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Prigozhin’s Legacy Is the Global Rise of Private Armies for Hire

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:15 GMT

The shocking, if widely predicted, reported death of warlord Yevgeny Prigozhin marked the last chapter in the most substantial threat to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s two-decade rule. As Putin continues to grapple with his shaken grip on power and Russia’s flailing war on Ukraine, the hot dog vendor-turned-global mercenary leader’s deadly legacy is likely to reverberate for years to come, as private military groups like Wagner play an ever-growing role in conflicts around the world. Prigozhin, who was Putin’s close associate before he attempted a mutiny against him two months ago, was reportedly on board his private plane when it crashed outside Moscow on Wednesday. On board were nine other senior members of the Wagner Group. The mercenary outfit that made Prigozhin a household name worldwide is infamous for having committed widespread atrocities in multiple countries and most recently for having fought alongside Russian forces in Ukraine, where it sacrificed tens of thous...

Abortion Bans or Democracy — You Can’t Have Both

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:15 GMT

People celebrate the defeat of Issue 1 during a watch party in Columbus, Ohio, on Aug. 8, 2023.Photo: Jay LaPrete/APThe defeat of Ohio Issue 1 on August 8 demonstrated the strength of the pro-abortion rights vote. Activists secured an initiative to be placed on the November ballot constitutionally enshrining the right to abortion until fetal viability. To head off what promises to be a slam dunk for the pros, Ohio’s anti-abortion Republican legislature proposed its own amendment, to raise the bar to amend the state constitution. That was Issue 1, the sole question on the ballot of the special August election.Issue 1 was a transparent ruse — polls showed 58 percent support for the abortion rights measure; the lawmakers specified a 60 percent majority to pass an amendment instead of the current simple majority — and voters soundly rejected it.Now Ohio is set to follow the six states that have conferred the highest level of state protection on reproductive freedom through popular refe...

Chargers seeking more depth in running game going into final preseason game

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:15 GMT

COSTA MESA, Calif. (AP) — Austin Ekeler is entrenched as the Los Angeles Chargers starting running back. Yet, the competition to determine who will back him up remains wide open.Joshua Kelley and Isaiah Spiller have shown improvement during training camp and the first two preseason games, while undrafted rookie Elijah Dotson is making a bid for a roster spot.All three running backs will get one final chance to make their case during Friday’s preseason finale at San Francisco.“I think that anyone on the active (roster) in the running back room, you’re going to want to utilize all of those different guys,” offensive coordinator Kellen Moore said. “We’ll just see how it all plays out. That will be through the season, I think, by game plan.”The Chargers have been searching for a consistent backup for Ekeler since he became the starter in 2020. But there is some optimism that there might be a feasible plan this season.Coach Brandon Staley has discussed emphasizing the running game more s...

Former Patriots receiver Julian Edelman joining ‘Fox NFL Kickoff’ studio show

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:15 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Julian Edelman is joining “Fox NFL Kickoff” for the upcoming season.Edelman, who won three Super Bowl titles in 12 seasons with the New England Patriots, is replacing Sean Payton on the show, which airs at 11 a.m. EDT on Sundays during the season. Payton did television for one year before returning to coaching with the Denver Broncos.It is not Edelman’s first analyst gig. He was on “Inside the NFL” the past two seasons after retiring from the league following the 2020 season.“It’s not just the fact that he’s done TV, it’s that he’s taken such an interest, even toward the end of his playing career,” said Brad Zager, Fox Sports executive producer and president of production & operations . “He’s somebody that’s so engaging when you talk to him in person, or when you see the clips of him doing TV or doing these podcasts as he’s done. He’s also gained the credibility of fans with the teams that he was on.”The rest of the “Fox NFL Sunday” crew is b...

New boxing governing body adds 6 more members in quest to get Olympic approval

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:15 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Six more national boxing federations have joined a new organization seeking to replace the embattled International Boxing Association as the sport’s governing body at the Olympic level.The federations representing Germany, Canada, Brazil, Argentina, Honduras and Sweden announced their affiliation with World Boxing on Thursday, giving the group 12 members. The federations of the U.S., Britain, England, Australia, New Zealand and the Netherlands formally founded the group in April.World Boxing is attempting to gather enough support and credibility to replace the IBA, which was stripped of Olympic recognition by the International Olympic Committee in June. The IBA and its Russian president, Umar Kremlev, have been at odds with the IOC for years.The IOC suspended the IBA, then known as AIBA, back in 2019 over concerns about its finances, governance and competition credibility. The IOC appointed a task force to run the boxing competition at the Tokyo Olympics in ...

Czech Masters Par Scores

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:15 GMT

ThursdayAt Albatross Golf ResortPraguePurse: $2 millionYardage: 7,468; Par: 72First RoundSami Valimaki, Finland32-31—63-9Alexander Bjork, Sweden31-34—65-7Todd Clements, England34-31—65-7Ryo Hisatsune, Japan33-32—65-7Nicolai Hojgaard, Denmark33-32—65-7Max Schmitt, Germany33-32—65-7Manu Gandas, India33-33—66-6Robert Macintyre, Scotland33-33—66-6Edoardo Molinari, Italy34-32—66-6Yannik Paul, Germany33-33—66-6Wil Besseling, Netherlands33-34—67-5Pedro Figueiredo, Portugal33-34—67-5Alexander Knappe, Germany32-35—67-5Hurly Long, Germany33-34—67-5Adrian Meronk, Poland34-33—67-5Adrian Otaegui, Spain32-35—67-5Matti Schmid, Germany35-32—67-5Freddy Schott, Germany32-35—67-5Martin Simonsen, Denmark35-32—67-5Fabrizio Zanotti, Paraguay34-33—67-5Ludvig Aberg, Sweden32-36—68-4John Axelsen, Denmark35-33—68-4Julien Guerrier, France34-34—68-4Angel Hidalgo, Spain33-35—68-4Pablo Larrazabal, Spain34-34—68-4Niklas Norgaard Moller, Denmark35-33—68-4Victor Perez, France35-33—68-4Yannick Schuetz, Germany35-33—...

Czech Masters Scores

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:15 GMT

ThursdayAt Albatross Golf ResortPraguePurse: $2 millionYardage: 7,468; Par: 72First RoundSami Valimaki, Finland32-31—63Alexander Bjork, Sweden31-34—65Todd Clements, England34-31—65Ryo Hisatsune, Japan33-32—65Nicolai Hojgaard, Denmark33-32—65Max Schmitt, Germany33-32—65Manu Gandas, India33-33—66Robert Macintyre, Scotland33-33—66Edoardo Molinari, Italy34-32—66Yannik Paul, Germany33-33—66Wil Besseling, Netherlands33-34—67Pedro Figueiredo, Portugal33-34—67Alexander Knappe, Germany32-35—67Hurly Long, Germany33-34—67Adrian Meronk, Poland34-33—67Adrian Otaegui, Spain32-35—67Matti Schmid, Germany35-32—67Freddy Schott, Germany32-35—67Martin Simonsen, Denmark35-32—67Fabrizio Zanotti, Paraguay34-33—67Ludvig Aberg, Sweden32-36—68John Axelsen, Denmark35-33—68Julien Guerrier, France34-34—68Angel Hidalgo, Spain33-35—68Pablo Larrazabal, Spain34-34—68Niklas Norgaard Moller, Denmark35-33—68Victor Perez, France35-33—68Yannick Schuetz, Germany35-33—68Santiago Tarrio, Spain34-34—68Marc Warren, Scotland3...

Canadian wildfires led to spike in asthma ER visits, especially in the Northeast

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:15 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — The smoke from Canadian wildfires that drifted into the U.S. led to a spike in people with asthma visiting emergency rooms — particularly in the New York area.The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published two studies Thursday about the health impacts of the smoke, which shrouded city skylines with an orange haze in late spring. A medical journal also released a study this week. When air quality worsens, “an asthmatic feels it before anyone else,” said Dr. Adrian Pristas, a pulmonologist based in Hazlet, New Jersey, who remembered a flood of calls from patients in June during the days of the heaviest smoke. People with asthma often wheeze, are breathless, have chest tightness and have either nighttime or early-morning coughing. “I have no doubt that every asthmatic had an uptick in symptoms,” Pristas said. “Some were able to manage it on their own, but some had to call for help.”Each of the studies looked at different geographic areas — one was n...

Officials believe plane crash that likely killed Wagner head Prigozhin was intentionally caused by explosion: AP sources (CORRECTS: A previous APNewsAlert with inaccurate punctuation.)

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:15 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Officials believe plane crash that likely killed Wagner head Prigozhin was intentionally caused by explosion: AP sources (CORRECTS: A previous APNewsAlert with inaccurate punctuation.).Source

What to expect from Friday's rainstorm

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:15 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — After a long streak of 90-degree days, the remnants of Tropical Storm Harold will bring big temperature drops and heavy rain to the Front Range.Friday is a Pinpoint Weather Alert Day. Pinpoint Weather Meteorologist Travis Michels said the biggest impacts will be heavy rainfall throughout the day and 15-20 degree temperature drops.TimingThe storm system will move into Colorado by Thursday evening. Showers and storms will be in the high country first and then move into the Denver metro and Front Range by early Friday morning.The morning commute will be a wet one. Rain will linger through the mid-morning in Denver before showers lighten up by the mid-afternoon. Denver resident dies from West Nile virus The heaviest rainfall could be towards the Fort Collins and Greeley area. According to Colorado's Most Accurate Forecast, the storm will begin to pick up by midday and produce 1 to 2.5 inches of rainfall.Pinpoint Weather: Rain outlook for the next five daysThe storms ar...