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Orioles reset: Baltimore’s ‘winning mentality’ was born a year ago with the first of 10 wins in a row

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:46 GMT

If history is set to repeat itself, the Orioles might be on the verge of a long winning streak.Last week, Baltimore lost its final two games against the Cincinnati Reds and then its first two versus the Minnesota Twins, only to avoid a sweep with a close win. The last time they broke a four-game losing streak with a win over the Twins, the turning point in the organization’s rebuild followed.Monday is the one-year anniversary of the Orioles’ first win in their 10-game winning streak last July. The improbable streak, which contained eight wins of three or fewer runs and three in walk-off fashion, catapulted the Orioles from a rebuilding team expected to finish in the basement of the American League into a playoff contender.The players who slogged through the rebuild and reached the light at the end of the tunnel say the winning streak started something that has carried over into this season — a throughline from the walk-off wins and bedlam at Camden Yards last July ...

Marcus Smart blindsided by trade from Celtics: ‘It was definitely shocking’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:46 GMT

Marcus Smart went to sleep on June 21 still a member of the Celtics and fully expected it to stay that way when he woke up.But when he did wake up, the longtime Celtic was blindsided by the news.On Sunday, Smart spoke publicly for the first time since the Celtics traded him to the Grizzlies, as he talked to reporters at the Dana Barros Basketball Club in Stoughton, where he was given a Boston sendoff at his 14 League Pro-Am Tournament. The point guard said he learned about the trade after his agent called his fiancé, who woke him up to tell him the stunning news.Smart didn’t expect it, mostly because he was just told it wouldn’t happen.“It was definitely shocking to find out that way, especially because the week before I was already told that we were good and there was no trade talks of me and I was good, so we were expecting that,” Smart told reporters. “But for me, I understand the business side of it. I’ve always been like that and anybody who knows me knows that I’m the first on...

Israel targets a West Bank militant stronghold with drones and troops, killing 7 Palestinians

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:46 GMT

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel used drones to strike targets in a militant stronghold in the occupied West Bank early Monday and deployed hundreds of troops in the area, in an incursion that resembled the wide-scale military operations carried out during the second Palestinian uprising two decades ago. Palestinian health officials said at least seven Palestinians were killed.Troops remained inside the Jenin refugee camp at midday Monday, pushing ahead with the largest operation in the area during more than a year of fighting. It came at a time of growing domestic pressure for a tough response to a series of attacks on Israeli settlers, including a shooting attack last week that killed four Israelis.Black smoke rose from the crowded streets of the camp and the buzzing of drones could be heard overhead as the military pressed on. Residents said electricity was cut off in some parts and military bulldozers were plowing through narrow streets, damaging buildings as they cleared the way for Isr...

International center opens to help hold Russian leadership accountable for aggression in Ukraine

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:46 GMT

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — An international center opened Monday at the Hague to support those building cases against senior Russian leaders for the crime of aggression resulting from the country’s invasion of Ukraine.The International Center for the Prosecution of the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine is the latest step in concerted worldwide efforts to hold the Russian leadership criminally responsible for its war against Ukraine last year, triggering Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War II.The center is based at the headquarters of the European Union’s judicial cooperation agency, Eurojust.Ukrainian Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin said in a statement that the launch was “a clear signal that the world is united and unwavering on the path to holding the Russian regime accountable for all its crimes.”He added that there is “unfortunately, a gaping hole in accountability for the crime of aggression in the international criminal justice architecture.”The European Un...

UN chief urges maritime nations to chart course for net zero shipping emissions by 2050

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:46 GMT

LONDON (AP) — The head of the United Nations called Monday for maritime nations to agree on a course for the shipping industry to reduce its climate-harming emissions to net zero by the middle of the century at the latest.The appeal by U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres came at the start of a meeting of the International Maritime Organization in London that’s seen as key for helping achieve the international goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 Fahrenheit).“Shipping, which accounts for almost 3% of global emissions, will be vital,” Guterres said.He urged delegates to agree a new greenhouse gas strategy for shipping that includes “ambitious science-based targets starting in 2030 – both on absolute emissions reductions and the use of clean fuels.”The IMO’s current target is for the shipping industry to cut its emissions by at least half from 2008 to 2050. Guterres said the new targets should include all greenhouse gas emissions caused by the ind...

Stock market today: World shares are higher on optimism that price pressures may be easing

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:46 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — World shares rose Monday as investors took heart from reports that show inflation is abating, which might enable the Federal Reserve to back away from interest rate hikes. U.S. futures were mixed and oil prices edged higher. Germany’s DAX added 0.3% to 16,187.06. In Paris, the CAC 40 edged up 0.1% to 7,406.82 and Britain’s FTSE 100 rose 0.3% to 7,553.25. The future for the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 0.1% while that for the S&P 500 was up 0.1%. On Friday, S&P 500 climbed 1.2% to 4,450.38, its highest level since April 2022. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.8% and the Nasdaq composite jumped 1.4%. U.S. trading is closed for half a day Monday and all of Tuesday for the Independence Day holiday. Investors are hoping price increases will ease enough for the Federal Reserve to soon halt its hikes to interest rates. That would mean less pressure for the U.S. economy and for global financial markets.A report on Friday showed a measure of in...

Prize-winning Ukrainian writer dies of injuries suffered from Russian missile attack on restaurant

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:46 GMT

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Prize-winning Ukrainian writer Victoria Amelina was among those killed by a deadly Russian missile attack on a popular restaurant frequented by journalists and aid workers in eastern Ukraine, PEN America announced in a statement. Amelina, 37, who had turned her attention from literature to document Russian war crimes after the invasion, died from her injuries after the strike in the city of Kramatorsk on June 27, the literature and human rights organization said Sunday. At least 11 others were killed and 61 were wounded in the attack which occurred around dinnertime, when the restaurant was usually busy. Ukrainian authorities arrested a man a day later, accusing him of helping Russia direct the strike. The attack and others across Ukraine that evening suggested that the Kremlin is not easing its aerial onslaught over Ukraine, despite political and military turmoil at home after a short-lived armed uprising in Russia last week.PEN Ukraine announced Amelina’...

Word Game: July 3, 2023

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:46 GMT

TODAY’S WORD — LEGITIMIZE (LEGITIMIZE: lih-JIT-ih-mize: Make lawful.)Average mark 16 wordsTime limit 30 minutesCan you find 21 or more words in LEGITIMIZE? The list will be published tomorrow.SATURDAY’S WORD — SHILLELAGH sage sail sale seal sell shag shah shale shall shell shill sigh silage sill slag sleigh hail hale hall hash heal hell hellish high hill illegal isle lase lash leash legal lisle egis aegis agile aisle allies gale gall gash geisha gillTo purchase the Word Game book, visit WordGameBooks.com. Order it now for just $5 while supplies last!RULES OF THE GAME:1. Words must be of four or more letters.2. Words that acquire four letters by the addition of “s,” such as “bats” or “dies,” are not allowed.3. Additional words made by adding a “d” or an “s” may not be used. For example, if “bake” is used, “baked” or “bakes” are not allowed, but “bake” and “baking” are admissible.4. Proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit words are not allowed...

Ask Amy: My husband sulks when I say we can’t afford these things

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:46 GMT

Dear Amy: I’m 25 years old. My husband is 28. We have a 7-year-old child.Both of us work full-time. I’m also in college for my master’s degree. We just bought a house.Here’s the problem: My husband constantly wants new things.He wanted an ATV, so I let him buy a used one. Well, the used one isn’t good enough now. He wants to spend $30,000 dollars on a new ATV.That is as much as my car costs. I think it’s ridiculous.He is now telling me that he wants a new house. I tell him that maybe when I graduate and pay off my school loans, we can do that.He doesn’t understand that, gets mad at me, and leaves for an hour.I tried compromising, telling him how I feel, but nothing helps.I don’t know what to do. I am starting to feel like I’m being used and that he only loves me when he gets items.The ATMDear ATM: You say you just bought a new house (impressive at your ages) – but your husband wants to buy a different house?I’m assuming that you two have been together for at least seven years, and i...

Harriette Cole: My family isn’t happy about my peanut brittle obsession

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:46 GMT

DEAR HARRIETTE: I am a 50-year-old man, and in 2020 I launched a business that makes peanut brittle.Related ArticlesAdvice | Harriette Cole: I was appalled that my friend showed this movie to my kids Advice | Harriette Cole: My enemy has moved to my city and I’m afraid we’ll run into each other Advice | Harriette Cole: They say if I dye my hair blond, they won’t be my friends Advice | Harriette Cole: She had no right to approach my ex without my consent Advice | Harriette Cole: Should I tell my hometown friend why I’m annoyed at her? I have been focusing a lot of my attention on the business. It’s reached a point where I can barely focus on anything else, and I find myself extremely distracted during my day job and when I’m with my family. My wife and kids have noticed this change in my behavior and aren’t happy about it.I came to this country to go to college an...