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Missiles and Drones Among Weapons Stolen From U.S. in Iraq and Syria

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:25:40 GMT

U.S. military outposts in Iraq and Syria are plagued by thefts of weapons and equipment, according to exclusive documents obtained by The Intercept that show militias and criminal gangs are systematically targeting U.S. forces.Military investigations launched earlier this year found that “multiple sensitive weapons and equipment” — including guided missile launch systems as well as drones — have been stolen in Iraq. This follows hundreds of thousands of dollars in military gear that were purloined from U.S. troops in Iraq and Syria between 2020 and 2022, as reported earlier this year by The Intercept.America’s bases in Iraq and Syria ostensibly exist to conduct “counter-ISIS missions,” but experts say they are used primarily as a check against Iran. Since the October outbreak of the conflict between Israel and Hamas, these bases have come under regular rocket and drone attacks as part of an undeclared war between the U.S. and Iran and its surrogate militias.The U.S. has increasingly...

Ziegler surges from fifth to first with a near-flawless free skate to win the NHK Trophy

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:25:40 GMT

OSAKA, Japan (AP) — Ava Marie Ziegler performed a near-flawless free skate Saturday to win the NHK Trophy and lead a U.S. 1-2 finish on the podium.Fifth after the short program, Ziegler landed all of her jumps cleanly to score 138.46 points in the free skate for her first title in the Grand Prix series and a personal best total of 200.50.Lindsay Thorngren, who led after the short program, fell on a planned triple salchow but was solid with all her other jumps and placed second with 198.73 points.Nina Pinzarrone of Belgium was third with 194.66, a result that allowed her to secure a place in the Dec. 7-10 Grand Prix Final at Beijing. South Korea’s Lee Hae-in was fourth with 188.95 points.Two-time world champion Kaori Sakamoto of Japan, Isabeau Levito of the United States and Loena Hendrickx of Belgium have already qualified for the GP Final.The NHK Trophy is the sixth and last event of the International Skating Union’s Grand Prix series, which leads in the Grand Prix Final.In i...

Lee leads the Australian PGA Championship by 3 shots from Hoshino of Japan

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:25:40 GMT

BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — Min Woo Lee extended his lead to three shots at the Australian PGA Championship after a 5-under 66 in overcast conditions Saturday to move to 17 under after three rounds.“It’s a course you can shoot low, so you’ll be aggressive no matter what,” Lee said. “I’m here because I played aggressively.”Rikuya Hoshino of Japan surged into second at 14 under after making six birdies on the back nine for a 64 on Saturday, moving one shot ahead of Curtis Luck (66) and three ahead of Adam Scott, who slipped to fourth place with a third-round 71.Marc Leishman (67) and Cam Davis (68) were in a group of four in seventh place at 9 under.No. 45-ranked Lee and Luck grew up in Western Australia and were regular rivals, but it’s been about a decade since they’ve both been in the leading group on the last day.The 27-year-old Luck, who won the U.S. Amateur and the Asia-Pacific Amateur in 2016 but has struggled for consistent results since turning pro, is lookin...

Identifican al matrimonio fallecido en la explosión de un vehículo en la frontera entre EE.UU. y Canadá. Esto sabemos de caso

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:25:40 GMT

(CNN) — Investigadores identificaron al matrimonio fallecido el miércoles en una explosión cerca de la frontera entre Estados Unidos y Canadá.Kurt P. Villani y su esposa Monica Villani, ambos de 53 años, murieron en el accidente de tráfico ocurrido en el lado estadounidense del paso fronterizo del Rainbow Bridge, según informó el Departamento de Policía de las cataratas del Niágara en un comunicado de prensa. La pareja vivía en Grand Island, Nueva York, dijo el Departamento de Policía de Nueva York.Los familiares de la pareja dieron las gracias a quienes les enviaron mensajes de apoyo y pidieron privacidad al público.“Nos gustaría extender nuestra sincera gratitud a todos los que extendieron sus oraciones, condolencias y buenos deseos”, dijeron los miembros de la familia en un comunicado emitido a través de la Oficina del Sheriff del Condado de Erie. “Estamos profundamente conmovidos. En este momento, estamos solicitando privacidad para que podamos comenzar e...

Oregon defeats Oregon State 31-7 for a spot in the Pac-12 title game as rivalry ends for now

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:25:40 GMT

EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — The Oregon Ducks are relishing a second chance against Washington. Sixth-ranked Oregon secured a spot in the Pac-12 championship game with a 31-7 victory Friday night over No. 15 Oregon State in the final scheduled matchup between the in-state rivals.The Ducks (11-1, 8-1 Pac-12, No. 6 CFP) will face No. 4 Washington next Friday in Las Vegas, the last conference championship before 10 of the league’s teams bolt next season. The winner has a chance at earning a spot in the four-team College Football Playoff.It was Oregon’s sixth straight win since a 36-33 loss at Washington on Oct. 14. The rematch next week will mark the first meeting between the teams in the Pac-12 title game. “Obviously that’s exactly how we wanted it,” Oregon quarterback Bo Nix said about heading to the title game, “because of the circumstances, because we lost the first one.”Nix, among the Heisman Trophy favorites, completed 33 of 40 passes for 367 yards and two touchdow...

Russia barrages Kyiv with record number of drones

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:25:40 GMT

KYIV — In the largest aerial attack since its invasion started, Russia barraged Ukraine with 75 Shahed drones overnight, Ukrainian officials said on Saturday. Most of the drones were aimed at Kyiv and the region around the capital, the Ukrainian Air Force said in a statement.Ukrainian forces managed to shoot down all but one of the Shahed kamikaze drones, as well as an X-59 cruise missile over the Dnipro region, the Ukrainian air force said.The assault included the highest number of Russian drones to be deployed in one night since Moscow launched its all-out invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The air attack lasted more than six hours, Kyiv Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko said in a statement. Anti-aircraft missiles, tactical aviation, mobile fire groups, and electronic warfare units were involved in repelling the air attack. No deaths were reported as a result of the barrage, but falling debris damaged buildings. In Kyiv, a fire broke out at a kindergarten, while windows were damaged in n...

Sweet 16: Special memories on Thanksgiving

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:25:40 GMT

Bishop Fenwick coach David Woods never expected to get star quarterback Bryce Leaman on the field after suffering a season-ending knee injury early in the season.The day before the Thanksgiving Day contest against Masconomet, Woods, the Leaman family and the team trainer discussed the option of padding his knee and protecting it so much that he could possibly make a cameo appearance in his final varsity game against Masconomet.“I’m just thinking, maybe he can go out, take a snap in shotgun and just hand the ball off. Just to get him on the field one last time,” Woods said. “During the pregame, he looked good so I thought maybe we could put him in shotgun and throw a pass.”Leaman did a little more than that. He started the game, played the first two series and one more in the fourth quarter. The quarterback with a torn ACL, MCL and PCL went on to complete 11-of-16 passes for 123 yards and cap off his high school career by throwing a back-shoulder fade to Kurtis Bruch for a touc...

Mike Preston’s observations on NFL’s problem with parity, Ravens run defense, hip-drop tackles and more | COMMENTARY

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:25:40 GMT

The only time the NFL makes changes is when a star player suggests them or gets hurt, so maybe officials will listen to former quarterback Tom Brady after he recently criticized the league for its mediocrity.The NFL has been “average” for several years, and that makes commissioner Roger Goodell happy because every team appears to have a chance at winning the championship, which keeps fans interested.But it’s boring.The NFL can have all of this late drama with games ending in field goals, but I prefer games that are fundamentally sound and feature great quarterback matchups such as Brady versus Peyton Manning or Aaron Rodgers against Drew Brees.Those duels don’t exist now. Besides Kansas City’s future Hall of Fame quarterback Patrick Mahomes, name five great ones playing today. There are some good young quarterbacks such as Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow and Philadelphia’s Jalen Hurts. You can throw in the Ravens’ Lamar Jackson, Buffalo’...

Thanksgiving Day Stars of the Week

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:25:40 GMT

DIVISION 1*Dom Papa threw for 282 yards and four touchdowns as Andover defeated North Andover, 27-13.*Tate Hoffmeister rushed for 235 yards and three scores as Needham beat Wellesley, 21-7.*James Curry ran for 202 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 35 carries as Braintree defeated Milton, 33-19.*Carlos Rodrigues threw for 226 yards and three touchdowns as Everett rolled to a 56-28 win over Everett.*Darius Braithwaite ran for 172 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries as Lincoln-Sudbury beat Newton South, 35-7.*Aaron Chiocca got Methuen off and running as he took the opening kickoff to paydirt and later returned an interception for a score as Methuen handled Dracut/Innovation, 48-16.*Hayden Willen threw for 145 yards and two touchdowns, while rushing for 107 yards and three more scores as Newton North doubled up on Brookline, 42-21.*Jake Cullen completed 10-of-14 passes for 126 yards and three touchdowns, while rushing for 111 yards as Westford Academy defeated Acton-Boxboro, 35-10.*Mike...

At least 9 people killed in Syrian government shelling of a rebel-held village, the opposition says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:25:40 GMT

BEIRUT (AP) — Syrian government forces’ shelling of a northwestern village Saturday killed at least nine people, including six children, as they picked olives, opposition activists said.The shelling of the village of Qawqafeen, in Idlib province, is the latest violation of a truce reached in March 2020 between Russia and Turkey, who back rival sides in Syria’s 12-year conflict that has killed half a million people.Hundreds of people have been killed or wounded over the past years in violations of the truce that ended a monthslong Russian-backed government offensive on the northwestern Idlib province, the last major rebel stronghold in Syria. The shelling of the farm was reported by the Britain-based opposition war monitor Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and the opposition’s Syrian Civil Defense, also known as White Helmets.The White Helmets said it treated one woman who was wounded and handed over the bodies of the dead to their families.Idlib is home to more than 4 millio...