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EU launches talks on €20 billion Ukraine military fund

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:51 GMT

The European Union's foreign policy chief on Thursday (20 July) proposed a €20 billion ($22.4bn) fund to pay for weapons, ammunition and military aid for Ukraine over four years, but the plan will need more scrutiny from EU governments before any decision is made.High Representative Josep Borrell (pictured) presented the proposal to EU foreign ministers meeting in Brussels as part of an effort to put European support for Kyiv on a longer-term footing after more than a year of scrambling to respond to Russia's invasion.The proposal comes amid an international drive to give Ukraine long-term security assurances, as announced by members of the G7 on the sidelines of last week's NATO summit in Vilnius."We proposed the creation of a dedicated section under the European Peace Facility to provide up to €5bn a year for the next four years for the defence needs of Ukraine," Borrell told a news conference after the meeting."This is the evaluation of the needs and the cost of our long-term sec...

Seattle plays New York on 5-game road skid

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:51 GMT

Seattle Storm (4-18, 4-7 Western Conference) at New York Liberty (16-5, 10-3 Eastern Conference)New York; Tuesday, 7 p.m. EDTBOTTOM LINE: Seattle will look to end its five-game road skid when the Storm play New York.The Liberty have gone 8-3 at home. New York ranks second in the Eastern Conference in rebounding averaging 37.2 rebounds. Breanna Stewart leads the Liberty with 9.4 boards.The Storm have gone 2-7 away from home. Seattle is 3- when it wins the turnover battle and averages 14.1 turnovers per game.The teams meet for the fourth time this season. The Liberty won 80-76 in the last meeting on July 8. Stewart led the Liberty with 25 points, and Sami Whitcomb led the Storm with 19 points.TOP PERFORMERS: Stewart is scoring 22.7 points per game and averaging 9.4 rebounds for the Liberty. Sabrina Ionescu is averaging 17.2 points and 5.9 rebounds over the last 10 games for New York.Jewell Loyd is averaging 24.3 points and 3.3 assists for the Storm. Whitcomb is averaging 11.9 points a...

Sparks take on the Fever on 8-game skid

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:51 GMT

Indiana Fever (6-16, 4-9 Eastern Conference) at Los Angeles Sparks (7-15, 6-10 Western Conference)Los Angeles; Tuesday, 10 p.m. EDTBOTTOM LINE: Los Angeles will try to break its eight-game slide when the Sparks play Indiana.The Sparks have gone 5-6 at home. Los Angeles is third in the Western Conference at limiting opponent scoring, allowing 82.5 points while holding opponents to 46.5% shooting.The Fever are 5-9 on the road. Indiana is third in the Eastern Conference with 35.0 rebounds per game led by NaLyssa Smith averaging 9.7.The Sparks and Fever face off Tuesday for the first time this season.TOP PERFORMERS: Nneka Ogwumike is scoring 19.6 points per game and averaging 9.3 rebounds for the Sparks. Jordin Canada is averaging 10.8 points and 2.4 rebounds over the last 10 games for Los Angeles.Aliyah Boston is averaging 14.8 points and eight rebounds for the Fever. Kelsey Mitchell is averaging 14.8 points over the last 10 games for Indiana.LAST 10 GAMES: Sparks: 2-8, averaging 77.7 ...

Phoenix plays Atlanta, looks to stop road skid

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:51 GMT

Phoenix Mercury (6-16, 2-11 Western Conference) at Atlanta Dream (12-10, 7-7 Eastern Conference)College Park, Georgia; Tuesday, 7 p.m. EDTBOTTOM LINE: Phoenix will look to stop its seven-game road losing streak when the Mercury play Atlanta.The Dream have gone 5-6 at home. Atlanta leads the Eastern Conference in rebounding, averaging 37.3 boards. Cheyenne Parker leads the Dream with 7.4 rebounds.The Mercury are 1-10 on the road. Phoenix has a 1-10 record against teams over .500.The matchup Tuesday is the first meeting of the season between the two teams.TOP PERFORMERS: Rhyne Howard is scoring 19.0 points per game with 4.6 rebounds and 3.6 assists for the Dream. Allisha Gray is averaging 17.9 points and 4.1 assists over the past 10 games for Atlanta.Brittney Griner is averaging 18.3 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.7 blocks for the Mercury. Michaela Onyenwere is averaging 10.5 points and 3.6 rebounds while shooting 43.5% over the last 10 games for Phoenix.LAST 10 GAMES: Dream: 7-3, averagi...

Bonner leads Connecticut against Dallas after 20-point performance

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:51 GMT

Connecticut Sun (17-6, 10-3 Eastern Conference) at Dallas Wings (13-9, 8-5 Western Conference)Arlington, Texas; Tuesday, 8 p.m. EDTBOTTOM LINE: Connecticut takes on the Dallas Wings after DeWanna Bonner scored 20 points in the Sun’s 86-78 win over the Atlanta Dream.The Wings have gone 8-2 at home. Dallas ranks ninth in the league averaging 6.6 made 3-pointers per game while shooting 29.4% from deep. Arike Ogunbowale leads the team averaging 2.7 makes while shooting 31.4% from 3-point range.The Sun are 9-3 on the road. Connecticut is fifth in the WNBA scoring 83.9 points per game while shooting 44.6%.The teams meet for the second time this season. The Sun won 80-74 in the last matchup on June 4.TOP PERFORMERS: Satou Sabally is averaging 17.8 points, 9.1 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.5 steals for the Wings. Ogunbowale is averaging 20.3 points over the last 10 games for Dallas.Alyssa Thomas is averaging 14.8 points, 9.6 rebounds, eight assists and 1.9 steals for the Sun. Bonner is ...

Wilson leads Las Vegas against Chicago after 35-point showing

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:51 GMT

Las Vegas Aces (21-2, 13-1 Western Conference) at Chicago Sky (9-13, 3-10 Eastern Conference)Chicago; Tuesday, 7 p.m. EDTBOTTOM LINE: Las Vegas visits the Chicago Sky after A’ja Wilson scored 35 points in the Aces’ 98-81 victory against the Minnesota Lynx.The Sky are 4-7 on their home court. Chicago is 1-3 in games decided by 3 points or fewer.The Aces have gone 10-2 away from home. Las Vegas is 15- when it wins the turnover battle and averages 11.7 turnovers per game.The teams meet for the second time this season. The Aces won 93-80 in the last meeting on June 11. Wilson led the Aces with 21 points, and Marina Mabrey led the Sky with 20 points.TOP PERFORMERS: Courtney Williams is scoring 9.0 points per game with 6.3 rebounds and 5.9 assists for the Sky. Kahleah Copper is averaging 19.4 points over the past 10 games for Chicago.Chelsea Gray is averaging 14.3 points, 6.8 assists and 1.5 steals for the Aces. Wilson is averaging 22.4 points over the last 10 games for Las Ve...

Fourth time a charm for Jaclyn Dehney

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:51 GMT

This summer, Jaclyn Dehney made her fourth trip to the USA Wrestling US Marine Corps Junior and 16U National Championships.After she finished the eighth grade, she placed fifth in the 16U Division. Two years ago, she placed second in the Junior Division. Last year, she finished sixth, also in the Junior Division.On Sunday, July 16, she was standing on the top spot on the podium, holding a giant plaque.“It’s a big plaque that looks like a stop sign,” she said. “It’s really cool and pretty heavy. Four of the smaller plaques can fit on it.”The recent Central Catholic High School graduate won the Junior Women’s Freestyle championship at 127 pounds at the FargoDome in Fargo, North Dakota.“It’s just a really good feeling,” Dehney said. “My mindset was just really good and I was ready to go.”The top-seeded Dehney won seven bouts in the tournament, defeating New York’s Emily Sindoni in the finals, 9-4. While Dehney is no stranger to wrestling at the national level, she ran into a different ...

9 people killed in a plane crash in eastern Sudan as the war reaches the 100-day mark

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:51 GMT

CAIRO (AP) — A civilian plane crashed after taking off from an airport in eastern Sudan, killing nine people, including four military personnel who were aboard the aircraft, the military said, as the conflict in the northeastern African country reached the 100-day mark on Monday with no sign of abating.The military said in a statement that a child survived late Sunday’s crash in Port Sudan, a city on the Red Sea that so far has been spared from the devastating war between the military and the powerful paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.The Antonov plane crashed shortly after taking off from the city’s airport, the military said. It blamed a technical failure for the crash. The statement provided no further details.Sudan has plunged into chaos since mid-April when monthslong tensions between the military and the RSF exploded into open fighting in the capital, Khartoum, and elsewhere across the country.“It’s been 100 days of war in Sudan, with a devastating toll on lives and infr...

8 police officers assigned to protect South Africa’s deputy president arrested over highway attack

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:51 GMT

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — Eight police officers assigned to a security team protecting South Africa’s deputy president have been arrested and are expected to appear in a courtroom on Monday after they were caught on video kicking and stomping on two off-duty trainee soldiers having pulled their car over on a highway in Johannesburg.Some of the plainclothes VIP protection officers were carrying assault rifles when they dragged the men out of their car and attacked them earlier this month. One of the men was kicked unconcious in the attack, which was caught on video by another motorist and shared widely on social media.It’s unclear why the officers pulled the car over as the video only starts as they are dragging one of the men across the road.But the officers are part of a VIP protection unit known in South Africa as the “blue light brigade” and which has a reputation for driving dangerously fast and reacting with unneccesary force if cars don’t immediately get out of their way. The unit n...

New evacuations ordered in Greece as high winds and heat fuel wildfires

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:51 GMT

RHODES, Greece (AP) — A weeklong wildfire on the Greek island of Rhodes tore past defenses Monday, forcing more evacuations, as three major fires raged elsewhere in the country fueled by strong winds and successive heat waves. The latest evacuations were ordered in south Rhodes after 19,000 people, mostly tourists, were moved in buses and boats over the weekend out of the path of the fire that reached several coastal areas from nearby mountains. Help continued to arrive from the European Union and elsewhere, with Turkish firefighting planes joining the effort in Rhodes, where eight water-dropping planes and 10 helicopters buzzed over flames up to five meters (16 feet) tall despite low visibility. “The risk of fire will be extreme in several areas of Greece today,” Fire Service spokesperson Vassilis Vathrakogiannis said a day after temperatures on the southern Greek mainland soared as high as 45 degrees Celsius (113 degrees Fahrenheit). Overnight, evacuations were also ordered on the...