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John Means ready to rejoin Orioles, regardless of role: ‘I just want to win the World Series’

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 08:53:53 GMT

Fenway Park has been host to plenty of highlights in John Means’ career, the site of his major league debut in 2018 and first opening day start with the Orioles in 2021.It’s also where, this weekend, he rejoined the team in advance of his long-awaited activation from the injured list after his April 2022 Tommy John elbow reconstruction. Means threw a bullpen Saturday, and with Baltimore yet to list starters for the final two games in its upcoming home series with the St. Louis Cardinals, the 30-year-old left-hander seems poised to return to the rotation he shepherded for much of the organization’s rebuild. Even joining the Orioles as a reliever would not dull what he’s out to achieve with a team pursuing its first playoff berth since 2016.Means was an All-Star and the runner-up for American League Rookie of the Year in 2019 and was announced as the Orioles’ opening starter the next three seasons, though arm fatigue prevented him from making the assignme...

Aftershock rattles Morocco as rescuers seek survivors from the earthquake that killed over 2,100

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 08:53:53 GMT

By SAM METZ and MOSA’AB ELSHAMY (Associated Press)AMIZMIZ, Morocco (AP) — An aftershock rattled Moroccans on Sunday as they mourned victims of the nation’s strongest earthquake in more than a century and sought to rescue survivors while soldiers and aid workers raced to reach ruined mountain villages. The disaster killed more than 2,100 people — a number that is expected to rise.The United Nations estimated that 300,000 people were affected by Friday night’s magnitude 6.8 quake and some Moroccans complained on social networks that the government wasn’t allowing more outside help. International aid crews were poised to deploy, but some grew frustrated waiting for the government to officially request assistance.“We know there is a great urgency to save people and dig under the remains of buildings,” said Arnaud Fraisse, founder of Rescuers Without Borders, who had a team stuck in Paris waiting for the green light. “There are people...

Escaped murderer on the run in Pennsylvania has changed appearance and slipped out of search areas

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 08:53:53 GMT

PHOENIXVILLE, Pa. (AP) — Authorities say an escaped murderer who has eluded capture since breaking out of a southeastern Pennsylvania prison a week and a half ago has apparently slipped out of the search area, changed his appearance and is now being sought in a stolen vehicle.Pennsylvania State Police said in a statement Sunday morning that Danelo Souza Cavalcante was seen overnight near Phoenixville in northern Chester County, more than 20 miles (32 kilometers) northeast of the area that until now has been the focus of the search. Shortly before noon Sunday, however, they said Phoenixville residents may no longer see a large law enforcement presence since “investigative leads have emerged that indicate Cavalcante is no longer in that area.”Cavalcante is now clean-shaven and wearing a yellow or green hooded sweatshirt, black baseball cap, green prison pants and white shoes, police said. He was driving a 2020 White Ford Transit van that has a refrigeration unit on the top and had bee...

From foreign interference to war in Ukraine, Trudeau pushes rule-of-law agenda at G20

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 08:53:53 GMT

NEW DELHI — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau pushed a rule-of-law agenda at the G20 summit, whether it was wagging a finger at India’s prime minister about foreign interference attempts or pushing for stronger language to condemn Russia’s attack on Ukraine. As the two-day summit in New Delhi wrapped up, Trudeau openly condemned Moscow for its “illegal invasion of Ukraine.” It was wording left out of the final declaration from the world’s most powerful leaders, with their communique focusing on the economic effects of Vladimir Putin’s war — such as food and energy insecurity — not the thousands of casualties. Trudeau, one of the longest-serving leaders in the G20, said if it were up to him the language would have been much stronger. “People like Putin mistake being reasonable for being weak. He is dead wrong and Canada will continue to support Ukraine with whatever it takes, as long as it takes,” Trudeau said Sunday.The G20 urged the resum...

Canadian aid worker reportedly killed in Ukraine by Russian shelling

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 08:53:53 GMT

CHASIV YAR, Ukraine — Several aid organizations in Ukraine are reporting that a volunteer Canadian aid worker was killed this weekend by a Russian attack.In an Instagram post, humanitarian group Road to Relief says Anthony “Tonko” Ihnat was killed while travelling in a vehicle with three other volunteers with the organization.The group says they were on their way to check on civilians in the town of Ivanivske, in the Bakhmut region, when their vehicle was hit by Russian fire.The post says German medical volunteer Ruben Mawick and Swedish volunteer Johan Mathias Thyr were badly injured and hospitalized, while the status of Spanish volunteer and Road to Relief Director Emma Igual remains unknown.However, Spain’s acting Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares told Spanish media that authorities in Madrid had received “verbal confirmation” of the 32-year-old Igual’s death.Road to Relief’s LinkedIn page says the group was established in March 2022 to help people in Ukraine flee areas ...

TIFF’23: Fitting In and the struggles of not fitting it in

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 08:53:53 GMT

Film is an incredibly powerful medium, because it has the ability to show you a perspective you can’t see. Through watching the films of Edgar Wright, you can see the perspective of a hardcore cinephile. In watching the films of the Coen brothers, you see their quirky desire to tell their peculiar brand of drama. And in watching this film, you learn about why it’s hell to be a teenage girl.Fitting In is an enjoyable dramedy about how intense being a teenage girl can be, bolstered by an excellent lead performance from Maddie Ziegler. #TIFF23— James Mackin @ TIFF 23 (@JamesMackin10) September 10, 2023Fitting In is the latest film by Canadian filmmaker Molly McGlynn. It stars Maddie Ziegler (from Music) as a teenage girl called Lindy. She’s very athletic, she’s got a crush on a cute boy (played by D’Pharoah Woon-A-Tai from Reservation Dogs), and she’s finally ready to start exploring her sexual identity.But a routine check-up at the gynecologis...

Olympic gold-medal figure skater Sarah Hughes decides against run for NY congressional seat

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 08:53:53 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Olympic gold medalist Sarah Hughes has decided not to run for Congress, in a race for a Long Island seat where several other Democrats are also vying to unseat the Republican currently in office.Hughes, an ice skater who took the top spot in figure skating at the 2002 Winter Olympics, announced her decision Friday about running for New York’s 4th Congressional District in a social media post. Word that she had filed paperwork for a run had come out in May. Long Island Republican Anthony D’Esposito is the incumbent.“For those interested, I have decided not to run for Congress at this time,” she said on X, formerly known as Twitter. “Like many Americans, I have become increasingly frustrated with the state of our politics and politicians over the last several years. I will continue to advocate for reducing healthcare costs, promoting the effective use of our tax dollars, and implementing pro-growth and innovative economic policies for our country.”A website for h...

Biden says stronger US ties with Vietnam is about providing global stability, not containing China

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 08:53:53 GMT

HANOI (AP) — President Joe Biden insisted Sunday that he is not trying to start a “cold war” with China as he made his first visit to Vietnam, saying his goal is to provide stability around the world by building U.S. ties with Vietnam and other Asian countries.“We have an opportunity to strengthen alliances around the world to maintain stability. That’s what this trip is all about,” Biden said at a news conference after arriving in Vietnam’s capital from the Group of 20 summit in India. “It’s not about containing China. It’s about having a stable base.”The American president came to Hanoi as Vietnam was elevating the United States to its highest diplomatic status, comprehensive strategic partner. That is evidence of how far the relationship has evolved from what Biden referred to as the “bitter past” of the Vietnam War.The expanded partnership reflects a broader effort across Asia to counter China’s influence. Biden has said Vietnam wants to flex a degree of indepe...

Montrealers line up for souvenir rivets from old Champlain Bridge

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 08:53:53 GMT

Montreal-area residents are lining up for the chance to own a little piece of the Champlain Bridge that connected the city and its South Shore for nearly 60 years.As of 9:30 a.m. people were lining up in the rain on foot and in vehicles to get one of a few thousand rivets from the bridge that are being given away as keepsakes.The original Champlain Bridge was decommissioned in 2019 when it was replaced by a new $4.4-billion span.A spokeswoman for the federal Crown corporation that manages the old bridge says the structure played a major part in the economic development of both Montreal and its suburbs, even though it was plagued with issues in its final years.Nathalie Lessard says rivets — essentially big nails — are significant because they helped hold the bridge together and aren’t used in modern construction. The rivets come with a disclaimer warning that they may contain traces of lead paint, which has been mitigated by a protective coat of varnish. This report...

Let skeeters feed on you for science? Welcome to front lines of mosquito control

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 08:53:53 GMT

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — It’s lunchtime at the Salt Lake City Mosquito Abatement District and a colony of sabethes cyaneus — also known as the paddle-legged beauty for its feathery appendages and iridescent coloring — find their way to Ella Branham.“They’re not very aggressive and they’re kind of picky eaters,” said Branham, a technician, as she exhaled into a glass tank to attract the insects to the carbon dioxide in her breath. “So I’ll be feeding them with my arm.”Branham had volunteered to let the South American mosquitoes feed on her blood so they can produce eggs and maintain the colony for education and research at the lab in the Salt Lake City district. It’s one of the many mosquito control districts around the United States that seek to hold in check one of the world’s deadliest animals — one well-positioned to thrive as climate change fosters a warmer and wetter environment.Mosquitoes can carry viruses including dengue, yellow fever, chikun...