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Kyiv says Jeddah participants back Ukraine territorial integrity in any peace deal

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:01:17 GMT

KYIV ­— Representatives of some 40 countries that took part in Saudi-hosted Ukraine peace talks this weekend agreed that any kind of peace treaty aimed to end Russia’s war against Ukraine must be based on respect for the territorial integrity of Ukraine and the U.N. Charter, the Ukrainian government said on Sunday.Russia did not take part in the talks. But China, a longtime ally of Russia, attended the gathering in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.“China did not object, as it has never objected that Ukraine’s territorial integrity should be respected,” Igor Zhovkva, deputy head of the president’s office of Ukraine, told POLITICO.Andriy Yermak, head of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s office, said earlier that Ukraine had very productive consultations on the key principles on which a just and lasting peace should be built.“We had an extremely honest, open conversation, during which representatives of each country could voice their position and vision,” Yermak said in a s...

Matthew Judon acknowledges Patriots didn’t need to amend contract

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:01:17 GMT

FOXBORO — Outside linebacker Matthew Judon was suddenly a lot more present on the practice field two days after the team agreed to give him a well-earned pay raise for the 2023 season.Judon joked, “I haven’t been sad yet” since he agreed to terms on an amended contract that will guarantee him $14 million with a chance to earn up to $18 million if he hits all of his incentives. The four-year, $54.5 million contract he signed in 2021 had an $11 million salary with just $2 million guaranteed in 2023.“Me and the guys upstairs got something done as far as my contract,” Judon said Sunday afternoon after training camp practice. “You guys all know. It’s reported. I’m happy. They’re happy. We shook hands, and now we’re playing football.”Related ArticlesNew England Patriots | Jonathan Jones among 5 starters missing at Patriots training camp Sunday New England Patriots | NFL notes: Is Bill Belichick embracing sports science at Patriots training camp? New England...

Musk says cage fight with Zuckerberg will stream on X

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:01:17 GMT

NEW YORK — Elon Musk says his potential in-person fight with Mark Zuckerberg would be streamed on his social media site X, formerly known as Twitter.The two tech billionaires seemingly agreed to a “cage match” face-off in late June. Zuckerberg is actually trained in mixed martial arts, and the CEO of Facebook’s parent company Meta posted about completing his first jiu jitsu tournament earlier this year.“Zuck v Musk fight will be live-streamed on X,” Musk wrote in a post Sunday on the platform. “All proceeds will go to charity for veterans.”Musk said earlier Sunday he was training for the fight by lifting weights.“Don’t have time to work out, so I just bring them to work,” Musk wrote.Whether or not Musk and Zuckerberg actually make it to the ring in Las Vegas has yet to be seen — especially as Musk often tweets about action prematurely or without following through. But even if their cage match agreement is all a joke, the ba...

Ticker: Mega Millions  jackpot climbs to $1.55B; Global food prices rise after Russia ends grain deal

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:01:17 GMT

Another Mega Millions drawing has passed by without a jackpot winner.The numbers drawn Friday night were: 11, 30, 45, 52, 56 and the gold ball 20.Because no one matched all six numbers and won the estimated $1.35 billion jackpot, the top prize increased to an estimated $1.55 billion for the next drawing Tuesday night.There have now been 31 straight drawings without a jackpot winner. The last time someone won the Mega Millions jackpot was April 18.The $1.55 billion prize would be for a sole winner who chooses the annuity option with payment stretched over 30 years. Most winners opt for a lump-sum payment, which would be an estimated $757.2 million on Tuesday.A big slice of those winnings would go toward federal taxes, while many states also tax lottery payouts, including Massachusetts.The jackpot is so hard to win because of the 1 in 302.6 million odds of matching the numbers on five white balls and a separate mega ball. The odds are better to win smaller prizes, which start at $2.Gl...

Senegal’s opposition leader Ousmane Sonko hospitalized a week into prison hunger strike

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:01:17 GMT

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — Senegal’s jailed opposition leader Ousmane Sonko, who has been on a hunger strike in prison to protest criminal charges against him, was hospitalized Sunday, his party said.Sonko was imprisoned last week in advance of criminal proceedings against him on charges of calling for insurrection, conspiracy against the state and other charges.The reason for his hospitalization at the Main Hospital in downtown Dakar was not immediately clear. “Prior to his imprisonment, he was in good health and had no known illnesses,” said the statement from Sonko’s now-dissolved Patriots of Senegal (PASTEF) party.Sonko announced July 30 on the platform X, formerly known as Twitter, that he would start his hunger strike. The announcement came a day before a judge in the capital of Dakar ordered his imprisonment. The latest charges against Sonko came weeks after a judge convicted him in a separate case of corrupting youth and sentenced him to two years in prison, which ign...

Russia unleashes missile and drone strikes against Ukraine, retaliating for an attack on a tanker

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:01:17 GMT

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia unleashed a missile and drone barrage Sunday across parts of Ukraine that killed six people, Kyiv officials said, as Moscow followed through on its promise to retaliate for an attack on a Russian tanker.Separately, Moscow’s second-largest airport briefly suspended flights early Sunday following a foiled drone attack near the Russian capital.Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched 70 drones and missiles from aircraft over the Caspian Sea, including Iranian-made, Shahed-136/131 strike UAVs. Three waves of missiles hit the Starokostiantyniv area, damaging several buildings and igniting a fire at a warehouse, said Serhiy Tyurin, deputy head of Ukraine’s Khmelnytsky region military administration. The strike may have been intended for the city’s airfield, officials said.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the facilities of aircraft engine manufacturer Motor Sich in the Zaporizhzhia region had also come under attack.The Russian barrage followed a Ukra...

Festival Eritrea going ahead at Toronto hotel after city revokes park permit

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:01:17 GMT

A cultural festival that was marred by violence on Saturday is still scheduled to go ahead this evening at a downtown Toronto hotel. A poster for Festival Eritrea advertises events in Earlscourt Park on all three days of the August long weekend including Sunday night at the Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel on Queen Street West starting at 7 p.m.A Change.org petition started on July 30 calls on the hotel to cancel the event, claiming the festival is sponsored by the Eritrean regime.“Unlike community-based cultural festivals, this event is an extension of internationally orchestrated state-sponsored fundraising scheme devised to circumvent Canadian and U.S. sanctions,” reads the petition, which has been signed by more than 1,700 people as of Sunday afternoon. “These events are directed and organized by diplomatic missions of the state of Eritrea using local shadowy organizations.”CityNews reached out to the hotel, who say the event is scheduled to go ahead as plan...

Girl, 8, fatally shot in head in Portage Park, offender in custody

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:01:17 GMT

CHICAGO -- An eight-year-old girl is dead after she was shot in the head by a known offender in Portage Park Saturday night. According to police, a known individual approached a group from across the street near the 3500 block of North Long Avenue around 9:40 p.m. and shot the girl in the head.She was transported to Stroger Hospital in critical condition where she was then pronounced dead. 2 injured after being electrocuted on CTA tracks in Oak Park on their way to Lollapalooza Another man on the scene got into physical altercation with the offender and tried to disarm him. During the struggle, the offender was shot in the face and transported to the hospital in critical condition. The offender has been placed into custody and charges are pending. A weapon was recovered on the scene and police are investigating.

These are Yelp's 15 favorite mom and pop restaurants in the U.S.

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:01:17 GMT

(NEXSTAR) — Want to support local businesses across the U.S.? It's not always easy to find mom and pop-type restaurants in an online search — and it's not easy to figure out which ones are any good. Recently, Entrepreneur and Yelp partnered to find the top 15 mom and pop restaurants in the U.S. from among hundreds.To formulate the list, Yelp ranked independently owned and operated businesses with no more than 4 locations based on volume and ratings of reviews. Businesses needed to be marked as "open" on Yelp as of May 15 and have a passing health score as of that same date, Yelp explains. Taylor Swift SoFi ticket prices are dropping Topping the list is ITs Izakaya, a Japanese tapas restaurant located in Las Vegas. Among the restaurant's most popular dishes are its takoyaki and yellowtail carpaccio. Here's all 15 of Yelp's top Mom and Pop Restaurants:RankNameLocation1.ITs IzakayaLas Vegas2.Thanh Tinh ChaySan Diego3.Pla-Tu Sushi Thai TapasMiami4.Nahm Thai & Burmese CuisineBoise,...

A megahost might run your Airbnb: Why it matters

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:01:17 GMT

(NerdWallet) - Airbnb has changed a lot since its humble couch-surfing beginnings in 2007. What started as a way for homeowners to earn extra income by renting out their spare bedrooms has become a multibillion-dollar, industry-disrupting giant.The majority of travelers now rent entire residences rather than stay with hosts. Nights booked at private rooms made up only 16% of U.S. short-term rental bookings in May 2023, an all-time low, according to a report from AirDNA, a short-term rental analytics company.And many of the hosts renting their homes are not mom-and-pop homeowners trying to earn extra income. They’re large management companies with multiple properties in their portfolios, some with dozens or even hundreds.More than 30% of active listings in the U.S. are managed by hosts with 21 or more properties, according to data provided by AirDNA. That’s more than the 26% of listings managed by single-property hosts.In other words, almost three in four Airbnb listings are now mana...