."
Kate Bedingfield, White House communications director, said officials were “very hopeful" an agreement would be reached and prodded lawmakers to include funds to help other countries cope with the disease.
“We’re not going to be able to put this pandemic behind us until we stop the spread and proliferation of new variants globally,” Bedingfield said.
Leaders hope Congress can approve the legislation before lawmakers leave for a spring recess after next week.
Republicans have leverage in the Democratic-controlled, 50-50 Senate because 60 votes are needed to pass most major bills. Romney and Blunt both said they believed a finalized package they described would attract significantly more than the 10 GOP votes needed.
Since the pandemic began, Congress has approved more than $5 trillion to address the economic and health crises it produced. Only a small fraction of that has been for public health programs like vaccines.
In an interview earlier Thursday with Punchbowl News, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said the measure's price tag seemed to have fallen to $10 billion because Democrats weren't agreeing to additional savings.
Minutes later, Schumer took to the Senate floor and mentioned no figures but suggested its size could fall.
“I’m pleading with my Republican colleagues, join us," Schumer said. “We want more than you do, but we have to get something done. We have to get something done."
Asked if he thought an agreement could be reached before lawmakers' recess, McConnell said, “We'll see. Hope so."
___
Associated Press writer Zeke Miller contributed to this report.
Credit: Patrick Semansky
Credit: Patrick Semansky
Credit: J. Scott Applewhite
Credit: J. Scott Applewhite
Credit: J. Scott Applewhite
Credit: J. Scott Applewhite
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https://www.springfieldnewssun.com/nation-world/caseworkers-texas-order-on-trans-kids-handled-differently/CYVBZIGWUJD7ZFBSUGJWDMQCTU/
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AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — When Texas Gov. Greg Abbott put in motion abuse investigations into the parents of some transgender kids, child welfare supervisor Randa Mulanax said what happened next strayed from normal protocols.
There was unusual secrecy, with texts and emails discouraged. Allegations about trans kids received elevated status. In Texas, fewer than three in 10 child welfare investigations end with findings that harm likely occurred — classified as “reason to believe” — but the changes looked to Mulanax like these cases would be predetermined from the start.
“It was my understanding that they wanted to be found ‘reason to believe,'” Mulanax told The Associated Press in her first interview since leaving the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, where she worked for six years until quitting last month. “That’s why we were having to figure out a way to staff it up and see how we go about it, since it doesn’t match our policy right now."
As early as Friday, the Texas Supreme Court could decide whether the state can resume at least nine investigations into the parents of transgender children. They are the first to fall on the radar of child welfare authorities since Texas' Republican governor in February directed the state to begin handling reports of gender-confirming care for kids as child abuse — the first such order issued in the U.S.
The court fight in Texas comes as Republicans across the country are leaning into policies aimed at transgender Americans, most prominently through bans on transgender athletes on girls sports teams. But Texas is the only state where a GOP governor has greenlighted abuse cases against the parents of transgender children, which several current and departing Texas child welfare workers say was rushed into action and has sunk already low morale at their troubled state agency even deeper.
It is unclear how many Texas child welfare investigators — who are tasked with carrying out Abbott's directive — have quit in protest. Mulanax is one of at least two state Child Protective Services workers who are leaving and added their names this week to a court brief that urged Texas' justices to keep the investigations sidelined. Five other investigators who remain at the agency also signed on.
Abbott's instructions to Texas child welfare officials takes aim at treatments for children that include puberty blockers and hormone therapy.
Patrick Crimmins, spokesman for the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, declined comment Thursday, citing the ongoing lawsuit.
“We’re being so closely monitored on those type of cases that you wouldn’t be able to just say, ‘Oh, nothing to see,’" said Shelby McCowen, a child welfare investigator who called the directive the ‘last straw’ and is quitting after less than a year at the agency.
Texas completed more than 157,000 child welfare investigations in the last fiscal year, according to state data. McCowen said the cases involving parents of transgender families were drawing the same attention as child death investigations, and like Mulanax, said instructions were given not to discuss the cases through state emails or phones — only on personal devices, or face-to-face.
The cases were to be referred to as “special assignments” rather than using a case name or number, according to McCowen. She said upper managers told investigators a survey would be sent out internally to address questions about the directive, but none ever arrived.
“I don’t know how many times they go into the cases, but we’re told that if we get one of these cases, the documentation has to be almost instant because it’s being monitored," she said.
Abbott’s directive goes against the nation’s largest medical groups, including the American Medical Association, which have opposed Republican-backed restrictions filed in statehouses nationwide. On Thursday, President Joe Biden marked Transgender Day of Visibility by denouncing such legislation, saying “the onslaught of anti-transgender state laws attacking you and your families is simply wrong.”
In pressing that the investigations in Texas be allowed to continue, Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's office wrote that “if DFPS cannot investigate possible child abuse, children may be harmed — perhaps irreversibly — in the interim.”
Mulanax said if the investigations were to resume, she considers it unlikely that any children would be removed from their homes around Texas' biggest cities, which are controlled by Democrats and where some county officials have already said they would reject such cases.
But in the event of a finding of harm, Mulanax said, putting in place what are usually other safety plans don't make sense to her either. She said those options typically include required parental supervision or services such as therapy, which Mulanax said some of the families might already be doing.
“It was just a complete betrayal of the department,” she said.
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“It felt like a bomb went off inside my head,” he said. "Just frustrated with myself.”
DeRozan shrugged off the missed free throw and helped the Bulls come away with a win after falling behind by 16 in the third period.
Chicago, which led the Eastern Conference for a large portion of the season, moved a half-game ahead of sixth-place Toronto with five remaining. The Bulls are trying to stay in the top six in order to avoid the play-in round in the postseason.
Nikola Vucevic added 22 points and 14 rebounds. Zach LaVine scored 21 as the Bulls won for the third time in four games.
Reggie Jackson led Los Angeles with 34 points.
Paul George scored 22 in his second game back after missing three months because of a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow. He played 32 minutes and sat out overtime.
Marcus Morris Sr. added 20 points and Nicolas Batum scored 17. But the Clippers — eighth in the West — lost for the sixth time in seven games.
Clippers coach Tyronn Lue noticed a difference in the Bulls' defense as Chicago rallied.
“They picked their defensive intensity up,” he said. “I thought they did a good job with that. We took some bad shots, I thought, during that stretch instead of just continuing to keep playing the way we were playing.”
IN OT
Chicago led by four in overtime when Luke Kennard hit a 3 for Los Angeles with 1:12 left. Patrick Williams answered with one of his own to make it 129-125 with just under a minute remaining.
Jackson then hit two foul shots for the Clippers before DeRozan converted two to make it 131-127.
Williams rebounded a missed drive by Jackson, leading to two more free throws by DeRozan that made it a six-point game. Jackson nailed a 3 to cut it to 133-130 with five seconds left.
DeRozan caught the inbounds pass following a timeout by the Bulls and drove for a dunk, sealing a wild win for Chicago.
BULLS RALLY
The Clippers saw their lead shrink to four early in the fourth and got it back up to 11 with about five minutes remaining before the Bulls made another push.
Los Angeles was leading 118-115 with seven seconds left in regulation when Terance Mann got called for a foul away from the ball on an inbounds play following a timeout. That led to a free throw for DeRozan that cut it to two and possession for Chicago.
DeRozan then got fouled by George on a 3-point attempt with 3.5 seconds remaining. He hit the first two foul shots to tie it at 118 and missed the third, sending the game to overtime.
TIP-INS
Clippers: Batum (sore left ankle) and Morris (sore left knee) played well after being listed as questionable.
Bulls: DeRozan has 2,019 points, the second time he's scored 2,000 in a season. He is the first Bulls player to do it since Derrick Rose had 2,026 points in his 2010-11 MVP season. ... G Lonzo Ball (left knee) will start building up to sprinting at full speed and resume cutting after a 10-day pause because of discomfort, coach Billy Donovan said. How Ball responds will determine when — or if — he returns this season. Ball had surgery in January to repair a torn meniscus. “I have not gotten anything from the doctors that said to me like, ‘Listen, there’s just not enough time. We can't get him back.' They're gonna do everything they can to try to get him back," Donovan said. Chicago closes the regular season at Minnesota on April 10. ... Williams said he was late for the morning shootaround and got fined by the team. He then played by far a season-high 36:49 in his seventh game back after being sidelined since late October because of torn ligaments in his left wrist.
UP NEXT
Clippers: Visit Milwaukee on Friday.
Bulls: Host Miami on Saturday.
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
Caption Chicago Bulls guard Zach LaVine, right, drives as Los Angeles Clippers center Ivica Zubac defends during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Chicago, Thursday, March 31, 2022. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Credit: Nam Y. Huh
Caption Chicago Bulls guard Zach LaVine, right, drives as Los Angeles Clippers center Ivica Zubac defends during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Chicago, Thursday, March 31, 2022. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Credit: Nam Y. Huh
Credit: Nam Y. Huh
Caption Chicago Bulls guard Ayo Dosunmu, left, shoots against Los Angeles Clippers forward Nicolas Batum during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Chicago, Thursday, March 31, 2022. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Credit: Nam Y. Huh
Caption Chicago Bulls guard Ayo Dosunmu, left, shoots against Los Angeles Clippers forward Nicolas Batum during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Chicago, Thursday, March 31, 2022. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Credit: Nam Y. Huh
Credit: Nam Y. Huh
Caption Los Angeles Clippers guard Paul George (13) rebounds the ball next to Chicago Bulls center Nikola Vucevic during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Chicago, Thursday, March 31, 2022. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Credit: Nam Y. Huh
Caption Los Angeles Clippers guard Paul George (13) rebounds the ball next to Chicago Bulls center Nikola Vucevic during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Chicago, Thursday, March 31, 2022. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Credit: Nam Y. Huh
Credit: Nam Y. Huh
Caption Los Angeles Clippers guard Paul George, right, intercepts a pass to Chicago Bulls guard Ayo Dosunmu during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Chicago, Thursday, March 31, 2022. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Credit: Nam Y. Huh
Caption Los Angeles Clippers guard Paul George, right, intercepts a pass to Chicago Bulls guard Ayo Dosunmu during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Chicago, Thursday, March 31, 2022. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Credit: Nam Y. Huh
Credit: Nam Y. Huh
Caption Los Angeles Clippers forward Marcus Morris Sr., (8) vies for a rebound against Chicago Bulls center Tristan Thompson, obscured at left, and forward Patrick Williams during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Chicago, Thursday, March 31, 2022. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Credit: Nam Y. Huh
Caption Los Angeles Clippers forward Marcus Morris Sr., (8) vies for a rebound against Chicago Bulls center Tristan Thompson, obscured at left, and forward Patrick Williams during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Chicago, Thursday, March 31, 2022. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Credit: Nam Y. Huh
Credit: Nam Y. Huh
Caption Chicago Bulls guard Coby White, right, shoots against the Los Angeles Clippers during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Chicago, Thursday, March 31, 2022. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Credit: Nam Y. Huh
Caption Chicago Bulls guard Coby White, right, shoots against the Los Angeles Clippers during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Chicago, Thursday, March 31, 2022. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Credit: Nam Y. Huh
Credit: Nam Y. Huh
Caption Los Angeles Clippers coach Tyronn Lue, left, talks to guard Reggie Jackson during the first half of the team's NBA basketball game against the Chicago Bulls in Chicago, Thursday, March 31, 2022. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Credit: Nam Y. Huh
Caption Los Angeles Clippers coach Tyronn Lue, left, talks to guard Reggie Jackson during the first half of the team's NBA basketball game against the Chicago Bulls in Chicago, Thursday, March 31, 2022. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Credit: Nam Y. Huh
Credit: Nam Y. Huh
Caption Chicago Bulls guard Alex Caruso, right, drives to the basket against Los Angeles Clippers center Isaiah Hartenstein during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Chicago, Thursday, March 31, 2022. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Credit: Nam Y. Huh
Caption Chicago Bulls guard Alex Caruso, right, drives to the basket against Los Angeles Clippers center Isaiah Hartenstein during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Chicago, Thursday, March 31, 2022. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Credit: Nam Y. Huh
Credit: Nam Y. Huh
Caption Chicago Bulls guard Zach LaVine, right, drives to the basket against Los Angeles Clippers center Isaiah Hartenstein during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Chicago, Thursday, March 31, 2022. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Credit: Nam Y. Huh
Caption Chicago Bulls guard Zach LaVine, right, drives to the basket against Los Angeles Clippers center Isaiah Hartenstein during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Chicago, Thursday, March 31, 2022. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Credit: Nam Y. Huh
Credit: Nam Y. Huh
Caption Chicago Bulls head coach Billy Donovan, right, talks with forward DeMar DeRozan during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Los Angeles Clippers in Chicago, Thursday, March 31, 2022. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Credit: Nam Y. Huh
Caption Chicago Bulls head coach Billy Donovan, right, talks with forward DeMar DeRozan during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Los Angeles Clippers in Chicago, Thursday, March 31, 2022. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Credit: Nam Y. Huh
Credit: Nam Y. Huh
Caption Los Angeles Clippers forward Nicolas Batum reacts as officials review a possible Clippers foul during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Chicago Bulls in Chicago, Thursday, March 31, 2022. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Credit: Nam Y. Huh
Caption Los Angeles Clippers forward Nicolas Batum reacts as officials review a possible Clippers foul during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Chicago Bulls in Chicago, Thursday, March 31, 2022. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Credit: Nam Y. Huh
Credit: Nam Y. Huh
Caption Los Angeles Clippers guard Paul George, right, shoots against Chicago Bulls center Nikola Vucevic, left, and guard Coby White during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Chicago, Thursday, March 31, 2022. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Credit: Nam Y. Huh
Caption Los Angeles Clippers guard Paul George, right, shoots against Chicago Bulls center Nikola Vucevic, left, and guard Coby White during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Chicago, Thursday, March 31, 2022. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Credit: Nam Y. Huh
Credit: Nam Y. Huh
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WASHINGTON (AP) — The House has passed a bill capping the monthly cost of insulin at $35 for insured patients, part of an election-year push by Democrats for price curbs on prescription drugs at a time of rising inflation.
Experts say the legislation, which passed 232-193 Thursday, would provide significant relief for privately insured patients with skimpier plans and for Medicare enrollees facing rising out-of-pocket costs for their insulin. Some could save hundreds of dollars annually, and all insured patients would get the benefit of predictable monthly costs for insulin. The bill would not help the uninsured.
But the Affordable Insulin Now Act will serve as a political vehicle to rally Democrats and force Republicans who oppose it into uncomfortable votes ahead of the midterms. For the legislation to pass Congress, 10 Republican senators would have to vote in favor. Democrats acknowledge they don't have an answer for how that's going to happen.
“If 10 Republicans stand between the American people being able to get access to affordable insulin, that's a good question for 10 Republicans to answer,” said Rep. Dan Kildee, D-Mich., a cosponsor of the House bill. “Republicans get diabetes, too. Republicans die from diabetes.”
Public opinion polls have consistently shown support across party lines for congressional action to limit drug costs.
But Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., complained the legislation is only “a small piece of a larger package around government price controls for prescription drugs." Critics say the bill would raise premiums and fails to target pharmaceutical middlemen seen as contributing to high list prices for insulin.
Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, said Democrats could have a deal on prescription drugs if they drop their bid to authorize Medicare to negotiate prices. “Do Democrats really want to help seniors, or would they rather have the campaign issue?" Grassley said.
The insulin bill, which would take effect in 2023, represents just one provision of a much broader prescription drug package in President Joe Biden's social and climate legislation.
In addition to a similar $35 cap on insulin, the Biden bill would authorize Medicare to negotiate prices for a range of drugs, including insulin. It would penalize drugmakers who raise prices faster than inflation and overhaul the Medicare prescription drug benefit to limit out-of-pocket costs for enrollees.
Biden's agenda passed the House only to stall in the Senate because Democrats could not reach consensus. Party leaders haven't abandoned hope of getting the legislation moving again, and preserving its drug pricing curbs largely intact.
The idea of a $35 monthly cost cap for insulin actually has a bipartisan pedigree. The Trump administration had created a voluntary option for Medicare enrollees to get insulin for $35, and the Biden administration continued it.
In the Senate, Republican Susan Collins of Maine and Democrat Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire are working on a bipartisan insulin bill. Georgia Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock has introduced legislation similar to the House bill, with the support of Sen. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York.
Stung by criticism that Biden's economic policies spur inflation, Democrats are redoubling efforts to show how they'd help people cope with costs. On Thursday, the Commerce Department reported a key inflation gauge jumped 6.4% in February compared with a year ago, the largest year-over-year rise since January 1982.
But experts say the House bill would not help uninsured people, who face the highest out-of-pocket costs for insulin. Also, people with diabetes often take other medications as well as insulin. That's done to treat the diabetes itself, along with other serious health conditions often associated with the disease. The House legislation would not help with those costs, either. Collins says she's looking for a way to help uninsured people through her bill.
About 37 million Americans have diabetes, and an estimated 6 million to 7 million use insulin to keep their blood sugars under control. It's an old drug, refined and improved over the years, that has seen relentless price increases.
Steep list prices don't reflect the rates insurance plans negotiate with manufacturers. But those list prices are used to calculate cost-sharing amounts that patients owe. Patients who can't afford their insulin reduce or skip doses, a strategy born of desperation, which can lead to serious complications and even death.
Economist Sherry Glied of New York University said the market for insulin is a “total disaster” for many patients, particularly those with skimpy insurance plans or no insurance.
“This will make private insurance for people with diabetes a much more attractive proposition,” said Glied.
Credit: J. Scott Applewhite
Credit: J. Scott Applewhite
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“I don’t think that many people thought that the Amazon Labor Union had much of a chance of winning at all,” Logan said. “And I think we’re likely to see more of those (approaches) going forward.”
After a crushing defeat last year in Bessemer, when a majority of workers voted against forming a union, the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union got a second chance to organize another campaign when the NLRB ordered a do-over after determining that Amazon tainted the first election.
Though RWDSU is currently lagging in the latest election, Logan said the early results were still remarkable because the union has made a good effort narrowing its margin from last year.
Stuart Appelbaum, president of the RWDSU, said on Thursday that the union would be filing objections to how Amazon handled the election in Bessemer but declined to specify. He also took the opportunity to lash out at current labor laws, which he believes are rigged against unions and favor corporations.
“It should not be so difficult to organize a union in the United States," he said.
Chris Smalls, a fired Amazon employee who has been leading the ALU in its fight on Staten Island, remains hopeful of victory.
“To be leading in Day One and be up a couple hundred against a trillion dollar company, this is the best feeling in the world,” Smalls said after the conclusion of Thursday’s counting.
While Smalls’ attention has been focused on securing victory in New York, the efforts in Alabama also weighed heavily.
“I’m not too sure what’s going in Alabama right now, but I know that the sky’s the limit if you can organize any warehouse,” he said, noting that the vote in Alabama could well end up differently. “I hope that they’re successful. I don’t know what’s going on yet, but we know we show our support and solidarity with them.”
Amazon has pushed back hard in the lead-up to both elections. The retail giant held mandatory meetings, where workers were told unions are a bad idea. The company also launched an anti-union website targeting workers and placed English and Spanish posters across the Staten Island facility urging them to reject the union. In Bessemer, Amazon has made some changes to but still kept a controversial U.S. Postal Service mailbox that was key in the NLRB's decision to invalidate last year's vote.
In a filing released on Thursday, Amazon disclosed it spent about $4.2 million last year on labor consultants, which organizers say the retailer routinely solicits to persuade workers not to unionize. It’s unclear how much it spent on such services in 2022.
Both labor fights faced unique challenges. Alabama, for instance, is a right-to-work state that prohibits a company and a union from signing a contract that requires workers to pay dues to the union that represents them.
The mostly Black workforce at the Amazon facility, which opened in 2020, mirrors the Bessemer population of more than 70% Black residents, according to the latest U.S. Census data.
Pro-union workers say they want better working conditions, longer breaks and higher wages. Regular full-time employees at the Bessemer facility earn at least $15.80 an hour, higher than the estimated $14.55 per hour on average in the city. That figure is based on an analysis of the U.S. Census Bureau’s annual median household income for Bessemer of $30,284, which could include more than one worker.
The ALU said they don’t have a demographic breakdown of the warehouse workers on Staten Island and Amazon declined to provide the information to The Associated Press, citing the union vote. Internal records leaked to The New York Times from 2019 showed more than 60% of the hourly associates at the facility were Black or Latino, while most of managers were white or Asian.
Amazon workers there are seeking longer breaks, paid time off for injured employees and an hourly wage of $30, up from a minimum of just over $18 per hour offered by the company. The estimated average wage for the borough is $41 per hour, according to a similar U.S. Census Bureau analysis of Staten Island’s $85,381 median household income.
A spokesperson for Amazon said the company invests in wages and benefits, such as health care, 401(k) plans and a prepaid college tuition program to help grow workers’ careers.
“As a company, we don’t think unions are the best answer for our employees,” the spokesperson said in an emailed statement. “Our focus remains on working directly with our team to continue making Amazon a great place to work.”
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Associated Press staff writers Tali Arbel and Bobby Caina Calvan in New York contributed to this report.
Caption Angelika Maldonado, right, Amazon Labor Union (ALU) chairwoman of workers committee at Staten Island Amazon warehouse, Brett Daniels, center, director of organizing for ALU workers committee, and Connor Spence, left, ALU Vice President for membership, check their phones during a watch party of vote counting to unionize Amazon warehouse on Staten Island, N.Y., Thursday March 31, 2022, in New York. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)
Credit: Bebeto Matthews
Caption Angelika Maldonado, right, Amazon Labor Union (ALU) chairwoman of workers committee at Staten Island Amazon warehouse, Brett Daniels, center, director of organizing for ALU workers committee, and Connor Spence, left, ALU Vice President for membership, check their phones during a watch party of vote counting to unionize Amazon warehouse on Staten Island, N.Y., Thursday March 31, 2022, in New York. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)
Credit: Bebeto Matthews
Credit: Bebeto Matthews
Caption Angelika Maldonado, right, Amazon Labor Union (ALU) chairwoman of workers committee at Staten Island Amazon warehouse, and Brett Daniels, director of organizing for ALU workers committee, react while watching a zoom-cast of vote counting to unionize Amazon warehouse on Staten Island, N.Y., , Thursday March 31, 2022, in New York. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)
Credit: Bebeto Matthews
Caption Angelika Maldonado, right, Amazon Labor Union (ALU) chairwoman of workers committee at Staten Island Amazon warehouse, and Brett Daniels, director of organizing for ALU workers committee, react while watching a zoom-cast of vote counting to unionize Amazon warehouse on Staten Island, N.Y., , Thursday March 31, 2022, in New York. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)
Credit: Bebeto Matthews
Credit: Bebeto Matthews
Caption FILE - People arrive for work at the Amazon distribution center in the Staten Island borough of New York, Monday, Oct. 25, 2021. An independent group formed by former and current Amazon workers are trying to unionize a company warehouse in New York City. If successful, the effort at the Amazon fulfillment center in Staten Island could lead to the first unionized Amazon facility in the U.S. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle, File)
Credit: Craig Ruttle
Caption FILE - People arrive for work at the Amazon distribution center in the Staten Island borough of New York, Monday, Oct. 25, 2021. An independent group formed by former and current Amazon workers are trying to unionize a company warehouse in New York City. If successful, the effort at the Amazon fulfillment center in Staten Island could lead to the first unionized Amazon facility in the U.S. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle, File)
Credit: Craig Ruttle
Credit: Craig Ruttle
Caption Signs are posted outside the the Amazon fulfillment center in Staten Island borough of New York at a bus stop on March 16, 2022. An independent group formed by former and current Amazon workers are trying to unionize a company warehouse in New York City. If successful, the effort at the Amazon fulfillment center in Staten Island could lead to the first unionized Amazon facility in the U.S. (AP Photo/Haleluya Hadero)
Credit: Haleluya Hadero
Caption Signs are posted outside the the Amazon fulfillment center in Staten Island borough of New York at a bus stop on March 16, 2022. An independent group formed by former and current Amazon workers are trying to unionize a company warehouse in New York City. If successful, the effort at the Amazon fulfillment center in Staten Island could lead to the first unionized Amazon facility in the U.S. (AP Photo/Haleluya Hadero)
Credit: Haleluya Hadero
Credit: Haleluya Hadero
Caption Elijah Ramos stands outside the the Amazon fulfillment center in Staten Island borough of New York at a bus stop on March 16, 2022. An independent group formed by former and current Amazon workers are trying to unionize a company warehouse in New York City. If successful, the effort at the Amazon fulfillment center in Staten Island could lead to the first unionized Amazon facility in the U.S. (AP Photo/Haleluya Hadero)
Credit: Haleluya Hadero
Caption Elijah Ramos stands outside the the Amazon fulfillment center in Staten Island borough of New York at a bus stop on March 16, 2022. An independent group formed by former and current Amazon workers are trying to unionize a company warehouse in New York City. If successful, the effort at the Amazon fulfillment center in Staten Island could lead to the first unionized Amazon facility in the U.S. (AP Photo/Haleluya Hadero)
Credit: Haleluya Hadero
Credit: Haleluya Hadero
Caption Michelle Valentin Nieves stand outside the the Amazon fulfillment center in Staten Island borough of New York at a bus stop on March 16, 2022. An independent group formed by former and current Amazon workers are trying to unionize a company warehouse in New York City. If successful, the effort at the Amazon fulfillment center in Staten Island could lead to the first unionized Amazon facility in the U.S. (AP Photo/Haleluya Hadero)
Credit: Haleluya Hadero
Caption Michelle Valentin Nieves stand outside the the Amazon fulfillment center in Staten Island borough of New York at a bus stop on March 16, 2022. An independent group formed by former and current Amazon workers are trying to unionize a company warehouse in New York City. If successful, the effort at the Amazon fulfillment center in Staten Island could lead to the first unionized Amazon facility in the U.S. (AP Photo/Haleluya Hadero)
Credit: Haleluya Hadero
Credit: Haleluya Hadero
Caption Signs are posted outside the the Amazon fulfillment center in Staten Island borough of New York at a bus stop on March 16, 2022. An independent group formed by former and current Amazon workers are trying to unionize a company warehouse in New York City. If successful, the effort at the Amazon fulfillment center in Staten Island could lead to the first unionized Amazon facility in the U.S. (AP Photo/Haleluya Hadero)
Credit: Haleluya Hadero
Caption Signs are posted outside the the Amazon fulfillment center in Staten Island borough of New York at a bus stop on March 16, 2022. An independent group formed by former and current Amazon workers are trying to unionize a company warehouse in New York City. If successful, the effort at the Amazon fulfillment center in Staten Island could lead to the first unionized Amazon facility in the U.S. (AP Photo/Haleluya Hadero)
Credit: Haleluya Hadero
Credit: Haleluya Hadero
Caption Amazon worker Dale Wyatt talks about a drive to unionize the company's fulfillment center in Bessemer, Ala., during an interview in Birmingham, Ala., on Thursday, March 10, 2022. Workers are voting for a second time on a labor push at the warehouse after the National Labor Relations Board ordered a do-over election upon determining that Amazon unfairly influenced an initial vote in 2021. (AP Photo/Jay Reeves)
Credit: Jay Reeves
Caption Amazon worker Dale Wyatt talks about a drive to unionize the company's fulfillment center in Bessemer, Ala., during an interview in Birmingham, Ala., on Thursday, March 10, 2022. Workers are voting for a second time on a labor push at the warehouse after the National Labor Relations Board ordered a do-over election upon determining that Amazon unfairly influenced an initial vote in 2021. (AP Photo/Jay Reeves)
Credit: Jay Reeves
Credit: Jay Reeves
Caption Signs supporting the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union are shown near an Amazon fulfillment center in Bessemer, Ala., on Thursday, March 10, 2022. Workers are voting for a second time on a labor push at the warehouse after the National Labor Relations Board ordered a do-over election upon determining that Amazon unfairly influenced an initial vote in 2021. (AP Photo/Jay Reeves)
Credit: Jay reeves
Caption Signs supporting the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union are shown near an Amazon fulfillment center in Bessemer, Ala., on Thursday, March 10, 2022. Workers are voting for a second time on a labor push at the warehouse after the National Labor Relations Board ordered a do-over election upon determining that Amazon unfairly influenced an initial vote in 2021. (AP Photo/Jay Reeves)
Credit: Jay reeves
Credit: Jay reeves
Caption Suspended Amazon employee Reyn McGuire talks about her support for a drive to unionize the company's fulfillment center in Bessemer, Ala., during an interview in Birmingham, Ala., on Thursday, March 10, 2022. Workers are voting for a second time on a labor push at the warehouse after the National Labor Relations Board ordered a do-over election upon determining that Amazon unfairly influenced an initial vote in 2021. (AP Photo/Jay Reeves)
Credit: Jay Reeves
Caption Suspended Amazon employee Reyn McGuire talks about her support for a drive to unionize the company's fulfillment center in Bessemer, Ala., during an interview in Birmingham, Ala., on Thursday, March 10, 2022. Workers are voting for a second time on a labor push at the warehouse after the National Labor Relations Board ordered a do-over election upon determining that Amazon unfairly influenced an initial vote in 2021. (AP Photo/Jay Reeves)
Credit: Jay Reeves
Credit: Jay Reeves
Caption Suspended Amazon employee Reyn McGuire, right, talks with an unidentified union organizer in Birmingham, Ala., on Thursday, March 10, 2022. Workers are voting for a second time on a labor push at the company's warehouse in Bessemer, Ala., after the National Labor Relations Board ordered a do-over election upon determining that Amazon unfairly influenced an initial vote in 2021. (AP Photo/Jay Reeves)
Credit: Jay Reeves
Caption Suspended Amazon employee Reyn McGuire, right, talks with an unidentified union organizer in Birmingham, Ala., on Thursday, March 10, 2022. Workers are voting for a second time on a labor push at the company's warehouse in Bessemer, Ala., after the National Labor Relations Board ordered a do-over election upon determining that Amazon unfairly influenced an initial vote in 2021. (AP Photo/Jay Reeves)
Credit: Jay Reeves
Credit: Jay Reeves
Caption Amazon Labor Union (ALU) lead organizer Mat Cusick, second from right standing, watches a zoom-cast of vote counting to unionize Amazon warehouse on Staten Island, N.Y., Thursday, March 31, 2022, in New York. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)
Credit: Bebeto Matthews
Caption Amazon Labor Union (ALU) lead organizer Mat Cusick, second from right standing, watches a zoom-cast of vote counting to unionize Amazon warehouse on Staten Island, N.Y., Thursday, March 31, 2022, in New York. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)
Credit: Bebeto Matthews
Credit: Bebeto Matthews
Caption Amazon Labor Union (ALU) volunteers Tim Hunter, right, and Drisana Hughes, left, watch a zoom-cast of vote counting to unionize Amazon warehouse on Staten Island, N.Y., Thursday, March 31, 2022, in New York. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)
Credit: Bebeto Matthews
Caption Amazon Labor Union (ALU) volunteers Tim Hunter, right, and Drisana Hughes, left, watch a zoom-cast of vote counting to unionize Amazon warehouse on Staten Island, N.Y., Thursday, March 31, 2022, in New York. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)
Credit: Bebeto Matthews
Credit: Bebeto Matthews
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“There will be battles ahead,” he added.
Following a plea from Zelenskyy when he addressed Australian Parliament on Thursday, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said that his country would send mine-resistant armored personnel carriers to Ukraine.
He said Friday the four-wheel drive “Bushmaster” vehicles, specifically requested by Zelenskyy, would be flown in to Europe but did not say how many would be delivered or when.
“We’re not just sending our prayers, we are sending our guns, we’re sending our munitions, we’re sending our humanitarian aid, we’re sending all of this, our body armor, all of these things and we’re going to be sending our armored vehicles, our Bushmasters, as well,” Morrison said.
In the encircled strategic port city of Mariupol, Russian forces blocked a convoy of 45 buses attempting to evacuate people after the Russian military agreed to a limited cease-fire in the area. Only 631 people were able to get out of the city in private cars, according to the Ukrainian government.
Russian forces also seized 14 tons of food and medical supplies in a dozen buses that were trying to make it to Mariupol, Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said.
The city has been the scene of some of the worst suffering of the war. Tens of thousands have managed to get out in the past few weeks by way of humanitarian corridors, reducing the population from a prewar 430,000 to an estimated 100,000 by last week, but other relief efforts have been thwarted by continued Russian attacks.
The International Atomic Energy Agency said it had been informed by Ukraine that the Russian forces at the site of the world’s worst nuclear disaster had transferred control of it in writing to the Ukrainians. The last Russian troops left Chernobyl early Friday, the Ukrainian government agency responsible for the exclusion zone said.
Energoatom gave no details on the condition of the soldiers it said were exposed to radiation and did not say how many were affected. There was no immediate comment from the Kremlin, and the IAEA said it had not been able to confirm the reports of Russian troops receiving high doses. It said it was seeking more information.
Russian forces seized the Chernobyl site in the opening stages of the Feb. 24 invasion, raising fears that they would cause damage or disruption that could spread radiation. The workforce at the site oversees the safe storage of spent fuel rods and the concrete-entombed ruins of the reactor that exploded in 1986.
Edwin Lyman, a nuclear expert with the U.S.-based Union of Concerned Scientists, said it “seems unlikely” a large number of troops would develop severe radiation illness, but it was impossible to know for sure without more details.
He said contaminated material was probably buried or covered with new topsoil during the cleanup of Chernobyl, and some soldiers may have been exposed to a “hot spot” of radiation while digging. Others may have assumed they were at risk too, he said.
IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi was in the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad on Friday for talks with senior officials there about nuclear issues in Ukraine.
In addition to concerns about Chernobyl, nine of Ukraine's 15 operational reactors are currently in use, including two at the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhya facility, the IAEA said.
Early this week, the Russians said they would significantly scale back military operations in areas around Kyiv and the northern city of Chernihiv to increase trust between the two sides and help negotiations along.
But in the Kyiv suburbs, regional governor Oleksandr Palviuk said on social media Thursday that Russian forces shelled Irpin and Makariv and that there were battles around Hostomel. Pavliuk said there were Ukrainian counterattacks and some Russian withdrawals around the suburb of Brovary to the east.
At a Ukrainian military checkpoint outside Kyiv, soldiers and officers said they don’t believe Russian forces have given up on the capital.
“What does it mean, significantly scaling down combat actions in the Kyiv and Chernihiv areas?” asked Brig. Gen. Valeriy Embakov. “Does it mean there will be 100 missiles instead of 200 missiles launched on Kyiv or something else?”
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said intelligence indicates Russia is not scaling back its military operations in Ukraine but is instead trying to regroup, resupply its forces and reinforce its offensive in the Donbas.
“Russia has repeatedly lied about its intentions,” Stoltenberg said. At the same time, he said, pressure is being kept up on Kyiv and other cities, and “we can expect additional offensive actions bringing even more suffering.”
The Donbas is the predominantly Russian-speaking industrial region where Moscow-backed separatists have been battling Ukrainian forces since 2014. In the past few days, the Kremlin, in a seeming shift in its war aims, said that its “main goal” now is gaining control of the Donbas, which consists of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, including Mariupol.
The top rebel leader in Donetsk, Denis Pushilin, issued an order to set up a rival city government for Mariupol, according to Russian state news agencies, in a sign of Russian intent to hold and administer the city.
With talks set to resume between Ukraine and Russia via video, there seemed little faith that the two sides would resolve the conflict any time soon.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said that conditions weren’t yet “ripe” for a cease-fire and that he wasn’t ready for a meeting with Zelenskyy until negotiators do more work, Italian Premier Mario Draghi said after a telephone conversation with the Russian leader.
As Western officials search for clues about what Russia's next move might be, a top British intelligence official said demoralized Russian soldiers in Ukraine are refusing to carry out orders and sabotaging their equipment and had accidentally shot down their own aircraft.
U.S. intelligence officials have concluded that Putin is being misinformed by his advisers about how badly the war is going because they are afraid to tell him the truth.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the U.S. is wrong and that “neither the State Department nor the Pentagon possesses the real information about what is happening in the Kremlin.”
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Karmanau reported from Lviv, Ukraine. Associated Press journalists around the world contributed to this report.
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Follow the AP's coverage of the war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
Caption Ukrainian soldiers walk next to destroyed Russian tanks in the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, March 31, 2022. Russian forces shelled Kyiv suburbs, two days after the Kremlin announced it would significantly scale back operations near both the capital and the northern city of Chernihiv to “increase mutual trust and create conditions for further negotiations.” (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Credit: Rodrigo Abd
Caption Ukrainian soldiers walk next to destroyed Russian tanks in the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, March 31, 2022. Russian forces shelled Kyiv suburbs, two days after the Kremlin announced it would significantly scale back operations near both the capital and the northern city of Chernihiv to “increase mutual trust and create conditions for further negotiations.” (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Credit: Rodrigo Abd
Credit: Rodrigo Abd
Caption People hide in a basement of a church which is used as a bomb shelter, after fleeing from nearby villages, that have been attacked by the Russian army, in the town of Bashtanka, Mykolaiv district, Ukraine, on Thursday, March 31, 2022. The talks between Ukraine and Russia will resume on Friday as NATO Secretary-General says Russia does not appear to be scaling back its military operations in Ukraine but is instead redeploying forces to the eastern Donbas region. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
Credit: Petros Giannakouris
Credit: Petros Giannakouris
Caption People hide in a basement of a church which is used as a bomb shelter, after fleeing from nearby villages, that have been attacked by the Russian army, in the town of Bashtanka, Mykolaiv district, Ukraine, on Thursday, March 31, 2022. The talks between Ukraine and Russia will resume on Friday as NATO Secretary-General says Russia does not appear to be scaling back its military operations in Ukraine but is instead redeploying forces to the eastern Donbas region. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
Credit: Petros Giannakouris
Credit: Petros Giannakouris
Caption Destroyed Russian armor vehicles are seen in the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, March 31, 2022. Russian forces shelled Kyiv suburbs, two days after the Kremlin announced it would significantly scale back operations near both the capital and the northern city of Chernihiv to “increase mutual trust and create conditions for further negotiations.” (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Credit: Rodrigo Abd
Caption Destroyed Russian armor vehicles are seen in the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, March 31, 2022. Russian forces shelled Kyiv suburbs, two days after the Kremlin announced it would significantly scale back operations near both the capital and the northern city of Chernihiv to “increase mutual trust and create conditions for further negotiations.” (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Credit: Rodrigo Abd
Credit: Rodrigo Abd
Caption Oleksandr, 81, rides a bicycle next to a destroyed Russian tank in the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, March 31, 2022. Russian forces shelled Kyiv suburbs, two days after the Kremlin announced it would significantly scale back operations near both the capital and the northern city of Chernihiv to “increase mutual trust and create conditions for further negotiations.” (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Credit: Rodrigo Abd
Caption Oleksandr, 81, rides a bicycle next to a destroyed Russian tank in the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, March 31, 2022. Russian forces shelled Kyiv suburbs, two days after the Kremlin announced it would significantly scale back operations near both the capital and the northern city of Chernihiv to “increase mutual trust and create conditions for further negotiations.” (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Credit: Rodrigo Abd
Credit: Rodrigo Abd
Caption A Ukrainian soldier stands one top of a destroyed Russian tank on the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, March 31, 2022. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Credit: Rodrigo Abd
Caption A Ukrainian soldier stands one top of a destroyed Russian tank on the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, March 31, 2022. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Credit: Rodrigo Abd
Credit: Rodrigo Abd
Caption Ukrainian servicemen ride on an armored transporter driving through a Russian position overran by Ukrainian forces outside Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, March 31, 2022. Heavy fighting raged on the outskirts of Kyiv and other zones Thursday amid indications the Kremlin is using talk of de-escalation as cover while regrouping and resupplying its forces and redeploying them for a stepped-up offensive in eastern Ukraine.(AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
Credit: Vadim Ghirda
Caption Ukrainian servicemen ride on an armored transporter driving through a Russian position overran by Ukrainian forces outside Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, March 31, 2022. Heavy fighting raged on the outskirts of Kyiv and other zones Thursday amid indications the Kremlin is using talk of de-escalation as cover while regrouping and resupplying its forces and redeploying them for a stepped-up offensive in eastern Ukraine.(AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
Credit: Vadim Ghirda
Credit: Vadim Ghirda
Caption A Ukrainian soldier crosses the destroyed bridge in Irpin close to Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, March 31, 2022. The more than month-old war has killed thousands and driven more than 10 million Ukrainians from their homes including almost 4 million from their country. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
Credit: Efrem Lukatsky
Caption A Ukrainian soldier crosses the destroyed bridge in Irpin close to Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, March 31, 2022. The more than month-old war has killed thousands and driven more than 10 million Ukrainians from their homes including almost 4 million from their country. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
Credit: Efrem Lukatsky
Credit: Efrem Lukatsky
Caption Ukrainian soldiers carry a body of a civilian killed by the Russian forces under the destroyed bridge in Irpin close to Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, March 31, 2022. The more than month-old war has killed thousands and driven more than 10 million Ukrainians from their homes including almost 4 million from their country. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
Credit: Efrem Lukatsky
Caption Ukrainian soldiers carry a body of a civilian killed by the Russian forces under the destroyed bridge in Irpin close to Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, March 31, 2022. The more than month-old war has killed thousands and driven more than 10 million Ukrainians from their homes including almost 4 million from their country. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
Credit: Efrem Lukatsky
Credit: Efrem Lukatsky
Caption Private cars burnt by the Russian forces and left by refugees on the road outside Irpin close to Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, March 31, 2022. The more than month-old war has killed thousands and driven more than 10 million Ukrainians from their homes including almost 4 million from their country. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
Credit: Efrem Lukatsky
Caption Private cars burnt by the Russian forces and left by refugees on the road outside Irpin close to Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, March 31, 2022. The more than month-old war has killed thousands and driven more than 10 million Ukrainians from their homes including almost 4 million from their country. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
Credit: Efrem Lukatsky
Credit: Efrem Lukatsky
Caption A Russian military hat lies on the pavement after Ukrainian forces overran a Russian position outside Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, March 31, 2022. Heavy fighting raged on the outskirts of Kyiv and other zones Thursday amid indications the Kremlin is using talk of de-escalation as cover while regrouping and resupplying its forces and redeploying them for a stepped-up offensive in eastern Ukraine.(AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
Credit: Vadim Ghirda
Caption A Russian military hat lies on the pavement after Ukrainian forces overran a Russian position outside Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, March 31, 2022. Heavy fighting raged on the outskirts of Kyiv and other zones Thursday amid indications the Kremlin is using talk of de-escalation as cover while regrouping and resupplying its forces and redeploying them for a stepped-up offensive in eastern Ukraine.(AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
Credit: Vadim Ghirda
Credit: Vadim Ghirda
Caption Ukrainian soldiers collect bodies of civilians killed by the Russian forces at the destroyed bridge in Irpin close to Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, March 31, 2022. The more than month-old war has killed thousands and driven more than 10 million Ukrainians from their homes including almost 4 million from their country. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
Credit: Efrem Lukatsky
Caption Ukrainian soldiers collect bodies of civilians killed by the Russian forces at the destroyed bridge in Irpin close to Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, March 31, 2022. The more than month-old war has killed thousands and driven more than 10 million Ukrainians from their homes including almost 4 million from their country. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
Credit: Efrem Lukatsky
Credit: Efrem Lukatsky
Caption A machine gun of a Ukrainian soldier rests next to condiments for lunch in the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, March 31, 2022. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Credit: Rodrigo Abd
Caption A machine gun of a Ukrainian soldier rests next to condiments for lunch in the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, March 31, 2022. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Credit: Rodrigo Abd
Credit: Rodrigo Abd
Caption A Ukrainian soldier carries a dog saved from under the ruins of houses destroyed by the Russian forces in Irpin close to Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, March 31, 2022. The more than month-old war has killed thousands and driven more than 10 million Ukrainians from their homes including almost 4 million from their country. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
Credit: Efrem Lukatsky
Caption A Ukrainian soldier carries a dog saved from under the ruins of houses destroyed by the Russian forces in Irpin close to Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, March 31, 2022. The more than month-old war has killed thousands and driven more than 10 million Ukrainians from their homes including almost 4 million from their country. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
Credit: Efrem Lukatsky
Credit: Efrem Lukatsky
Caption An elderly woman who was evacuated from Irpin, lies on a stretcher on the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, March 31, 2022. Heavy fighting raged on the outskirts of Kyiv and other zones Thursday amid indications the Kremlin is using talk of de-escalation as cover while regrouping and resupplying its forces and redeploying them for a stepped-up offensive in eastern Ukraine.(AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
Credit: Vadim Ghirda
Caption An elderly woman who was evacuated from Irpin, lies on a stretcher on the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, March 31, 2022. Heavy fighting raged on the outskirts of Kyiv and other zones Thursday amid indications the Kremlin is using talk of de-escalation as cover while regrouping and resupplying its forces and redeploying them for a stepped-up offensive in eastern Ukraine.(AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
Credit: Vadim Ghirda
Credit: Vadim Ghirda
Caption Ukrainians arrive at the border crossing in Medyka, southeastern Poland, Thursday, March 31, 2022. The talks between Ukraine and Russia will resume on Friday as NATO Secretary-General says Russia does not appear to be scaling back its military operations in Ukraine but is instead redeploying forces to the eastern Donbas region. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits)
Credit: Sergei Grits
Caption Ukrainians arrive at the border crossing in Medyka, southeastern Poland, Thursday, March 31, 2022. The talks between Ukraine and Russia will resume on Friday as NATO Secretary-General says Russia does not appear to be scaling back its military operations in Ukraine but is instead redeploying forces to the eastern Donbas region. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits)
Credit: Sergei Grits
Credit: Sergei Grits
Caption Ukrainian servicemen ride on an armored transporter driving through a Russian position overran by Ukrainian forces outside Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, March 31, 2022. Heavy fighting raged on the outskirts of Kyiv and other zones Thursday amid indications the Kremlin is using talk of de-escalation as cover while regrouping and resupplying its forces and redeploying them for a stepped-up offensive in eastern Ukraine. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
Credit: Vadim Ghirda
Caption Ukrainian servicemen ride on an armored transporter driving through a Russian position overran by Ukrainian forces outside Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, March 31, 2022. Heavy fighting raged on the outskirts of Kyiv and other zones Thursday amid indications the Kremlin is using talk of de-escalation as cover while regrouping and resupplying its forces and redeploying them for a stepped-up offensive in eastern Ukraine. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
Credit: Vadim Ghirda
Credit: Vadim Ghirda
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BEIJING (AP) — The European Union will seek China's assurances that it won't assist Russia in circumventing economic sanctions leveled over the invasion of Ukraine at an annual summit Friday.
EU officials say they will also look for signs Beijing is willing to cooperate on bringing an end to the war at the virtual meeting.
Other topics include China's travel ban on members of the European Parliament, Beijing's economic boycott of EU member Lithuania over its Taiwan relations, the fate of a stalled investment agreement and civil and political rights under China's authoritarian Communist Party regime.
The summit takes place amid sharply rising negative sentiment toward China within the bloc, fueled by China's increasingly aggressive foreign policies and trade practices.
Beijing has dismissed European criticisms as biased and driven by an anti-China agenda being pursued by its chief global rival, the United States.
The war in Ukraine has thrown those differences into stark relief, with the EU rallying to the Ukrainian cause and China refusing to condemn Russia, while repeating Russian disinformation about the war and criticizing punishing economic sanctions brought against Moscow.
“We are looking for assurances that China has no intention of providing an economic lifeline or other support to Russia during this war,” an EU official told reporters Thursday, speaking on customary condition of anonymity in line with government rules.
Underlying the EU's expectations for China is the possibility of penalties against Chinese companies that undermine measures taken against Russia. EU officials point out that 13.7% of China’s total trade is done with the 27-nation bloc, and 12% with the United States, compared to just 2.4% with Russia.
Officials said they also wish to emphasize the impact the war is having on the availability of fertilizer and global energy and food prices, which are hitting the poorest countries in Africa and the Middle East hardest.
European Council President Charles Michel, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell will first meet with Chinese officials led by Premier Li Keqiang, then later with President and Communist Party leader Xi Jinping.
The EU also plans to raise China's trade spat with Lithuania sparked by Baltic state's decision to allow Taiwan to open an unofficial representative office in its capital, Vilnius, under the name "Taiwan." China considers the self-governing island republic part of its territory with no right to independent foreign relations and has frozen trade with Lithuania in retaliation.
Beijing also sanctioned some European Union lawmakers last year after the EU, Britain, Canada and the United States launched coordinated sanctions against officials in China over human rights abuses in the far western Xinjiang region.
The European Parliament responded by saying it will not ratify a long-awaited business investment deal as long as the sanctions remain in place.
Rights groups have also urged the EU to take a more assertive stand with China over repression in Xinjiang, Tibet, Hong Kong and elsewhere and the persecution of Chinese dissidents including Sakharov Prize winner Ilham Tohti and Chinese-Swedish publisher Gui Minhai.
“The EU's foreign policy chief has pointed with alarm to the Chinese government's ‘revisionist campaign' against universal human rights and institutions," Sophie Richardson, China director at Human Rights Watch said in a news release.
“Brussels should revise its approach to match the magnitude of that threat," Richardson said.
Credit: Yves Herman
Credit: Yves Herman
Credit: Li Xueren
Credit: Li Xueren
Credit: Efrem Lukatsky
Credit: Efrem Lukatsky
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BRITTON, MariBeth
MariBeth Britton, 60, of Springfield, passed away March 30, 2022. Memorial services will be held Saturday in RiverSong Church with Pastor Jim Britton officiating. Full obituary may be viewed at www.jkzfh.com.
BRITTON, MariBeth
MariBeth Britton, 60, of Springfield, passed away March 30, 2022. Memorial services will be held Saturday in RiverSong Church with Pastor Jim Britton officiating. Full obituary may be viewed at www.jkzfh.com.
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BROWN, Frank S.
76, of Springfield, passed away Friday, March 25, 2022, in The Ohio State University Medical Wexner Center. He was born September 11, 1945, in Springfield, the son of Frank M. and Lillian (Seagraves) Brown. Frank worked as a truck driver for Bryce Hill for over 35 years. Survivors include his wife of 57 years, Ruth (Maynard); two
children, Alice Evans and Frank (Angel) Brown, Jr.; three grandchildren, Shandi Brown, Annabel Mason and Mark Evans; six great-grandchildren, Dakota, Landen, Caidence, Cassandra, Rebecca and Matthew; one brother, Forrest Brown; two
sisters, Mary Brown and Debbie Freeze and numerous nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents; a son, Donald; a grandson Matthew; two brothers, Dale and John and three sisters, Letha, Julie and Ivy. Visitation will be held from 10:00 to 11:00 AM on Monday in the CONROY FUNERAL HOME. Funeral services will follow beginning at 11:00 AM. Entombment at Rose Hill Burial Park.
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LOWRY, Jr., George W.
Age 90, of Kettering, passed away March 26th, 2022. Mass of Christian Burial May 2nd, 10:30am at St. Francis of Assisi Church. Westbrock Funeral Home, Bigger Road, Dayton, OH.
LOWRY, Jr., George W.
Age 90, of Kettering, passed away March 26th, 2022. Mass of Christian Burial May 2nd, 10:30am at St. Francis of Assisi Church. Westbrock Funeral Home, Bigger Road, Dayton, OH.
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McKALE, James E.
Age 83, of Piqua, passed away on Wednesday, March 30, 2022. Visitation will be held from 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Monday, April 4, at the Jamieson & Yannucci Funeral Home, Piqua, OH.
View the obituary on Legacy.com
Funeral Home Information
Jamieson & Yannucci Funeral Home
333 W. High St.
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PEGG, Carol M.
Age 94, of Centerville, passed away on Mon., March 28, 2022. Visitation 10-11am Tues., April 5 at St Leonard's Chapel. Westbrock Funeral Home, Kettering, OH.
PEGG, Carol M.
Age 94, of Centerville, passed away on Mon., March 28, 2022. Visitation 10-11am Tues., April 5 at St Leonard's Chapel. Westbrock Funeral Home, Kettering, OH.
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SHEPPHEARD, Jr.,
Wallace
Age 76, a native of Dayton, Ohio, passed away Wednesday, March 23, 2022. Walk-through visitation 9-11 am Saturday, April 2, at the House of Wheat Funeral Home, Inc., 2107 N. Gettysburg Ave. Funeral service at 11 am. (Mask Required).
Interment West Memory
Gardens.
Funeral Home Information
House Of Wheat Funeral Home Inc
2107 N Gettysburg Ave
Dayton, OH
45406
https://www.houseofwheat.com/?utm_campaign=legacytraffic&utm_source=legacy&utm_medium=referral
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TURNER, David
David Turner, of Hamilton, passed away peacefully on
Saturday, March 26, 2022. It had been a long journey home since suffering a massive stroke in 2019. He was the son of Earl and Iona Turner of Hamilton, who preceded him in death.
David married Emma Jean Allen in 1960 and they were married until her death in 2015. He was a devoted
father, grandfather, and great grandfather attending as many ball games and school functions that his schedule allowed, he was the best cheerleader!
One of Dave's greatest accomplishments was working for the Hamilton Fire Department and obtaining his EMT licenses. He always said that it never felt like a job to him. He retired as a Lieutenant from the Hamilton Fire Department in 1991.
He leaves behind his children, Paula (Edgar) Ortiz, Kenny (Pam) Turner, Dennis (Ada) Turner, Lora (Greg) Gentry; 11 grandchildren, and 12 great-grandchildren; with #13 arriving in July. His wonderful friends that will always be part of our family, Mike Sims and John Estridge.
Funeral service will be held at Brown Dawson Flick Funeral Home, 330 Pershing Ave., Hamilton, Ohio, on Monday, April 4, 2022, at 1:00 PM with Bob Short officiating. Burial will
follow at Rose Hill Burial Park. Visitation will be held on
Monday, April 4, 2022, from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM at Brown Dawson Flick Funeral Home. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to St. Jude Children's Hospital.
Funeral Home Information
Brown-Dawson-Flick Funeral Home
330 Pershing Avenue
Hamilton, OH
45011
http://browndawsonflick.com/?utm_campaign=legacytraffic&utm_source=legacy&utm_medium=referral
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WORISCHECK,
John Emery
Age 59, of Hamilton, died Sunday, March 20, 2022, at his
residence. John was born in
Kokomo, Indiana, on July 26, 1962, the son of Harry Alvin and Florence (Swauger) Worischeck. He graduated with honors from New Miami High School and retired as a truck driver. He attended online McGonigle United Methodist Church, was a Kentucky Colonel, and a licensed pilot. He is survived by his children: Dawna Jo Worischeck, Hamilton and Beatrice "Nikki" (Austin) Jenkins, Hamilton; brother, Harry Derek Worischeck; sisters, Helen Wolfe and Maggie (Chris) Trumbull; sister-in-law, Lisa (Mark) Beck; grandchildren, Kaylin Worischeck, Emery Jenkins, and Haiden Jenkins and numerous loving nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his daughter, Tina Worischeck in 2011; brothers, Edward Worischeck, William Rudolph Worischeck; sister; Rhonda Rayne Owens; brothers-in-law, William Owens and Bryan Halfday and best friend, Vernon Brewer. A funeral service will be held on Monday, April 4, 2022, at 1:00 p.m. at Weigel
Funeral Home, 980 N. W. Washington Blvd., Hamilton, Ohio 45013 with Pastor Don Trumbull officiating. Interment will be in Butler County Memorial Park. A visitation will be held from 12:00 Noon until time of service. McGonigle United Methodist Church will be welcoming all family and friends for a gathering following burial. Online condolences are available at
Funeral Home Information
Weigel Funeral Home
980 NW Washington Blvd.
Hamilton, OH
45013
https://www.weigelfuneralhome.com/?utm_campaign=legacytraffic&utm_source=legacy&utm_medium=referral
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DENVER (AP) — A federal jury’s $14 million award to Denver protesters hit with pepper balls and a bag filled with lead during 2020 demonstrations over the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis could resonate nationwide as courts weigh more than two dozen similar lawsuits.
The jury found police used excessive force against protesters, violating their constitutional rights, and ordered the city of Denver to pay 12 who sued.
Nationwide, there are at least 29 pending lawsuits challenging law enforcement use of force during the 2020 protests, according to a search of the University of Michigan's Civil Rights Litigation Clearinghouse.
The verdict in Denver could give cities an incentive to settle similar cases rather than risk going to trial and losing, said Michael J. Steinberg, a professor at the University of Michigan Law School and director of the Civil Rights Litigation Initiative. It could also prompt more protesters to sue over their treatment at the hands of police.
“There’s no doubt that the large jury verdict in Denver will influence the outcome of pending police misconduct cases brought by Black Lives Matter protesters across the country,” said Steinberg, whose law students have been working on a similar lawsuit brought by protesters in Detroit.
Lawyers for the claimants argued that police used indiscriminate force against the nonviolent protesters, including some who were filming the demonstrations, because officers did not like their message critical of law enforcement.
“To the protest of police violence they responded with brutality,” one of their attorneys, Timothy Macdonald, told jurors.
People who took part in the protests have already made similar allegations in lawsuits filed across the country.
In Washington, DC, activists and civil liberties groups sued over the forcible removal of protesters before then-President Donald Trump walked to a church near the White House for a photo op. The claims against federal officials were dismissed last year but a judge allowed the case against local police to continue.
Several lawsuits alleging protesters were wrongfully arrested or that police used excessive force have been filed against New York City and its police department, including one brought by New York Attorney General Letitia James that claims police used excessive force and wrongfully arrested protesters. In Rochester, New York, people who protested the death of Daniel Prude, a Black man who lost consciousness after being pinned to the street by officers during a mental health call in 2020, claim police used extreme force against them in a lawsuit that also alleges city officials have allowed a culture of police brutality against racial minorities to fester.
One of their attorneys, Donald Thompson, said he plans to raise the Denver award in settlement talks with the city and note that unlike most of the Denver protesters, some of his clients suffered lasting injuries including the loss of an eye and scarring from being hit in the face with a tear gas canister. Thompson also thinks the Denver verdict shows that the public, in the age of cellphone and body camera videos, is not as willing to give police the benefit of the doubt anymore.
"Now people see how this policing really works. You can’t be naïve,” he said.
A spokesperson for Rochester did not return a call and an email seeking comment. When the case was filed, the city said it had already revised the way police responds to protests.
Over the last two months, the city of Austin, Texas has agreed to pay a total of $13 million to four people who were hit in the head with bean bag rounds fired by police.
Even before the Denver ruling last week, the police department made some changes in response to criticism that arose from the protests, including eliminating the use of 40mm foam rounds for crowd control and changing the way officers are permitted to use pepper balls.
Denver’s Department of Public Safety, which includes the police department, said in a statement that the city was not prepared for the level of sustained violence and destruction. During the trial, lawyers and witnesses said over 80 officers were injured as some in the crowds hurled rocks, water bottles and canned food at them.
The department said it continues to evaluate its policies to “better protect peaceful protestors while addressing those who are only there to engage in violence.”
Still, the large award is not expected to lead to an overhaul of how officers respond to what experts say are inherently chaotic situations that are difficult to prepare for.
Ed Obayashi, a use-of-force consultant to law enforcement agencies and a deputy sheriff and legal adviser in Plumas County, California, said society may have to bear the cost of such settlements because innocent people can be injured during protests as outnumbered police try to react on the fly, including to people intent on violence.
“It really goes south in an instant because there are individuals out there who want to cause chaos,” he said.
Obayashi said there is not much police training for protests, which have been relatively rare. He said it would be prohibitively expensive to have officers practice deploying equipment such as tear gas canisters. Because projectiles used in crowds and considered “less lethal” by police, such as rubber bullets and pepper balls, have less velocity and less power to hurt people, it is harder to ensure they hit their intended target, he said.
Lawyers representing people who have also alleged police misconduct and violation of their constitutional right to protest can now use the Denver damage award as part of their own settlement negotiations, said Mark Silverstein, legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union, which represented some of the winning Denver protesters.
The decision came nearly two years after thousands of people angry about Floyd’s death took the streets nationwide, a relatively quick result for the legal system and soon enough for others who allege misconduct by police to file a claim. In Colorado and many other states, there is a two-year statute of limitations for such lawsuits Silverstein said, leaving only a few months for others to sue.
The city attorney’s office said it has not decided whether to appeal the verdict, but appeals in such big cases are common, said Gloria Browne-Marshall, a professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. Outside lawyers will also scrutinize the case to try to determine if there are unique circumstances that may have led to a “lightning in a bottle” verdict that is less likely to be repeated.
However, she thinks the verdict sends a significant message that regular people respect the right of protest and demand change from the government, which she believes police and prosecutors have been undermining.
"It should send a message to both, but whether or not they listen is a different issue,” Browne-Marshall said.
Credit: David Zalubowski
Credit: David Zalubowski
Credit: David Zalubowski
Credit: David Zalubowski
Credit: David Zalubowski
Credit: David Zalubowski
Credit: David Zalubowski
Credit: David Zalubowski
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This year's Final Four includes quite a collection of big-name programs — but this hasn't been a particularly dominant group this season.
In fact, the top three teams — and five of the top six — in the current Pomeroy rankings are absent. That's a change from last year, when Gonzaga and Baylor were terrific all season and then met in the title game.
Here's a statistical look at this season's accomplished-but-flawed Final Four quartet, using advanced stats. Many of the stats cited in this piece can be found at kenpom.com and are becoming more and more common in mainstream basketball analysis.
KANSAS (32-6)
Pomeroy Rank: 4
Strengths: The Jayhawks rank seventh in the nation in adjusted offensive efficiency, and perhaps more importantly, they aren't really deficient in any major category. They're 18th in adjusted defensive efficiency, and their offense ranks in the top 70 in field goal percentage from both inside and outside the arc.
Weaknesses: Kansas doesn't have many glaring problems, but the Jayhawks are only 159th in defensive rebounding percentage, meaning a team that can attack the offensive glass could be a problem. Kansas is also 116th in turnover percentage on offense — not awful, but a good bit worse than the other three teams in this Final Four.
In This Tournament: Opponents have made only 29.6% of their 3-pointers against Kansas this season. That's the type of thing that could even out over time — but it hasn't in this tournament so far. In the Sweet 16, Providence went 4 of 23 from long distance in a five-point loss to the Jayhawks. In the regional final, Miami went 3 of 21 against Kansas.
DUKE (32-6)
Pomeroy Rank: 7
Strengths: The Blue Devils are the top team in the nation in adjusted offensive efficiency, and they've shown it in the tournament. They scored 78 points in 67 possessions in the Sweet 16 against Texas Tech, which has the country's top defense. Duke doesn't rely that heavily on the 3, which makes sense since the Blue Devils are shooting 56.3% from inside the arc, the eighth-best mark in the nation.
Weaknesses: The defense is 45th in adjusted efficiency. Specifically, Duke isn't good at forcing turnovers and has some issues on the defensive boards.
In This Tournament: It's been an offensive show for the Blue Devils. In addition to that game against Texas Tech, Duke scored 85 points in 66 possessions against Michigan State in the second round, and 78 in 70 against Arkansas in the regional final. The Blue Devils are shooting 60% from 2-point range in this tournament.
VILLANOVA (30-7)
Pomeroy Rank: 9
Strengths: Foul Villanova at your own risk. Wildcats are shooting 83% on free throws, meaning they have a chance to break the Division I record of 82.2% set by Harvard in 1984.
Weaknesses: Villanova shoots only 49.9% from 2-point range, which isn't a huge problem given how much damage the Wildcats can do from 3, but it's an issue. Villanova is also another team that isn't great on the defensive glass.
In This Tournament: The Wildcats rely a lot on the 3, and they also allow a lot of 3-point attempts. That arrangement tends to work out in Villanova's favor, and it has over the past four games. The Wildcats have made 35 3-pointers in the tournament, and opponents have made only 17.
NORTH CAROLINA (28—9)
Pomeroy Rank: 16
Strengths: North Carolina is a tricky team to evaluate because its season stats are pedestrian for a Final Four team — but the Tar Heels seem to have turned a corner over the past month. According to the rankings at barttorvik.com, North Carolina has been the most efficient team in the country since March 1. If you look at the NCAA Tournament games only, the Tar Heels are fourth in adjusted offensive efficiency and eighth in adjusted defensive efficiency — the only team in the top 10 in both.
Weaknesses: On the season, North Carolina has an effective field goal percentage (eFG) of just 52.0. Only Villanova is worse among Final Four teams, and the Wildcats can make up for it by being excellent at the free throw line. The Tar Heels' defense has allowed an opposing eFG of 48.8%, and the other three remaining teams are at 47.0% or lower.
In This Tournament: In the NCAA Tournament, North Carolina's offensive eFG is 51.9%, not much different from the rest of the season. But the team's defensive eFG is an impressive 40.9%. And that's not just because the Tar Heels blew out 15th-seeded Saint Peter's. They also held top-seeded Baylor to an eFG of 40.1%. Duke should be a huge test of how far North Carolina's defense has come.
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Follow Noah Trister at https://twitter.com/noahtrister
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More AP college basketball: http://apnews.com/Collegebasketball and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25
Credit: Charles Rex Arbogast
Credit: Charles Rex Arbogast
Credit: Marcio Jose Sanchez
Credit: Marcio Jose Sanchez
Credit: Matt Rourke
Credit: Matt Rourke
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TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares were mostly lower Friday as a resurgence of Russian attacks dashed hopes for any quick end to the war in Ukraine.
The retreat followed a broad decline on Wall Street, which closed out its worst quarter since the pandemic broke out two years ago.
A closely watched quarterly gauge of business sector sentiment in Japan called the “tankan,” carried out by the Bank of Japan, found the benchmark indicator for large manufacturers dropped for the first time in seven quarters, losing three points from a survey in December to 14 points from 17 points.
The war in Ukraine, coming on top of supply chain disruptions at top manufacturers caused by COVID-19 restrictions and growing worries about inflation, especially soaring energy costs, are clouding the outlook for already fragile growth in the world's third largest economy.
The war is the biggest single factor weighing on markets, analysts say. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed pessimism about Russian intentions and said in his nightly video address to the nation that he expected the Russian offensive would continue for some time.
“As we head into the weekend break, optimism for a ceasefire in the geopolitical conflict continues to fade overnight,” said Yeap Jun Rong, market strategist at IG in Singapore.
Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 slipped 0.4% in afternoon trading to 27,698.25.
Shares in electronics and energy giant Toshiba Corp. jumped 6.5% on news that Bain Capital might make an offer to acquire the company and take it private. Toshiba said it was not involved in any such talks.
South Korea’s Kospi lost 0.7% to 2,739.58. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 edged down 0.8% to 7,493.80. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng shed 1.0% to 21,772.56, while the Shanghai Composite added 0.8% to 3,276.99.
Rising COVID-19 cases in China are adding to the worries of a regional slowdown. The lockdown in Shanghai entered its second phase of extended restrictions, while restrictions were lifted in hard-hit Jilin.
On Wall Street, a 3.6% gain for March failed to offset a dismal January and February that left U.S. indexes lower for the year to date.
The S&P 500 lost 1.6% to 4,530.41. Its loss since the beginning of the year is 4.9%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average also fell 1.6% to 34,678.35. The Nasdaq composite fell 1.5% to 14,220.52. Both indexes also notched gains for March, thanks largely to a market rally in the two weeks heading into this week.
The Russell 2000 index dropped 20.94 points, or 1%, to 2,070.13.
Oil prices fell as President Joe Biden ordered the release of up to 1 million barrels of oil per day from the nation's strategic petroleum reserve. The move to pump more oil into the market is part of an effort to control energy prices, which are up nearly 40% globally this year.
U.S. benchmark crude fell 65 cents to $99.63 a barrel. It fell 7% on Thursday. Brent, the international standard, shed 41 cents to $104.30 a barrel.
An overnight pullback slightly trimmed what have been soaring oil prices amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The conflict has elevated concerns that tightened supplies will only worsen persistently rising inflation that threatens businesses and consumers globally.
An inflation gauge that is closely monitored by the U.S. Federal Reserve jumped 6.4% in February compared with a year ago, marking the largest year-over-year rise since January 1982.
Energy prices have been a key factor in pushing inflation higher and Biden's plan to release more oil into the system comes as little relief is expected from the oil cartel OPEC. The cartel and its allied oil producers including Russia are sticking to a modest increase in the amount of crude they pump to the world, a step that supports higher prices.
Technology and communications stocks were among the biggest weights on the market. Chipmaker Intel fell 3.6%, while Facebook parent Meta Platforms slid 2.4%.
Banks also fell along with bond yields, which forces interest rates on loans lower, making lending less profitable for banks. The yield on the 10-year Treasury slipped to 2.34% from 2.36% late Wednesday. Bank of America fell 4.1%.
But in Asia early Friday the yield on the 10-year Treasury rebounded to 2.39%.
Higher prices for everything from energy to food are a key concern of central banks, which are moving to raise interest rates to help temper the impact.
Investors received a lukewarm update on the job market on Thursday. More Americans applied for unemployment benefits last week, but layoffs remain at historic lows. Wall Street will get a fuller report on Friday when the Labor Department releases employment data for March.
In currency trading, the U.S. dollar rose to 122.37 Japanese yen from 121.69 yen. The euro cost $1.1075, up from $1.1071.
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AP Business Writers Damian J. Troise and Alex Veiga contributed.
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LONDON (AP) — Tia Rutherford is worried about her 3-year-old son.
As energy prices soared last fall, she tacked fleece blankets over her doors and windows to keep the cold out and started serving Jacob breakfast in his room so she didn't have to heat the living room. But she's consumed by worry that she can't pay her utility bills and that her son isn't warm enough.
“There are effects on his health,’’ said Rutherford, a 29-year-old single mother who lives in southeast London. “He’s constantly catching colds.”
People across the United Kingdom will face similar choices in coming months with energy costs for millions of households set to rise by 54% on Friday. It is the second big jump in energy bills since October, and a third may be ahead as rebounding demand from the COVID-19 pandemic and now Russia's war in Ukraine push prices for oil and natural gas higher.
Energy costs are the main driver of rising consumer prices. While inflation is a worldwide phenomenon, it's a bigger issue in Britain because it's more exposed to rising natural gas prices than even its gas-reliant European neighbors, where utility bills and other costs also have soared. Prices for natural gas, which is used for electricity and heating, have more than doubled in the past year.
In the U.K., economists warn of the biggest drop in living standards since the mid-1950s, fueled by rocketing energy costs, food prices and preplanned tax increases. Disposable household incomes, adjusted for inflation, are expected to fall by an average 2.2% this year, according to the Office for Budget Responsibility.
Those figures obscure the impact on low-income people being hit disproportionately by the crisis. Because they spend a larger percentage of their budgets on food and energy, the poorest quarter of British households will see their real incomes drop by 6% this year, according to the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, a think tank focused on improving living standards.
People who rely on government benefits and state pensions are being doubly squeezed because their annual cost-of-living adjustment was based on annual inflation figures through September — before consumer prices spiked.
That means benefits are set to rise by just 3.1% this year. But inflation jumped to a 30-year high of 6.2% in February and is expected to peak at around 8% this year as the war sends food and energy prices ever higher, the Bank of England predicted.
As costs rise, people are moving their beds near windows so they can read by the light of the streetlamps outside, said outreach workers at Christians Against Poverty, which offers counseling for those in debt. Divorced fathers skip meals so they can afford to buy food for their children when they visit, and an increasing number of people report the pressures make them contemplate suicide.
“The cost-of-living crisis is genuinely costing lives,” said Gareth McNab, the charity’s external affairs director. “Almost every single call to our new inquiries team is mentioning the energy crisis and an inability to cope. And yeah, it’s desperate out there.”
Energy prices for 22 million households will rise Friday as an update of the national price cap kicks in. Regulators adjust it every six months. Analysts expect a third consecutive jump in the cap later this year, which could leave consumers with utility bills that are more than double what they were a year earlier.
Britain relies more heavily on natural gas to meet its energy needs than European Union countries, having less nuclear and renewable energy. Britain also has been slower than its neighbors in insulating and sealing the nation's aging housing stock, so it takes more energy to heat them.
Britain's largest gas storage facility also was allowed to close five years ago, leaving the country with the capacity to store just 12 days of supply, compared with about 80 days in Germany, which is also heavily reliant on natural gas. That means in crisis, Britain is more dependent on buying gas through "spot markets" that reflect short-term price swings.
“In normal times, we’re using more energy than (the Europeans) are to heat their houses, but … the price is low enough that you don’t really notice a big difference in the cost of living,” said Arun Advani, an inequality expert at the University of Warwick. “Now that energy prices are going up, they are paying more, but we’re paying a lot more. And so that difference is magnified.”
Even so, some European governments have acted more aggressively than Britain in trying to limit costs. France forced a state-controlled utility to limit electricity price hikes to 4% this year. Spain imposed a tax on energy producers' windfall profits that will be passed on to consumers.
Britain responded in February with a 9 billion-pound ($11.8 billion) package designed to help offset rising utility bills. Treasury chief Rishi Sunak announced more measures last week, including a cut in the tax on vehicle fuels. But he ignored calls to impose a tax on producers' windfall profits or delay a planned 1.5 percentage point increase in income taxes, also set for April.
Sunak said the government has to keep spending under control amid uncertainty caused by the war in Ukraine and after public debt last year rose to the highest level since 1963.
Lawmakers from all parties criticized Sunak for missing the point, suggesting he failed to understand the scale of the problem for low-income people. But he isn't backing down.
Meanwhile, people who have little are trying to live on less. Chris Price, who runs a community charity called Pecan in south London, says food bank clients are passing up potatoes and other root vegetables because they need to be cooked.
“People are saying, ‘I need to have food which I can cook easily and cheaply because if I put something in the oven for too long, it takes up so much ... electricity or gas,’’’ he said. “And they are really uncertain if they can afford it.’’
These are the people also hit hardest by the pandemic and recent cuts in government benefits, leaving them with little to fall back on in the new crisis, said Adam Scorer, chief executive of National Energy Action, a charity focused on fuel poverty.
“There’s no cutting back. There’s no smart decisions," Scorer said. “You just don’t heat your home, and you don’t use your cooker, and you don’t heat water, and you don’t shower. You just don’t do those things because you can’t afford to do those things. There’s no choices for many people.”
Rutherford is one of those running out of choices.
She gets her energy through a prepaid meter, often the only option for people who fall behind on bills. Prepaid meters allow customers to control how much they spend, but they pay high prices and can be left without power if they run out of credit.
That has left her struggling to top up the meter, pay off debt she already owes her energy supplier and keep her son warm when he comes home from day care. She’s tried to save by turning off the lights, living in the dark except for strings of tiny white Christmas tree lights that use less electricity.
“I didn’t have to live like this before,” she said. “I literally have no money — and my electric is going to cut out.”
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“The war has diverted public attention from what is happening in Serbia and of course, with media support, enabled Vucic to blame the crisis for everything that is wrong in Serbia,” Dragan Djilas, a leader of the biggest opposition coalition United Serbia, said in an interview.
“Articles are published here every day about how a kilogram of bread costs 9 euros in Italy and Germany, how they have no fuel, how they will have food stamps and how great we are,” Djilas said. “People are scared, and it always suits the authorities because people say, ‘Let’s not change anything now.’"
Serbia, a traditional Russian ally, has rejected calls from the European Union and the United States to join in sanctions against Moscow, citing national interests. The country's representative to the United Nations did vote in favor of a resolution condemning Moscow’s attack on Ukraine as a violation of international law.
Despite the Serbian government saying it is seeking EU membership, Vucic and his allies have refrained from condemning Russia over the invasion, a possible sign they want to avoid alienating pro-Russia voters ahead of Sunday’s election.
Much of the pro-Russia sentiments among Serbs comes from their hatred of NATO; the Western military alliance bombed the country in 1999 to stop a bloody Serb crackdown on ethnic Albanians seeking independence for Kosovo, a Serbian province at the time.
Former Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic said that imposing sanctions on Russia would be tantamount to “political suicide” because Moscow has blocked U.N. membership for Kosovo which declared independence in 2008.
“If we are ready to give up Kosovo, then we can impose sanctions on Russia,” Dacic said. “But if we are not ready, then we cannot.”
Thousands of people in Serbia have turned out for pro-Putin rallies during the five-week invasion, waving Russian flags and displaying the letter Z - a symbol seen on Russian military vehicles in Ukraine. The support for Moscow makes Serbia somewhat of an outlier in Europe.
Opposition officials said that despite Vucic’s almost full control of the media and the pro-Russian narrative that has been created leading up to the elections, they expect a good result on Sunday.
“As far as we are concerned, the situation in Ukraine was very clear. It is about Russian aggression, and we immediately condemned it,” Dobrica Veselinovic, who is running for mayor of Belgrade as the candidate of the environmentalist We Must coalition.
Election polls predict Vucic will win the presidential election outright on Sunday. If he does not receive more that 50% of the vote, he would face an unpredictable runoff in two weeks, likely against opposition candidate Zdravko Ponos, a Western-educated former army general.
The election for National Assembly lawmakers was not scheduled until 2024, but Vucic called an early vote after criticism from the EU that Serbia's 2020 election had not been free and fair. The opposition boycotted that election.
“I don't see any difference between these elections and those two years ago," political analyst Slobodan Stupar said. “A parliament will be formed in which Vucic will have fewer lawmakers than now. He will be able to tell Europe, ‘Yes, we are a democratic country. See how many enemies I have in parliament.'"
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Associated Press Writer Jovana Gec contributed.
Caption Pre-election billboards showing Ivica Dacic, leader of the Socialist Party of Serbia, down, and the nationalist Sovereignists coalition leaders are seen in Belgrade, Serbia, Monday, March 28, 2022. Former Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic said that imposing sanctions against Russia would be tantamount to a "political suicide" because Moscow has been blocking UN membership for Serbia's breakaway province of Kosovo which declared independence in 2008. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)
Credit: Darko Vojinovic
Caption Pre-election billboards showing Ivica Dacic, leader of the Socialist Party of Serbia, down, and the nationalist Sovereignists coalition leaders are seen in Belgrade, Serbia, Monday, March 28, 2022. Former Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic said that imposing sanctions against Russia would be tantamount to a "political suicide" because Moscow has been blocking UN membership for Serbia's breakaway province of Kosovo which declared independence in 2008. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)
Credit: Darko Vojinovic
Credit: Darko Vojinovic
Caption A man rides a bicycle by the pre-election billboards showing Vojislav Seselj, convicted war criminal and Serbian Radical Party leader, left, and Current Serbian President and the Serbian Progressive Party leader Aleksandar Vucic in Belgrade, Serbia, Wednesday, March 30, 2022. Serbia's populist President Aleksandar Vucic, who has fostered close ties with Russia and refused to impose sanctions against Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine, is expected to extend his almost 10-year grip on power in the Balkan country at an election on Sunday. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)
Credit: Darko Vojinovic
Caption A man rides a bicycle by the pre-election billboards showing Vojislav Seselj, convicted war criminal and Serbian Radical Party leader, left, and Current Serbian President and the Serbian Progressive Party leader Aleksandar Vucic in Belgrade, Serbia, Wednesday, March 30, 2022. Serbia's populist President Aleksandar Vucic, who has fostered close ties with Russia and refused to impose sanctions against Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine, is expected to extend his almost 10-year grip on power in the Balkan country at an election on Sunday. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)
Credit: Darko Vojinovic
Credit: Darko Vojinovic
Caption Pigeons stand on the pre-election billboard showing Current Serbian President and the Serbian Progressive Party leader Aleksandar Vucic in Belgrade, Serbia, Wednesday, March 30, 2022. Serbia's populist President Aleksandar Vucic, who has fostered close ties with Russia and refused to impose sanctions against Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine, is expected to extend his almost 10-year grip on power in the Balkan country at an election on Sunday. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)
Credit: Darko Vojinovic
Caption Pigeons stand on the pre-election billboard showing Current Serbian President and the Serbian Progressive Party leader Aleksandar Vucic in Belgrade, Serbia, Wednesday, March 30, 2022. Serbia's populist President Aleksandar Vucic, who has fostered close ties with Russia and refused to impose sanctions against Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine, is expected to extend his almost 10-year grip on power in the Balkan country at an election on Sunday. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)
Credit: Darko Vojinovic
Credit: Darko Vojinovic
Caption Car driving by pre-election billboard showing Ivica Dacic, leader of the Socialist Party of Serbia in Belgrade, Serbia, Wednesday, March 30, 2022. Former Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic said that imposing sanctions against Russia would be tantamount to a "political suicide" because Moscow has been blocking UN membership for Serbia's breakaway province of Kosovo which declared independence in 2008. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)
Credit: Darko Vojinovic
Caption Car driving by pre-election billboard showing Ivica Dacic, leader of the Socialist Party of Serbia in Belgrade, Serbia, Wednesday, March 30, 2022. Former Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic said that imposing sanctions against Russia would be tantamount to a "political suicide" because Moscow has been blocking UN membership for Serbia's breakaway province of Kosovo which declared independence in 2008. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)
Credit: Darko Vojinovic
Credit: Darko Vojinovic
Caption A woman walks by the pre-election billboard showing Current Serbian President and the Serbian Progressive Party leader Aleksandar Vucic in Belgrade, Serbia, Monday, March 28, 2022. Serbia's populist President Aleksandar Vucic, who has fostered close ties with Russia and refused to impose sanctions against Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine, is expected to extend his almost 10-year grip on power in the Balkan country at an election on Sunday. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)
Credit: Darko Vojinovic
Caption A woman walks by the pre-election billboard showing Current Serbian President and the Serbian Progressive Party leader Aleksandar Vucic in Belgrade, Serbia, Monday, March 28, 2022. Serbia's populist President Aleksandar Vucic, who has fostered close ties with Russia and refused to impose sanctions against Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine, is expected to extend his almost 10-year grip on power in the Balkan country at an election on Sunday. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)
Credit: Darko Vojinovic
Credit: Darko Vojinovic
Caption Dragan Djilas leader of the biggest opposition coalition United Serbia reacts during an interview with the Associated Press, in Belgrade, Serbia, Wednesday, March 30, 2022. Opposition officials say the Russian aggression against Ukraine has only strengthened Vucic's dominance over the Serbian political scene and the mainstream media. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)
Credit: Darko Vojinovic
Caption Dragan Djilas leader of the biggest opposition coalition United Serbia reacts during an interview with the Associated Press, in Belgrade, Serbia, Wednesday, March 30, 2022. Opposition officials say the Russian aggression against Ukraine has only strengthened Vucic's dominance over the Serbian political scene and the mainstream media. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)
Credit: Darko Vojinovic
Credit: Darko Vojinovic
Caption Dobrica Veselinovic, the candidate of the pro-green "We Must" coalition for the mayor of Belgrade checks his phone before an interview with the Associated Press, in Belgrade, Serbia, Tuesday, March 29, 2022. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic called early vote after criticism from the EU that the elections two years ago, which were boycotted by the opposition, had not been free and fair. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)
Credit: Darko Vojinovic
Caption Dobrica Veselinovic, the candidate of the pro-green "We Must" coalition for the mayor of Belgrade checks his phone before an interview with the Associated Press, in Belgrade, Serbia, Tuesday, March 29, 2022. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic called early vote after criticism from the EU that the elections two years ago, which were boycotted by the opposition, had not been free and fair. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)
Credit: Darko Vojinovic
Credit: Darko Vojinovic
Caption A street vendor holds badges depicting the Russian President Vladimir Putin and Current Serbian President and the Serbian Progressive Party leader Aleksandar Vucic before a pre-election rally, in Belgrade, Serbia, Thursday, March 31, 2022. Serbia's populist President Aleksandar Vucic, who has fostered close ties with Russia and refused to impose sanctions against Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine, is expected to extend his almost 10-year grip on power in the Balkan country at an election on Sunday. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)
Credit: Darko Vojinovic
Caption A street vendor holds badges depicting the Russian President Vladimir Putin and Current Serbian President and the Serbian Progressive Party leader Aleksandar Vucic before a pre-election rally, in Belgrade, Serbia, Thursday, March 31, 2022. Serbia's populist President Aleksandar Vucic, who has fostered close ties with Russia and refused to impose sanctions against Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine, is expected to extend his almost 10-year grip on power in the Balkan country at an election on Sunday. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)
Credit: Darko Vojinovic
Credit: Darko Vojinovic
Caption A man waits at a bus station by a wall that shows the colors of the Serbian flag and graffiti against EU and NATO in Belgrade, Serbia, Wednesday, March 30, 2022. Serbia, a traditional Russian ally, has rejected calls from the European Union and the U.S. to join sanctions against Moscow, citing its national interests, although it did vote in favor of a United Nations resolution condemning Moscow's assault on Ukraine is against international law. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)
Credit: Darko Vojinovic
Caption A man waits at a bus station by a wall that shows the colors of the Serbian flag and graffiti against EU and NATO in Belgrade, Serbia, Wednesday, March 30, 2022. Serbia, a traditional Russian ally, has rejected calls from the European Union and the U.S. to join sanctions against Moscow, citing its national interests, although it did vote in favor of a United Nations resolution condemning Moscow's assault on Ukraine is against international law. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)
Credit: Darko Vojinovic
Credit: Darko Vojinovic
Caption A man walks by the pre-election billboard showing Current Serbian President and the Serbian Progressive Party leader Aleksandar Vucic in Belgrade, Serbia, Monday, March 28, 2022. Serbia's populist President Aleksandar Vucic, who has fostered close ties with Russia and refused to impose sanctions against Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine, is expected to extend his almost 10-year grip on power in the Balkan country at an election on Sunday. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)
Credit: Darko Vojinovic
Caption A man walks by the pre-election billboard showing Current Serbian President and the Serbian Progressive Party leader Aleksandar Vucic in Belgrade, Serbia, Monday, March 28, 2022. Serbia's populist President Aleksandar Vucic, who has fostered close ties with Russia and refused to impose sanctions against Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine, is expected to extend his almost 10-year grip on power in the Balkan country at an election on Sunday. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)
Credit: Darko Vojinovic
Credit: Darko Vojinovic
Caption Current Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic waves to his supporters during a pre-election rally, in Belgrade, Serbia, Thursday, March 31, 2022. Polls predict that Vucic, who has been boasting his personal ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin, will win another five-year term as president. His his right-wing Serbian Progressive Party is projected to continue to dominate the parliament. But polls also predict a close race in the capital, Belgrade, that could undermine his increasingly autocratic rule. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)
Credit: Darko Vojinovic
Caption Current Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic waves to his supporters during a pre-election rally, in Belgrade, Serbia, Thursday, March 31, 2022. Polls predict that Vucic, who has been boasting his personal ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin, will win another five-year term as president. His his right-wing Serbian Progressive Party is projected to continue to dominate the parliament. But polls also predict a close race in the capital, Belgrade, that could undermine his increasingly autocratic rule. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)
Credit: Darko Vojinovic
Credit: Darko Vojinovic
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TOKYO — Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi says he is heading to Poland later Friday to assess the need for the war-displaced Ukrainians in that country and assist those who seek refuge in Japan.
Hayashi, during his five-day trip through Tuesday, is set to meet with Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and other top officials, as well as international organizations. Officials are still making arrangements for a possibility of his government plane bringing some Ukrainians on his way back, Hayashi said.
“In order to support the Ukrainian people facing the difficulty and to show our solidarity with Ukraine, Japan is pursuing our effort to accept those who fled to a third country,” Hayashi said.
Japan’s government last month launched a taskforce to prepare accepting Ukrainian war-displaced as part of humanitarian support — a rare move for a country known for its strict and reluctant refugee policy. Several municipalities, including Tokyo, Kanagawa, Ibaraki and Osaka, have offered to be their host towns and provide support for medical needs, education, jobs and housing.
Ukrainian Ambassador to Japan Sergiy Korsunsky told reporters Friday that some 300 relatives of Ukrainian residents in Japan have been granted entry, and more arrivals are expected from next week.
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KEY DEVELOPMENTS IN THE RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR:
— Ukraine top of agenda as China, EU prepare to meet at summit
— Russians leave Chernobyl; Ukraine braces for renewed attacks
— UK, Russia foreign ministers visit India amid Ukraine crisis
— Kremlin decree says foreign currency can still buy natural gas
— Go to https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine for more coverage
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OTHER DEVELOPMENTS:
BRUSSELS — The president of the European Parliament says she is traveling to Kyiv.
Roberta Metsola announced the trip to the Ukrainian capital city on her Twitter account late Thursday, posting a picture of her standing in front of a railcar.
Metsola is the first president of an EU institution to travel to the Ukrainian capital since the war began on Feb. 24. Details about her travel plans and who she will meet have not been announced.
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SYDNEY — Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Friday that his country will be sending armored Bushmaster vehicles to Ukraine to help in its war against Russia.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed the Australian Parliament on Thursday and asked for the Australian-manufactured four-wheel-drive vehicles and other aid.
Morrison told reporters the vehicles will be flown over on Boeing C-17 Globemaster transport planes, but he didn’t specify how many Bushmaster vehicles would be sent or when.
“We’re not just sending our prayers, we are sending our guns, we’re sending our munitions, we’re sending our humanitarian aid, we’re sending all of this, our body armor, all of these things and we’re going to be sending our armored vehicles, our Bushmasters as well,” Morrison said.
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LVIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he has stripped two generals of their military rank.
Zelenskyy said “something prevented them from determining where their homeland was” and they “violated their military oath of allegiance to the Ukrainian people.”
According to Zelenskyy, one of the generals had headed internal security at the SBU, the main intelligence agency.
He said the other general had been the SBU head in the Kherson region, the first major city to fall to the Russians.
Zelenskyy didn’t say anything about the fates of the two generals other than them being stripped of their rank.
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LVIV, Ukraine — The Ukrainian government said Russian forces blocked 45 buses that had been sent to evacuate civilians from the besieged port city of Mariupol, and only 631 people were able to get out of the city in private cars.
Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said late Thursday that 12 Ukrainian buses with humanitarian aid left Melitopol for Mariupol, but the Russian forces stopped the buses and seized the 14 tons of food and medicines.
According to Ukrainian officials, tens of thousands of people have made it out of Mariupol in recent weeks along humanitarian corridors, reducing the prewar population of 430,000 to about 100,000 by last week.
Vereshchuk said about 45,000 Mariupol residents have been forcefully deported to Russia and areas of eastern Ukraine controlled by Russian-backed separatists.
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LVIV, Ukraine — The last Russian troops left the Chernobyl nuclear plant early Friday, according to the Ukrainian government agency responsible for the exclusion zone around the plant.
Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said Russian troops who dug trenches in the forest were exposed to radiation, but that could not be confirmed.
The Ukrainian nuclear operator company Energoatom said Thursday that Russian troops were headed toward Ukraine’s border with Belarus.
Energoatom said that the Russian military was also preparing to leave Slavutych, a nearby city where power plant workers live.
Credit: Vadim Ghirda
Credit: Vadim Ghirda
Credit: Evgeniy Maloletka
Credit: Evgeniy Maloletka
Credit: Evgeniy Maloletka
Credit: Evgeniy Maloletka
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SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — NOTE: SLOTTED TO MOVE OVERNIGHT FOR APRIL 1 START OF CANNABIS LEGALIZATION
New Mexico is bringing sales of recreational marijuana to the doorstep of Texas, the largest prohibition state, as the movement toward broad legalization sweeps up even more of the American West.
As of midnight Friday in New Mexico, anyone 21 and older can purchase up to 2 ounces (57 grams) of marijuana — enough to roll about 60 joints or cigarettes — or comparable amounts of marijuana liquid concentrates and edible treats.
New Mexico has nurtured a medical marijuana program since 2007 under tight restrictions. Friday's changes still represent a sea change for local law enforcement, taxation officials, commercial growers and residents who thought full-blown legal access to pot would never come.
Across the state, would-be marijuana farmers are bidding for water rights and learning to raise their first cannabis crops, as experienced medical cannabis producers ramp up production and add new retail showrooms.
New Mexico is among 18 states that have legalized pot for recreational use, with implications for cannabis tourism and conservative Texas, where legalization efforts have made little headway.
In Clovis, New Mexico, a high plains town of about 40,000 residents less than 10 miles (16 kilometers) from Texas, Earl Henson and two business partners have pooled resources to convert a former gun shop and shooting range into a cannabis store and companion growing room at a Main Street address.
“I can't explain how happy I am,” said Henson, a former real estate agent who says his affection for marijuana was a burden in the past. This week, he began harvesting the first crop for a cannabis store titled Earl and Tom's. “I think these cities that are near Texas, for the next two years it is going to change their economies.”
In the state capital of Santa Fe, marijuana is going on sale across the street from the city's newly built visitors center on a block lined with galleries, clothing boutiques and restaurants.
LeRoy Roybal, manager of Minerva Canna's downtown cannabis store, said he hopes the stigma of cannabis use quickly fades.
“I think we're liberating a lot of hearts and souls," he said. “It's going to be like getting a cup of joe at Starbucks."
Supportive lawmakers hope that broad legalizing of marijuana will stamp out black markets, boost employment and provide stable new sources of government income.
Consumers initially will rely heavily on supplies from 35 legacy marijuana businesses that took root over the past 15 years. Cannabis regulators have issued more than 230 new marijuana business licenses so far — to growers, retailers and manufacturing facilities for extracts and edibles.
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham on Thursday said that broad marijuana legalization responds to popular demands and is generating small business opportunities.
“This is what consumers want,” said Lujan Grisham, up for reelection in November. “We have the potential for 11,000 more workers, jobs in places where young people can work and stay, like Torrance County and Texico and Tucumcari and Raton.”
Local governments can’t ban cannabis businesses entirely, though they can restrict locations and hours of operation. Public consumption is prohibited under threat of a $50 fine for first-time infractions.
New business licenses for cannabis cafes or lounges haven’t been requested yet — leaving people to indulge in their homes or designated hotels, casinos and cigar shops.
In southern New Mexico, Mayor Javier Perea of Sunland Park says marijuana retailers can set up anywhere across the small city flanked by the Rio Grande and fencing along the U.S. border with Mexico.
He said about 30 marijuana business have sought authorization in the city of just 17,000 residents, banking on tourism from nearby El Paso, Texas, and Ciudad Juarez in Mexico.
Perea hopes the industry creates economic opportunity and tax income to bolster city services. Local governments will receive a minority share of the state's 12% excise tax on recreational marijuana sales, along with a share of additional sales taxes. Medical cannabis remains tax-free.
“The one thing that we are going to struggle with is we are going to run out of buildings" for new businesses, he said.
Legal experts warn that people who purchase cannabis in New Mexico and chose to return home to other states could risk criminal penalties, arrest and incarceration — most notably in Texas.
Paul Armento, deputy director of the drug policy group NORML, said Texas is among the leading states for marijuana-possession arrests, and that possession of marijuana concentrates, which are legal in New Mexico, is punishable in Texas by up to two years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
Marijuana also remains illegal under federal law to possess, use or sell — a standard that applies across vast tracks of federal land and Indian Country in New Mexico.
New Mexico’s cannabis industry, still reliant on cash to avoid running afoul of federal law, is gaining access to banking services through an alternative certification system for credit unions and banks supported by state attorneys general.
The state also plans to underwrite $5 million in low-interest loans to small cannabis businesses that can't access traditional credit.
Lawmakers in New Mexico have sought to reverse harm inflicted by marijuana criminalization on minority communities and poor households by automatically dismissing or erasing past cannabis convictions, encouraging social and economic diversity in employment and reducing financial barriers for startup businesses.
The state's micro-business license to cultivate up to 200 plants for a flat $1,000 fee is attracting first-time commercial growers such as recently retired U.S. Marine Kyle Masterson and wife Ivy, a Hispanic Army veteran with business consulting experience. They are raising three children and making a mid-life career shift into cannabis.
The Mastersons, residents of suburban Rio Rancho, searched more remote areas for an affordable building to cultivate high-grade marijuana under lights, settling on a vacant former movie theater in tiny Cuba, New Mexico, at the base of the Jemez Mountains.
“It felt right, it felt good and out of a vision of what we could do,” said Kyle, who served in four combat deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. “We're used to working out of austere environments without much direction and doing our best.”
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China's National Health Commission said another 1,787 domestic cases of COVID-19 had been recorded on Thursday, including 358 in Shanghai. Another 5,442 tested positive for the virus without becoming ill, 4,144 of them in Shanghai.
People who tested positive without symptoms are being taken to temporary isolation centers, including gymnasiums and exhibition centers.
Public transport has been suspended and roads closed, bringing the normally bustling metropolis to a standstill. While city residents are being told to stay put, airports and train stations remain open.
The lockdown reflects China's continuing adherence to its “zero-COVID" approach, despite restrictions being eased elsewhere. China set the hard-line tone at the start of the pandemic in 2020 with the 76-day lockdown on the city of Wuhan where the virus was first detected.
The measures have been decried by some Chinese as excessive, although there has been little open defiance. Amid the grumbling, Shanghai authorities have conceded shortcomings in their handling of the surge driven by the omicron variant, after panic buying stripped store shelves of necessities.
“We didn’t prepare sufficiently enough,” Ma Chunlei, a senior Shanghai official said at a news conference Thursday. “We sincerely accept the criticisms from the public and are making efforts to improve it.”
Caption A worker in protective gear walks past residents lined up for the first round of mass COVID testing in the Jingan district of western Shanghai, China, Friday, April 1, 2022. As residents of western Shanghai start a four day lockdown for mass testing, some in eastern Shanghai about to end their lock down are being told they will be confined to their homes for at least 10 more days. It was the latest wrinkle in the lockdown of China's largest city as it struggles to eliminate an omicron-driven coronavirus outbreak under China's zero-COVID policy. (AP Photo/Chen Si)
Credit: Chen Si
Caption A worker in protective gear walks past residents lined up for the first round of mass COVID testing in the Jingan district of western Shanghai, China, Friday, April 1, 2022. As residents of western Shanghai start a four day lockdown for mass testing, some in eastern Shanghai about to end their lock down are being told they will be confined to their homes for at least 10 more days. It was the latest wrinkle in the lockdown of China's largest city as it struggles to eliminate an omicron-driven coronavirus outbreak under China's zero-COVID policy. (AP Photo/Chen Si)
Credit: Chen Si
Credit: Chen Si
Caption Residents line up for the first round of mass COVID testing in the Jingan district of western Shanghai, China, Friday, April 1, 2022. As residents of western Shanghai start a four day lockdown for mass testing, some in eastern Shanghai about to end their lock down are being told they will be confined to their homes for at least 10 more days. It was the latest wrinkle in the lockdown of China's largest city as it struggles to eliminate an omicron-driven coronavirus outbreak under China's zero-COVID policy. (AP Photo/Chen Si)
Credit: Chen Si
Caption Residents line up for the first round of mass COVID testing in the Jingan district of western Shanghai, China, Friday, April 1, 2022. As residents of western Shanghai start a four day lockdown for mass testing, some in eastern Shanghai about to end their lock down are being told they will be confined to their homes for at least 10 more days. It was the latest wrinkle in the lockdown of China's largest city as it struggles to eliminate an omicron-driven coronavirus outbreak under China's zero-COVID policy. (AP Photo/Chen Si)
Credit: Chen Si
Credit: Chen Si
Caption A worker in protective gear walk past residents lined up for the first round of mass COVID testing in the Jingan district of western Shanghai, China, Friday, April 1, 2022. As residents of western Shanghai start a four day lockdown for mass testing, some in eastern Shanghai about to end their lock down are being told they will be confined to their homes for at least 10 more days. It was the latest wrinkle in the lockdown of China's largest city as it struggles to eliminate an omicron-driven coronavirus outbreak under China's zero-COVID policy. (AP Photo/Chen Si)
Credit: Chen Si
Caption A worker in protective gear walk past residents lined up for the first round of mass COVID testing in the Jingan district of western Shanghai, China, Friday, April 1, 2022. As residents of western Shanghai start a four day lockdown for mass testing, some in eastern Shanghai about to end their lock down are being told they will be confined to their homes for at least 10 more days. It was the latest wrinkle in the lockdown of China's largest city as it struggles to eliminate an omicron-driven coronavirus outbreak under China's zero-COVID policy. (AP Photo/Chen Si)
Credit: Chen Si
Credit: Chen Si
Caption A worker in protective gear holds up a sign which reads "Do not crowd" near a line for the first round of mass COVID testing in the Jingan district of western Shanghai, China, Friday, April 1, 2022. As residents of western Shanghai start a four day lockdown for mass testing, some in eastern Shanghai about to end their lock down are being told they will be confined to their homes for at least 10 more days. It was the latest wrinkle in the lockdown of China's largest city as it struggles to eliminate an omicron-driven coronavirus outbreak under China's zero-COVID policy. (AP Photo/Chen Si)
Credit: Chen Si
Caption A worker in protective gear holds up a sign which reads "Do not crowd" near a line for the first round of mass COVID testing in the Jingan district of western Shanghai, China, Friday, April 1, 2022. As residents of western Shanghai start a four day lockdown for mass testing, some in eastern Shanghai about to end their lock down are being told they will be confined to their homes for at least 10 more days. It was the latest wrinkle in the lockdown of China's largest city as it struggles to eliminate an omicron-driven coronavirus outbreak under China's zero-COVID policy. (AP Photo/Chen Si)
Credit: Chen Si
Credit: Chen Si
Caption A worker in protective gear holds up a sign which reads "Do not crowd" as he directs a resident near a line for the first round of mass COVID testing in the Jingan district of western Shanghai, China, Friday, April 1, 2022. As residents of western Shanghai start a four day lockdown for mass testing, some in eastern Shanghai about to end their lock down are being told they will be confined to their homes for at least 10 more days. It was the latest wrinkle in the lockdown of China's largest city as it struggles to eliminate an omicron-driven coronavirus outbreak under China's zero-COVID policy. (AP Photo/Chen Si)
Credit: Chen Si
Caption A worker in protective gear holds up a sign which reads "Do not crowd" as he directs a resident near a line for the first round of mass COVID testing in the Jingan district of western Shanghai, China, Friday, April 1, 2022. As residents of western Shanghai start a four day lockdown for mass testing, some in eastern Shanghai about to end their lock down are being told they will be confined to their homes for at least 10 more days. It was the latest wrinkle in the lockdown of China's largest city as it struggles to eliminate an omicron-driven coronavirus outbreak under China's zero-COVID policy. (AP Photo/Chen Si)
Credit: Chen Si
Credit: Chen Si
Caption Workers in protective gear conduct the first round of mass COVID testing in the Jingan district of western Shanghai, China, Friday, April 1, 2022. As residents of western Shanghai start a four day lockdown for mass testing, some in eastern Shanghai about to end their lock down are being told they will be confined to their homes for at least 10 more days. It was the latest wrinkle in the lockdown of China's largest city as it struggles to eliminate an omicron-driven coronavirus outbreak under China's zero-COVID policy. (AP Photo/Chen Si)
Credit: Chen Si
Caption Workers in protective gear conduct the first round of mass COVID testing in the Jingan district of western Shanghai, China, Friday, April 1, 2022. As residents of western Shanghai start a four day lockdown for mass testing, some in eastern Shanghai about to end their lock down are being told they will be confined to their homes for at least 10 more days. It was the latest wrinkle in the lockdown of China's largest city as it struggles to eliminate an omicron-driven coronavirus outbreak under China's zero-COVID policy. (AP Photo/Chen Si)
Credit: Chen Si
Credit: Chen Si
Caption Workers in protective gear conduct the first round of mass COVID testing in the Jingan district of western Shanghai, China, Friday, April 1, 2022. As residents of western Shanghai start a four day lockdown for mass testing, some in eastern Shanghai about to end their lock down are being told they will be confined to their homes for at least 10 more days. It was the latest wrinkle in the lockdown of China's largest city as it struggles to eliminate an omicron-driven coronavirus outbreak under China's zero-COVID policy. (AP Photo/Chen Si)
Credit: Chen Si
Caption Workers in protective gear conduct the first round of mass COVID testing in the Jingan district of western Shanghai, China, Friday, April 1, 2022. As residents of western Shanghai start a four day lockdown for mass testing, some in eastern Shanghai about to end their lock down are being told they will be confined to their homes for at least 10 more days. It was the latest wrinkle in the lockdown of China's largest city as it struggles to eliminate an omicron-driven coronavirus outbreak under China's zero-COVID policy. (AP Photo/Chen Si)
Credit: Chen Si
Credit: Chen Si
Caption Workers in protective gear call out to residents to take part in the first round of mass COVID testing in the Jingan district of western Shanghai, China, Friday, April 1, 2022. As residents of western Shanghai start a four day lockdown for mass testing, some in eastern Shanghai about to end their lock down are being told they will be confined to their homes for at least 10 more days. It was the latest wrinkle in the lockdown of China's largest city as it struggles to eliminate an omicron-driven coronavirus outbreak under China's zero-COVID policy. (AP Photo/Chen Si)
Credit: Chen Si
Caption Workers in protective gear call out to residents to take part in the first round of mass COVID testing in the Jingan district of western Shanghai, China, Friday, April 1, 2022. As residents of western Shanghai start a four day lockdown for mass testing, some in eastern Shanghai about to end their lock down are being told they will be confined to their homes for at least 10 more days. It was the latest wrinkle in the lockdown of China's largest city as it struggles to eliminate an omicron-driven coronavirus outbreak under China's zero-COVID policy. (AP Photo/Chen Si)
Credit: Chen Si
Credit: Chen Si
Caption Workers in protective gear call out to residents to take part in the first round of mass COVID testing in the Jingan district of western Shanghai, China, Friday, April 1, 2022. As residents of western Shanghai start a four day lockdown for mass testing, some in eastern Shanghai about to end their lock down are being told they will be confined to their homes for at least 10 more days. It was the latest wrinkle in the lockdown of China's largest city as it struggles to eliminate an omicron-driven coronavirus outbreak under China's zero-COVID policy. (AP Photo/Chen Si)
Credit: Chen Si
Caption Workers in protective gear call out to residents to take part in the first round of mass COVID testing in the Jingan district of western Shanghai, China, Friday, April 1, 2022. As residents of western Shanghai start a four day lockdown for mass testing, some in eastern Shanghai about to end their lock down are being told they will be confined to their homes for at least 10 more days. It was the latest wrinkle in the lockdown of China's largest city as it struggles to eliminate an omicron-driven coronavirus outbreak under China's zero-COVID policy. (AP Photo/Chen Si)
Credit: Chen Si
Credit: Chen Si
Caption A worker in protective gear walks along shuttered shops in the Jingan district under lockdown in western Shanghai, China, Friday, April 1, 2022. As residents of western Shanghai start a four day lockdown for mass testing, some in eastern Shanghai about to end their lock down are being told they will be confined to their homes for at least 10 more days. It was the latest wrinkle in the lockdown of China's largest city as it struggles to eliminate an omicron-driven coronavirus outbreak under China's zero-COVID policy. (AP Photo/Chen Si)
Credit: Chen Si
Caption A worker in protective gear walks along shuttered shops in the Jingan district under lockdown in western Shanghai, China, Friday, April 1, 2022. As residents of western Shanghai start a four day lockdown for mass testing, some in eastern Shanghai about to end their lock down are being told they will be confined to their homes for at least 10 more days. It was the latest wrinkle in the lockdown of China's largest city as it struggles to eliminate an omicron-driven coronavirus outbreak under China's zero-COVID policy. (AP Photo/Chen Si)
Credit: Chen Si
Credit: Chen Si
Caption Workers in protective gar register residents for the first round of mass COVID testing in the Jingan district of western Shanghai, China, Friday, April 1, 2022. As residents of western Shanghai start a four day lockdown for mass testing, some in eastern Shanghai about to end their lock down are being told they will be confined to their homes for at least 10 more days. It was the latest wrinkle in the lockdown of China's largest city as it struggles to eliminate an omicron-driven coronavirus outbreak under China's zero-COVID policy. (AP Photo/Chen Si)
Credit: Chen Si
Caption Workers in protective gar register residents for the first round of mass COVID testing in the Jingan district of western Shanghai, China, Friday, April 1, 2022. As residents of western Shanghai start a four day lockdown for mass testing, some in eastern Shanghai about to end their lock down are being told they will be confined to their homes for at least 10 more days. It was the latest wrinkle in the lockdown of China's largest city as it struggles to eliminate an omicron-driven coronavirus outbreak under China's zero-COVID policy. (AP Photo/Chen Si)
Credit: Chen Si
Credit: Chen Si
Caption A worker in protective gear labelled with "Willing Ox" meaning public service, walks in a locked down community where residents are to take part in the first round of mass COVID testing in the Jingan district of western Shanghai, China, Friday, April 1, 2022. As residents of western Shanghai start a four day lockdown for mass testing, some in eastern Shanghai about to end their lock down are being told they will be confined to their homes for at least 10 more days. It was the latest wrinkle in the lockdown of China's largest city as it struggles to eliminate an omicron-driven coronavirus outbreak under China's zero-COVID policy. (AP Photo/Chen Si)
Credit: Chen Si
Caption A worker in protective gear labelled with "Willing Ox" meaning public service, walks in a locked down community where residents are to take part in the first round of mass COVID testing in the Jingan district of western Shanghai, China, Friday, April 1, 2022. As residents of western Shanghai start a four day lockdown for mass testing, some in eastern Shanghai about to end their lock down are being told they will be confined to their homes for at least 10 more days. It was the latest wrinkle in the lockdown of China's largest city as it struggles to eliminate an omicron-driven coronavirus outbreak under China's zero-COVID policy. (AP Photo/Chen Si)
Credit: Chen Si
Credit: Chen Si
Caption Residents take part in the first round of mass COVID tests in the Jingan district of western Shanghai, China, Friday, April 1, 2022. As residents of western Shanghai start a four day lockdown for mass testing, some in eastern Shanghai about to end their lock down are being told they will be confined to their homes for at least 10 more days. It was the latest wrinkle in the lockdown of China's largest city as it struggles to eliminate an omicron-driven coronavirus outbreak under China's zero-COVID policy. (AP Photo/Chen Si)
Credit: Chen Si
Caption Residents take part in the first round of mass COVID tests in the Jingan district of western Shanghai, China, Friday, April 1, 2022. As residents of western Shanghai start a four day lockdown for mass testing, some in eastern Shanghai about to end their lock down are being told they will be confined to their homes for at least 10 more days. It was the latest wrinkle in the lockdown of China's largest city as it struggles to eliminate an omicron-driven coronavirus outbreak under China's zero-COVID policy. (AP Photo/Chen Si)
Credit: Chen Si
Credit: Chen Si
Caption A worker in protective gear labelled with "Willing Ox" meaning public service, walks in a locked down community where residents are to take part in the first round of mass COVID testing in the Jingan district of western Shanghai, China, Friday, April 1, 2022. As residents of western Shanghai start a four day lockdown for mass testing, some in eastern Shanghai about to end their lock down are being told they will be confined to their homes for at least 10 more days. It was the latest wrinkle in the lockdown of China's largest city as it struggles to eliminate an omicron-driven coronavirus outbreak under China's zero-COVID policy. (AP Photo/Chen Si)
Credit: Chen Si
Caption A worker in protective gear labelled with "Willing Ox" meaning public service, walks in a locked down community where residents are to take part in the first round of mass COVID testing in the Jingan district of western Shanghai, China, Friday, April 1, 2022. As residents of western Shanghai start a four day lockdown for mass testing, some in eastern Shanghai about to end their lock down are being told they will be confined to their homes for at least 10 more days. It was the latest wrinkle in the lockdown of China's largest city as it struggles to eliminate an omicron-driven coronavirus outbreak under China's zero-COVID policy. (AP Photo/Chen Si)
Credit: Chen Si
Credit: Chen Si
Caption Residents take part in the first round of mass COVID tests in the Jingan district of western Shanghai, China, Friday, April 1, 2022. As residents of western Shanghai start a four day lockdown for mass testing, some in eastern Shanghai about to end their lock down are being told they will be confined to their homes for at least 10 more days. It was the latest wrinkle in the lockdown of China's largest city as it struggles to eliminate an omicron-driven coronavirus outbreak under China's zero-COVID policy. (AP Photo/Chen Si)
Credit: Chen Si
Caption Residents take part in the first round of mass COVID tests in the Jingan district of western Shanghai, China, Friday, April 1, 2022. As residents of western Shanghai start a four day lockdown for mass testing, some in eastern Shanghai about to end their lock down are being told they will be confined to their homes for at least 10 more days. It was the latest wrinkle in the lockdown of China's largest city as it struggles to eliminate an omicron-driven coronavirus outbreak under China's zero-COVID policy. (AP Photo/Chen Si)
Credit: Chen Si
Credit: Chen Si
Caption Residents hold up the Communist Party flag and the Chinese national flag as others prepare to take part in the first round of mass COVID tests in the Jingan district of western Shanghai, China, Friday, April 1, 2022. As residents of western Shanghai start a four day lockdown for mass testing, some in eastern Shanghai about to end their lock down are being told they will be confined to their homes for at least 10 more days. It was the latest wrinkle in the lockdown of China's largest city as it struggles to eliminate an omicron-driven coronavirus outbreak under China's zero-COVID policy. (AP Photo/Chen Si)
Credit: Chen Si
Caption Residents hold up the Communist Party flag and the Chinese national flag as others prepare to take part in the first round of mass COVID tests in the Jingan district of western Shanghai, China, Friday, April 1, 2022. As residents of western Shanghai start a four day lockdown for mass testing, some in eastern Shanghai about to end their lock down are being told they will be confined to their homes for at least 10 more days. It was the latest wrinkle in the lockdown of China's largest city as it struggles to eliminate an omicron-driven coronavirus outbreak under China's zero-COVID policy. (AP Photo/Chen Si)
Credit: Chen Si
Credit: Chen Si
Caption Residents hold up the Communist Party flag and the Chinese national flag as others prepare to take part in the first round of mass COVID tests in the Jingan district of western Shanghai, China, Friday, April 1, 2022. As residents of western Shanghai start a four day lockdown for mass testing, some in eastern Shanghai about to end their lock down are being told they will be confined to their homes for at least 10 more days. It was the latest wrinkle in the lockdown of China's largest city as it struggles to eliminate an omicron-driven coronavirus outbreak under China's zero-COVID policy. (AP Photo/Chen Si)
Credit: Chen Si
Caption Residents hold up the Communist Party flag and the Chinese national flag as others prepare to take part in the first round of mass COVID tests in the Jingan district of western Shanghai, China, Friday, April 1, 2022. As residents of western Shanghai start a four day lockdown for mass testing, some in eastern Shanghai about to end their lock down are being told they will be confined to their homes for at least 10 more days. It was the latest wrinkle in the lockdown of China's largest city as it struggles to eliminate an omicron-driven coronavirus outbreak under China's zero-COVID policy. (AP Photo/Chen Si)
Credit: Chen Si
Credit: Chen Si
Caption Residents prepare to take part in the first round of mass COVID tests in the Jingan district of western Shanghai, China, Friday, April 1, 2022. As residents of western Shanghai start a four day lockdown for mass testing, some in eastern Shanghai about to end their lock down are being told they will be confined to their homes for at least 10 more days. It was the latest wrinkle in the lockdown of China's largest city as it struggles to eliminate an omicron-driven coronavirus outbreak under China's zero-COVID policy. (AP Photo/Chen Si)
Credit: Chen Si
Caption Residents prepare to take part in the first round of mass COVID tests in the Jingan district of western Shanghai, China, Friday, April 1, 2022. As residents of western Shanghai start a four day lockdown for mass testing, some in eastern Shanghai about to end their lock down are being told they will be confined to their homes for at least 10 more days. It was the latest wrinkle in the lockdown of China's largest city as it struggles to eliminate an omicron-driven coronavirus outbreak under China's zero-COVID policy. (AP Photo/Chen Si)
Credit: Chen Si
Credit: Chen Si
Caption A resident walks past barriers along the locked down Jingan district of western Shanghai, China, Friday, April 1, 2022. As residents of western Shanghai start a four day lockdown for mass testing, some in eastern Shanghai about to end their lock down are being told they will be confined to their homes for at least 10 more days. It was the latest wrinkle in the lockdown of China's largest city as it struggles to eliminate an omicron-driven coronavirus outbreak under China's zero-COVID policy. (AP Photo/Chen Si)
Credit: Chen Si
Caption A resident walks past barriers along the locked down Jingan district of western Shanghai, China, Friday, April 1, 2022. As residents of western Shanghai start a four day lockdown for mass testing, some in eastern Shanghai about to end their lock down are being told they will be confined to their homes for at least 10 more days. It was the latest wrinkle in the lockdown of China's largest city as it struggles to eliminate an omicron-driven coronavirus outbreak under China's zero-COVID policy. (AP Photo/Chen Si)
Credit: Chen Si
Credit: Chen Si
Caption Neighborhood committee members prepare to deliver vegetables door to door in the locked down Jingan district of western Shanghai, China, Friday, April 1, 2022. As residents of western Shanghai start a four day lockdown for mass testing, some in eastern Shanghai about to end their lock down are being told they will be confined to their homes for at least 10 more days. It was the latest wrinkle in the lockdown of China's largest city as it struggles to eliminate an omicron-driven coronavirus outbreak under China's zero-COVID policy. (AP Photo/Chen Si)
Credit: Chen Si
Caption Neighborhood committee members prepare to deliver vegetables door to door in the locked down Jingan district of western Shanghai, China, Friday, April 1, 2022. As residents of western Shanghai start a four day lockdown for mass testing, some in eastern Shanghai about to end their lock down are being told they will be confined to their homes for at least 10 more days. It was the latest wrinkle in the lockdown of China's largest city as it struggles to eliminate an omicron-driven coronavirus outbreak under China's zero-COVID policy. (AP Photo/Chen Si)
Credit: Chen Si
Credit: Chen Si
Caption Police officers in protective gear guide residents lining up for COVID tests in the Jingan district of western Shanghai, China, Friday, April 1, 2022. As residents of western Shanghai start a four day lockdown for mass testing, some in eastern Shanghai about to end their lock down are being told they will be confined to their homes for at least 10 more days. It was the latest wrinkle in the lockdown of China's largest city as it struggles to eliminate an omicron-driven coronavirus outbreak under China's zero-COVID policy. (AP Photo/Chen Si)
Credit: Chen Si
Caption Police officers in protective gear guide residents lining up for COVID tests in the Jingan district of western Shanghai, China, Friday, April 1, 2022. As residents of western Shanghai start a four day lockdown for mass testing, some in eastern Shanghai about to end their lock down are being told they will be confined to their homes for at least 10 more days. It was the latest wrinkle in the lockdown of China's largest city as it struggles to eliminate an omicron-driven coronavirus outbreak under China's zero-COVID policy. (AP Photo/Chen Si)
Credit: Chen Si
Credit: Chen Si
Caption Residents carry the Communist Party flag and the Chinese national flag as others prepare to take part in the first round of mass COVID tests in the Jingan district of western Shanghai, China, Friday, April 1, 2022. As residents of western Shanghai start a four day lockdown for mass testing, some in eastern Shanghai about to end their lock down are being told they will be confined to their homes for at least 10 more days. It was the latest wrinkle in the lockdown of China's largest city as it struggles to eliminate an omicron-driven coronavirus outbreak under China's zero-COVID policy. (AP Photo/Chen Si)
Credit: Chen Si
Caption Residents carry the Communist Party flag and the Chinese national flag as others prepare to take part in the first round of mass COVID tests in the Jingan district of western Shanghai, China, Friday, April 1, 2022. As residents of western Shanghai start a four day lockdown for mass testing, some in eastern Shanghai about to end their lock down are being told they will be confined to their homes for at least 10 more days. It was the latest wrinkle in the lockdown of China's largest city as it struggles to eliminate an omicron-driven coronavirus outbreak under China's zero-COVID policy. (AP Photo/Chen Si)
Credit: Chen Si
Credit: Chen Si
Caption A worker in protective gear prepares to deliver food in a cart which has the words "Food delivery for the elderly" in the locked down Jingan district in western Shanghai, China, Friday, April 1, 2022. As residents of western Shanghai start a four day lockdown for mass testing, some in eastern Shanghai about to end their lock down are being told they will be confined to their homes for at least 10 more days. It was the latest wrinkle in the lockdown of China's largest city as it struggles to eliminate an omicron-driven coronavirus outbreak under China's zero-COVID policy. (AP Photo/Chen Si)
Credit: Chen Si
Caption A worker in protective gear prepares to deliver food in a cart which has the words "Food delivery for the elderly" in the locked down Jingan district in western Shanghai, China, Friday, April 1, 2022. As residents of western Shanghai start a four day lockdown for mass testing, some in eastern Shanghai about to end their lock down are being told they will be confined to their homes for at least 10 more days. It was the latest wrinkle in the lockdown of China's largest city as it struggles to eliminate an omicron-driven coronavirus outbreak under China's zero-COVID policy. (AP Photo/Chen Si)
Credit: Chen Si
Credit: Chen Si
Caption A police officer in protective gear watches over residents lining up for COVID tests in the Jingan district of western Shanghai, China, Friday, April 1, 2022. As residents of western Shanghai start a four day lockdown for mass testing, some in eastern Shanghai about to end their lock down are being told they will be confined to their homes for at least 10 more days. It was the latest wrinkle in the lockdown of China's largest city as it struggles to eliminate an omicron-driven coronavirus outbreak under China's zero-COVID policy. (AP Photo/Chen Si)
Credit: Chen Si
Caption A police officer in protective gear watches over residents lining up for COVID tests in the Jingan district of western Shanghai, China, Friday, April 1, 2022. As residents of western Shanghai start a four day lockdown for mass testing, some in eastern Shanghai about to end their lock down are being told they will be confined to their homes for at least 10 more days. It was the latest wrinkle in the lockdown of China's largest city as it struggles to eliminate an omicron-driven coronavirus outbreak under China's zero-COVID policy. (AP Photo/Chen Si)
Credit: Chen Si
Credit: Chen Si
Caption Workers wearing gowns, masks and gloves, direct arriving passengers from Manila for buses to quarantine hotels in Hong Kong international airport, Friday, April 1, 2022. Flights started landing in Hong Kong Friday after authorities lifted a COVID ban on arrivals from nine countries including Australia, Canada, France, India, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, the UK and the US. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
Credit: Kin Cheung
Caption Workers wearing gowns, masks and gloves, direct arriving passengers from Manila for buses to quarantine hotels in Hong Kong international airport, Friday, April 1, 2022. Flights started landing in Hong Kong Friday after authorities lifted a COVID ban on arrivals from nine countries including Australia, Canada, France, India, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, the UK and the US. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
Credit: Kin Cheung
Credit: Kin Cheung
Caption A worker wearing gown, mask and gloves, deliver a pass to arriving passenger from Manila for buses to quarantine hotels in Hong Kong international airport, Friday, April 1, 2022. Flights started landing in Hong Kong Friday after authorities lifted a COVID ban on arrivals from nine countries including Australia, Canada, France, India, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, the UK and the US. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
Credit: Kin Cheung
Caption A worker wearing gown, mask and gloves, deliver a pass to arriving passenger from Manila for buses to quarantine hotels in Hong Kong international airport, Friday, April 1, 2022. Flights started landing in Hong Kong Friday after authorities lifted a COVID ban on arrivals from nine countries including Australia, Canada, France, India, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, the UK and the US. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
Credit: Kin Cheung
Credit: Kin Cheung
Caption A worker wearing gown, mask and gloves, directs arriving passengers from Manila for buses to quarantine hotels in Hong Kong international airport, Friday, April 1, 2022. The first flight to arrive in Hong Kong after authorities lifted a COVID ban on arrivals from nine countries including Australia, Canada, France, India, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, the UK and the US. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
Credit: Kin Cheung
Caption A worker wearing gown, mask and gloves, directs arriving passengers from Manila for buses to quarantine hotels in Hong Kong international airport, Friday, April 1, 2022. The first flight to arrive in Hong Kong after authorities lifted a COVID ban on arrivals from nine countries including Australia, Canada, France, India, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, the UK and the US. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
Credit: Kin Cheung
Credit: Kin Cheung
Caption A worker wearing gown, mask and gloves, directs arriving passengers from Manila for buses to quarantine hotels in Hong Kong international airport, Friday, April 1, 2022. The first flight to arrive in Hong Kong after authorities lifted a COVID ban on arrivals from nine countries including Australia, Canada, France, India, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, the UK and the US. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
Credit: Kin Cheung
Caption A worker wearing gown, mask and gloves, directs arriving passengers from Manila for buses to quarantine hotels in Hong Kong international airport, Friday, April 1, 2022. The first flight to arrive in Hong Kong after authorities lifted a COVID ban on arrivals from nine countries including Australia, Canada, France, India, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, the UK and the US. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
Credit: Kin Cheung
Credit: Kin Cheung
Caption Workers wearing gowns, masks and gloves, direct arriving passengers from Manila for buses to quarantine hotels in Hong Kong international airport, Friday, April 1, 2022. The first flight to arrive in Hong Kong after authorities lifted a COVID ban on arrivals from nine countries including Australia, Canada, France, India, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, the UK and the US. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
Credit: Kin Cheung
Caption Workers wearing gowns, masks and gloves, direct arriving passengers from Manila for buses to quarantine hotels in Hong Kong international airport, Friday, April 1, 2022. The first flight to arrive in Hong Kong after authorities lifted a COVID ban on arrivals from nine countries including Australia, Canada, France, India, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, the UK and the US. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
Credit: Kin Cheung
Credit: Kin Cheung
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https://www.springfieldnewssun.com/nation-world/war-in-ukraine-fuels-fears-among-draft-age-russian-youths/7W3EZGDEEZDJHJA6KB54ZHZFUM/
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As Moscow's forces bog down in Ukraine, many young Russians of draft age are increasingly jittery about the prospect of being sent into combat. Making those fears particularly acute is an annual spring conscription that begins Friday and aims to round up 134,500 men for a one-year tour of military duty.
Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu pledged at a meeting of the military brass this week that the new recruits won't be sent to front lines or “hot spots.”
But the statement was met with skepticism by many in Russia who remember the separatist wars in the southern republic of Chechnya in the 1990s and early 2000s, when thousands of poorly trained young men were killed.
“I don't trust them when they say they won't send conscripts into combat. They lie all the time,” said Vladislav, a 22-year-old who is completing his studies and fears he could face the draft immediately after graduation. He asked that his last name not be used, fearing reprisals.
All Russian men aged 18-27 must serve one year in the military, but a large share avoid the draft for health reasons or deferments granted to university students. The share of men who avoid the draft is particularly big in Moscow and other major cities.
Even as President Vladimir Putin and his officials say that conscripts aren’t involved in what Russian authorities call “the special military operation in Ukraine,” many appeared to have been taken prisoner during its initial days. Videos emerged from Ukraine of captured Russians, some being shown calling their parents, and were put on social media.
The mother of one of the prisoners said she recognized her 20-year-old draftee son in a video even though he was shown blindfolded.
“I recognized him by his lips, by his chin. You know, I would have recognized him by his fingers,” said the woman, who asked to be identified only by her first name, Lyubov, for security reasons. "I breastfed him. I raised him.”
The Defense Ministry was forced to walk back its statements and acknowledge that some conscripts were sent to Ukraine “by mistake” and were taken prisoner while serving with a supply unit away from the front.
There have been allegations that before the invasion, some conscripts were forced to sign military contracts that allowed them to be sent into combat — duty that is normally reserved only for volunteers in the army. Some of the captured soldiers said they were told by their commanding officers that they were going to a military exercise but suddenly found themselves fighting in Ukraine.
Lyudmila Narusova, a member of the upper house of the Russian parliament, spoke in early March about an entire company of 100 men who were forced to sign such contracts and were sent into the combat zone — and only four survived. Military officials did not comment on her allegation.
Svetlana Agapitova, the human rights commissioner in St. Petersburg, said Wednesday that relatives of seven soldiers had written to her to complain the men had been forced to sign the contract and sent to Ukraine against their will. She said two of them already had been brought back to Russia.
In recent years, the Kremlin has emphasized increasing the share of volunteer contract soldiers as it sought to modernize the army and improve its readiness. The force of 1 million now has over 400,000 contract soldiers, including 147,000 in the infantry. If the war drags on, those numbers could be insufficient to sustain the operations.
The Kremlin could eventually face a choice: Keep fighting with a limited number of troops and see the offensive stall, or try to replenish the ranks with a broader draft and risk public outrage that could fuel anti-draft sentiment and destabilize the political situation. Such a scenario occurred during the fighting in Chechnya.
Dmitry, a 25-year-old IT expert, has a deferment that should keep him out of the draft for medical reasons. But he's still nervous like many others, fearing authorities could abruptly waive some deferments to bolster the military.
“I hate the war. I think it's a total disaster,” said Dmitry, who also asked that he not be identified by has last name, fearing reprisals. “I fear that the government could change the rules and I could face the draft. They also were saying for months that they wouldn’t attack Ukraine, so why should I trust what they say about the draft now?”
Proposed legislation would facilitate the draft by allowing military recruiters to call up conscripts more easily, but the bill has been put on hold for now.
Still, it added to the public’s anxiety.
Alexei Tabalov, a lawyer who advises conscripts, said medical panels at recruitment offices often admit youths who should be exempt from service because of illness. Now, he added, their attitudes could grow even tougher.
“It's quite probable that doctors may shut their eyes to conscripts' illnesses and declare them fit for military duty,” Tabalov said.
In addition to lowering the medical standard for draftees, there are fears that the government could try to impose some sort of martial law that would ban Russian men from leaving the country and, like Ukraine, force them to fight.
“We have received a lot of calls from people fearing mobilization,” Tabalov said. “People now are afraid of everything in this situation. No one even thought before about the need to analyze the law on mobilization.”
The Kremlin has strongly denied any such plans, and military officials insist the army has enough contract soldiers to serve in Ukraine. Still, many Russians remain skeptical of the officials' denials, given their track record.
“What kind of trust could there be if Putin says one day that conscripts will not be sent there ... and then the Defense Ministry recognizes that they were there?” Tabalov asked.
An existing law allows for a 21-month alternative civil service in hospitals, nursing homes and other facilities for those who view military duty as incompatible with their beliefs, but military conscription offices often broadly ignore requests for such service.
After the war began, Tabalov said his group saw a large increase in inquiries about the alternative service law, which is vaguely phrased and allows military officials to easily turn down applications.
“We are worried that in the current militarist mood, military conscription offices can take a tougher attitude and reject appeals for the alternative civil service,” he said.
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Follow the AP's coverage of the war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
Credit: Uncredited
Credit: Uncredited
Credit: Uncredited
Credit: Uncredited
Credit: Mikhail Klimentyev
Credit: Mikhail Klimentyev
Credit: Uncredited
Credit: Uncredited
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https://www.springfieldnewssun.com/news/ohio/columbus-crew-host-nashville-in-non-conference-action/MPTYPJC4SZGVFLVRMT4P242HNE/
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Nashville SC (1-2-1) vs. Columbus Crew (2-0-2)
Columbus, Ohio; Saturday, 6 p.m. EDT
FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK LINE: Columbus -106, Nashville SC +327, Draw +224; over/under is 2.5 goals
BOTTOM LINE: The Columbus Crew and Nashville square off in non-conference play.
The Crew finished 13-13-8 overall and 10-4-3 at home a season ago. The Crew scored 46 goals a season ago while allowing opponents to score 45.
Nashville went 12-4-18 overall a season ago while going 4-4-10 on the road. Nashville scored 55 goals a season ago, averaging 1.6 per game.
The matchup Saturday is the first meeting of the season between the two teams.
NOT EXPECTED TO PLAY: Crew: Sean Zawadzki (injured), Aidan Morris (injured), Kevin Molino (injured), Josh Williams (injured), Isaiah Parente (injured).
Nashville: Irakoze Donasiyano (injured), Dax McCarty (injured).
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
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https://www.springfieldnewssun.com/obituaries/lowry-george-w/KNNFFRJBHVDTVAYAWEAE7Z3YCU/
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LOWRY, Jr., George W.
Age 90, of Kettering, passed away March 26th, 2022. Mass of Christian Burial May 2nd, 10:30am at St. Francis of Assisi Church. Westbrock Funeral Home, Bigger Road, Dayton, OH.
View the obituary on Legacy.com
Funeral Home Information
Westbrock Funeral Home
5980 Bigger Road
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https://www.springfieldnewssun.com/local/central-state-projects-enrollment-spike-along-with-65m-campus-project/YTU4VZEQ4RFBXESBMAW3AXH2QU/
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WILBERFORCE — With a month left to go before its early application deadline, Central State University is projecting a 50 percent spike in fall 2022 enrollment, going roughly from 2,000 to 3,000 students.
That figure represents the number of traditional students physically attending at the Wilberforce campus, and a similar jump is expected for online classes, going from 4,000 students to 7,000.
The changes are based on an increase in first-time applicants, as well as new scholarship programs.
Central State has already seen a 10% increase in applications of first-year students over last year and has implemented two scholarship programs. The first is the Ohio Classroom Teacher Initiative, a four-year scholarship program for students in the College of Education.
The second, called the DTXS Public School Scholarship Initiative, will grant a $5,000 scholarship to incoming freshmen who attend one of the 10 high schools in the Dayton, Trotwood-Madison, Xenia, or Springfield public school districts. The programs were announced at the investiture of President Jack Thomas in March.
The university is also building the Within Reach program, which offers scholarships to students who started their college degree at Central State and, for any reason, chose not to continue.
“Some students were within reach of graduating with 90% credits or more,” said Curtis Pettis, vice president of administration & CFO. “It’s letting students know we are willing to connect with them, meet with them, and maybe offer financial assistance.”
Administrators also said the growing popularity of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) was a contributing factor to the coming growth.
“Students are seeing HBCUs as a place for great career training and a place to build a sustainable career,” said Harold Dixon, Central State’s dean of enrollment.
The university has enough classrooms and academic space to handle the jump, but the concern currently is the university’s amount of residential housing. Central State is currently in the middle of a $65 million expansion, called Project Innovation, to increase its stock of student housing, add a recreation and wellness center, and make several improvements to other campus facilities.
Additionally, Central State is investing in its online classes and has added several degrees and a cybersecurity certificate in recent years.
“We are referring back to the marketplace and what jobs are showing up,” Dixon said. “We want to offer those programs and degrees that speak to the future. We’re sharing this in our message to students. We have internships available early on. We have those opportunities to engage with companies and communities, creating those connections in career services right away, instead of waiting until junior or senior year.”
Central State is looking at hiring more full-time faculty from a large pool of professors and teachers that currently teach online. Many students currently taking classes have a combination of in-person and online classes, and many professors will also be taking on a similar hybrid teaching model.
“We have that bench strength,” Pettis said. “It’s a new world of students being hybrid. You have to be ambidextrous. Some students are living in Xenia, Beavercreek, Dayton; that’s also where our growth will come from.”
Central State has an admission rate of 58%, but only a 28% graduation rate, and most students who drop off do so between their first and second year.
Central State is working to raise both those numbers, administrators said, and looking to increase student engagement with projects planned in the expansion, like the $10.7 million recreation and wellness center. Among the top two reasons students give for leaving is lack of extracurricular activities, and money.
“We are one of the most affordable institutions. The price is the best you can get for a four-year degree, but a lot of the time, it’s finances back home. We have a lot of first-generation students. Because they contribute to the household and the family, when they’re gone, that makes an impact,” Pettis said.
Central State’s priority application deadline is May 1.
About the Author
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https://www.springfieldnewssun.com/nation-world/german-prosecutors-file-charges-over-major-child-porn-site/YMYPRRL6ZBDGHGF75FK2IK5QC4/
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BERLIN (AP) — German prosecutors said Friday they have filed charges against four men over their alleged involvement with a major international platform for child pornography that was taken down last year.
Investigators say the "BoysTown" platform, which operated on the darknet, had more than 400,000 members. Pedophiles used it to exchange and watch pornography of children and toddlers, most of them boys, from all over the world. It was shut down in April 2021.
The suspects are aged between 41 and 65, Frankfurt prosecutors said in a statement. Their names weren't released, in keeping with German privacy rules. They face charges that include spreading and producing child pornography and sexual abuse of children.
Two of the men are accused of building the platform in 2019. One of them also allegedly sexually abused two children. The other was extradited in October from Paraguay, where he had lived for a few years.
A third suspect is accused of acting as an administrator and moderator for the platform as well as sexually abusing two children. Prosecutors say that the fourth man was “one of the most active users” of the platform. All four are in custody.
The Frankfurt state court now has to decide whether the case will go to trial and if so when. Prosecutors said investigations of other suspected members of the platform are continuing.
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https://www.springfieldnewssun.com/nation-world/mets-ace-degrom-has-shoulder-tightness-status-uncertain/FDZVADO56ZBN3BVODLEDKJIKXI/
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NEW YORK (AP) — Mets ace Jacob deGrom felt tightness in his pitching shoulder while playing catch, putting his status for opening day in jeopardy.
New York manager Buck Showalter told reporters Thursday night at spring training in Florida that deGrom will probably be scratched from his scheduled outing Friday afternoon against the St. Louis Cardinals. He'll be re-evaluated and likely have an MRI on his shoulder.
“We are going to see how he is in the morning before we scratch him,” Showalter said, according to MLB.com. “But he has to be pretty convincing to pitch him tomorrow. I’ll be surprised if he pitches tomorrow — rain or no rain.”
The two-time Cy Young Award winner is slated to start the season opener next Thursday in Washington.
It's concerning news for the Mets, who have big plans this season after signing fellow ace Max Scherzer to join deGrom atop a terrific rotation.
After getting off to a sensational start last year, deGrom didn't pitch during the second half because of a sprained elbow. He was 7-2 with a 1.08 ERA in 15 outings, but New York collapsed without him to finish 77-85 after leading the NL East for 103 days. His final start was July 7 against Milwaukee.
The right-hander reported to camp healthy this year and has permitted one run over five innings in Grapefruit League games, striking out 10. His most recent outing was Sunday against the Cardinals.
Earlier in camp, deGrom said he plans to opt out of his contract after this season and become a free agent.
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More AP MLB coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
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https://www.springfieldnewssun.com/nation-world/mine-accident-in-central-serbia-kills-at-least-8-injures-20/2PFEJHPF6VBIBOURYJOEWQS25Y/
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BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — An accident in a mine in central Serbia killed at least eight people and wounded 20 Friday, state Serbian television RTS reported.
The accident in the Soko coal mine happened around 5 a.m. (0300 GMT). The RTS report says part of the mine pit collapsed trapping the miners inside.
The head of the medical center in nearby Aleksinac, Rodoljub Zivadinovic, said that 18 people have been hospitalized there, mostly with light injuries.
The TV report said that 49 miners were inside when the accident happened. No more details were immediately available.
The Soko mine, about 200 kilometers (125 miles) southeast of Belgrade, has been operating since the early 1900s. An accident in the mine in 1998 killed 29 miners.
In Other News
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https://www.springfieldnewssun.com/nation-world/thousands-of-workers-return-home-as-malaysia-fully-reopens/2TC43UEACBGX7KR6NUVBQVNUQ4/
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New daily cases have hovered around 20,000, driven by the highly contagious omicron strain but less than 1% have been categorized as serious.
There will be no quarantine for fully vaccinated tourists but they need to take a PCR test two days before arrival. At Kuala Lumpur International Airport, staff wearing traditional costumes welcomed visitors. The first regular AirAsia flight from Jakarta in two years was given a water cannon salute upon landing.
The Malaysia-based low-cost carrier, the largest on the continent, said that 12 flights from within Asia arrived at Kuala Lumpur on Friday, marking the revival of its international operations since March 2020.
“Definitely it's starting to feel a little normal again," said Peter Miller, an American expatriate who arrived with his family for work. “Still have to do some testing here and there but ... everyone’s learning how to deal with the new phase of the virus."
Caption Travelers are seen waiting for flights at Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang, Malaysia, Friday, April 1, 2022. Malaysia's international borders open to foreigners on Friday and fully vaccinated travelers do not have to undergo quarantine. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)
Credit: Vincent Thian
Caption Travelers are seen waiting for flights at Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang, Malaysia, Friday, April 1, 2022. Malaysia's international borders open to foreigners on Friday and fully vaccinated travelers do not have to undergo quarantine. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)
Credit: Vincent Thian
Credit: Vincent Thian
Caption Travelers line up at check in counter at Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang, Malaysia, Friday, April 1, 2022. Malaysia's international borders open to foreigners on Friday and fully vaccinated travelers do not have to undergo quarantine. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)
Credit: Vincent Thian
Caption Travelers line up at check in counter at Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang, Malaysia, Friday, April 1, 2022. Malaysia's international borders open to foreigners on Friday and fully vaccinated travelers do not have to undergo quarantine. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)
Credit: Vincent Thian
Credit: Vincent Thian
Caption Malaysia Airlines planes taxi at terminal while uploading passengers at Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang, Malaysia, Friday, April 1, 2022. Malaysia's international borders open to foreigners on Friday, and fully vaccinated travelers do not have to undergo quarantine. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)
Credit: Vincent Thian
Caption Malaysia Airlines planes taxi at terminal while uploading passengers at Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang, Malaysia, Friday, April 1, 2022. Malaysia's international borders open to foreigners on Friday, and fully vaccinated travelers do not have to undergo quarantine. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)
Credit: Vincent Thian
Credit: Vincent Thian
Caption Travelers line up at check in counter at Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang, Malaysia, Friday, April 1, 2022. Malaysia's international borders open to foreigners on April 1 and fully vaccinated travelers do not have to undergo quarantine. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)
Credit: Vincent Thian
Caption Travelers line up at check in counter at Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang, Malaysia, Friday, April 1, 2022. Malaysia's international borders open to foreigners on April 1 and fully vaccinated travelers do not have to undergo quarantine. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)
Credit: Vincent Thian
Credit: Vincent Thian
Caption Travelers line up at check in counter at Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang, Malaysia, Friday, April 1, 2022. Malaysia's international borders open to foreigners on Friday and fully vaccinated travelers do not have to undergo quarantine. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)
Credit: Vincent Thian
Caption Travelers line up at check in counter at Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang, Malaysia, Friday, April 1, 2022. Malaysia's international borders open to foreigners on Friday and fully vaccinated travelers do not have to undergo quarantine. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)
Credit: Vincent Thian
Credit: Vincent Thian
Caption Travelers line up at check in counter at Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang, Malaysia, Friday, April 1, 2022. Malaysia's international borders open to foreigners on Friday and fully vaccinated travelers do not have to undergo quarantine. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)
Credit: Vincent Thian
Caption Travelers line up at check in counter at Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang, Malaysia, Friday, April 1, 2022. Malaysia's international borders open to foreigners on Friday and fully vaccinated travelers do not have to undergo quarantine. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)
Credit: Vincent Thian
Credit: Vincent Thian
Caption Travelers push their luggage to check in counter at Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang, Malaysia, Friday, April 1, 2022. Malaysia's international borders open to foreigners on Friday and fully vaccinated travelers do not have to undergo quarantine. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)
Credit: Vincent Thian
Caption Travelers push their luggage to check in counter at Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang, Malaysia, Friday, April 1, 2022. Malaysia's international borders open to foreigners on Friday and fully vaccinated travelers do not have to undergo quarantine. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)
Credit: Vincent Thian
Credit: Vincent Thian
Caption Travelers line up at check in counter at Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang, Malaysia, Friday, April 1, 2022. Malaysia's international borders open to foreigners on Friday and fully vaccinated travelers do not have to undergo quarantine. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)
Credit: Vincent Thian
Caption Travelers line up at check in counter at Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang, Malaysia, Friday, April 1, 2022. Malaysia's international borders open to foreigners on Friday and fully vaccinated travelers do not have to undergo quarantine. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)
Credit: Vincent Thian
Credit: Vincent Thian
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https://www.springfieldnewssun.com/news/ohio/aircraft-maintenance-company-expanding-adding-250-jobs/SEMLAIBBURC2RN532UFQG75KHY/
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FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — An aircraft maintenance company in northern Kentucky is expanding and will add nearly 250 jobs, officials said.
FEAM AERO will locate a new three-bay hangar at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport where it will provide aircraft maintenance and engineering services, Gov. Andy Beshear said Thursday in a statement. Jobs at the facility will include aircraft mechanics and technicians, ground support equipment mechanics, administrative personnel and management positions.
Construction on the 150,000-square-foot (13,935-square-meter) hangar is expected to begin in June and be completed by the end of next year.
The new facility will provide more aircraft maintenance capacity and resources for the company's expanding customer base in support of cargo operations, the statement said. FEAM AERO currently employs 300 people at the airport.
“We are not only excited for the opportunity to continue growing our relationship with CVG airport, but we are also thrilled in continuing to exceed our customer expectations, delivering them more value at such a critical time in aviation,” FEAM AERO owner and CEO Fred Murphy said.
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https://www.springfieldnewssun.com/news/ohio/cleveland-visits-new-york-on-4-game-road-skid/2E3W3Z7WUJDHLIKMZBEYB6IL2Y/
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Cleveland Cavaliers (42-35, seventh in the Eastern Conference) vs. New York Knicks (34-43, 11th in the Eastern Conference)
New York; Saturday, 1 p.m. EDT
BOTTOM LINE: Cleveland visits New York looking to stop its four-game road losing streak.
The Knicks are 19-28 against Eastern Conference opponents. New York is 14-25 against opponents with a winning record.
The Cavaliers are 25-22 in Eastern Conference play. Cleveland ranks sixth in the Eastern Conference with 44.3 rebounds per game led by Jarrett Allen averaging 10.8.
The two teams square off for the third time this season. The Cavaliers defeated the Knicks 95-93 in their last matchup on Jan. 25. Kevin Love led the Cavaliers with 20 points, and RJ Barrett led the Knicks with 24 points.
TOP PERFORMERS: Julius Randle is shooting 41.1% and averaging 20.1 points for the Knicks. Barrett is averaging 24.9 points over the last 10 games for New York.
Darius Garland is averaging 21.5 points and 8.7 assists for the Cavaliers. Lauri Markkanen is averaging 16.2 points and 6.3 rebounds over the past 10 games for Cleveland.
LAST 10 GAMES: Knicks: 6-4, averaging 109.8 points, 44.7 rebounds, 23.0 assists, 7.5 steals and 4.4 blocks per game while shooting 44.2% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 107.0 points per game.
Cavaliers: 4-6, averaging 111.0 points, 42.5 rebounds, 25.1 assists, 7.2 steals and 3.6 blocks per game while shooting 47.1% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 115.2 points.
INJURIES: Knicks: Nerlens Noel: out (foot), Quentin Grimes: day to day (knee), Derrick Rose: out (ankle), Cam Reddish: out for season (shoulder).
Cavaliers: Jarrett Allen: out (finger), Collin Sexton: out for season (knee), Rajon Rondo: day to day (ankle), Dean Wade: out for season (knee), Evan Mobley: out (ankle).
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
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https://www.springfieldnewssun.com/news/ohio/columbus-plays-boston-aims-to-end-road-slide/JDB7MXUWEZDXRMVUPFE37QVZZQ/
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Columbus Blue Jackets (32-31-5, sixth in the Metropolitan) vs. Boston Bruins (42-20-5, fourth in the Atlantic)
Boston; Saturday, 7 p.m. EDT
BOTTOM LINE: Columbus travels to Boston looking to break its four-game road skid.
The Bruins are 23-12-2 in conference play. Boston averages 9.8 penalty minutes per game, the seventh-most in the league. Brad Marchand leads the team serving 81 total minutes.
The Blue Jackets are 17-22-1 in Eastern Conference play. Columbus ranks seventh in the Eastern Conference averaging 5.4 assists per game, led by Jakub Voracek with 0.7.
In their last meeting on March 5, Boston won 5-4.
TOP PERFORMERS: David Pastrnak leads the Bruins with 38 goals, adding 33 assists and recording 71 points. Marchand has seven goals and five assists over the last 10 games for Boston.
Gabriel Carlsson leads the Blue Jackets with a plus-four in 33 games this season. Oliver Bjorkstrand has 10 points over the last 10 games for Columbus.
LAST 10 GAMES: Bruins: 8-2-0, averaging 3.9 goals, seven assists, 4.6 penalties and 11.7 penalty minutes while giving up 2.5 goals per game with a .908 save percentage.
Blue Jackets: 4-4-2, averaging three goals, 5.4 assists, 4.2 penalties and 8.4 penalty minutes while giving up 3.7 goals per game with an .887 save percentage.
INJURIES: Bruins: Nick Foligno: day to day (lower-body), Craig Smith: day to day (illness).
Blue Jackets: Joonas Korpisalo: out for season (hip), Zach Werenski: out (upper-body).
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
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HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (AP) — A former employee of a West Virginia nonprofit group that assists children and their families has been ordered to pay more than $4.65 million for stealing federal funds.
Ruth Marie Phillips, 69, of Chesapeake, Ohio, was ordered to pay the restitution Thursday in federal court in Huntington. In January she was sentenced to seven years in prison.
Phillips admitted in September that she stole more than $4.7 million from the River Valley Child Development Services in Huntington from December 2013 through August 2020. She worked at the organization for more than 30 years, was director of business and finance and was responsible for all financial operations, according to court records.
The organization received more than $7 million in federal funding from July 2016 to June 2017 and Phillips used her position of trust and authority to steal nearly $1 million in that time span, prosecutors said.
Phillips previously agreed to forfeit hundreds of thousands of dollars from the sale of homes, airplanes and several vehicles.
“Phillips did great harm to the children and families she should have been supporting,” U.S. Attorney Will Thompson said in a statement.
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LONDON (AP) — Inflation in Europe soared to another record, in a fresh sign that rising energy prices fueled by Russia's war in Ukraine are squeezing consumers and adding pressure on the central bank to raise interest rates.
Consumer prices in the 19 countries that use the euro currency rose by an annual rate of 7.5% in March, according to the European Union statistics agency, Eurostat.
The latest reading smashed the high set just last month, when it hit a revised 5.9%.
It's the fifth straight month that inflation in the eurozone has set a record, bringing it to the highest level since recordkeeping for the euro began in 1997.
The spiking price of energy has been a major factor contributing to record inflation. Eurostat said energy costs rose 44.7% last month, up from 32% in February.
There were price increases for other categories of spending as well. Food, alcohol and tobacco costs rose 5%, compared with 4.2% in the prior month, while prices for goods like clothing, appliances, cars, computers and books rose 3.4%, up from 3.1%; and service prices rose 2.7%, versus the previous 2.5%.
Rising prices are a growing problem around the world. In the U.S., has inflation soared to a 40-year high of 7.9%.
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BEIJING — China is accusing the United States of instigating the war in Ukraine and says NATO should have been disbanded following the break-up of the Soviet Union.
“As the culprit and leading instigator of the Ukraine crisis, the U.S. has led NATO to engage in five rounds of eastward expansion in the last two decades after 1999,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian told reporters at a daily briefing Friday.
“The number of NATO members increased from 16 to 30, and they have moved eastward more than 1,000 kilometers (600 miles) to somewhere near the Russian border, pushing Russia to the wall step by step,” Zhao said.
While China says it is not taking sides in the conflict, it has declared a “no limits” partnership with Moscow, has refused to condemn the invasion, opposes sanctions on Russia and routinely amplifies Russian disinformation about the conflict, including not referring to it as an invasion or a war in keeping with Russian practice.
Zhao’s comments came as Chinese and European Union leaders were meeting virtually for a summit at which Ukraine was expected to dominate discussions. EU officials say they are looking for a commitment from China not to undermine sanctions and assist in efforts to halt the fighting.
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KEY DEVELOPMENTS IN THE RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR:
— Ukraine top of agenda as China, EU prepare to meet at summit
— Russians leave Chernobyl; Ukraine braces for renewed attacks
— UK, Russia foreign ministers visit India amid Ukraine crisis
— Kremlin decree says foreign currency can still buy natural gas
— War in Ukraine fuels fears among draft-age Russian youths
— African refugees see racial bias as US welcomes Ukrainians
— Go to https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine for more coverage
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OTHER DEVELOPMENTS:
GENEVA — The International Committee of the Red Cross says it’s not sure that a planned delivery of aid into Mariupol and an evacuation of civilians out of the besieged Ukrainian city will happen Friday.
Spokesman Ewan Watson told a U.N. briefing in Geneva that the humanitarian group has sent three vehicles toward Mariupol and a frontline between Ukrainian and Russian forces, but two trucks carrying supplies for the city were not accompanying them.
Dozens of busses that have been put together by Ukrainian authorities to take people out also have not started approaching the dividing line, he said Friday.
Watson called it an “extremely complex” operation, adding that “not all details are in place to ensure that this happens today.”
He said the hope was that “thousands” of people could be ferried out, and their destination would be into parts of Ukraine less affected by the fighting that has been ongoing since Russia’s invasion on Feb. 24.
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THE HAGUE, Netherlands — Europol, the European Union police agency, has sent teams to countries bordering Ukraine in an effort to protect refugees from criminals.
The Hague-based agency said Friday its teams are supporting local authorities by running secondary security checks and seeking to “identify criminals and terrorists trying to enter the EU in the refugee flow and exploit the situation.”
The Europol teams are operating in Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Moldova and are planning to deploy to Romania, too.
The agency says they also are gathering intelligence to feed into criminal threat assessments across Europe.
The United Nations says that more than 4 million people have fled Ukraine since Russia invaded on Feb. 24.
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COPENHAGEN, Denmark — Police in Norway say they have intensified information and intelligence gathering as a result of the security situation in Europe.
The move is to help “prevent and detect crime as a result of the migration flow and the tense security policy situation,” National Police Commissioner Benedicte Bjørnland said in a statement Friday.
She added that “we are particularly aware of the crime challenges that may arise as a result of the migration flow.” She did not elaborate.
More than 7,800 Ukrainians have sought asylum in Norway.
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TOKYO — Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi says he is heading to Poland later Friday to assess the need for the war-displaced Ukrainians in that country and assist those who seek refuge in Japan.
Hayashi, during his five-day trip through Tuesday, is set to meet with Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and other top officials, as well as international organizations. Officials are still making arrangements for a possibility of his government plane bringing some Ukrainians on his way back, Hayashi said.
“In order to support the Ukrainian people facing the difficulty and to show our solidarity with Ukraine, Japan is pursuing our effort to accept those who fled to a third country,” Hayashi said.
Japan’s government last month launched a taskforce to prepare accepting Ukrainian war-displaced as part of humanitarian support — a rare move for a country known for its strict and reluctant refugee policy. Several municipalities, including Tokyo, Kanagawa, Ibaraki and Osaka, have offered to be their host towns and provide support for medical needs, education, jobs and housing.
Ukrainian Ambassador to Japan Sergiy Korsunsky told reporters Friday that some 300 relatives of Ukrainian residents in Japan have been granted entry, and more arrivals are expected from next week.
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BRUSSELS — The president of the European Parliament says she is traveling to Kyiv.
Roberta Metsola announced the trip to the Ukrainian capital city on her Twitter account late Thursday, posting a picture of her standing in front of a railcar.
Metsola is the first president of an EU institution to travel to the Ukrainian capital since the war began on Feb. 24. Details about her travel plans and who she will meet have not been announced.
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SYDNEY — Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Friday that his country will be sending armored Bushmaster vehicles to Ukraine to help in its war against Russia.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed the Australian Parliament on Thursday and asked for the Australian-manufactured four-wheel-drive vehicles and other aid.
Morrison told reporters the vehicles will be flown over on Boeing C-17 Globemaster transport planes, but he didn’t specify how many Bushmaster vehicles would be sent or when.
“We’re not just sending our prayers, we are sending our guns, we’re sending our munitions, we’re sending our humanitarian aid, we’re sending all of this, our body armor, all of these things and we’re going to be sending our armored vehicles, our Bushmasters as well,” Morrison said.
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LVIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he has stripped two generals of their military rank.
Zelenskyy said “something prevented them from determining where their homeland was” and they “violated their military oath of allegiance to the Ukrainian people.”
According to Zelenskyy, one of the generals had headed internal security at the SBU, the main intelligence agency.
He said the other general had been the SBU head in the Kherson region, the first major city to fall to the Russians.
Zelenskyy didn’t say anything about the fates of the two generals other than them being stripped of their rank.
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LVIV, Ukraine — The Ukrainian government said Russian forces blocked 45 buses that had been sent to evacuate civilians from the besieged port city of Mariupol, and only 631 people were able to get out of the city in private cars.
Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said late Thursday that 12 Ukrainian buses with humanitarian aid left Melitopol for Mariupol, but the Russian forces stopped the buses and seized the 14 tons of food and medicines.
According to Ukrainian officials, tens of thousands of people have made it out of Mariupol in recent weeks along humanitarian corridors, reducing the prewar population of 430,000 to about 100,000 by last week.
Vereshchuk said about 45,000 Mariupol residents have been forcefully deported to Russia and areas of eastern Ukraine controlled by Russian-backed separatists.
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LVIV, Ukraine — The last Russian troops left the Chernobyl nuclear plant early Friday, according to the Ukrainian government agency responsible for the exclusion zone around the plant.
Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said Russian troops who dug trenches in the forest were exposed to radiation, but that could not be confirmed.
The Ukrainian nuclear operator company Energoatom said Thursday that Russian troops were headed toward Ukraine’s border with Belarus.
Energoatom said that the Russian military was also preparing to leave Slavutych, a nearby city where power plant workers live.
Credit: Vadim Ghirda
Credit: Vadim Ghirda
Credit: Evgeniy Maloletka
Credit: Evgeniy Maloletka
Credit: Evgeniy Maloletka
Credit: Evgeniy Maloletka
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DOHA, Qatar (AP) — Rainbow flags could be taken off fans at the World Cup in Qatar to protect them from being attacked for promoting gay rights, a senior leader overseeing security for the tournament told The Associated Press.
Major General Abdulaziz Abdullah Al Ansari insisted that LGBTQ couples would be welcomed and accepted in Qatar for the Nov. 21-Dec. 18 FIFA showpiece despite same-sex relations remaining criminalized in the conservative Gulf nation.
But Al Ansari is against the overt promotion of LGBTQ freedoms as symbolized by the rainbow flag that FIFA and World Cup organizers had previously said would be welcome across Qatar’s eight stadiums.
“If he (a fan) raised the rainbow flag and I took it from him, it’s not because I really want to, really, take it, to really insult him, but to protect him,” Al Ansari told the AP. “Because if it’s not me, somebody else around him might attack (him) ... I cannot guarantee the behavior of the whole people. And I will tell him: ‘Please, no need to really raise that flag at this point.’”
Al Ansari is director of the Department of International Cooperation and Chairman of the National Counterterrorism Committee at the Ministry of Interior where he discussed World Cup planning for an hour with the AP.
“You want to demonstrate your view about the (LGBTQ) situation, demonstrate it in a society where it will be accepted,” he said. “We realize that this man got the ticket, comes here to watch the game, not to demonstrate, a political (act) or something which is in his mind.
“Watch the game. That’s good. But don’t really come in and insult the whole society because of this.”
FIFA President Gianni Infantino said this week in Doha that “everyone will see that everyone is welcome here in Qatar, even if we speak about LGBTQ.”
Al Ansari said he is not telling LBGTQ fans to stay away from Qatar or warning them of facing prosecution.
“Reserve the room together, sleep together -- this is something that’s not in our concern,” he said. “We are here to manage the tournament. Let’s not go beyond, the individual personal things which might be happening between these people ... this is actually the concept.
“Here we cannot change the laws. You cannot change the religion for 28 days of World Cup.”
When it was pointed out that visiting fans and teams could take offense to the comments, Al Ansari said he did not view himself as being discriminatory.
“I am risking ... a minority view against a majority,” he said. “We have to be close to the problem before it erupts and gets out of control. ... If somebody attacks you, then I have to get involved and it will be too late.”
FIFA chief social responsibility and education officer Joyce Cook told the AP in 2020 that “rainbow flags, T-shirts will all be welcome in the stadium — that’s a given. They understand very well that is our stance.” World Cup chief executive Nasser Al-Khater also said ”we will respect" FIFA guidelines on allowing rainbow flags.
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More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
Credit: Darko Bandic
Credit: Darko Bandic
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VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis heads to Malta this weekend, with the refugee exodus from Ukraine casting a haunting backdrop to the European migration drama that for years has focused on Malta and other Mediterranean countries and the plight of desperate people who arrive on boats seeking refuge.
Francis’ two-day visit to the Mediterranean island nation was always expected to focus on migration, given Malta’s frontline place in Europe’s refugee debate and Francis’ frequent calls for nations to show solidarity to those fleeing war, famine and poverty.
But Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the forced exodus of 4 million people — half of them children — have added a new impetus to Francis’ trip, which was originally scheduled for May 2020 but postponed because of the pandemic.
Some in Malta see a double standard at play in the war in Ukraine, in terms of European refugee norms and the willingness of European countries to share the burden of accepting newcomers.
The 2003 Dublin Regulation stipulates that the European Union countries where would-be refugees first arrive generally must process asylum claims. This puts an enormous burden on front-line countries such as Malta, Italy and Greece to host migrants while the process plays out.
That rule has been set aside in the Ukraine exodus, with the EU for the first time adopting a “temporary protection directive," allowing Ukrainians to resettle anywhere in the 27-nation bloc. Most have stayed in neighboring Poland, but many have travelled onward to find family members across Europe.
“The Dublin rule has been sort of ignored, and justly so because there is an unprecedented situation which needs flexibility,” said Malta Archbishop Charles Scicluna. “We would like to see that sort of flexibility when it comes to situations of emergency in the Mediterranean.”
In a telephone interview, Scicluna said he expected Francis to raise the migration issue, not least because of the welcome Malta showed the Apostle Paul when he was shipwrecked off Malta around AD 60, en route to Rome. According to the biblical account, Maltese people showed Paul “unusual kindness” — the type of welcome Francis has said he hoped would be extended to all migrants.
Francis is to meet with a group of migrants staying at a shelter on Sunday, at the end of his visit.
Malta has often come under fire by rescue groups for refusing entry to migrants crossing from Libya. It argues that it has one of the EU's highest rates in processing first-time asylum applications relative to the population, and frequently urges other European countries to take them in.
Last year, some 832 migrants arrived by sea, a 63% decrease from the previous year; Malta currently has asylum applications pending for some 4,000 people, according to EU and U.N. data.
Just this week, a German aid group urged Malta to take in 106 migrants rescued off Libya; There was no immediate indication if Malta would grant port access to the Sea-Eye 4.
In February, the Council of Europe’s Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatović, insisted that Malta should not leave migrants at sea while negotiating their ultimate fate, saying this risked lives and violated Malta's obligations to protect them.
In the same report, Mijatovic also demanded Malta bring to justice the killers of Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, who died on Oct. 16, 2017 when a powerful car bomb exploded as she was driving near her home. She had been investigating links between financial dealings indicated by the leaked Panama Papers documents and prominent political and business figures on the small EU nation.
Caruana Galizia’s murder sparked international outrage and prompted the European Parliament to send a fact-finding mission to Malta. A public inquiry found the Maltese state “has to bear responsibility” for the murder because of the culture of impunity that emanated from the highest levels of government.
Francis could well make reference to the slaying, given he has has long railed against corruption in politics, including on his frequent foreign trips.
Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni would not exclude that Francis would refer to the slaying or even meet with Caruana Galizia's relatives. “It’s perfectly possible that themes will be confronted in diverse ways, with words or encounters,” Bruni said. Francis frequently holds private audiences during his foreign visits, which are confirmed only after they occur.
Maltese authorities have identified several suspects in the murder, and trials are ongoing.
Nadia Delicata, who is in charge of evangelization efforts in the Malta church, said the assassination laid bare divisions in Maltese society, with some in the overwhelmingly Catholic country nearly “canonizing” the journalist — a small vigil is held each month on the 16th in her memory — and others saying that such a polarizing figure should have seen it coming.
Delicata said the church, which spoke out strongly against the assassination, has perhaps unconsciously helped bridge the gap by becoming a more visible presence during the pandemic, with daily televised Masses beamed into Maltese homes.
“It actually helped heal this big divide that includes the divide around the memory of Daphne," she told reporters.
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Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
Credit: Andrew Medichini
Credit: Andrew Medichini
Credit: Andrew Medichini
Credit: Andrew Medichini
Credit: Claudio Furlan/LaPresse
Credit: Claudio Furlan/LaPresse
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LVIV, Ukraine — Talks between Russia and Ukraine have resumed via video link.
Russian delegation head Vladimir Medinsky published a picture of the talks under way Friday. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s office confirmed to The Associated Press that the negotiations had resumed.
Friday’s talks came three days after the last meeting, in Turkey, between Russian and Ukrainian delegations.
Medinsky, the Russian lead negotiator, said “our positions on Crimea and the Donbas are unchanged.”
Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula in southern Ukraine in 2014. The Donbas is the predominantly Russian-speaking industrial region where Moscow-backed separatists have been battling Ukrainian forces since 2014.
___
KEY DEVELOPMENTS IN THE RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR:
— Ukraine top of agenda as China, EU prepare to meet at summit
— Russians leave Chernobyl; Ukraine braces for renewed attacks
— UK, Russia foreign ministers visit India amid Ukraine crisis
— Kremlin decree says foreign currency can still buy natural gas
— War in Ukraine fuels fears among draft-age Russian youths
— African refugees see racial bias as US welcomes Ukrainians
— Go to https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine for more coverage
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OTHER DEVELOPMENTS:
BRUSSELS — The European Union’s executive arm is proposing that the 27-nation bloc’s countries allow the millions of refugees fleeing the war in Ukraine to exchange their hryvnia banknotes into the currencies of host member nations.
The European Commission said Friday its proposal aims at promoting a coordinated approach within the region.
“This approach was necessary in light of the fact that the National Bank of Ukraine had to suspend the exchange of hryvnia banknotes into foreign cash in order to protect Ukraine’s limited foreign exchange reserves,” the commission said.
“As a consequence, credit institutions in EU Member States have been unwilling to carry out the exchanges due to the limited convertibility of hryvnia banknotes and exposure to exchange rate risk.”
According to EU figures, more than 3.8 million of people fleeing the war have arrived in the European Union. More than 4 million have fled Ukraine.
The Commission proposed a maximum limit of 10,000 hryvnias (306 euros) per person, without charges, at the official exchange rate as published by the National Bank of Ukraine.
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BERLIN — The head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog says he will head a team to the decommissioned Chernobyl power plant in Ukraine “as soon as possible.”
Rafael Mariano Grossi wrote on Twitter that the International Atomic Energy Agency “assistance and support” mission to Chernobyl “will be the first in a series of such nuclear safety and security missions to Ukraine.”
Grossi’s comments followed his visits to Ukraine and then to Russia this week. He didn’t elaborate on his plans or give a more precise timeframe. He was due to hold a news conference in Vienna later Friday.
Russian forces took control of Chernobyl, the site of a 1986 nuclear disaster, at the beginning of the war. But authorities say the troops have now left after returning control to the Ukrainians.
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COPENHAGEN, Denmark — The Norwegian government is proposing a national 14.4 billion kroner ($1.7 billion) crisis package for the war in Ukraine, including spending on refugees and national defense.
Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre told a press conference Friday, “We should take good care” of the Ukrainian refugees while they are in Norway. “This will demand the best of us,” he said.
If the proposal is passed by parliament, as expected, some 7.1 billion kroner ($815 million) will be spent on the refugees, police and the Norwegian immigration agency. Norway expects to receive 35,000 refugees this year.
Money is also going to strengthening the country’s military and civilian defense. Earlier the government has said it wants an extra allocation of 3.5 billion kroner ($402 million) for 2022 to strengthen NATO member Norway’s Armed Forces and civilian preparedness.
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MOSCOW — The Kremlin says reports that Ukrainian helicopter gunships attacked a fuel depot inside Russia, setting it ablaze, are not conducive to talks between the two sides in the war.
Asked if the reported incident could be viewed as an escalation of the conflict, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, “Certainly, this is not something that can be perceived as creating comfortable conditions for the continuation of the talks.”
Russia-Ukraine talks were expected to continue Friday via video link.
The governor of the Russian border region of Belgorod accused Ukraine of flying helicopter gunships into Russian territory early Friday morning and targeting the oil depot, in what if confirmed would be the first attack of its kind.
It was not immediately possible to verify the report.
Peskov said President Vladimir Putin had been informed about the reported fire. He told a daily conference call with reporters that Russian authorities were taking measures to ensure fuel supplies in the region were not disrupted.
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BEIJING — China is accusing the United States of instigating the war in Ukraine and says NATO should have been disbanded following the break-up of the Soviet Union.
“As the culprit and leading instigator of the Ukraine crisis, the U.S. has led NATO to engage in five rounds of eastward expansion in the last two decades after 1999,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian told reporters at a daily briefing Friday.
“The number of NATO members increased from 16 to 30, and they have moved eastward more than 1,000 kilometers (600 miles) to somewhere near the Russian border, pushing Russia to the wall step by step,” Zhao said.
While China says it is not taking sides in the conflict, it has declared a “no limits” partnership with Moscow, has refused to condemn the invasion, opposes sanctions on Russia and routinely amplifies Russian disinformation about the conflict, including not referring to it as an invasion or a war in keeping with Russian practice.
Zhao’s comments came as Chinese and European Union leaders were meeting virtually for a summit at which Ukraine was expected to dominate discussions. EU officials say they are looking for a commitment from China not to undermine sanctions and assist in efforts to halt the fighting.
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GENEVA — The International Committee of the Red Cross says it’s not sure that a planned delivery of aid into Mariupol and an evacuation of civilians out of the besieged Ukrainian city will happen Friday.
Spokesman Ewan Watson told a U.N. briefing in Geneva that the humanitarian group has sent three vehicles toward Mariupol and a frontline between Ukrainian and Russian forces, but two trucks carrying supplies for the city were not accompanying them.
Dozens of busses that have been put together by Ukrainian authorities to take people out also have not started approaching the dividing line, he said Friday.
Watson called it an “extremely complex” operation, adding that “not all details are in place to ensure that this happens today.”
He said the hope was that “thousands” of people could be ferried out, and their destination would be into parts of Ukraine less affected by the fighting that has been ongoing since Russia’s invasion on Feb. 24.
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THE HAGUE, Netherlands — Europol, the European Union police agency, has sent teams to countries bordering Ukraine in an effort to protect refugees from criminals.
The Hague-based agency said Friday its teams are supporting local authorities by running secondary security checks and seeking to “identify criminals and terrorists trying to enter the EU in the refugee flow and exploit the situation.”
The Europol teams are operating in Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Moldova and are planning to deploy to Romania, too.
The agency says they also are gathering intelligence to feed into criminal threat assessments across Europe.
The United Nations says that more than 4 million people have fled Ukraine since Russia invaded on Feb. 24.
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COPENHAGEN, Denmark — Police in Norway say they have intensified information and intelligence gathering as a result of the security situation in Europe.
The move is to help “prevent and detect crime as a result of the migration flow and the tense security policy situation,” National Police Commissioner Benedicte Bjørnland said in a statement Friday.
She added that “we are particularly aware of the crime challenges that may arise as a result of the migration flow.” She did not elaborate.
More than 7,800 Ukrainians have sought asylum in Norway.
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TOKYO — Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi says he is heading to Poland later Friday to assess the need for the war-displaced Ukrainians in that country and assist those who seek refuge in Japan.
Hayashi, during his five-day trip through Tuesday, is set to meet with Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and other top officials, as well as international organizations. Officials are still making arrangements for a possibility of his government plane bringing some Ukrainians on his way back, Hayashi said.
“In order to support the Ukrainian people facing the difficulty and to show our solidarity with Ukraine, Japan is pursuing our effort to accept those who fled to a third country,” Hayashi said.
Japan’s government last month launched a taskforce to prepare accepting Ukrainian war-displaced as part of humanitarian support — a rare move for a country known for its strict and reluctant refugee policy. Several municipalities, including Tokyo, Kanagawa, Ibaraki and Osaka, have offered to be their host towns and provide support for medical needs, education, jobs and housing.
Ukrainian Ambassador to Japan Sergiy Korsunsky told reporters Friday that some 300 relatives of Ukrainian residents in Japan have been granted entry, and more arrivals are expected from next week.
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BRUSSELS — The president of the European Parliament says she is traveling to Kyiv.
Roberta Metsola announced the trip to the Ukrainian capital city on her Twitter account late Thursday, posting a picture of her standing in front of a railcar.
Metsola is the first president of an EU institution to travel to the Ukrainian capital since the war began on Feb. 24. Details about her travel plans and who she will meet have not been announced.
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SYDNEY — Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Friday that his country will be sending armored Bushmaster vehicles to Ukraine to help in its war against Russia.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed the Australian Parliament on Thursday and asked for the Australian-manufactured four-wheel-drive vehicles and other aid.
Morrison told reporters the vehicles will be flown over on Boeing C-17 Globemaster transport planes, but he didn’t specify how many Bushmaster vehicles would be sent or when.
“We’re not just sending our prayers, we are sending our guns, we’re sending our munitions, we’re sending our humanitarian aid, we’re sending all of this, our body armor, all of these things and we’re going to be sending our armored vehicles, our Bushmasters as well,” Morrison said.
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LVIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he has stripped two generals of their military rank.
Zelenskyy said “something prevented them from determining where their homeland was” and they “violated their military oath of allegiance to the Ukrainian people.”
According to Zelenskyy, one of the generals had headed internal security at the SBU, the main intelligence agency.
He said the other general had been the SBU head in the Kherson region, the first major city to fall to the Russians.
Zelenskyy didn’t say anything about the fates of the two generals other than them being stripped of their rank.
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LVIV, Ukraine — The Ukrainian government said Russian forces blocked 45 buses that had been sent to evacuate civilians from the besieged port city of Mariupol, and only 631 people were able to get out of the city in private cars.
Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said late Thursday that 12 Ukrainian buses with humanitarian aid left Melitopol for Mariupol, but the Russian forces stopped the buses and seized the 14 tons of food and medicines.
According to Ukrainian officials, tens of thousands of people have made it out of Mariupol in recent weeks along humanitarian corridors, reducing the prewar population of 430,000 to about 100,000 by last week.
Vereshchuk said about 45,000 Mariupol residents have been forcefully deported to Russia and areas of eastern Ukraine controlled by Russian-backed separatists.
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LVIV, Ukraine — The last Russian troops left the Chernobyl nuclear plant early Friday, according to the Ukrainian government agency responsible for the exclusion zone around the plant.
Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said Russian troops who dug trenches in the forest were exposed to radiation, but that could not be confirmed.
The Ukrainian nuclear operator company Energoatom said Thursday that Russian troops were headed toward Ukraine’s border with Belarus.
Energoatom said that the Russian military was also preparing to leave Slavutych, a nearby city where power plant workers live.
Credit: Olivier Matthys
Credit: Olivier Matthys
Credit: Uncredited
Credit: Uncredited
Credit: Kevin Lamarque
Credit: Kevin Lamarque
Credit: Petros Giannakouris
Credit: Petros Giannakouris
Credit: John Thys
Credit: John Thys
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VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis apologized and begged forgiveness Friday for the “deplorable” abuses suffered by Indigenous Peoples in Canada’s church-run residential schools and said he hoped to visit Canada in late July to deliver the apology in person to all those who suffered from the Catholic Church's misguided missionary zeal.
Francis made the apology during an audience with dozens of members of the Metis, Inuit and First Nations communities who came to Rome seeking a papal apology and a commitment for the Catholic Church to repair the damage. He said he hoped to visit Canada “in the days" around the Feast of St. Anna, which falls on July 26 and is dedicated to Christ's grandmother.
More than 150,000 native children in Canada were forced to attend state-funded Christian schools from the 19th century until the 1970s in an effort to isolate them from the influence of their homes and culture. The aim was to Christianize and assimilate them into mainstream society, which previous Canadian governments considered superior.
“For the deplorable conduct of those members of the Catholic Church, I ask forgiveness of the Lord,” Francis said. “And I want to tell you from my heart, that I am greatly pained. And I unite myself with the Canadian bishops in apologizing.”
The trip to Rome by the Indigenous was years in the making but gained momentum last year after the discovery of hundreds of unmarked graves outside some of the residential schools. The three groups of Indigenous met separately with Francis over several hours this week, culminating with Friday's audience.
Francis spoke in Italian and it wasn’t immediately clear if the audience understood what he had said, though they stood and applauded after he finished.
And the audience continued on with joyous performances of Indigenous prayers, drum, dance and fiddlers that Francis watched, applauded and at one point gave a thumbs up to. The Indigenous then presented him with gifts, including snow shoes.
The head of the Metis, Cassidy Caron, presented Francis with a bound book of their people's stories: Much of what the Indigenous sought to accomplish during their meetings this week was to tell Francis the individual stories of loss and abuse that they suffered.
The Canadian government has admitted that physical and sexual abuse was rampant at the schools, with students beaten for speaking their native languages. That legacy of that abuse and isolation from family has been cited by Indigenous leaders as a root cause of the epidemic rates of alcohol and drug addiction on Canadian reservations.
Nearly three-quarters of the 130 residential schools were run by Catholic missionary congregations.
Last May, the Tk’emlups te Secwepemc Nation announced the discovery of 215 gravesites near Kamloops, British Columbia, that were found using ground-penetrating radar. It was Canada’s largest Indigenous residential school and the discovery of the graves was the first of numerous, similar grim sites across the country.
Credit: Alessandra Tarantino
Credit: Alessandra Tarantino
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PARIS (AP) — The last surviving suspect from the 2015 Paris attacks has told a court he felt “ashamed” after failing to detonate his suicide bekt on the bloody night of Nov. 13.
“I didn’t go all the way,” Salah Abdelslam told a Paris court, showing no remorse. “I gave up trying to put on the (suicide) belt, not out of cowardice or fear. I didn’t want to, that’s all.”
He gave testimony this week as part of the trial into Paris’ deadliest ever peacetime attack. With thousands of plaintiffs, this trial is the biggest in modern French history.
His testimony was part of an exceptional week, when he and suspected accomplices were questioned for the first time about the day of the attacks itself. Lawyers and victims’ families see it as crucial for shedding light on what happened on Nov. 13, 2015.
Later Friday, the court will play audio recordings and release photos from inside the Bataclan theater that have never been made public before, to expose the horrors of what happened. This week in court is crucial for the survivors and families of the 130 victims.
Abdelslam dropped off three attackers in a car, who then blew themselves up on the forecourt of the Stade de France moments after a France-Germany football match kick-off. Abdelslam said he subsequently drove to the north of Paris, bought a phone chip, took the metro across Paris to hide his explosives belt in the southern suburb of Montrouge after he claimed didn’t have the nerve to detonate it.
Abdelslam said he lied to his co-attackers that the belt had not worked “because I was ashamed of not having gone all the way. I was afraid of the eyes of others. I was simply ashamed.”
Abdelslam’s testimony contradicts that of a police explosives expert who has told the court that the suicide belt was faulty.
Extremists murdered 130 people in suicide bombings and shootings at the Stade de France stadium, the Bataclan concert hall and on street terraces of bars and restaurants.
Following the attacks, Abdeslam traveled to the Molenbeek district of Brussels, where he grew up, but was arrested in March 2016.
Other co-defendants are responding to charges including attack planning, the supply of weapons and giving logistical support.
Credit: Uncredited
Credit: Uncredited
Credit: Noelle Herrenschmidt
Credit: Noelle Herrenschmidt
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BRUSSELS (AP) — China on Friday renewed its criticism of Western sanctions against Russia, as top European Union officials sought assurances from Beijing that it would not help Moscow circumvent the economic measures imposed in response to the invasion of Ukraine.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry also laid blame for the war in Ukraine at least partially on the United States for pushing to expand the NATO military alliance closer to Russia's borders. Twenty-one of the EU's 27 countries are also NATO member states.
At a virtual summit, European Council President Charles Michel, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell were seeking signs from Chinese President and Communist Party leader Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang that Beijing would help to end the war.
“China disapproves of solving problems through sanctions, and we are even more opposed to unilateral sanctions and long-arm jurisdiction that have no basis in international law,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said at a daily briefing as they met.
Zhao said that when it came to Ukraine, Beijing would not be forced to “choose a side or adopt a simplistic friend-or-foe approach. We should, in particular, resist the Cold War thinking and bloc confrontation.”
“As the culprit and leading instigator of the Ukraine crisis, the U.S. has led NATO to engage in five rounds of eastward expansion in the last two decades after 1999," he said, adding that NATO membership almost doubled from 16 to 30 countries, and pushed "Russia to the wall step by step.”
China says it is not taking sides in the conflict but it has declared a “no limits” partnership with Russia and refuses to condemn the invasion. Beijing routinely amplifies Russian disinformation about the conflict, and does not refer to it as an invasion or a war in keeping with Russian practice.
In a news release following a first summit session, Li was quoted as affirming the importance of China-EU ties, saying he hoped the two “remain open to each other, steadily expand market access, protect fair competition and promote trade and investment liberalization and facilitation.”
“China hopes that the EU will also provide a sound business environment to Chinese businesses investing and developing in Europe,” Li was quoted as saying.
Prior to the summit, EU officials said they would look for signs Beijing is willing to cooperate on ending the war. The meeting takes place amid rising negative sentiment within the bloc fueled by China’s aggressive foreign policies and trade practices.
“The international community notably China and the EU have a mutual responsibility to use their joint influence and diplomacy to bring an end to Russia’s war in Ukraine and the associated humanitarian crisis,” Michel tweeted.
Underlying the EU's expectations for China is the possibility of penalties against Chinese companies that undermine measures taken against Russia. EU officials point out that 13.7% of China’s total trade is done with the 27-nation bloc, and 12% with the United States, compared with just 2.4% with Russia.
Officials said they also wish to emphasize the impact the war is having on the availability of fertilizer and global energy and food prices, which are hitting the poorest countries in Africa and the Middle East hardest.
Other topics include China’s travel ban on members of the European Parliament; Beijing’s economic boycott of EU member Lithuania over its Taiwan relations; the fate of a stalled investment agreement; and civil and political rights under China’s authoritarian Communist Party regime.
Beijing has dismissed European criticisms as biased and driven by an anti-China agenda being pursued by its chief global rival, the United States.
Beijing also sanctioned some European Union lawmakers last year after the EU, Britain, Canada and the United States launched coordinated sanctions against officials in China over human rights abuses in the far western Xinjiang region.
The European Parliament responded by saying it will not ratify a long-awaited business investment deal as long as the sanctions remain in place.
Rights groups have also urged the EU to take a more assertive stand with China over repression in Xinjiang, Tibet, Hong Kong and elsewhere and the persecution of Chinese dissidents including Sakharov Prize winner Ilham Tohti and Chinese-Swedish publisher Gui Minhai.
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Moritsugu reported from Beijing.
Credit: Olivier Matthys
Credit: Olivier Matthys
Credit: Olivier Matthys
Credit: Olivier Matthys
Credit: Olivier Matthys
Credit: Olivier Matthys
Credit: Li Xueren
Credit: Li Xueren
Credit: Efrem Lukatsky
Credit: Efrem Lukatsky
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SALT LAKE CITY, Utah (AP) — The pilots on a Delta Air Lines flight from Salt Lake City to Washington, D.C. decided to bring their jet down in Denver after the cockpit windshield shattered above 30,000 feet. The crew repeatedly told passengers to remain calm until they landed.
“They came on the loudspeaker saying that the windshield had shattered, and we were diverting to Denver in about 10 minutes," Rachel Wright, one of the 198 passengers on the plane, told KUTV.
A photo of the windshield taken by a passenger shows the glass, though lined with cracks, didn't fall from its frame. Commercial airline pilots said jetliner windshields can be two inches thick, with several layered panes of glass, the station reported.
The crew announced the diversion about 90 minutes into the flight, after the plane reached cruising altitude, which is above 30,000 feet, passengers said.
“They kept coming on saying for everyone to stay calm, to be calm, and we were calm so being told to stay calm while we were calm made us feel a little panicky,” Wright said.
Passengers were able to see the shattered glass once they landed in Denver.
“I’m really good at playing what-if? And so, my mind goes to kind of what could have happened, worst case scenario and I’m grateful,” Wright said. “It could have been really bad, it could have gone very differently."
Another passenger, Kirk Knowlton, snapped a picture and tweeted that the crew had announced that the windscreen appeared to crack spontaneously.
Delta gave a statement to KUTV calling it “a maintenance issue mid-flight.”
"Out of an abundance of caution, the flight crew diverted into Denver and the plane landed routinely. Our team worked quickly to accommodate customers on a new plane, and we sincerely apologize for the delay and inconvenience to their travel plans,” the airline statement said.
Passengers boarded a new plane in Denver and continued on to Washington. Wright praised Delta for bringing the jet down safely, and said the airline was very accommodating.
“I’ve never been more grateful to spend an extra three hours in an airport,” Wright said.
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https://www.springfieldnewssun.com/nation-world/germany-charges-ex-reserve-officer-with-spying-for-russia/Z5QMZJGKXZHQPJHZ5BAX5QARIM/
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BERLIN (AP) — German prosecutors say they have charged a former German military reserve officer with spying for a Russian intelligence service for several years.
Federal prosecutors said Friday that the indictment against the suspect, identified only as Ralph G. in line with German privacy rules, was filed March 16 at the state court in Duesseldorf.
They said that, in addition to his position in the German military, the suspect was a member of several German business committees thanks to his civilian job. They didn't elaborate.
The suspect allegedly was in contact with Russian intelligence “via various people” by October 2014 and passed on information connected to his military and business activities until March 2020.
Prosecutors said that included information on the German Bundeswehr's reserves and on civilian-military cooperation, as well as insights on the effect of sanctions imposed against Russia in 2014 on Germany, the European Union, and on the now-suspended Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project.
The suspect also allegedly provided his handlers with private contact details for high-ranking military and business officials. He also provided an “overview” of the security and defense policy of the U.S. and its Western allies, according to prosecutors.
In return for his efforts, he received invitations to Russian official events, they said.
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MOSCOW — Russian officials say their demand that natural gas be paid for in rubles doesn’t mean supplies will be immediately interrupted.
Gas used for heating and electricity was still flowing from Russia to Europe on Friday.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said “payments on shipments in progress right now must be made not this very day, but somewhere in late April, or even early May.”
President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that Russia would start accepting ruble payments Friday and gas supplies would be cut off if buyers don’t agree to the new conditions.
A decree he signed gave Russian authorities and Gazprombank 10 days to make arrangements. It also says countries could pay foreign currency to the bank, which would convert it to rubles in a second account.
The European Commission’s energy chief tweeted that the European Union was coordinating “to establish a common approach.” Western leaders have said they will keep paying in euros and dollars.
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KEY DEVELOPMENTS IN THE RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR:
— Ukraine top of agenda as China, EU prepare to meet at summit
— Russians leave Chernobyl; Ukraine braces for renewed attacks
— UK, Russia foreign ministers visit India amid Ukraine crisis
— Kremlin decree says foreign currency can still buy natural gas
— War in Ukraine fuels fears among draft-age Russian youths
— African refugees see racial bias as US welcomes Ukrainians
— Go to https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine for more coverage
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OTHER DEVELOPMENTS:
LVIV, Ukraine — Ukraine’s general staff says the country’s armed forces have retaken control over 29 settlements in the Kyiv and Chernihiv regions, where Russia has pulled back some of its troops.
The Russian military in the northeast continues to block and shell Chernihiv and Kharkiv, the general staff said Friday.
In the southeast of the country the Russians are trying to seize the cities of Popasna, Rubizhne and Mariupol in order to expand the territory of separatist republics of Donetsk and Luhansk, according to the Ukrainian military.
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LVIV, Ukraine — Authorities in Mariupol say it is not possible to enter the besieged Ukrainian city and that it is dangerous for people to try and leave it on their own.
“We don’t see a real desire from the Russians ... to provide an opportunity for Mariupol residents to evacuate to territory controlled by Ukraine,” Petro Andryushchenko, adviser the mayor of the city, said Friday on the messaging app Telegram.
“Since yesterday, the occupiers have categorically not allowed any humanitarian cargo, even in small volumes, to enter the city,” he added.
Russian officials on Friday allowed 42 buses with Mariupol residents to depart from the neighboring occupied city of Berdyansk, which Mariupol residents were able to reach on their own.
A convoy of about 2,000 refugees, escorted by the Red Cross, on Friday afternoon was heading to the city of Zaporizhzhia, which is under Ukrainian control.
The Mariupol city council on Friday said Russia’s actions in Ukraine and in their bombed-out city amounted to genocide.
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WARSAW, Poland — Ukraine’s foreign minister says that now his country’s government is back in control of the Chernobyl nuclear site, it will work with the U.N. atomic agency to determine what the occupying Russians did there and mitigate any danger.
Russian troops left the heavily contaminated nuclear site early Friday after returning control to the Ukrainians.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said the Russians behaved irresponsibly at the site during the more than four weeks that they controlled it, preventing staff at the plant from performing their full duties and digging trenches in contaminated areas.
Kuleba told a news conference in Warsaw that the Russian government had exposed its soldiers to radiation, endangering their health.
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ROME — Venice is preparing special material to send to Lviv’s National Art Gallery and other museums in the Ukrainian city so artworks can be better protected during the war.
Mariacristina Gribaudi, head of the Venice Civic Museums Foundation, said in a statement Friday that some 65,000 artworks and 2,000 sculptures have been placed in Lviv storerooms as a precaution, but the objects aren’t adequately protected.
The Venice foundation will oversee a shipment of special fabric that can cover paintings and graphic art as well as furniture, costumes and materials made from glass or marble to protect the objects from the majority of solvents and gasses. The fabric also impedes mold and fungus growth while the works are in storage.
Also being sent are polyethylene foam shock-resistant panels.
Venice museums experts also gave advice in a video call with the Lviv gallery’s management about how to best store artworks.
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COPENHAGEN, Denmark — French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian says that new sanctions against Russia are needed “to force (Russian President Vladimir) Putin to end this crazy aggression.”
Le Drian, who was in Estonia and spoke through an interpreter, also said Friday that “Russia cannot expect to win this war.”
Le Drian was to travel later in the day to Vilnius, the Lithuanian capital.
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ISTANBUL — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has reiterated that he would like to host a meeting between the Ukrainian and Russian leaders in Istanbul, in the hope that it would “turn the negative course of events into a positive one.”
Erdogan made the comments on Friday hours before he was scheduled to hold a telephone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin. During the call, he was expected to renew an offer to host a leaders’ meeting.
Erdogan told reporters that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, with whom he spoke on Thursday, had a “positive outlook” toward such a meeting in Turkey and that Putin’s attitude had been positive in the past.
Russian and Ukrainian delegations held a face-to-face meeting in Istanbul earlier this week during which Ukraine presented a list of proposals, including that it would have neutral status guaranteed by a range of foreign countries.
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LVIV, Ukraine — Talks between Russia and Ukraine have resumed via video link.
Russian delegation head Vladimir Medinsky published a picture of the talks under way Friday. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s office confirmed to The Associated Press that the negotiations had resumed.
Friday’s talks came three days after the last meeting, in Turkey, between Russian and Ukrainian delegations.
Medinsky, the Russian lead negotiator, said “our positions on Crimea and the Donbas are unchanged.”
Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula in southern Ukraine in 2014. The Donbas is the predominantly Russian-speaking industrial region where Moscow-backed separatists have been battling Ukrainian forces since 2014.
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BRUSSELS — The European Union’s executive arm is proposing that the 27-nation bloc’s countries allow the millions of refugees fleeing the war in Ukraine to exchange their hryvnia banknotes into the currencies of host member nations.
The European Commission said Friday its proposal aims at promoting a coordinated approach within the region.
“This approach was necessary in light of the fact that the National Bank of Ukraine had to suspend the exchange of hryvnia banknotes into foreign cash in order to protect Ukraine’s limited foreign exchange reserves,” the commission said.
“As a consequence, credit institutions in EU Member States have been unwilling to carry out the exchanges due to the limited convertibility of hryvnia banknotes and exposure to exchange rate risk.”
According to EU figures, more than 3.8 million of people fleeing the war have arrived in the European Union. More than 4 million have fled Ukraine.
The Commission proposed a maximum limit of 10,000 hryvnias (306 euros) per person, without charges, at the official exchange rate as published by the National Bank of Ukraine.
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BERLIN — The head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog says he will head a team to the decommissioned Chernobyl power plant in Ukraine “as soon as possible.”
Rafael Mariano Grossi wrote on Twitter that the International Atomic Energy Agency “assistance and support” mission to Chernobyl “will be the first in a series of such nuclear safety and security missions to Ukraine.”
Grossi’s comments followed his visits to Ukraine and then to Russia this week. He didn’t elaborate on his plans or give a more precise timeframe. He was due to hold a news conference in Vienna later Friday.
Russian forces took control of Chernobyl, the site of a 1986 nuclear disaster, at the beginning of the war. But authorities say the troops have now left after returning control to the Ukrainians.
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COPENHAGEN, Denmark — The Norwegian government is proposing a national 14.4 billion kroner ($1.7 billion) crisis package for the war in Ukraine, including spending on refugees and national defense.
Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre told a press conference Friday, “We should take good care” of the Ukrainian refugees while they are in Norway. “This will demand the best of us,” he said.
If the proposal is passed by parliament, as expected, some 7.1 billion kroner ($815 million) will be spent on the refugees, police and the Norwegian immigration agency. Norway expects to receive 35,000 refugees this year.
Money is also going to strengthening the country’s military and civilian defense. Earlier the government has said it wants an extra allocation of 3.5 billion kroner ($402 million) for 2022 to strengthen NATO member Norway’s Armed Forces and civilian preparedness.
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MOSCOW — The Kremlin says reports that Ukrainian helicopter gunships attacked a fuel depot inside Russia, setting it ablaze, are not conducive to talks between the two sides in the war.
Asked if the reported incident could be viewed as an escalation of the conflict, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, “Certainly, this is not something that can be perceived as creating comfortable conditions for the continuation of the talks.”
Russia-Ukraine talks were expected to continue Friday via video link.
The governor of the Russian border region of Belgorod accused Ukraine of flying helicopter gunships into Russian territory early Friday morning and targeting the oil depot, in what if confirmed would be the first attack of its kind.
It was not immediately possible to verify the report.
Peskov said President Vladimir Putin had been informed about the reported fire. He told a daily conference call with reporters that Russian authorities were taking measures to ensure fuel supplies in the region were not disrupted.
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BEIJING — China is accusing the United States of instigating the war in Ukraine and says NATO should have been disbanded following the break-up of the Soviet Union.
“As the culprit and leading instigator of the Ukraine crisis, the U.S. has led NATO to engage in five rounds of eastward expansion in the last two decades after 1999,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian told reporters at a daily briefing Friday.
“The number of NATO members increased from 16 to 30, and they have moved eastward more than 1,000 kilometers (600 miles) to somewhere near the Russian border, pushing Russia to the wall step by step,” Zhao said.
While China says it is not taking sides in the conflict, it has declared a “no limits” partnership with Moscow, has refused to condemn the invasion, opposes sanctions on Russia and routinely amplifies Russian disinformation about the conflict, including not referring to it as an invasion or a war in keeping with Russian practice.
Zhao’s comments came as Chinese and European Union leaders were meeting virtually for a summit at which Ukraine was expected to dominate discussions. EU officials say they are looking for a commitment from China not to undermine sanctions and assist in efforts to halt the fighting.
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GENEVA — The International Committee of the Red Cross says it’s not sure that a planned delivery of aid into Mariupol and an evacuation of civilians out of the besieged Ukrainian city will happen Friday.
Spokesman Ewan Watson told a U.N. briefing in Geneva that the humanitarian group has sent three vehicles toward Mariupol and a frontline between Ukrainian and Russian forces, but two trucks carrying supplies for the city were not accompanying them.
Dozens of busses that have been put together by Ukrainian authorities to take people out also have not started approaching the dividing line, he said Friday.
Watson called it an “extremely complex” operation, adding that “not all details are in place to ensure that this happens today.”
He said the hope was that “thousands” of people could be ferried out, and their destination would be into parts of Ukraine less affected by the fighting that has been ongoing since Russia’s invasion on Feb. 24.
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THE HAGUE, Netherlands — Europol, the European Union police agency, has sent teams to countries bordering Ukraine in an effort to protect refugees from criminals.
The Hague-based agency said Friday its teams are supporting local authorities by running secondary security checks and seeking to “identify criminals and terrorists trying to enter the EU in the refugee flow and exploit the situation.”
The Europol teams are operating in Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Moldova and are planning to deploy to Romania, too.
The agency says they also are gathering intelligence to feed into criminal threat assessments across Europe.
The United Nations says that more than 4 million people have fled Ukraine since Russia invaded on Feb. 24.
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COPENHAGEN, Denmark — Police in Norway say they have intensified information and intelligence gathering as a result of the security situation in Europe.
The move is to help “prevent and detect crime as a result of the migration flow and the tense security policy situation,” National Police Commissioner Benedicte Bjørnland said in a statement Friday.
She added that “we are particularly aware of the crime challenges that may arise as a result of the migration flow.” She did not elaborate.
More than 7,800 Ukrainians have sought asylum in Norway.
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TOKYO — Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi says he is heading to Poland later Friday to assess the need for the war-displaced Ukrainians in that country and assist those who seek refuge in Japan.
Hayashi, during his five-day trip through Tuesday, is set to meet with Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and other top officials, as well as international organizations. Officials are still making arrangements for a possibility of his government plane bringing some Ukrainians on his way back, Hayashi said.
“In order to support the Ukrainian people facing the difficulty and to show our solidarity with Ukraine, Japan is pursuing our effort to accept those who fled to a third country,” Hayashi said.
Japan’s government last month launched a taskforce to prepare accepting Ukrainian war-displaced as part of humanitarian support — a rare move for a country known for its strict and reluctant refugee policy. Several municipalities, including Tokyo, Kanagawa, Ibaraki and Osaka, have offered to be their host towns and provide support for medical needs, education, jobs and housing.
Ukrainian Ambassador to Japan Sergiy Korsunsky told reporters Friday that some 300 relatives of Ukrainian residents in Japan have been granted entry, and more arrivals are expected from next week.
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BRUSSELS — The president of the European Parliament says she is traveling to Kyiv.
Roberta Metsola announced the trip to the Ukrainian capital city on her Twitter account late Thursday, posting a picture of her standing in front of a railcar.
Metsola is the first president of an EU institution to travel to the Ukrainian capital since the war began on Feb. 24. Details about her travel plans and who she will meet have not been announced.
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SYDNEY — Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Friday that his country will be sending armored Bushmaster vehicles to Ukraine to help in its war against Russia.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed the Australian Parliament on Thursday and asked for the Australian-manufactured four-wheel-drive vehicles and other aid.
Morrison told reporters the vehicles will be flown over on Boeing C-17 Globemaster transport planes, but he didn’t specify how many Bushmaster vehicles would be sent or when.
“We’re not just sending our prayers, we are sending our guns, we’re sending our munitions, we’re sending our humanitarian aid, we’re sending all of this, our body armor, all of these things and we’re going to be sending our armored vehicles, our Bushmasters as well,” Morrison said.
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LVIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he has stripped two generals of their military rank.
Zelenskyy said “something prevented them from determining where their homeland was” and they “violated their military oath of allegiance to the Ukrainian people.”
According to Zelenskyy, one of the generals had headed internal security at the SBU, the main intelligence agency.
He said the other general had been the SBU head in the Kherson region, the first major city to fall to the Russians.
Zelenskyy didn’t say anything about the fates of the two generals other than them being stripped of their rank.
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LVIV, Ukraine — The Ukrainian government said Russian forces blocked 45 buses that had been sent to evacuate civilians from the besieged port city of Mariupol, and only 631 people were able to get out of the city in private cars.
Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said late Thursday that 12 Ukrainian buses with humanitarian aid left Melitopol for Mariupol, but the Russian forces stopped the buses and seized the 14 tons of food and medicines.
According to Ukrainian officials, tens of thousands of people have made it out of Mariupol in recent weeks along humanitarian corridors, reducing the prewar population of 430,000 to about 100,000 by last week.
Vereshchuk said about 45,000 Mariupol residents have been forcefully deported to Russia and areas of eastern Ukraine controlled by Russian-backed separatists.
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LVIV, Ukraine — The last Russian troops left the Chernobyl nuclear plant early Friday, according to the Ukrainian government agency responsible for the exclusion zone around the plant.
Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said Russian troops who dug trenches in the forest were exposed to radiation, but that could not be confirmed.
The Ukrainian nuclear operator company Energoatom said Thursday that Russian troops were headed toward Ukraine’s border with Belarus.
Energoatom said that the Russian military was also preparing to leave Slavutych, a nearby city where power plant workers live.
Credit: Uncredited
Credit: Uncredited
Credit: Czarek Sokolowski
Credit: Czarek Sokolowski
Credit: Markus Schreiber
Credit: Markus Schreiber
Credit: Evgeniy Maloletka
Credit: Evgeniy Maloletka
Credit: Vadim Ghirda
Credit: Vadim Ghirda
Credit: Olivier Matthys
Credit: Olivier Matthys
Credit: Vadim Ghirda
Credit: Vadim Ghirda
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NEW ORLEANS (AP) — NCAA President Mark Emmert said investigations into allegations of major violations against several high-profile men's college basketball programs — including 2022 Final Four participant Kansas — have taken “way too long.”
What solutions might be on the table to speed it up, Emmert did not say, but there appears to be increasing acknowledgement that the current process is broken.
“It’s just been really slow in getting through that new independent process that’s wound up reinvestigating the entire case,” Emmert said, referring to the Independent Accountability Resolution Process (IARP).
The IARP was created out of proposals from the commission led by former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in 2018 to reform the sport. It began looking into allegations against Kansas, Arizona, LSU, Louisville and North Carolina State on the heels of a federal investigation into corruption in college sports that resulted in convictions of shoe company executives, a middle man who worked with them and some assistant college coaches.
Of those FBI cases nearly five years ago, only one -- North Carolina State, tied to its recruitment of one-and-done star Dennis Smith Jr. -- has actually gone through the IARP system to completion and received a ruling that resulted in probation for one year, some vacated victories and penalties for previous coaches.
The four other cases are still pending in the IARP structure, while Auburn went through the more traditional process and received four years of probation in December from an NCAA infractions committee panel.
In the meantime, this year's NCAA Tournament could be tainted should Kansas win the national championship and subsequently have an unfavorable decision come down in a now half-decade-old investigation.
Created to handle complex cases, the IARP includes independent investigators and decision-makers with no direct ties to NCAA member schools, and rulings cannot be appealed.
Emmert said NCAA institutions need to come up with a process that has “got to be fair. It’s got to be swift. And it’s got to not punish the innocent. ... That’s where the membership’s got to be in all of this, as they shape a new process or rebuild the one that’s in place.”
The Kansas case hinges on whether Adidas representatives were considered boosters — the school contends they were not — when two of them arranged payments to prospective recruits. Kansas does not dispute the payments. Kansas asked for referral to the IARP instead of having the NCAA's infractions committee handle the matter.
While the lengthy IARP process has been going on, Self agreed to a new contract on April 2, 2021, that will keep him with the school until he retires.
The five-year deal adds one additional year after the conclusion of each season — in effect, making it a lifetime contract. It guarantees him $5.41 million per year with a base salary of $225,000, professional services contract of $2.75 million and an annual $2.435 million retention bonus.
The contact also includes a clause that says the school cannot terminate him for cause “due to any current infractions matter that involves conduct that occurred on or prior to” the signing of the new contract. Instead, he would forfeit half of his base salary and professional services pay while serving any Big 12 or NCAA suspension.
Emmert declined to weigh on on Kansas' decision to double down on Self.
"I'll leave it to the school to make decisions about their coaches' contracts," said Emmert, who also spoke at the women's Final Four on Wednesday. "That's their business, obviously. They can do that as they see fit."
The infractions process has also come up with the Division I Transformation Committee, which is working to recommend ways to modernize and reform NCAA governance and regulatory policies.
Southeastern Conference Commissioner Greg Sankey, who chairs the committee along with Ohio athletics director Julie Cromer, said the group is looking at both the overall infractions process and the IARP structure as part of its work.
“I don’t know fully what was envisioned and what wasn’t envisioned,” said Sankey, who has served on the NCAA infractions committee. “But we have to have timely outcomes, both for those accused and for those competing against those who are accused. That has to be a point of emphasis.”
Later, Sankey added: “I was on an implementation working group, and I disagreed with elements of the approach. So I think some of these problems were foreseeable. We have an opportunity to correct and enhance the process. That doesn’t mean everybody will like the process.”
Among other topics Emmert addressed:
NATIONAL NIL RULES
Emmert offered an urgent plea to Congress to craft what he said was needed, uniform national legislation governing financial endorsements for athletes known as name, image and likeness (NIL) deals.
“This tournament’s put on full display the beauty of college sport,” Emmert said. "People love it and enjoy it, and we’ve got to work with the schools and with Congress to make sure we can continue that.
“We’ve got again a relatively short window of time — in my estimate, one and two years,” Emmert continued. “These decisions have to be made because of the dynamics that are underway right now that are far beyond the control of schools, coaches, (athletic directors) or presidents.”
Currently, more than 30 states have been working on their own NIL laws.
TRANSGENDER LEGISLATION
With a number of states considering or passing legislation restricting participation of transgender athletes, Emmert was asked whether the NCAA would bar those states from hosting championship events.
The NCAA has largely followed the Olympic model that allows transgender athletes to compete if they've had certain biomedical treatments, including hormone therapies, meant to promote fairness.
Emmert said the NCAA currently requires communities which wish to host events “to explain how it is that they’re going to make sure that the participants in that sport will be allowed to do that in a nondiscriminatory way. ... If they can do that, then we’ll be in those states."
TRANFER RULES
Emmert said the current transfer rules continue to draw a lot of scrutiny and complaints from coaches and could be adjusted over time.
“The only thing that I can say right now is that it’s clear that students are getting more opportunities to play. They’re getting more freedom of movement in some respects,” Emmert said.
But he added that officials are keeping an eye on how the rules affect “students being able to finish their degrees in a timely fashion and go on and lead productive lives, because we know how few of them will be professional basketball players. It’s a constant point of discussion. I don’t anticipate it going away too soon.”
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AP Sports Writers Aaron Beard, Dave Skretta and John Marshall contributed to this report.
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More AP college basketball: http://apnews.com/Collegebasketball and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25
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VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis on Friday made a historic apology to Indigenous Peoples for the “deplorable” abuses they suffered in Canada’s Catholic-run residential schools and said he hoped to visit Canada in late July to deliver the apology in person to survivors of the church's misguided missionary zeal.
Francis begged forgiveness during an audience with dozens of members of the Metis, Inuit and First Nations communities who came to Rome seeking a papal apology and a commitment for the Catholic Church to repair the damage. The first pope from the Americas said he hoped to visit Canada around the Feast of St. Anna, which falls on July 26 and is dedicated to Christ's grandmother.
More than 150,000 native children in Canada were forced to attend state-funded Christian schools from the 19th century until the 1970s in an effort to isolate them from the influence of their homes and culture. The aim was to Christianize and assimilate them into mainstream society, which previous Canadian governments considered superior.
The Canadian government has admitted that physical and sexual abuse was rampant at the schools, with students beaten for speaking their native languages. That legacy of that abuse and isolation from family has been cited by Indigenous leaders as a root cause of the epidemic rates of alcohol and drug addiction now on Canadian reservations.
After hearing their stories all week, Francis told the Indigenous that the colonial project ripped children from their families, cutting off roots, traditions and culture and provoking inter-generational trauma that is still being felt today. He said it was a “counter-witness” to the same Gospel that the residential school system purported to uphold.
“For the deplorable conduct of those members of the Catholic Church, I ask forgiveness of the Lord,” Francis said. “And I want to tell you from my heart, that I am greatly pained. And I unite myself with the Canadian bishops in apologizing.”
The trip to Rome by the Indigenous was years in the making but gained momentum last year after the discovery of hundreds of unmarked graves outside some of the residential schools in Canada. The three groups of Indigenous met separately with Francis over several hours this week, telling him their stories, culminating with Friday's audience.
Francis spoke in Italian and the Indigenous read his remarks in English translations. The president of the Metis National Council, Cassidy Caron, said the Metis elder sitting next her burst into tears upon hearing what she said was a long-overdue apology.
“The pope's words today were historic, to be sure. They were necessary, and I appreciate them deeply,” Caron told reporters in St. Peter's Square. “And I now look forward to the pope's visit to Canada, where he can offer those sincere words of apology directly to our survivors and their families, whose acceptance and healing ultimately matters most.”
The spiritual adviser of the Assembly of First Nations' delegation, Elder Fred Kelley, echoed the sentiment.
“Today is a day that we’ve been waiting for. And certainly one that will be uplifted in our history," he said. “It’s a historical first step, however, only a first step.”
He and other Indigenous leaders said there was far more for the church to do on the path of reconciliation, but that for now Indigenous leaders insisted on being involved in organizing the papal visit to make sure Francis stops in places that hold spiritual importance to their people.
Natan Obed, president of the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, thanked Francis for addressing all the issues the Indigenous had brought to him. “And he did so in a way that really showed his empathy towards the indigenous people of Canada,” he said.
Nearly three-quarters of Canada’s 130 residential schools were run by Catholic missionary congregations.
Last May, the Tk’emlups te Secwepemc Nation announced the discovery of 215 gravesites near Kamloops, British Columbia, that were found using ground-penetrating radar. It was Canada’s largest Indigenous residential school and the discovery of the graves was the first of numerous, similar grim sites across the country.
Francis said he felt shame for the role that Catholic educators had played in the harm, “in the abuse and disrespect for your identity, your culture and even your spiritual values,” he said. “It is evident that the contents of the faith cannot be transmitted in a way that is extraneous to the faith itself.”
“It is chilling to think of determined efforts to instill a sense of inferiority, to rob people of their cultural identity, to sever their roots, and to consider all the personal and social effects that this continues to entail: unresolved traumas that have become inter-generational traumas,” he said.
After the papal apology, the audience continued with joyous performances of Indigenous prayers by drummers, dancers and fiddlers that Francis watched, applauded and gave a thumbs up to. The Indigenous then presented him with gifts, including snowshoes.
Francis' apology went far beyond what Pope Benedict XVI had offered in 2009 when an Assembly of First Nations delegation visited. At the time, Benedict only expressed his “sorrow at the anguish caused by the deplorable conduct of some members of the church.” But he did not apologize.
The Argentine pope is no stranger to offering apologies for his own errors and for what he himself has termed the “crimes” of the institutional church. Most significantly, during a 2015 visit to Bolivia, he apologized for the sins, crimes and offenses committed by the church against Indigenous Peoples during the colonial-era conquest of the Americas.
He made clear those same colonial crimes occurred far more recently in Canada at the Catholic-run residential schools.
“Your identity and culture has been wounded, many families separated, many children have become victims of this homogenization action, supported by the idea that progress occurs through ideological colonization, according to programs studied at the table rather than respecting the lives of peoples," he said.
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The latest negotiations, taking place by video link, follow a meeting in Turkey on Tuesday where Ukraine reiterated its willingness to abandon a bid to join NATO and offered proposals to have its neutral military status guaranteed by a range of foreign countries.
The head of the Russian delegation, Vladimir Medinsky, wrote on social media that Moscow's positions on retaining control of the Crimean Peninsula and expanding the territory in eastern Ukraine held by Russia-backed separatists “are unchanged.”
The International Committee for the Red Cross said complex logistics were still being worked out for the operation to get emergency aid into Mariupol and civilians out of the city, which has suffered weeks of heavy fighting with dwindling water, food and medical supplies.
“We are running out of adjectives to describe the horrors that residents in Mariupol have suffered,” ICRC spokesperson Ewan Watson said Friday during a U.N. briefing in Geneva. “The situation is horrendous and deteriorating, and it’s now a humanitarian imperative that people be allowed to leave and aid supplies be allowed in.”
He said the group had sent three vehicles toward Mariupol and a frontline between Ukrainian and Russian forces but two trucks carrying supplies for the city were not accompanying them. Dozens of buses organized by Ukrainian authorities to take people out also had not started approaching the dividing line, Watson said.
City authorities said a little while later that the Russians were blocking access to Mariupol and it was too dangerous for people to leave it on their own.
“We do not see a real desire on the part of the Russians and their satellites to provide an opportunity for Mariupol residents to evacuate to territory controlled by Ukraine,” Petro Andryushchenko, an adviser to the mayor of Mariupol, wrote on the Telegram messaging app.
He said Russian forces “are categorically not allowing any humanitarian cargo, even in small amounts, into the city”
On Thursday, Russian forces blocked a 45-bus convoy attempting to evacuate people from Mariupol after the Russian military agreed to a limited cease-fire in the area, and only 631 people were able to leave in private cars, the Ukrainian government said.
Russian forces also seized 14 tons of food and medical supplies trying to make it to Mariupol, Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said.
The city has been the scene of some of the worst suffering of the war. Tens of thousands of residents managed to leave in the past few weeks through humanitarian corridors, reducing the population from a prewar 430,000 to an estimated 100,000 by last week. But continued Russian attacks have repeatedly thwarted aid and evacuation missions.
In the past few days, the Kremlin, in a seeming shift in its war aims, said that its "main goal" now is gaining complete control of the Donbas, where Mariupol is located. The Donbas is the predominantly Russian-speaking industrial region of eastern Ukraine where Moscow-backed separatists have been battling Ukrainian forces since 2014 and have declared two areas as independent republics.
Western officials said there were growing indications Russia was using its talk of de-escalation in Ukraine as cover to regroup, resupply and redeploy its forces for a stepped-up offensive in the east.
Russian forces have subjected both Chernihiv, a besieged city in northern Ukraine, and the capital of Kyiv to continued air and ground-launched missile strikes despite Moscow saying Tuesday it planned to reduce military activity in those areas.
Elsewhere, Ukrainian forces have retaken the villages of Sloboda and Lukashivka, south of Chernihiv and along one of the main supply routes between the city and Kyiv, according to Britain's Defense Ministry.
Ukraine has also continued to make successful but limited counterattacks to the east and northeast of Kyiv, the ministry said.
Hours later, Belgorod governor Vyacheslav Gladkov wrote on Telegram early Friday that the fire at the oil depot “occurred as a result of an airstrike from two helicopters of the armed forces of Ukraine, which entered the territory of Russia at a low altitude.”
The depot run by Russian energy giant Rosneft is located about 35 kilometers (21 miles) north of the Ukraine-Russia border.
Separately, Ukraine's state power company, Energoatom, said Russian troops pulled out of the heavily contaminated Chernobyl nuclear site in northern Ukraine early Friday after receiving "significant doses" of radiation from digging trenches in the exclusion zone around the closed plant.
The International Atomic Energy Agency said it could not independently confirm the exposure claim. Energoatom gave no details on the condition of the soldiers and did not say how many were affected. There was no immediate comment from the Kremlin.
The agency, which is the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog, said it had been informed by Ukraine that Russian forces at Chernobyl had transferred control of the site of the world’s worst nuclear disaster to the Ukrainians in writing.
IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi wrote on Twitter that he would visit the decommissioned plant as soon as possible and his agency's “assistance and support” mission to Chernobyl “will be the first in a series of such nuclear safety and security missions to Ukraine.”
Grossi was in the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad Friday for talks with senior officials about nuclear issues in Ukraine. Nine of Ukraine’s 15 operational reactors are currently in use, including two at the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhya facility, the agency said.
Russian forces seized the Chernobyl site soon after invading Ukraine on Feb. 24, raising fears they would cause damage or disruption that could spread radiation. The workforce there oversees the safe storage of spent fuel rods and the concrete-entombed ruins of the reactor that exploded in 1986.
Five weeks and one day into a conflict that has left thousands dead and driven more than 4 million refugees from Ukraine, there seemed little faith that the two sides would find agreement on their respective demands any time soon.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said conditions weren’t yet “ripe” for a cease-fire and he wasn’t ready for a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy until the negotiators do more work, Italian Premier Mario Draghi said after a Thursday telephone conversation with the Russian leader.
In his nightly video address late Thursday, Zelenskyy doubted Moscow's willingness to end the conflict. He warned that Russian withdrawals in the country’s north and center were just a military tactic to build up strength for new attacks in the southeast.
“We know their intentions,” Zelenskyy said. “We know that they are moving away from those areas where we hit them in order to focus on other, very important ones where it may be difficult for us.”
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Karmanau reported from Lviv, Ukraine. Associated Press journalists around the world contributed to this report.
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Follow the AP's coverage of the war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
Caption Ukrainian servicemen ride on an armored transporter driving through a Russian position overran by Ukrainian forces outside Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, March 31, 2022. Heavy fighting raged on the outskirts of Kyiv and other zones Thursday amid indications the Kremlin is using talk of de-escalation as cover while regrouping and resupplying its forces and redeploying them for a stepped-up offensive in eastern Ukraine.(AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
Credit: Vadim Ghirda
Caption Ukrainian servicemen ride on an armored transporter driving through a Russian position overran by Ukrainian forces outside Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, March 31, 2022. Heavy fighting raged on the outskirts of Kyiv and other zones Thursday amid indications the Kremlin is using talk of de-escalation as cover while regrouping and resupplying its forces and redeploying them for a stepped-up offensive in eastern Ukraine.(AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
Credit: Vadim Ghirda
Credit: Vadim Ghirda
Caption A mother of a killed Ukrainian serviceman Georgiy Plisak cries during funeral ceremony at a cemetery near Lutsk, Ukraine, Thursday, March 31, 2022. Russian troops handed control of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant back to the Ukrainians and left the heavily contaminated site early Friday, more than a month after taking it over, Ukrainian authorities said, as fighting raged on the outskirts of Kyiv and other fronts. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Credit: Evgeniy Maloletka
Credit: Evgeniy Maloletka
Caption A mother of a killed Ukrainian serviceman Georgiy Plisak cries during funeral ceremony at a cemetery near Lutsk, Ukraine, Thursday, March 31, 2022. Russian troops handed control of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant back to the Ukrainians and left the heavily contaminated site early Friday, more than a month after taking it over, Ukrainian authorities said, as fighting raged on the outskirts of Kyiv and other fronts. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Credit: Evgeniy Maloletka
Credit: Evgeniy Maloletka
Caption Residents of Lutsk stand knees during funeral ceremony for killed Ukrainian serviceman Georgiy Plisak in Lutsk, Ukraine, Thursday, March 31, 2022. Russian troops handed control of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant back to the Ukrainians and left the heavily contaminated site early Friday, more than a month after taking it over, Ukrainian authorities said, as fighting raged on the outskirts of Kyiv and other fronts. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Credit: Evgeniy Maloletka
Credit: Evgeniy Maloletka
Caption Residents of Lutsk stand knees during funeral ceremony for killed Ukrainian serviceman Georgiy Plisak in Lutsk, Ukraine, Thursday, March 31, 2022. Russian troops handed control of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant back to the Ukrainians and left the heavily contaminated site early Friday, more than a month after taking it over, Ukrainian authorities said, as fighting raged on the outskirts of Kyiv and other fronts. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Credit: Evgeniy Maloletka
Credit: Evgeniy Maloletka
Caption A Ukrainian serviceman, center left, helps to lower the coffin of his comrade Georgiy Plisak who been killed by Russian forces during funeral ceremony at the cemetery near Lutsk, Ukraine, Thursday, March 31, 2022. Russian troops handed control of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant back to the Ukrainians and left the heavily contaminated site early Friday, more than a month after taking it over, Ukrainian authorities said, as fighting raged on the outskirts of Kyiv and other fronts. (AP photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Credit: Evgeniy Maloletka
Credit: Evgeniy Maloletka
Caption A Ukrainian serviceman, center left, helps to lower the coffin of his comrade Georgiy Plisak who been killed by Russian forces during funeral ceremony at the cemetery near Lutsk, Ukraine, Thursday, March 31, 2022. Russian troops handed control of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant back to the Ukrainians and left the heavily contaminated site early Friday, more than a month after taking it over, Ukrainian authorities said, as fighting raged on the outskirts of Kyiv and other fronts. (AP photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Credit: Evgeniy Maloletka
Credit: Evgeniy Maloletka
Caption Ukrainian servicemen carry a coffin with their comrade Georgiy Plisak who was killed by Russian forces during funeral ceremony at a cemetery near Lutsk, Ukraine, Thursday, March 31, 2022. Russian troops handed control of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant back to the Ukrainians and left the heavily contaminated site early Friday, more than a month after taking it over, Ukrainian authorities said, as fighting raged on the outskirts of Kyiv and other fronts. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Credit: Evgeniy Maloletka
Credit: Evgeniy Maloletka
Caption Ukrainian servicemen carry a coffin with their comrade Georgiy Plisak who was killed by Russian forces during funeral ceremony at a cemetery near Lutsk, Ukraine, Thursday, March 31, 2022. Russian troops handed control of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant back to the Ukrainians and left the heavily contaminated site early Friday, more than a month after taking it over, Ukrainian authorities said, as fighting raged on the outskirts of Kyiv and other fronts. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Credit: Evgeniy Maloletka
Credit: Evgeniy Maloletka
Caption A mother of killed Ukrainian serviceman Georgiy Plisak reacts during funeral ceremony at an Orthodox Church in Lutsk, Ukraine, Thursday, March 31, 2022. Russian troops handed control of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant back to the Ukrainians and left the heavily contaminated site early Friday, more than a month after taking it over, Ukrainian authorities said, as fighting raged on the outskirts of Kyiv and other fronts. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Credit: Evgeniy Maloletka
Credit: Evgeniy Maloletka
Caption A mother of killed Ukrainian serviceman Georgiy Plisak reacts during funeral ceremony at an Orthodox Church in Lutsk, Ukraine, Thursday, March 31, 2022. Russian troops handed control of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant back to the Ukrainians and left the heavily contaminated site early Friday, more than a month after taking it over, Ukrainian authorities said, as fighting raged on the outskirts of Kyiv and other fronts. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Credit: Evgeniy Maloletka
Credit: Evgeniy Maloletka
Caption A man smokes as he looks out from his damaged home following a Russian bombing earlier this month, in Mykolaiv, Ukraine, on Thursday, March 31, 2022. The talks between Ukraine and Russia will resume on Friday as NATO Secretary-General says Russia does not appear to be scaling back its military operations in Ukraine but is instead redeploying forces to the eastern Donbas region. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
Credit: Petros Giannakouris
Credit: Petros Giannakouris
Caption A man smokes as he looks out from his damaged home following a Russian bombing earlier this month, in Mykolaiv, Ukraine, on Thursday, March 31, 2022. The talks between Ukraine and Russia will resume on Friday as NATO Secretary-General says Russia does not appear to be scaling back its military operations in Ukraine but is instead redeploying forces to the eastern Donbas region. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
Credit: Petros Giannakouris
Credit: Petros Giannakouris
Caption Ukrainian soldiers carry a body of a civilian killed by the Russian forces over the destroyed bridge in Irpin close to Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, March 31, 2022. The more than month-old war has killed thousands and driven more than 10 million Ukrainians from their homes including almost 4 million from their country. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
Credit: Efrem Lukatsky
Caption Ukrainian soldiers carry a body of a civilian killed by the Russian forces over the destroyed bridge in Irpin close to Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, March 31, 2022. The more than month-old war has killed thousands and driven more than 10 million Ukrainians from their homes including almost 4 million from their country. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
Credit: Efrem Lukatsky
Credit: Efrem Lukatsky
Caption People from the Ukraine most of them refugees fleeing the war, wait in front of the consular department of the Ukrainian embassy in Berlin, Germany, Friday, April 1, 2022. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
Credit: Markus Schreiber
Caption People from the Ukraine most of them refugees fleeing the war, wait in front of the consular department of the Ukrainian embassy in Berlin, Germany, Friday, April 1, 2022. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
Credit: Markus Schreiber
Credit: Markus Schreiber
Caption The hand of a dead Russian soldier is seen next to a tank on the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, March 31, 2022. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Credit: Rodrigo Abd
Caption The hand of a dead Russian soldier is seen next to a tank on the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, March 31, 2022. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Credit: Rodrigo Abd
Credit: Rodrigo Abd
Caption People hide in a basement of a church which is used as a bomb shelter, after fleeing from nearby villages, that have been attacked by the Russian army, in the town of Bashtanka, Mykolaiv district, Ukraine, on Thursday, March 31, 2022. The talks between Ukraine and Russia will resume on Friday as NATO Secretary-General says Russia does not appear to be scaling back its military operations in Ukraine but is instead redeploying forces to the eastern Donbas region. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
Credit: Petros Giannakouris
Credit: Petros Giannakouris
Caption People hide in a basement of a church which is used as a bomb shelter, after fleeing from nearby villages, that have been attacked by the Russian army, in the town of Bashtanka, Mykolaiv district, Ukraine, on Thursday, March 31, 2022. The talks between Ukraine and Russia will resume on Friday as NATO Secretary-General says Russia does not appear to be scaling back its military operations in Ukraine but is instead redeploying forces to the eastern Donbas region. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
Credit: Petros Giannakouris
Credit: Petros Giannakouris
Caption People take shelter inside a church after fleeing from nearby villages that have been attacked by the Russian army, in the town of Bashtanka, Mykolaiv district, Ukraine, on Thursday, March 31, 2022. The talks between Ukraine and Russia will resume on Friday as NATO Secretary-General says Russia does not appear to be scaling back its military operations in Ukraine but is instead redeploying forces to the eastern Donbas region. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
Credit: Petros Giannakouris
Credit: Petros Giannakouris
Caption People take shelter inside a church after fleeing from nearby villages that have been attacked by the Russian army, in the town of Bashtanka, Mykolaiv district, Ukraine, on Thursday, March 31, 2022. The talks between Ukraine and Russia will resume on Friday as NATO Secretary-General says Russia does not appear to be scaling back its military operations in Ukraine but is instead redeploying forces to the eastern Donbas region. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
Credit: Petros Giannakouris
Credit: Petros Giannakouris
Caption Ukrainian soldiers collect bodies of civilians killed by the Russian forces at the destroyed bridge in Irpin close to Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, March 31, 2022. The more than month-old war has killed thousands and driven more than 10 million Ukrainians from their homes including almost 4 million from their country. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
Credit: Efrem Lukatsky
Caption Ukrainian soldiers collect bodies of civilians killed by the Russian forces at the destroyed bridge in Irpin close to Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, March 31, 2022. The more than month-old war has killed thousands and driven more than 10 million Ukrainians from their homes including almost 4 million from their country. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
Credit: Efrem Lukatsky
Credit: Efrem Lukatsky
Caption In this image from video provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks from Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday night, March 31, 2022. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP)
Credit: Uncredited
Caption In this image from video provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks from Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday night, March 31, 2022. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP)
Credit: Uncredited
Credit: Uncredited
Caption Territorial Defense of the Armed Forces, 21-year-olds Svitlana, right, and Myroslava, pose for a photograph, in Lviv, western Ukraine, Thursday, March 31, 2022. Both Svitlana, and Myroslava, who studied at the same university in Kyiv, decided to leave academia and serve their country by joining the TDF only one month ago. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty)
Credit: Nariman El-Mofty
Caption Territorial Defense of the Armed Forces, 21-year-olds Svitlana, right, and Myroslava, pose for a photograph, in Lviv, western Ukraine, Thursday, March 31, 2022. Both Svitlana, and Myroslava, who studied at the same university in Kyiv, decided to leave academia and serve their country by joining the TDF only one month ago. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty)
Credit: Nariman El-Mofty
Credit: Nariman El-Mofty
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ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkey’s justice minister said Friday that the government will recommend that an Istanbul court close a trial in absentia against 26 Saudi nationals charged in the slaying of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi and transfer the case to Saudi Arabia.
Bekir Bozdag spoke a day after a Turkish prosecutor requested the transfer, in line with a request from the kingdom.
The request, which came as Turkey and Saudi Arabia have been working to improve ties, raised fears of a possible coverup of the killing that triggered an international outcry and cast a cloud of suspicion over Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
A panel of judges hearing the case made no ruling on the surprise request by the prosecutor on Thursday but said it would seek the Justice Ministry’s opinion. Trial was adjourned until April 7.
“We will send our opinion today,” the state-run Anadolu Agency quoted Bozdag as saying. “We will provide a positive opinion concerning the transfer of this case.”
Amnesty International has urged Turkey to press ahead with the trial, arguing that the case would be placed under wraps if moved to Saudi Arabia.
Bozdag said, however, that should the case be moved to the kingdom, the Turkish court would evaluate any verdict reached by a Saudi court. The Turkish judiciary would then drop the case if it is satisfied with the verdict reached in Saudi Arabia or resume proceedings if the defendants are acquitted, Anadolu reported.
The trial's transfer to Saudi Arabia “does not abolish the jurisdiction of the Turkish courts,” Anadolu quoted the minister as saying.
Moving Khashoggi’s trial to Saudi Arabia would provide a diplomatic resolution to a dispute that exemplified the wider troubles between Ankara and the kingdom since the 2011 Arab Spring.
Turkey under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan supported Islamists as the uprisings took hold, while Saudi Arabia and its ally the United Arab Emirates sought to suppress such movements for fear of facing challenges to their autocratic governments. Meanwhile, Turkey sided with Qatar in a diplomatic dispute that saw Doha boycotted by Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
Khashoggi, who wrote critically of Saudi Arabia’s crown prince, disappeared on Oct. 2, 2018, after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, seeking documents that would allow him to marry his Turkish fiancee. He never emerged.
Turkish officials allege that the Saudi national, who was a United States resident, was killed and then dismembered with a bone saw inside the consulate by a team of Saudi agents sent to Istanbul. His body has not been found.
Turkey began prosecuting the defendants in absentia in 2020 after Saudi Arabia rejected requests for their extradition.
In arguing for the transfer, the prosecutor told the court that the Saudi chief public prosecutor’s office requested the Turkish proceedings be transferred to the kingdom in a letter dated March 13, and that international warrants issued by Ankara against the defendants be lifted, according to the private DHA news agency.
The prosecutor said that because the arrest warrants cannot be executed and defense statements cannot be taken, the case would remain inconclusive in Turkey.
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America’s employers extended a streak of robust hiring in March, adding 431,000 jobs in a sign of the economy’s resilience in the face of a still-destructive pandemic and the highest inflation in 40 years.
The Labor Department’s report Friday showed that last month’s job growth helped shrink the unemployment rate to 3.6%, the lowest level since the pandemic erupted two years ago.
Despite the inflation surge, persistent supply bottlenecks, the damaging effects of COVID-19 and now a war in Europe, employers have added at least 400,000 jobs for 11 straight months. In its report Friday, the government also revised sharply up its estimate of hiring in January and February by a combined 95,000 jobs.
In an encouraging sign for the economy, 418,000 people began looking for a job in March, and many found one. Since the pandemic struck in 2020, many people have remained on the sidelines of the job market, a trend that has contributed to a chronic worker shortage in many industries.
Across the economy in March, hiring gains were widespread. Restaurants and bars added 61,000 jobs, retailers 49,000, manufacturers 38,000 and hotels 25,000.
Average hourly pay is up a strong 5.6% over the past 12 months. Though that is welcome news for employees, it is contributing to surging inflation pressures that have put the Federal Reserve on track to raise rates multiple times, perhaps aggressively, in the coming months. Those rate hikes will result in more expensive loans for many consumers and businesses.
For now, though, the job market has continued to rebound with unexpected speed from the coronavirus recession. Job openings are at a near-record level, and applications for unemployment benefits have dropped to near their lowest point since 1969.
The still-solid U.S. job market reflects a robust rebound from the brief but devastating coronavirus recession, which wiped out 22 million jobs in March and April 2020 as businesses shut down or cut hours and Americans stayed home to avoid infection.
But the recovery has been swift. Fueled by generous federal aid, savings amassed during the pandemic and ultra-low borrowing rates engineered by the Federal Reserve, U.S. consumers have spent so fast that many factories, warehouses, shipping companies and ports have failed to keep pace with their customer demand. Supply chains have snarled, forcing up prices.
As the pandemic has eased, consumers have been broadening their spending beyond goods to services, such as health care, travel and entertainment, which they had long avoided during the worst of the pandemic. The resulting high inflation is causing hardships for many lower-income households that face sharp price increases for such necessities as food, gasoline and rent.
It’s unclear how long the economy can maintain its momentum of the past year. The government relief checks are gone. The Fed raised its benchmark short-term interest rate two weeks ago and will likely keep raising it well into next year. Those rate hikes will result in more expensive loans for many consumers and businesses.
Inflation has also eroded consumers’ spending power: Hourly pay, adjusted for higher consumer prices, fell 2.6% in February from a year earlier — the 11th straight month in which inflation has outpaced year-over-year wage growth. According to AAA, average gasoline prices, at $4.23 a gallon, are up a dizzying 47% from a year ago.
Squeezed by inflation, some consumers are paring their spending. The Commerce Department reported Thursday that consumer spending rose just 0.2%% in February — and fell 0.4% when adjusted for inflation — down from a 2.7% increase in January.
Still, the job market has kept hurtling ahead. Employers posted a near-record 11.3 million positions in February. Nearly 4.4 million Americans quit their jobs, a sign of confidence that they could find something better.
Even so, so many jobs were lost in 2020 that the economy still remains 1.6 million shy of the number it had just before the pandemic struck. Over the past year, employers have added an average of 541,000 jobs a month. At that pace — no guarantee to continue — the nation would recover all the jobs lost to the pandemic by June. (That still wouldn’t include all the additional hiring that would have been done over the past two years under normal circumstances.)
Brighter job prospects are beginning to draw back into the labor force people who had remained on the sidelines because of health concerns, difficulty finding or affording daycare, generous unemployment benefits that have now expired or other reasons.
Over the past year, 3.6 million people have joined the U.S. labor force, meaning they now either have a job or are looking for one. But their ranks are still nearly 600,000 short of where they stood in February 2020, just before the pandemic slammed into the economy.
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NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street is poised to open higher Friday after the government reported another month of robust hiring in the U.S., while a resurgence in Russian attacks dashed hopes for a cessation of widespread violence in Ukraine.
Futures for the Dow industrials and S&P 500 rose 0.5% in premarket trading and prices for U.S. crude oil dipped below $100 per barrel. Shares in Asia were mixed, while European benchmarks gained.
The U.S. economy added another 431,000 jobs in March, a sign of the economy’s resilience in the face of a still-destructive pandemic and the highest inflation in 40 years. The Labor Department’s report Friday showed that last month’s job growth helped reduce the unemployment rate to 3.6%, the lowest level since the pandemic erupted two years ago.
Despite surging inflation, the U.S. economy has cranked out more than 400,000 jobs every month for nearly a year.
Shares in Europe rose despite a report that consumer prices in the 19 countries that use the euro currency rose by an annual rate of 7.5% in March, the fifth straight monthly record. Spiking energy costs are the main factor driving inflation in Europe, with those prices surging 44.7% last month, up from 32% in February, Eurostat said.
Oil and gas prices had already been rising because of increasing demand from economies recovering from the depths of the COVID-19 pandemic. They jumped higher after Russia, a major oil and gas producer, invaded Ukraine, on fears that sanctions and export restrictions could crimp supplies.
Britain’s FTSE 100 gained 0.4%, Germany’s DAX rose 0.5% and France's CAC 40 added nearly 0.6% in midday trading.
In Asia, Bank of Japan's closely watched quarterly gauge of business sector sentiment, the “tankan,” showed the benchmark indicator for large manufacturers dropped for the first time in seven quarters, losing three points from a survey in December to 14 points from 17 points.
The war in Ukraine, coming on top of supply chain disruptions at top manufacturers caused by COVID-19 restrictions and growing worries about inflation are clouding the outlook for already fragile growth in the world's third-largest economy.
Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 slipped 0.6% to finish at 27,665.98.
Shares in electronics and energy giant Toshiba Corp. jumped 6.5% on news that Bain Capital might make an offer to acquire the company and take it private. Toshiba said it was not involved in any such talks.
South Korea’s Kospi lost 0.7% to 2,739.85. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 edged down less than 0.1% to 7,493.80. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng rose 0.2% to 22,039.55, while the Shanghai Composite jumped 0.9% to 3,282.72.
Rising COVID-19 cases in China are adding to the worries of a regional slowdown. The lockdown in Shanghai entered its second phase of extended restrictions, while restrictions were lifted in hard-hit Jilin.
Oil prices fell as President Joe Biden ordered the release of up to 1 million barrels of oil per day from the nation's strategic petroleum reserve. The move to pump more oil into the market is part of an effort to control energy prices, which are up nearly 40% globally this year.
U.S. benchmark crude fell $1.70 to $98.58 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. It fell 7% on Thursday. Brent, the international pricing standard, shed $1.54 to $103.17 a barrel.
In currency trading, the U.S. dollar rose to 122.48 Japanese yen from 121.69 yen. The euro cost $1.1053, down from $1.1071.
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Credit: Hiro Komae
Credit: Hiro Komae
Credit: Hiro Komae
Credit: Hiro Komae
Credit: Hiro Komae
Credit: Hiro Komae
Credit: Hiro Komae
Credit: Hiro Komae
Credit: Hiro Komae
Credit: Hiro Komae
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Longtime area doctor and Mercy Health – Springfield chief clinical officer Dr. Paul Buchanan will finish his last day in healthcare today.
Dr. Buchanan said the time felt right to retire because of his age and his having a ready successor, Dr. Joseph Morman.
“I’m 72, I’ve got to quit sooner or later,” Buchanan said.
Buchanan became a member of the Mercy Health staff in 1981, inspired by his experience with hospitalization following a car crash, and practiced internal medicine until 2020. He took over the role of CCO a couple of months before the start of the coronavirus pandemic, he said.
The pandemic presented many obstacles for the area’s hospital: organizing vaccinations to protect workers on the health care frontline, combatting the healthcare worker shortage as many fell ill or left the field, and coordinating COVID-19 testing and treatment, Buchanan said, were challenges.
The area’s hospital also worked to treat an influx of patients during COVID-19 peaks, with up to 104 patients hospitalized at one time.
The retiring physician is a former officer and director of the Western Ohio Health Care Corporation, a former trustee of the Dayton Heart Hospital and a former trustee of the Ohio Society of Internal Medicine.
Buchanan said he looks forward to having time to pursue his hobbies: fishing, golfing and sailing, to name a few.
“My main plan is to have no plans,” he said.
Buchanan’s successor, Morman, will take over the role of chief clinical officer starting Monday. He’s been serving in the role of co-chief clinical officer at the Springfield Regional Medical Center since 2019, making way for a smooth transition, the hospital network said.
“Although Dr. Buchanan will be missed, he has done an incredible job of helping set the future direction of healthcare delivery in the greater Springfield market, and we are very blessed to have the strength of talent and character in his successor,” Adam Groshans, president of Mercy Health - Springfield, said.
Morman has practiced family medicine at Mercy Health – Family Physicians of Springfield since 1997 and served as a physician consultant in quality from 2017 through 2019, according to Mercy Health.
“While I’m saddened to leave behind the many patients and friends made at my clinical practice over the years, I am excited and blessed to be joining my peers in the ministry and at my local hospital as we face the challenge of growing health care in our community,” said Dr. Morman. “We are improving the size, scope, and quality of care we can provide to those we serve, making this a dream career move – from something I have loved to something that is so purposeful.”
Marion grew up in Marion and holds a bachelor’s from the University of Dayton as well as a medical degree from the University of Cincinnati, College of Medicine.
About the Author
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A new federal court preliminary injunction stays any separation or disciplinary action against 18 Air Force plaintiffs who have refused the COVID-19 vaccine, as mandated by the Air Force.
Eleven of the 18 — 10 officers and one enlisted Airman — are serving at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base or served there recently.
“No disciplinary or separation measures can be taken against these folks,” attorney Christopher Wiest, who represents the plaintiffs in the case, told the Dayton Daily News. “A class action motion is pending to extend it to all of the Air Force.”
Defendants in the case include Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall and the Department of the Air Force, who have argued that the service has compelling reasons to require the vaccine.
Judge Matthew McFarland, in Cincinnati’s U.S. District Court, issued the ruling Thursday, enjoining the Air Force from taking actions against the plaintiffs, who contend that the military branch has perfunctorily dismissed requests for exemptions for religious reasons from the service’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate.
“Plaintiffs continue to face serious repercussions by refusing to get the COVID-19 vaccine in light of defendants’ denial of their religious exemptions,” McFarland wrote in the filing.
Those “repercussions” include “adverse administrative actions, non-judicial punishment, administrative demotions, admirative discharges and courts-martial,” he wrote.
“Further, each of the plaintiffs who testified at the hearing indicated that they were being threatened with imprisonment for refusing the vaccine without an exemption,” the judge also wrote. “Accordingly, an imminent threat of punitive action by defendants is present and appears likely to come to pass.”
In a similar but separate case, U.S. District Judge Thomas Rose late last month granted another Wright-Patterson officer a preliminary injunction.
In that case, Michael Poffenbarger, a second lieutenant assigned to the 455th Operational Support Squadron at Wright-Patterson, sued in January over what he said was the “perfunctory” denial of his request for a religious exemption from the vaccine mandate.
An Air Force representative has declined to comment on the lawsuits. But a December 2021 memo from the Air Force directs commanders to take “appropriate administrative and disciplinary actions consistent with federal law and Department of the Air Force ... policy in addressing service members who refuse to obey a lawful order to receive the COVID-19 vaccine and do not have a pending separation or retirement, or medical, religious or administrative exemption.”
Refusal to comply with the vaccination mandate could result in discharge from the service, Kendall and others have said.
As of March 29, the Air Force had approved 1,102 exemptions from the mandate for medical reasons across the total force — active-duty, Reserve and National Guard. Exemptions approved for administrative reasons amounted to 1,407.
A total of 25 religious accommodation requests had been approved, as of March 29, with more than 6,100 such requests being denied.
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https://www.springfieldnewssun.com/local/ohio-reports-first-pediatric-flu-death-of-the-season/KYPGFQAM6JAX5ECHRG25GSFLT4/
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The first Ohio pediatric flu death of the 2021-2022 season has been reported in Ashland County.
An 8-month-old boy died, according to the Ohio Department of Health. The Ashland County Health Department investigated the death.
So far, Ohio has seen 972 flu-related hospitalizations this season compared to 108 reported during the same time period during the 2020-2021 season. Last season saw an unusually low amount of influenza than typical flu seasons, according to ODH.
During the 2019-2020 flu season, there were 10,540 hospitalizations reported by this period.
The state health department said COVID-19 mitigation efforts, such as face masks, social distancing, hand washing, reduced travel, school closures and more, likely contributed the decline of flu cases and hospitalizations last season.
So far this season, west central Ohio accounts for the most flu-related hospitalizations in the state. There have been 216 hospitalizations so far, which is approximately 22.2% of total flu hospitalizations reported in the state, according to ODH.
Southwest Ohio is third in the state with 160 flu-related hospitalizations, or 16.5% of the state’s total.
Montgomery County leads Ohio in flu hospitalizations with 138. Cuyahoga and Hamilton counties round out the top three with 76 and 66 hospitalizations respectively.
Flu activity typically peaks between December and February. To follow flu activity in Ohio, visit the state’s Influenza Activity dashboard here.
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https://www.springfieldnewssun.com/nation-world/chile-seeks-world-court-ruling-on-river-dispute-with-bolivia/MJJV4EVSZZBI5MGFX3AQZV57WA/
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THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Chile went to the United Nations' highest court Friday to seek a resolution to a long-running dispute with its Latin American neighbor Bolivia over the use of the waters of a small river that flows across both nations' border.
Chile filed the case at the International Court of Justive in 2016 asking the court to rule that the Silala River is an international waterway, and that Chile is “entitled to the equitable and reasonable use” of its waters.
The head of Chile’s legal team, Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs Ximena Fuentes Torrijo, told judges that the dispute offered the court “an opportunity to affirm the applicability of the basic principle of reasonable and equitable utilization in these times of increasing fresh water scarcity.”
Chile says the river originates from remote springs in the Atacama Desert in Bolivia and flows across the border into Chile, where it feeds into another river.
Chile said the “nature of the Silala River as an international watercourse was never disputed until Bolivia, for the first time in 1999, claimed its waters as exclusively Bolivian.”
Fuentes Torrijo told judges Friday that “Bolivia’s sudden about face in 1999 was not based on any scientific foundation” and appeared motivated by efforts to seek compensation from Chile for use of the Silala's waters.
She said the case should establish that nations “have a right to the reasonable and equitable use of an international watercourse and that the law of international watercourses does not permit an upstream state to charge its downstream neighbor for controlling the flow of such a watercourse.”
Bolivia is to begin presenting its arguments on Monday. The court will likely take months to issue a decision. Its rulings are final and legally binding.
It's not the first time the two nations have faced off at the Hague-based court. In 2018, the court’s judges ruled that Chile did not have an obligation to negotiate access to the sea for landlocked Bolivia.
Despite that ruling, Bolivia maintains that it has a right to sovereign territory giving it access to the Pacific Ocean.
Bolivia lost its only coastline to Chile during an 1879-1883 war and the nation has demanded ocean access for generations. Chile has a coastline that stretches 4,300 kilometers (2675 miles).
The cases in The Hague come amid a history of strained relations between the two countries. Bolivia broke diplomatic relations with Chile in 1978.
Chile’s new president, left-leaning former student leader Gabriel Boric, who took office on March 11, has invited Bolivian President Luis Arce to work on bilateral issues between the two countries, but warned that “Chile does not negotiate its sovereignty.”
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Associated Press Eva Vergara in Santiago contributed.
Credit: Peter Dejong
Credit: Peter Dejong
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NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Ethiopian journalist Amir Aman Kiyaro, who is accredited to The Associated Press and has been imprisoned for four months without charges, has been released on bail.
Kiyaro, a 30-year-old video journalist, was freed on bail Friday after the country's Supreme Court upheld the ruling to grant him bail, rejecting a police effort to block his release.
Prosecutors say they are continuing investigations to determine whether or not to press charges against Kiyaro.
His bail was set at 60,000 Ethiopian birr, about $1,170, according to his lawyer.
Kiyaro was detained on Nov. 28 in Addis Ababa under the country’s war-related state of emergency powers.
Kiyaro is accused of “serving the purposes” of what the government has classified as a terrorist group by interviewing its officials, according to reports by Ethiopian state media, which cited federal police. Local journalist Thomas Engida was arrested at the same time and faces similar charges. Ethiopia’s Supreme Court also ruled that Engida should be released on bail.
If the journalists are found guilty of violating Ethiopia’s anti-terrorism law or the state of emergency law, they could face sentences of seven to 15 years behind bars, federal police inspector Tesfaye Olani has told state media.
Despite the granting of bail after four months of police investigation and detention, it still remains uncertain whether prosecutors will proceed to press charges against Kiyaro. The state of emergency was lifted in February as the government cited changing conditions in the deadly conflict between Ethiopian forces and those of the northern Tigray region.
“We are relieved that journalist Amir Aman Kiyaro has been released on bail and reunited with his family," Julie Pace, executive editor of the AP, said. "At the same time, we are dismayed that he is still being investigated. We urge the Ethiopian authorities in the strongest terms to drop their baseless investigation against Amir, an independent journalist targeted because of his work.”
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GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) — A prosecutor urged jurors Friday to convict four men in a plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, saying they were antigovernment extremists "filled with rage" and intent on igniting a civil war.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Nils Kessler summed up the evidence on the 15th day of trial in federal court in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The case was built with informants, undercover agents, secret recordings and two star witnesses who pleaded guilty and cooperated.
Adam Fox, Barry Croft Jr., Daniel Harris and Brandon Caserta are charged with conspiracy. Three of the men also face additional charges involving weapons.
“They were filled with rage,” Kessler told jurors. “They were paranoid because they knew what they were doing was wrong and they feared they could be caught.”
The four men deny any scheme to get Whitmer at her vacation home, though they were livid with the government as well as restrictions the governor imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Kessler highlighted the testimony of Ty Garbin, who was arrested with the group but quickly agreed to cooperate and pleaded guilty.
“The boogaloo is this whole idea of kicking off a second civil war in the United States. That's what bound these defendants together,” the prosecutor said.
The men were arrested in October 2020 amid talk of raising $4,000 for an explosive that could blow up a bridge and stymie police after a kidnapping, according to trial evidence. Fox twice traveled to northern Michigan to scout the area.
Only one defendant, Harris, chose to testify in his own defense. But his denial of any crime Thursday was met by an aggressive cross-examination in which prosecutors used his own words to show his contempt for Whitmer and even suggestions about how to kill her.
Defense attorneys insist they were under the spell of informants and agents who got them to say and do violent, provocative things.
Harris repeatedly answered “absolutely not” when asked by his lawyer if he was part of a plot. His testimony was perilous because he exposed himself to numerous challenges by prosecutors who had been offering evidence against the group for days.
Harris and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Roth sometimes talked over each other. At one point, Harris snapped, “Next question.”
“Everyone can take it down a notch,” U.S. District Judge Robert Jonker said later.
Roth confronted Harris with his own chat messages about posing as a pizza deliveryman and killing Whitmer at her door. He reminded Harris, a former Marine, that he worked with explosives while training with the group, especially in Luther, Michigan, in September 2020, about a month before their arrest.
Roth played a conversation of Croft talking about militias overthrowing governments in various states and “breaking a few eggs” if necessary.
“When this man talks to you at a diner about killing people, you don’t stand up and walk out, do you sir?” Roth asked. “You don’t say, ‘This group is not for me,’ do you sir?”
“No,” Harris answered.
A “shoot house” that was intended to resemble Whitmer's second home was a key part of the Luther training weekend, according to the government. Harris admitted that he brought materials but said he didn’t build it with her house in mind.
He didn't participate in an evening ride to Elk Rapids, Michigan, to scout Whitmer’s home and a bridge during that same weekend. Harris said he had purchased $200 of cheap beer and cigarettes so he could return to the camp and “get wasted” with others.
Garbin and Kaleb Franks pleaded guilty and cooperated with investigators. Garbin last week said the group acted willingly and hoped to strike before the election, cause national chaos and prevent Joe Biden from winning the presidency.
Whitmer, a Democrat, rarely talks publicly about the kidnapping plot, though she referred to "surprises" during her term that seemed like "something out of fiction" when she filed for reelection on March 17.
She has blamed former President Donald Trump for fomenting anger over coronavirus restrictions and refusing to condemn right-wing extremists like those charged in the case. Whitmer has said Trump was complicit in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
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Find AP's full coverage of the Whitmer kidnap plot trial at: https://apnews.com/hub/whitmer-kidnap-plot-trial
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White reported from Detroit.
Credit: Dave Eggert
Credit: Dave Eggert
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MILAN — Italy’s foreign minister was visiting Azerbaijan on Friday as part of Italy’s efforts to diversify its natural gas supply following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Italy buys 40% of its gas from Russia, which Premier Mario Draghi acknowledged Thursday was directly financing Russia’s war.
Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio will discuss the possibility of increasing the supply of gas from Azerbaijan through the Trans-Adriatic pipeline, which was developed as an alternative to Russia supplies. The pipeline transported its first gas at the end of 2020.
Di Maio has been on missions to Qatar, Algeria, Angola and Congo as Italy seeks to replace Russian gas.
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KEY DEVELOPMENTS IN THE RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR:
— Ukraine top of agenda as China, EU prepare to meet at summit
— Ukraine strike on Russian territory reported as talks resume
— UK, Russia foreign ministers visit India amid Ukraine crisis
— Kremlin decree says foreign currency can still buy natural gas
— War in Ukraine fuels fears among draft-age Russian youths
— African refugees see racial bias as US welcomes Ukrainians
— Go to https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine for more coverage
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OTHER DEVELOPMENTS:
VIENNA — The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency says that Russian forces’ departure from the decommissioned Chernobyl power plant is “a step in the right direction” and the U.N. nuclear watchdog plans to be there “very, very soon.”
IAEA director-general Rafael Mariano Grossi says he will head a support mission to Chernobyl, the site of the 1986 nuclear disaster, and that further nuclear safety missions to Ukraine will follow.
Grossi spoke Friday after visits to Ukraine and Russia. He said Russian nuclear and foreign ministry officials didn’t discuss with him why Russian forces left Chernobyl.
Of the overall situation in the area, he said: “The general radiation situation around the plant is quite normal. There was a relatively higher level of localized radiation because of the movement of heavy vehicles at the time of the occupation of the plant, and apparently this might have been the case again on the way out.”
Ukraine’s state power company said Russian troops received “significant doses” of radiation from digging trenches in the exclusion zone around the plant. But Grossi said “we don’t have any confirmation” that soldiers were contaminated.
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MOSCOW — Russian officials say their demand that natural gas be paid for in rubles doesn’t mean supplies will be immediately interrupted.
Gas used for heating and electricity was still flowing from Russia to Europe on Friday.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said “payments on shipments in progress right now must be made not this very day, but somewhere in late April, or even early May.”
President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that Russia would start accepting ruble payments Friday and gas supplies would be cut off if buyers don’t agree to the new conditions.
A decree he signed gave Russian authorities and Gazprombank 10 days to make arrangements. It also says countries could pay foreign currency to the bank, which would convert it to rubles in a second account.
The European Commission’s energy chief tweeted that the European Union was coordinating “to establish a common approach.” Western leaders have said they will keep paying in euros and dollars.
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LVIV, Ukraine — Ukraine’s general staff says the country’s armed forces have retaken control over 29 settlements in the Kyiv and Chernihiv regions, where Russia has pulled back some of its troops.
The Russian military in the northeast continues to block and shell Chernihiv and Kharkiv, the general staff said Friday.
In the southeast of the country the Russians are trying to seize the cities of Popasna, Rubizhne and Mariupol in order to expand the territory of separatist republics of Donetsk and Luhansk, according to the Ukrainian military.
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LVIV, Ukraine — Authorities in Mariupol say it is not possible to enter the besieged Ukrainian city and that it is dangerous for people to try and leave it on their own.
“We don’t see a real desire from the Russians ... to provide an opportunity for Mariupol residents to evacuate to territory controlled by Ukraine,” Petro Andryushchenko, adviser the mayor of the city, said Friday on the messaging app Telegram.
“Since yesterday, the occupiers have categorically not allowed any humanitarian cargo, even in small volumes, to enter the city,” he added.
Russian officials on Friday allowed 42 buses with Mariupol residents to depart from the neighboring occupied city of Berdyansk, which Mariupol residents were able to reach on their own.
A convoy of about 2,000 refugees, escorted by the Red Cross, on Friday afternoon was heading to the city of Zaporizhzhia, which is under Ukrainian control.
The Mariupol city council on Friday said Russia’s actions in Ukraine and in their bombed-out city amounted to genocide.
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WARSAW, Poland — Ukraine’s foreign minister says that now his country’s government is back in control of the Chernobyl nuclear site, it will work with the U.N. atomic agency to determine what the occupying Russians did there and mitigate any danger.
Russian troops left the heavily contaminated nuclear site early Friday after returning control to the Ukrainians.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said the Russians behaved irresponsibly at the site during the more than four weeks that they controlled it, preventing staff at the plant from performing their full duties and digging trenches in contaminated areas.
Kuleba told a news conference in Warsaw that the Russian government had exposed its soldiers to radiation, endangering their health.
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ROME — Venice is preparing special material to send to Lviv’s National Art Gallery and other museums in the Ukrainian city so artworks can be better protected during the war.
Mariacristina Gribaudi, head of the Venice Civic Museums Foundation, said in a statement Friday that some 65,000 artworks and 2,000 sculptures have been placed in Lviv storerooms as a precaution, but the objects aren’t adequately protected.
The Venice foundation will oversee a shipment of special fabric that can cover paintings and graphic art as well as furniture, costumes and materials made from glass or marble to protect the objects from the majority of solvents and gasses. The fabric also impedes mold and fungus growth while the works are in storage.
Also being sent are polyethylene foam shock-resistant panels.
Venice museums experts also gave advice in a video call with the Lviv gallery’s management about how to best store artworks.
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COPENHAGEN, Denmark — French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian says that new sanctions against Russia are needed “to force (Russian President Vladimir) Putin to end this crazy aggression.”
Le Drian, who was in Estonia and spoke through an interpreter, also said Friday that “Russia cannot expect to win this war.”
Le Drian was to travel later in the day to Vilnius, the Lithuanian capital.
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ISTANBUL — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has reiterated that he would like to host a meeting between the Ukrainian and Russian leaders in Istanbul, in the hope that it would “turn the negative course of events into a positive one.”
Erdogan made the comments on Friday hours before he was scheduled to hold a telephone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin. During the call, he was expected to renew an offer to host a leaders’ meeting.
Erdogan told reporters that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, with whom he spoke on Thursday, had a “positive outlook” toward such a meeting in Turkey and that Putin’s attitude had been positive in the past.
Russian and Ukrainian delegations held a face-to-face meeting in Istanbul earlier this week during which Ukraine presented a list of proposals, including that it would have neutral status guaranteed by a range of foreign countries.
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LVIV, Ukraine — Talks between Russia and Ukraine have resumed via video link.
Russian delegation head Vladimir Medinsky published a picture of the talks under way Friday. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s office confirmed to The Associated Press that the negotiations had resumed.
Friday’s talks came three days after the last meeting, in Turkey, between Russian and Ukrainian delegations.
Medinsky, the Russian lead negotiator, said “our positions on Crimea and the Donbas are unchanged.”
Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula in southern Ukraine in 2014. The Donbas is the predominantly Russian-speaking industrial region where Moscow-backed separatists have been battling Ukrainian forces since 2014.
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BRUSSELS — The European Union’s executive arm is proposing that the 27-nation bloc’s countries allow the millions of refugees fleeing the war in Ukraine to exchange their hryvnia banknotes into the currencies of host member nations.
The European Commission said Friday its proposal aims at promoting a coordinated approach within the region.
“This approach was necessary in light of the fact that the National Bank of Ukraine had to suspend the exchange of hryvnia banknotes into foreign cash in order to protect Ukraine’s limited foreign exchange reserves,” the commission said.
“As a consequence, credit institutions in EU Member States have been unwilling to carry out the exchanges due to the limited convertibility of hryvnia banknotes and exposure to exchange rate risk.”
According to EU figures, more than 3.8 million of people fleeing the war have arrived in the European Union. More than 4 million have fled Ukraine.
The Commission proposed a maximum limit of 10,000 hryvnias (306 euros) per person, without charges, at the official exchange rate as published by the National Bank of Ukraine.
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BERLIN — The head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog says he will head a team to the decommissioned Chernobyl power plant in Ukraine “as soon as possible.”
Rafael Mariano Grossi wrote on Twitter that the International Atomic Energy Agency “assistance and support” mission to Chernobyl “will be the first in a series of such nuclear safety and security missions to Ukraine.”
Grossi’s comments followed his visits to Ukraine and then to Russia this week. He didn’t elaborate on his plans or give a more precise timeframe. He was due to hold a news conference in Vienna later Friday.
Russian forces took control of Chernobyl, the site of a 1986 nuclear disaster, at the beginning of the war. But authorities say the troops have now left after returning control to the Ukrainians.
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COPENHAGEN, Denmark — The Norwegian government is proposing a national 14.4 billion kroner ($1.7 billion) crisis package for the war in Ukraine, including spending on refugees and national defense.
Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre told a press conference Friday, “We should take good care” of the Ukrainian refugees while they are in Norway. “This will demand the best of us,” he said.
If the proposal is passed by parliament, as expected, some 7.1 billion kroner ($815 million) will be spent on the refugees, police and the Norwegian immigration agency. Norway expects to receive 35,000 refugees this year.
Money is also going to strengthening the country’s military and civilian defense. Earlier the government has said it wants an extra allocation of 3.5 billion kroner ($402 million) for 2022 to strengthen NATO member Norway’s Armed Forces and civilian preparedness.
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MOSCOW — The Kremlin says reports that Ukrainian helicopter gunships attacked a fuel depot inside Russia, setting it ablaze, are not conducive to talks between the two sides in the war.
Asked if the reported incident could be viewed as an escalation of the conflict, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, “Certainly, this is not something that can be perceived as creating comfortable conditions for the continuation of the talks.”
Russia-Ukraine talks were expected to continue Friday via video link.
The governor of the Russian border region of Belgorod accused Ukraine of flying helicopter gunships into Russian territory early Friday morning and targeting the oil depot, in what if confirmed would be the first attack of its kind.
It was not immediately possible to verify the report.
Peskov said President Vladimir Putin had been informed about the reported fire. He told a daily conference call with reporters that Russian authorities were taking measures to ensure fuel supplies in the region were not disrupted.
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BEIJING — China is accusing the United States of instigating the war in Ukraine and says NATO should have been disbanded following the break-up of the Soviet Union.
“As the culprit and leading instigator of the Ukraine crisis, the U.S. has led NATO to engage in five rounds of eastward expansion in the last two decades after 1999,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian told reporters at a daily briefing Friday.
“The number of NATO members increased from 16 to 30, and they have moved eastward more than 1,000 kilometers (600 miles) to somewhere near the Russian border, pushing Russia to the wall step by step,” Zhao said.
While China says it is not taking sides in the conflict, it has declared a “no limits” partnership with Moscow, has refused to condemn the invasion, opposes sanctions on Russia and routinely amplifies Russian disinformation about the conflict, including not referring to it as an invasion or a war in keeping with Russian practice.
Zhao’s comments came as Chinese and European Union leaders were meeting virtually for a summit at which Ukraine was expected to dominate discussions. EU officials say they are looking for a commitment from China not to undermine sanctions and assist in efforts to halt the fighting.
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GENEVA — The International Committee of the Red Cross says it’s not sure that a planned delivery of aid into Mariupol and an evacuation of civilians out of the besieged Ukrainian city will happen Friday.
Spokesman Ewan Watson told a U.N. briefing in Geneva that the humanitarian group has sent three vehicles toward Mariupol and a frontline between Ukrainian and Russian forces, but two trucks carrying supplies for the city were not accompanying them.
Dozens of busses that have been put together by Ukrainian authorities to take people out also have not started approaching the dividing line, he said Friday.
Watson called it an “extremely complex” operation, adding that “not all details are in place to ensure that this happens today.”
He said the hope was that “thousands” of people could be ferried out, and their destination would be into parts of Ukraine less affected by the fighting that has been ongoing since Russia’s invasion on Feb. 24.
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THE HAGUE, Netherlands — Europol, the European Union police agency, has sent teams to countries bordering Ukraine in an effort to protect refugees from criminals.
The Hague-based agency said Friday its teams are supporting local authorities by running secondary security checks and seeking to “identify criminals and terrorists trying to enter the EU in the refugee flow and exploit the situation.”
The Europol teams are operating in Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Moldova and are planning to deploy to Romania, too.
The agency says they also are gathering intelligence to feed into criminal threat assessments across Europe.
The United Nations says that more than 4 million people have fled Ukraine since Russia invaded on Feb. 24.
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COPENHAGEN, Denmark — Police in Norway say they have intensified information and intelligence gathering as a result of the security situation in Europe.
The move is to help “prevent and detect crime as a result of the migration flow and the tense security policy situation,” National Police Commissioner Benedicte Bjørnland said in a statement Friday.
She added that “we are particularly aware of the crime challenges that may arise as a result of the migration flow.” She did not elaborate.
More than 7,800 Ukrainians have sought asylum in Norway.
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TOKYO — Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi says he is heading to Poland later Friday to assess the need for the war-displaced Ukrainians in that country and assist those who seek refuge in Japan.
Hayashi, during his five-day trip through Tuesday, is set to meet with Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and other top officials, as well as international organizations. Officials are still making arrangements for a possibility of his government plane bringing some Ukrainians on his way back, Hayashi said.
“In order to support the Ukrainian people facing the difficulty and to show our solidarity with Ukraine, Japan is pursuing our effort to accept those who fled to a third country,” Hayashi said.
Japan’s government last month launched a taskforce to prepare accepting Ukrainian war-displaced as part of humanitarian support — a rare move for a country known for its strict and reluctant refugee policy. Several municipalities, including Tokyo, Kanagawa, Ibaraki and Osaka, have offered to be their host towns and provide support for medical needs, education, jobs and housing.
Ukrainian Ambassador to Japan Sergiy Korsunsky told reporters Friday that some 300 relatives of Ukrainian residents in Japan have been granted entry, and more arrivals are expected from next week.
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BRUSSELS — The president of the European Parliament says she is traveling to Kyiv.
Roberta Metsola announced the trip to the Ukrainian capital city on her Twitter account late Thursday, posting a picture of her standing in front of a railcar.
Metsola is the first president of an EU institution to travel to the Ukrainian capital since the war began on Feb. 24. Details about her travel plans and who she will meet have not been announced.
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SYDNEY — Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Friday that his country will be sending armored Bushmaster vehicles to Ukraine to help in its war against Russia.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed the Australian Parliament on Thursday and asked for the Australian-manufactured four-wheel-drive vehicles and other aid.
Morrison told reporters the vehicles will be flown over on Boeing C-17 Globemaster transport planes, but he didn’t specify how many Bushmaster vehicles would be sent or when.
“We’re not just sending our prayers, we are sending our guns, we’re sending our munitions, we’re sending our humanitarian aid, we’re sending all of this, our body armor, all of these things and we’re going to be sending our armored vehicles, our Bushmasters as well,” Morrison said.
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LVIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he has stripped two generals of their military rank.
Zelenskyy said “something prevented them from determining where their homeland was” and they “violated their military oath of allegiance to the Ukrainian people.”
According to Zelenskyy, one of the generals had headed internal security at the SBU, the main intelligence agency.
He said the other general had been the SBU head in the Kherson region, the first major city to fall to the Russians.
Zelenskyy didn’t say anything about the fates of the two generals other than them being stripped of their rank.
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LVIV, Ukraine — The Ukrainian government said Russian forces blocked 45 buses that had been sent to evacuate civilians from the besieged port city of Mariupol, and only 631 people were able to get out of the city in private cars.
Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said late Thursday that 12 Ukrainian buses with humanitarian aid left Melitopol for Mariupol, but the Russian forces stopped the buses and seized the 14 tons of food and medicines.
According to Ukrainian officials, tens of thousands of people have made it out of Mariupol in recent weeks along humanitarian corridors, reducing the prewar population of 430,000 to about 100,000 by last week.
Vereshchuk said about 45,000 Mariupol residents have been forcefully deported to Russia and areas of eastern Ukraine controlled by Russian-backed separatists.
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LVIV, Ukraine — The last Russian troops left the Chernobyl nuclear plant early Friday, according to the Ukrainian government agency responsible for the exclusion zone around the plant.
Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said Russian troops who dug trenches in the forest were exposed to radiation, but that could not be confirmed.
The Ukrainian nuclear operator company Energoatom said Thursday that Russian troops were headed toward Ukraine’s border with Belarus.
Energoatom said that the Russian military was also preparing to leave Slavutych, a nearby city where power plant workers live.
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Credit: Uncredited
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Credit: Czarek Sokolowski
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Credit: Markus Schreiber
Credit: Evgeniy Maloletka
Credit: Evgeniy Maloletka
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Credit: Vadim Ghirda
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Credit: Olivier Matthys
Credit: Vadim Ghirda
Credit: Vadim Ghirda
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CITLUK, Serbia (AP) — An accident Friday in a coal mine in central Serbia killed eight miners and wounded 18 others, authorities said, adding that the workers apparently suffocated from too much methane gas.
The accident in the Soko coal mine, located 200 kilometers (125 miles) southeast of Belgrade, the capital, occurred shortly after 4 a.m. Officials said an investigation was underway to determine exactly what happened.
“Inspectors, police and all relevant authorities are at the scene, doing what is necessary to determine the cause of this tragedy,” said the Mining and Energy Minister Zorana Mihajlovic.
The state RTS television and other local media initially reported that part of the pit collapsed, releasing the methane gas inside and trapping the miners. But MIhajlovic, who visited the site Friday, denied reports of an explosion.
“There was no explosion or anything, but the rise in methane was such that they suffocated,” said Mihajlovic, expressing condolences to the families of the victims and promising state help.
The Soko mine has had several serious accidents since it started operating in the early 1900s, including one in 1998 that killed 29 miners.
Drago Milinkovic, the Soko coal mine manager, said initial information suggested there was a “sudden release of methane” gas into the mining area.
“Soko coal mine is a dangerous coal mine, dangerous from the aspect of methane,” he said. "Security measures are at the highest level in the coal mine, but this time there was a sudden release of methane and simply the monitoring and the equipment that were in place did not help.”
Doctors in nearby Aleksinac, where injured miners were brought, said their injuries mostly are not serious. Town authorities declared a day of mourning to be held Saturday.
Near the mine, stunned locals stood in silence. One miner who identified himself only by his first name, Milan, said he usually worked in the overnight shift.
“I changed shifts because of my family," he said. “It could have been me.”
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This story corrects the minister's last name to Mihajlovic.
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Credit: Uncredited
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NEW YORK (AP) — In addition to “Play ball!” and “Yer Out!", big league umpires will be heard saying “Overturned!” and “Upheld!” for the first time this season.
“Major league umpires will conduct in-park announcements during the replay review process,” Major League Baseball announced Friday. “We’re pleased to launch this enhancement to the ballpark and broadcast experiences. Training has been held in Arizona and Florida this spring.”
MLB was the last major pro sport in North America to institute replay when it began late in the 2008 season for home run calls. Video reviews were vastly expanded for the 2014 season.
Until now, umpires had revealed their decisions such as safe and out with hand signals.
Of 1,305 calls challenged by clubs last year, 655 calls were overturned (50.2%), 221 were confirmed (16.9%) and 429 were allowed to stand (32.9%) when there was insufficient evidence to overturn or confirm. There were 159 additional crew chief reviews initiated by an umpire.
NFL referees were given wireless microphones in 1975 to explain penalty decisions. The NFL had an initial replay system from 1986-91, abandoned it, then reinstalled it for the 1999 season. The NHL added a replay system in 1991 and the NBA in 2002.
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More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
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DETROIT (AP) — New vehicles sold in the United States will have to travel an average of at least 40 miles per gallon of gasoline in 2026 under new rules unveiled Friday by the government.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said its fuel economy requirements will undo a rollback of standards enacted under President Donald Trump. The new requirements increase gas mileage by 8% per year for model years 2024 and 2025 and 10% in the 2026 model year.
For the current model year, standards enacted under Trump require the fleet of new vehicles to get just over 24 miles per gallon in real-world driving.
Agency officials say the requirements are the maximum that the industry can achieve over the time period and will reduce gasoline consumption by more than 220 billion gallons over the life of vehicles, compared with the Trump standards.
Trump's administration rolled back fuel economy requirements so they rose 1.5% per year, which environmental groups said was inadequate to limit planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions that fuel climate change.
But the new standards won't immediately match those adopted through 2025 under President Barack Obama. NHTSA officials said they will equal the Obama standards by 2025 and slightly exceed them for the 2026 model year.
The Obama-era standards automatically adjusted for changes in the type of vehicles people are buying. When they were enacted in 2012, 51% of new vehicle sales were cars and 49% SUVs and trucks. Last year, 77% of new vehicle sales were SUVs and trucks, which generally are less efficient than cars.
Some environmental groups said the new requirements from NHTSA under President Joe Biden don't go far enough to fight global warming.
“Climate change has gotten much worse, but these rules only require automakers to reduce gas-guzzling slightly more than they agreed to cut nine years ago,” said Dan Becker, director of the Safe Climate Transport Center at the Center for Biological Diversity.
He said the final rule is about 2 mpg short of the strongest alternative that NHTSA considered.
Officials said that under the new standards, owners would save about $1,400 in gasoline costs during the lifetime of a 2029 model year vehicle. Carbon dioxide emissions would drop by 2.5 billion metric tons by 2050 under the standards, the NHTSA said.
The agency did not give figures for how much the standards would increase the cost of vehicles. Auto dealers say more stringent requirements drive up prices and push people out of an already expensive new-car market.
The NHTSA sets fuel economy requirements, while the Environmental Protection Agency develops limits on greenhouse gas emissions. NHTSA officials said their requirements nearly match rules adopted in December by the EPA, so automakers don't have to comply with two rules.
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BERLIN (AP) — Russian officials said their demand for "unfriendly" countries to pay for natural gas in rubles does not mean supplies will be immediately interrupted.
Gas used for heating and electricity was still flowing from Russia to Europe on Friday.
“Payments on shipments in progress right now must be made not this very day, but somewhere in late April, or even early May,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
A day earlier, President Vladimir Putin said Russia would start accepting ruble payments Friday and gas supplies would be cut off if buyers don't agree to the new conditions, including opening ruble accounts.
But a decree he signed says countries could pay foreign currency to Gazprombank, which would convert the money into rubles in a second account to pay for the gas. It gave Russian authorities and the bank 10 days to make arrangements.
Putin's measure applies to countries deemed “unfriendly” for imposing sanctions over Russia's war in Ukraine, and European leaders have been weighing what the shift might mean.
Some experts say it could be an effort to prop up the ruble, which fell in value amid sanctions but has since bounced back, though the effect on the currency would be limited.
Putin's demand has jolted energy markets and raised fears it could be a prelude to an interruption of supplies to Europe, which is heavily dependent on Russian natural gas and would struggle with a sudden cutoff. But Russia also depends on oil and gas sales for much of its government revenue at a time its economy is under severe stress from Western sanctions.
The European Commission's energy chief, Ditte Juul Jorgensen, tweeted Friday that the European Union was coordinating "to establish a common approach."
German officials said contracts stipulate payment for gas in euros and dollars and that must continue.
“The German government is currently examining this decree to determine its concrete effects,” spokesman Wolfgang Buechner said Friday.
Officials wouldn’t be drawn further on what impact the Russian demands might have. Economy Ministry spokeswoman Beate Baron noted that Gazprombank has been given 10 days to explain the procedure, “and of course we will in turn look carefully at that.”
Credit: Michael Sohn
Credit: Michael Sohn
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NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The Judds, one of the most successful duos in country music in the 1980s, are reuniting to perform on the CMT Music Awards, their first major awards show performance together in more than two decades.
The mother-and-daughter duo of Naomi and Wynonna will perform their hit “Love Will Build a Bridge” on the awards show on April 11, airing on CBS and Paramount+, during an outdoor shoot in front of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, Tennessee.
It's a fitting backdrop for the five-time Grammy winners, who will be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in May.
“It feels both surreal and what a thrill it is. What a thrill to finally get her back on the stage because she’s been waiting for 20-plus years," Wynonna told the AP of her mother, Naomi. “As a daughter and as an artist, it’s a win-win.”
Originally from Kentucky, Naomi was working as a nurse in the Nashville area when she and Wynonna started singing together professionally. Their unique harmonies, together with elements of acoustic music, bluegrass and blues, made them stand out in the genre at the time.
The Judds won nine Country Music Association Awards and seven from the Academy of Country Music and had more than a dozen No. 1 hits, including “Mama, He’s Crazy" and “Grandpa (Tell Me ’bout the Good Old Days).”
In 1990, Naomi Judd announced her retirement from performing due to chronic hepatitis. Wynonna has continued her solo career and they have occasionally reunited for special performances.
“To have all the incredible opportunities that I have had, being reminded of all that, just makes me very humbled and I just want to bask in the moment,” Naomi Judd told the AP.
This is also their first ever performance together at the CMT Music Awards. Country star Kacey Musgraves will introduce the pair prior to the performance.
“Music is the bridge between mom and me, and it it bonds us together. Even in the not easy times," said Wynonna Judd. "We show up and we sing because that’s what love is about, right? So what a beautiful celebration.”
Hosted by country singer Kelsea Ballerini and actor Anthony Mackie, the fan-voted awards show will also feature performances by Ballerini, Kane Brown, Miranda Lambert, Maren Morris, Cody Johnson, Little Big Town, Keith Urban, Carly Pearce and more.
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This story has been corrected to remove Luke Combs from performance lineup.
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Meanwhile, Russian troops appeared to be in rapid retreat from areas around Kyiv, three days after Moscow said it planned to reduce military activity around the Ukrainian capital and the northern city of Chernihiv to create more trust between the two sides and promote negotiations.
But Ukraine and its allies have warned that the Kremlin is not de-escalating but regrouping, resupplying its troops and redeploying them to the country's east for an intensified assault on the predominantly Russian-speaking Donbas region, which includes Mariupol.
The latest negotiations, taking place by video, follow a meeting Tuesday in Turkey, where Ukraine reiterated its willingness to abandon a bid to join NATO and declare itself neutral. In return, it proposed that its security be guaranteed by a several other countries.
The head of the Russian delegation, Vladimir Medinsky, wrote on social media that Moscow's positions on retaining control of the Crimean Peninsula — seized from Ukraine in 2014 — and expanding the territory in eastern Ukraine held by Russia-backed separatists “are unchanged.”
The International Committee for the Red Cross struggled to work out an operation to send emergency aid into Mariupol and bring civilians out by bus.
The strategic southern port city on the Sea of Azov has seen some of the worst suffering of the war, with weeks of heavy fighting and shortages of water, food, fuel and medicine. Around 100,000 people are believed to be in the city, down from a prewar 430,000.
“We are running out of adjectives to describe the horrors that residents in Mariupol have suffered,” Red Cross spokesperson Ewan Watson said. “The situation is horrendous and deteriorating, and it’s now a humanitarian imperative that people be allowed to leave and aid supplies be allowed in.”
City authorities said the Russians were blocking access to Mariupol and it was too dangerous for people to leave on their own.
“We do not see a real desire on the part of the Russians and their satellites to provide an opportunity for Mariupol residents to evacuate to territory controlled by Ukraine,” Petro Andryushchenko, an adviser to the mayor of Mariupol, wrote on the Telegram messaging app.
He said Russian forces “are categorically not allowing any humanitarian cargo, even in small amounts, into the city.”
On Thursday, Russian forces blocked a 45-bus convoy attempting to evacuate people from Mariupol, and only 631 people were able to leave in private cars, the Ukrainian government said. Russian forces also seized 14 tons of food and medical supplies trying to make it to Mariupol, Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said.
In the past few days, the Kremlin, in a seeming shift in its war aims, said its "main goal" now is gaining complete control of the Donbas. Mariupol's capture would be a major prize for the Russians, giving them an unbroken land bridge to Crimea.
The Donbas is the industrial region of eastern Ukraine where Moscow-backed separatists have been battling Ukrainian forces since 2014. The separatists have declared two areas as independent republics.
Despite its pledge to scale back, Russian forces have subjected both Chernihiv and Kyiv to continued air- and ground-launched missile strikes. But Ukraine’s military said it has retaken control of 29 settlements in the the two regions, where Russia has pulled back some of its troops.
The Russian military in the northeast also continues to shell Kharkiv, and in the southeast is trying to seize the cities of Popasna and Rubizhne as well as Mariupol, the Ukrainian military said.
Separately, Ukraine's state power company, Energoatom, said Russian troops pulled out of the heavily contaminated Chernobyl site in northern Ukraine early Friday after receiving "significant doses" of radiation from digging trenches in the exclusion zone around the closed nuclear power plant.
The International Atomic Energy Agency said it could not independently confirm the exposure claim. Energoatom gave no details on the condition of the soldiers and did not say how many were affected. There was no immediate comment from the Kremlin.
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Karmanau reported from Lviv, Ukraine. Associated Press journalists around the world contributed to this report.
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Follow the AP's coverage of the war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
Caption Flowers are placed on a Ukrainian military armored fighting vehicle destroyed during fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces in outside Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, April 1, 2022. Emergency relief and evacuation convoys for the besieged Ukrainian city of Mariupol remained in doubt Friday following reports of Russian interference, while Russian officials accused Ukraine of flying helicopter gunships across a border between the two countries and striking an oil depot.(AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
Credit: Vadim Ghirda
Caption Flowers are placed on a Ukrainian military armored fighting vehicle destroyed during fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces in outside Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, April 1, 2022. Emergency relief and evacuation convoys for the besieged Ukrainian city of Mariupol remained in doubt Friday following reports of Russian interference, while Russian officials accused Ukraine of flying helicopter gunships across a border between the two countries and striking an oil depot.(AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
Credit: Vadim Ghirda
Credit: Vadim Ghirda
Caption Ukrainian servicemen ride on an armored transporter driving through a Russian position overran by Ukrainian forces outside Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, March 31, 2022. Heavy fighting raged on the outskirts of Kyiv and other zones Thursday amid indications the Kremlin is using talk of de-escalation as cover while regrouping and resupplying its forces and redeploying them for a stepped-up offensive in eastern Ukraine.(AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
Credit: Vadim Ghirda
Caption Ukrainian servicemen ride on an armored transporter driving through a Russian position overran by Ukrainian forces outside Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, March 31, 2022. Heavy fighting raged on the outskirts of Kyiv and other zones Thursday amid indications the Kremlin is using talk of de-escalation as cover while regrouping and resupplying its forces and redeploying them for a stepped-up offensive in eastern Ukraine.(AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
Credit: Vadim Ghirda
Credit: Vadim Ghirda
Caption In this handout photo released by Russian Emergency Ministry Press Service on Friday, April 1, 2022, firefighters work at the site of fire at an oil depot in Belgorod region, Russia. The governor of the Russian border region of Belgorod accused Ukraine of flying helicopter gunships into Russian territory and striking an oil depot Friday morning. The depot is run by Russian energy giant Roseneft about 21 miles from the border. The governor says it was set ablaze by the attack that left two people injured. If confirmed, it would be the first attack of its kind by Ukrainian forces inside Russia. (Russian Emergency Ministry Press Service via AP)
Credit: Uncredited
Caption In this handout photo released by Russian Emergency Ministry Press Service on Friday, April 1, 2022, firefighters work at the site of fire at an oil depot in Belgorod region, Russia. The governor of the Russian border region of Belgorod accused Ukraine of flying helicopter gunships into Russian territory and striking an oil depot Friday morning. The depot is run by Russian energy giant Roseneft about 21 miles from the border. The governor says it was set ablaze by the attack that left two people injured. If confirmed, it would be the first attack of its kind by Ukrainian forces inside Russia. (Russian Emergency Ministry Press Service via AP)
Credit: Uncredited
Credit: Uncredited
Caption Ammunition is scattered on the ground next to a Ukrainian military armored fighting vehicle destroyed during fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces in outside Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, April 1, 2022. Emergency relief and evacuation convoys for the besieged Ukrainian city of Mariupol remained in doubt Friday following reports of Russian interference, while Russian officials accused Ukraine of flying helicopter gunships across a border between the two countries and striking an oil depot.(AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
Credit: Vadim Ghirda
Caption Ammunition is scattered on the ground next to a Ukrainian military armored fighting vehicle destroyed during fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces in outside Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, April 1, 2022. Emergency relief and evacuation convoys for the besieged Ukrainian city of Mariupol remained in doubt Friday following reports of Russian interference, while Russian officials accused Ukraine of flying helicopter gunships across a border between the two countries and striking an oil depot.(AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
Credit: Vadim Ghirda
Credit: Vadim Ghirda
Caption A mother of a killed Ukrainian serviceman Georgiy Plisak cries during funeral ceremony at a cemetery near Lutsk, Ukraine, Thursday, March 31, 2022. Russian troops handed control of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant back to the Ukrainians and left the heavily contaminated site early Friday, more than a month after taking it over, Ukrainian authorities said, as fighting raged on the outskirts of Kyiv and other fronts. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Credit: Evgeniy Maloletka
Credit: Evgeniy Maloletka
Caption A mother of a killed Ukrainian serviceman Georgiy Plisak cries during funeral ceremony at a cemetery near Lutsk, Ukraine, Thursday, March 31, 2022. Russian troops handed control of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant back to the Ukrainians and left the heavily contaminated site early Friday, more than a month after taking it over, Ukrainian authorities said, as fighting raged on the outskirts of Kyiv and other fronts. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Credit: Evgeniy Maloletka
Credit: Evgeniy Maloletka
Caption Residents of Lutsk stand knees during funeral ceremony for killed Ukrainian serviceman Georgiy Plisak in Lutsk, Ukraine, Thursday, March 31, 2022. Russian troops handed control of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant back to the Ukrainians and left the heavily contaminated site early Friday, more than a month after taking it over, Ukrainian authorities said, as fighting raged on the outskirts of Kyiv and other fronts. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Credit: Evgeniy Maloletka
Credit: Evgeniy Maloletka
Caption Residents of Lutsk stand knees during funeral ceremony for killed Ukrainian serviceman Georgiy Plisak in Lutsk, Ukraine, Thursday, March 31, 2022. Russian troops handed control of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant back to the Ukrainians and left the heavily contaminated site early Friday, more than a month after taking it over, Ukrainian authorities said, as fighting raged on the outskirts of Kyiv and other fronts. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Credit: Evgeniy Maloletka
Credit: Evgeniy Maloletka
Caption In this image from video provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks from Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday night, March 31, 2022. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP)
Credit: Uncredited
Caption In this image from video provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks from Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday night, March 31, 2022. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP)
Credit: Uncredited
Credit: Uncredited
Caption A Ukrainian serviceman, center left, helps to lower the coffin of his comrade Georgiy Plisak who been killed by Russian forces during funeral ceremony at the cemetery near Lutsk, Ukraine, Thursday, March 31, 2022. Russian troops handed control of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant back to the Ukrainians and left the heavily contaminated site early Friday, more than a month after taking it over, Ukrainian authorities said, as fighting raged on the outskirts of Kyiv and other fronts. (AP photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Credit: Evgeniy Maloletka
Credit: Evgeniy Maloletka
Caption A Ukrainian serviceman, center left, helps to lower the coffin of his comrade Georgiy Plisak who been killed by Russian forces during funeral ceremony at the cemetery near Lutsk, Ukraine, Thursday, March 31, 2022. Russian troops handed control of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant back to the Ukrainians and left the heavily contaminated site early Friday, more than a month after taking it over, Ukrainian authorities said, as fighting raged on the outskirts of Kyiv and other fronts. (AP photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Credit: Evgeniy Maloletka
Credit: Evgeniy Maloletka
Caption A man smokes as he looks out from his damaged home following a Russian bombing earlier this month, in Mykolaiv, Ukraine, on Thursday, March 31, 2022. The talks between Ukraine and Russia will resume on Friday as NATO Secretary-General says Russia does not appear to be scaling back its military operations in Ukraine but is instead redeploying forces to the eastern Donbas region. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
Credit: Petros Giannakouris
Credit: Petros Giannakouris
Caption A man smokes as he looks out from his damaged home following a Russian bombing earlier this month, in Mykolaiv, Ukraine, on Thursday, March 31, 2022. The talks between Ukraine and Russia will resume on Friday as NATO Secretary-General says Russia does not appear to be scaling back its military operations in Ukraine but is instead redeploying forces to the eastern Donbas region. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
Credit: Petros Giannakouris
Credit: Petros Giannakouris
Caption Ukrainian soldiers carry a body of a civilian killed by the Russian forces over the destroyed bridge in Irpin close to Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, March 31, 2022. The more than month-old war has killed thousands and driven more than 10 million Ukrainians from their homes including almost 4 million from their country. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
Credit: Efrem Lukatsky
Caption Ukrainian soldiers carry a body of a civilian killed by the Russian forces over the destroyed bridge in Irpin close to Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, March 31, 2022. The more than month-old war has killed thousands and driven more than 10 million Ukrainians from their homes including almost 4 million from their country. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
Credit: Efrem Lukatsky
Credit: Efrem Lukatsky
Caption People from the Ukraine most of them refugees fleeing the war, wait in front of the consular department of the Ukrainian embassy in Berlin, Germany, Friday, April 1, 2022. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
Credit: Markus Schreiber
Caption People from the Ukraine most of them refugees fleeing the war, wait in front of the consular department of the Ukrainian embassy in Berlin, Germany, Friday, April 1, 2022. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
Credit: Markus Schreiber
Credit: Markus Schreiber
Caption The hand of a dead Russian soldier is seen next to a tank on the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, March 31, 2022. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Credit: Rodrigo Abd
Caption The hand of a dead Russian soldier is seen next to a tank on the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, March 31, 2022. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Credit: Rodrigo Abd
Credit: Rodrigo Abd
Caption People hide in a basement of a church which is used as a bomb shelter, after fleeing from nearby villages, that have been attacked by the Russian army, in the town of Bashtanka, Mykolaiv district, Ukraine, on Thursday, March 31, 2022. The talks between Ukraine and Russia will resume on Friday as NATO Secretary-General says Russia does not appear to be scaling back its military operations in Ukraine but is instead redeploying forces to the eastern Donbas region. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
Credit: Petros Giannakouris
Credit: Petros Giannakouris
Caption People hide in a basement of a church which is used as a bomb shelter, after fleeing from nearby villages, that have been attacked by the Russian army, in the town of Bashtanka, Mykolaiv district, Ukraine, on Thursday, March 31, 2022. The talks between Ukraine and Russia will resume on Friday as NATO Secretary-General says Russia does not appear to be scaling back its military operations in Ukraine but is instead redeploying forces to the eastern Donbas region. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
Credit: Petros Giannakouris
Credit: Petros Giannakouris
Caption Ukrainian soldiers collect bodies of civilians killed by the Russian forces at the destroyed bridge in Irpin close to Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, March 31, 2022. The more than month-old war has killed thousands and driven more than 10 million Ukrainians from their homes including almost 4 million from their country. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
Credit: Efrem Lukatsky
Caption Ukrainian soldiers collect bodies of civilians killed by the Russian forces at the destroyed bridge in Irpin close to Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, March 31, 2022. The more than month-old war has killed thousands and driven more than 10 million Ukrainians from their homes including almost 4 million from their country. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
Credit: Efrem Lukatsky
Credit: Efrem Lukatsky
Caption Territorial Defense of the Armed Forces, 21-year-olds Svitlana, right, and Myroslava, pose for a photograph, in Lviv, western Ukraine, Thursday, March 31, 2022. Both Svitlana, and Myroslava, who studied at the same university in Kyiv, decided to leave academia and serve their country by joining the TDF only one month ago. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty)
Credit: Nariman El-Mofty
Caption Territorial Defense of the Armed Forces, 21-year-olds Svitlana, right, and Myroslava, pose for a photograph, in Lviv, western Ukraine, Thursday, March 31, 2022. Both Svitlana, and Myroslava, who studied at the same university in Kyiv, decided to leave academia and serve their country by joining the TDF only one month ago. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty)
Credit: Nariman El-Mofty
Credit: Nariman El-Mofty
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NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks are holding steady on Wall Street Friday, and Treasury yields are jumping after a healthy report on the U.S. job market strengthened expectations for coming interest-rate hikes.
The S&P 500 was 0.1% higher after the first few minutes of trading and close to erasing its losses from earlier in the week. The index could clinch its first three-week winning streak since November. Markets worldwide have calmed recently, though sharp price swings have remained as worries continue about high inflation, higher interest rates from the Federal Reserve and the economic effects of the war in Ukraine.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 83 points, or 0.2%, at 34,762, as of 9:52 a.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was virtually unchanged.
The sharpest action was again in the bond market, where the yield on the two-year Treasury soared to its highest level in more than three years.
Yields jumped after a U.S. government report showed employers added 431,000 jobs last month. That was slightly below economists’ expectations for 477,500, but the report also revised earlier months’ data to reflect more strength. It showed raises for workers accelerated last month but at a slower pace than overall inflation, while the unemployment rate improved to 3.6% from 3.7%.
“This was a solid report,” said Brian Jacobsen, senior investment strategist at Allspring Global Investments.
“You can see the worries about COVID fading. Fewer people are working remotely. Fewer people are saying they can’t work due to the pandemic.”
A strong jobs market gives the Federal Reserve more leeway to raise interest rates sharply in order to beat down the high inflation that’s sweeping the country. The Fed has already raised its key overnight rate once, the first such increase since 2018. Following Friday’s jobs report, traders increased bets that the Fed will raise rates at its next meeting by double the usual amount.
Such expectations drive shorter-term Treasury yields in particular, and the two-year yield leaped to 2.44% from 2.28% late Thursday.
It again rose slightly above the 10-year yield, which was also climbing but not as quickly, up to 2.44% from 2.33%. Earlier this week, the two-year yield topped the 10-year yield for the first time since 2019, a potentially ominous sign.
Such a flip of the usual relationship between two- and 10-year yields has preceded many recessions in the past, though it hasn’t been a perfect predictor. Some market watchers caution the signal may be less accurate this time, because of distortions in yields caused by extraordinary measures by the Federal Reserve and other central banks to keep interest rates low.
Shares of GameStop jumped 6.4% to top $177 after it said it plans to split its stock, pending approval from shareholders for an increase in the number of its authorized shares. Such splits tend to bring down the price of a share of stock, potentially putting it in reach of more smaller-pocketed investors.
GameStop’s stock has more than doubled since sitting at $78.11 in mid-March. But it’s still well below the $483 peak reached in early 2021 amid the “meme stock” craze. Then, bands of smaller-pocketed investors joined together to pump prices to levels seen as irrational by many professional investors.
In overseas markets, European stocks were modestly higher despite a report showing consumer prices in the 19 countries that use the euro currency rose by an annual rate of 7.5% in March, the fifth straight monthly record.
France’s CAC 40 rose 0.5%, Germany’s DAX returned 0.5% and the FTSE 100 in London added 0.2%.
Oil and gas prices had already been rising because of increasing demand from economies recovering from the depths of the COVID-19 pandemic. They jumped higher after Russia, a major oil and gas producer, invaded Ukraine, on fears that sanctions and export restrictions could crimp supplies.
Crude prices slipped modestly on Friday, with a a barrel of U.S. oil dipping 0.3% to $100. Brent crude, the international standard, fell 0.7% to $104.02 per barrel.
In Asia, stocks were mixed.
The Nikkei 225 fell 0.6% after the Bank of Japan’s closely watched quarterly gauge of business sector sentiment,the “tankan,” showed the benchmark indicator for large manufacturers dropped for the first time in seven quarters.
South Korea’s Kospi fell 0.6%, while stocks in Shanghai rose 0.9%.
Rising COVID-19 cases in China are adding to the worries of a regional slowdown. The lockdown in Shanghai entered its second phase of extended restrictions, while restrictions were lifted in hard-hit Jilin.
___
AP Business Writer Yuri Kageyama contributed.
Credit: Hiro Komae
Credit: Hiro Komae
Credit: Hiro Komae
Credit: Hiro Komae
Credit: Hiro Komae
Credit: Hiro Komae
Credit: Hiro Komae
Credit: Hiro Komae
Credit: Hiro Komae
Credit: Hiro Komae
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WEEK AT WAR: Images from Ukraine show heavy damage sustained by both sides
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