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Suicide bomber at political rally in northwest Pakistan kills at least 44 people, wounds nearly 200

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:17 GMT

By ANWARULLAH KHAN and RIAZ KHAN (Associated Press)KHAR, Pakistan (AP) — A suicide bomber blew himself up at a political rally in a former stronghold of militants in northwest Pakistan bordering Afghanistan on Sunday, killing at least 44 people and wounding nearly 200 in an attack that a senior leader said was meant to weaken Pakistani Islamists.The Bajur district near the Afghan border was a stronghold of the Pakistani Taliban — a close ally of Afghanistan’s Taliban government — before the Pakistani army drove the militants out of the area. Supporters of hardline Pakistani cleric and political party leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman, whose Jamiat Ulema Islam generally supports regional Islamists, were meeting in Bajur in a hall close to a market outside the district capital. Party officials said Rehman was not at the rally but organizers added tents because so many supporters showed up, and party volunteers with batons were helping control the crowd.Officials wer...

Justin Verlander leads Mets to win over Nationals in final start before trade deadline

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:17 GMT

Making his final start before the fast-approaching MLB trade deadline, the Mets’ Justin Verlander demonstrated once again Sunday how he could help a contender.The 40-year-old right-hander held the Washington Nationals to one run over 5.1 innings, striking out five in the Mets’ 5-2 win at Citi Field. Verlander exited to a standing ovation from a home crowd wondering if he had just pitched his last game for New York.The strong outing came a day after the disappointing Mets sent co-ace Max Scherzer to the Texas Rangers, establishing them as full-blown sellers before Tuesday’s deadline.Verlander, who improved to 6-5 with a 3.15 ERA this season, would be one of the top starting pitchers on the trade market if the Mets make him available. The three-time Cy Young Award winner has pitched to a 1.49 ERA over his last seven starts. His 16 playoff wins are the second-most in MLB history.Trading Verlander comes with complications, considering he is owed $43.3 million in 2024 a...

Kendrick Bourne’s lack of action an early Patriots training camp mystery

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:17 GMT

FOXBORO — There isn’t much wear and tear on Kendrick Bourne’s wide receiver gloves through the first four practices of Patriots training camp.Bourne did everything right in his lead-up to training camp, but through four practices, the hard work hasn’t produced results in the way of targets or catches.Bourne said this spring that he had bulked up in the offseason. That was noted on the Patriots’ roster with 27-year-old wide receiver’s weight increasing from 190 to 205 bounds. He said Sunday this is the best he’s ever felt.Head coach Bill Belichick raved about Bourne’s offseason to reporters ahead of Sunday afternoon’s practice.Related ArticlesNew England Patriots | Patriots rookie DL Keion White explains early growth in training camp New England Patriots | Christian Barmore returns, Patriots missing 2 rookies at training camp after first off day New England Patriots | NFL notebook: How the Patriots could extend Matt Judon, Kyle D...

Tornado confirmed along Easton/Foxboro town line, 105 mph peak winds: National Weather Service

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:17 GMT

A tornado with wind speeds north of 100 mph touched down along the Easton and Foxboro town line Saturday night, toppling trees and taking down wires as meteorologists checked out the storm damage on Sunday.A National Weather Service storm survey team confirmed that there was an EF-1 tornado with estimated peak winds of 105 mph in southeastern Massachusetts.“We have confirmed a EF-1 Tornado along the Foxborough/Easton town line in Massachusetts,” the National Weather Service’s Boston office tweeted on Sunday.The tornado’s path length and width were estimated to be 400 yards and 100 yards, respectively.“Straightline/microburst wind damage was verified in Brockton, East Bridgewater and portions of Easton,” the National Weather Service said in its storm survey report.A severe storm ripped through southeastern Massachusetts Saturday night.A significant amount of the damage was reported in Easton, where a tree reportedly fell onto a house on Poquanticut...

Erratic winds challenge firefighters battling two major California blazes

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:17 GMT

MOJAVE NATIONAL PRESERVE, Calif. (AP) — A massive wildfire burning out of control in California’s Mojave National Preserve was spreading rapidly Sunday amid erratic winds, while firefighters reported progress against another major blaze to the south that prompted evacuations. The York Fire that erupted Friday near the remote Caruthers Canyon area of the preserve was sending up a huge plume of smoke visible nearly 100 miles (160 kilometers) away across the state line in Nevada. Flames 20 feet (6 meters) high in some spots have charred more than 110 square miles (284 square kilometers) of desert scrub, juniper and Joshua tree woodland, according to a Sunday incident update. “The dry fuel acts as a ready ignition source, and when paired with those weather conditions it resulted in long-distance fire run and high flames, leading to extreme fire behavior,” the update said. No structures were threatened. There was no containment. To the southwest, the Bonny Fire was holding steady a...

Denmark seeks to legally prevent burnings of Quran or other religious scriptures

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:17 GMT

HELSINKI (AP) — Denmark’s foreign minister said Sunday the government will seek to make it illegal to desecrate the Quran or other religious holy books in front of foreign embassies in the Nordic country.Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen said in an interview with the Danish public broadcaster DR that the burning of holy scriptures “only serves the purpose of creating division in a world that actually needs unity.”“That is why we have decided in the government that we will look at how, in very special situations, we can put an end to mockery of other countries, which is in direct conflict with Danish interests and the safety of the Danes,” he said.A recent string of public Quran desecrations by a handful of anti-Islam activists in Denmark and neighboring Sweden have sparked angry demonstrations in Muslim countries.Løkke Rasmussen said the Cabinet of Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen is determined to find “a legal tool” to prohibit such acts without compromising freedom of expressi...

Kansas transgender people find Democratic allies in court bid to restore their right to alter IDs

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:17 GMT

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Officials who work for the Democratic governor in Kansas are challenging a court ruling that has temporarily halted the state from allowing transgender people to change the gender on their driver’s licenses.The state Department of Revenue says Attorney General Kris Kobach, a Republican, didn’t have legal authority to file a lawsuit that led to a district judge temporarily stopping transgender people from changing their licenses, at least until Nov. 1. The latest court response by Democrats was dated Friday. Kobach argues that allowing people to change their gender identity on state IDs — which the state labels as their “sex” — violates a Kansas law that took effect July 1 and rolled back transgender rights. He sued after Gov. Laura Kelly said the changes would continue despite that new law. Kansas for now is among only a few states that don’t allow any such changes, along with Montana, Oklahoma and Tennessee. The state Department of Revenue oversees d...

Some renters may get relief from biggest apartment construction boom in decades, but not all

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:17 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — When viewed through a wide lens, renters across the U.S. finally appear to be getting some relief, thanks in part to the biggest apartment construction boom in decades.Median rent rose just 0.5% in June, year over year, after falling in May for the first time since the pandemic hit the U.S. Some economists project U.S. rents will be down modestly this year after soaring nearly 25% over the past four years.A closer look, however, shows the trend will likely be little comfort for many U.S. renters who’ve had to put an increasing share of their income toward their monthly payment. Renters in cities such as Cincinnati and Indianapolis are still getting hit with increases of 5% or more. Much of the new construction is located in just a few metro areas, and many of the new units are luxury apartments, which rent for well north of $2,000. Median U.S. rent has risen to $2,029 this June from $1,629 in June 2019, according to rental listings company Rent, which tracks rents...

Customers want instant gratification. Workers say it’s pushing them to the brink

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:17 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Six straight days of 12-hour driving. Single digit paychecks. The complaints come from workers in vastly different industries: UPS delivery drivers and Hollywood actors and writers.But they point to an underlying factor driving a surge of labor unrest: The cost to workers whose jobs have changed drastically as companies scramble to meet customer expectations for speed and convenience in industries transformed by technology.The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated those changes, pushing retailers to shift online and intensifying the streaming competition among entertainment companies. Now, from the picket lines, workers are trying to give consumers a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to produce a show that can be binged any time or get dog food delivered to their doorstep with a phone swipe. Overworked and underpaid employees is an enduring complaint across industries — from delivery drivers to Starbucks baristas and airline pilots — where surges in consumer demand hav...

Blue Jays acquiring reliever Jordan Hicks from Cardinals

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:17 GMT

The Toronto Blue Jays are acquiring reliever Jordan Hicks from the St. Louis Cardinals, according to Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi.As @CraigMish reported, Blue Jays acquiring Jordan Hicks, per source. https://t.co/jOfcTAhryY— Shi Davidi (@ShiDavidi) July 30, 2023MLB Network’s Craig Mish was the first to report the trade being done.After an awful start to the season, the hard-throwing right-handed Hicks has bounced back with a Cardinals team playing well below expectations this year. He is 1-6 with a 3.67 ERA this year after posting a 5.23 ERA in April.Hicks, 26, was a third-round pick of the Cardinals in the 2015 MLB Draft. He made his big-league debut in 2018.Hicks, who has Type 1 diabetes, opted out of the 2020 season during the COVID-19 pandemic.