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France's last surviving D-Day commando joins 79th anniversary beach landing

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:54 GMT

Leon Gautier, the last surviving member of the French commandos who stormed the Normandy beaches defended by Hitler's troops in 1944, on Tuesday (6 June) joined President Emmanuel Macron at a seafront ceremony marking the 79th anniversary of the D-Day landings.Gautier, 100, presented a student marine commando with his green beret at a passing out parade at Colleville-Montgomery, near where a 21-year-old Gautier had landed on Sword Beach in a hail of enemy fire.Gautier was one of 177 French green berets under the command of Captain Philippe Kieffer who took part in the Normandy landings. More than 150,000 allied troops invaded France to drive out Nazi Germany forces.At Tuesday's ceremony, the young marine knelt down on one knee to allow Gautier, sat in a wheelchair to Macron's side, to straighten his beret.In 2019, Gautier recounted on the occasion of the 75th D-Day anniversary how French troops had been the first to wade chest-deep onto Sword Beach."Your honour," Gautier recalled Br...

1 dead, 2 hospitalized after car jumps curb, crashes into Chase Bank building

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:54 GMT

Personnel with the Los Angeles Fire Department responded to the Pico-Robertson neighborhood of Los Angeles where a vehicle drove onto the sidewalk, struck several pedestrians, killing one of them, before crashing into a building. Crews were dispatched to 6161 West Pico Boulevard, near La Cienega Boulevard at around 5:28 p.m. after receiving calls about the crash.  At the scene, firefighters found at least two of the three pedestrians pinned beneath a black Hyundai sedan after the driver jumped the curb onto the sidewalk, striking the three victims and crashing into a Chase Bank building. A 48-year-old female and a 51-year-old male were taken to the hospital in serious condition. The man later succumbed to his injuries. A 19-year-old male was also taken to to the hospital in fair condition, according to an LAFD news release. "They are all family members, all related," Cpt. Ben Fernandes, with the Los Angeles Police Department, said of the three victims. The driver of the vehicle...

French pension reform opponents push for repeal bill but are unlikely to succeed

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:54 GMT

Opponents of French President Emmanuel Macron’s retirement reform have tried mass protests, damaging strikes and constitutional challenges to stop it. Now they are trying one last move: a new bill to repeal it. But Macron’s centrist party is trying to outmaneuver the opposition, whose proposal has almost no chance of success.On Thursday French lawmakers are debating an opposition bill which aims to return the retirement age to 62 — it went up to 64 with Macron’s unpopular reform. Legislators from centrist opposition group LIOT proposed the text, supported by leftists and the far-right.Macron’s centrist party doesn’t have a majority in the National Assembly, the lower house of parliament, but it has allied with some Republican lawmakers to push back the opposition’s efforts. As a result, the key article stipulating the retirement age was removed from the bill when it was reviewed by the Social Affairs Committee last week.Opposition lawmakers planned to restore the previous retirement...

Replacement plane for Air India flight lands in San Francisco after being diverted to Russia

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:54 GMT

NEW DELHI (AP) — A replacement plane for an Air India flight diverted to Russia because of an engine problem has landed in San Francisco, carrying all passengers and crew.The original Boeing 777, which left New Delhi carrying 216 passengers and 16 crew members, landed at Magadan airport in Siberia in Russia’s far east on Tuesday. The plane had “developed a technical issue with one of its engines,” Air India said.The replacement plane arrived in San Francisco at 12:07 a.m. Thursday local time, the airline said in a statement.In Washington, U.S. State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel said fewer than 50 American citizens were on the plane and the department was not aware of any of them reaching out to the U.S. Embassy in Russia or other diplomatic posts.Passenger Girvaan Singh Kahma, 16, who was traveling with his uncle and brother, said they were barred from leaving the hostel in Magadan and were unable to use their credit cards because of sanctions over Russia’s war on Ukra...

Malaysia, Indonesia end 18-year sea border disputes, vow to cooperate in defending palm oil industry

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:54 GMT

PUTRAJAYA, Malaysia (AP) — Malaysia and Indonesia signed agreements Thursday that ended longstanding maritime border disputes and vowed to bolster cooperation to fight “highly detrimental discriminatory” measures against palm oil.Visiting Indonesian President Joko Widodo and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim witnessed the signing of two landmark treaties on the delimitation of the nations’ territorial seas in parts of the Straits of Malacca and the Sulawesi Sea. Other signed pacts included plans to improve border crossings, strengthen border trade and promote investment.“After 18 years of negotiations … praise be to God, it has finally been resolved,” Widodo told a joint news conference, in reference to the sea treaties. Widodo arrived in Malaysia on Wednesday accompanied by his wife and Cabinet ministers after a short visit to Singapore. His two-day visit reciprocates Anwar’s trip to Indonesia in January, shortly after Anwar took office. In a joint statement ...

Indian wrestlers demanding arrest of sports official for sexual abuse suspend protests

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:54 GMT

NEW DELHI (AP) — Elite wrestlers who are demanding the resignation and arrest of India’s wrestling federation president for allegedly sexually harassing young athletes have suspended their protests after the country’s sports minister promised a swift investigation. The protesting wrestlers have been staging a protest in the center of New Delhi for months seeking the arrest of Wrestling Federation of India President Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who has denied the allegations.They met with Sports Minister Anurag Thakur on Wednesday. Thakur said the police would file charges by June 15, and that the wrestlers had assured him they would not hold any protests until then.India’s federal government has also promised to hold elections for the top positions in the wrestling federation by the end of this month. Singh continues to head the federation.Two Olympic medalists, Bajrang Punia and Sakshi Malik, are part of the protests and have threatened to hand back their medals if no action is...

After dam bursts, IAEA says Zaporizhzhia's cooling pond must be safeguarded

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:54 GMT

The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant has enough water to cool its reactors for "several months" from a pond located above the reservoir of a nearby dam that has broken, the UN atomic watchdog said on Tuesday (6 June), calling for the pond to be spared.The major Soviet-era dam near the Russian-held nuclear plant in southern Ukraine was breached on Tuesday, unleashing flood waters across the war zone in what both Ukraine and Russia said was an intentional attack by the other's forces.The dam's reservoir provided water used for the essential cooling of the six reactors at Europe's biggest nuclear power plant as well as of spent fuel and emergency diesel generators that have had to be used repeatedly when external power fails."There are a number of alternative sources of water. A main one is the large cooling pond next to the site that by design is kept above the height of the reservoir," International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Rafael Grossi said in a statement issued in respons...

Single-family home sells in San Jose for $2.5 million

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:54 GMT

6089 Crestoak Court – Google Street ViewThe spacious property located in the 6000 block of Crestoak Court in San Jose was sold on May 26, 2023. The $2,450,000 purchase price works out to $1,022 per square foot. The house, built in 1972, has an interior space of 2,398 square feet. The property features four bedrooms, three bathrooms, a garage, and one parking space. It sits on an 8,325-square-foot lot, which also has a pool.These nearby houses have also recently been purchased:On Duet Court, San Jose, in April 2023, a 2,437-square-foot home was sold for $2,200,000, a price per square foot of $903. The home has 5 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.A 2,265-square-foot home on the 6100 block of Strelow Court in San Jose sold in August 2022, for $1,975,000, a price per square foot of $872. The home has 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.In October 2022, a 1,673-square-foot home on Castello Drive in San Jose sold for $1,725,000, a price per square foot of $1,031. The home has 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. 

Chicago visits Los Angeles following Ogwumike’s 22-point showing

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:54 GMT

Chicago Sky (5-3, 2-3 Eastern Conference) at Los Angeles Sparks (3-3, 3-3 Western Conference)Los Angeles; Friday, 10 p.m. EDTBOTTOM LINE: Los Angeles plays the Chicago Sky after Nneka Ogwumike scored 22 points in the Los Angeles Sparks’ 66-63 loss to the Seattle Storm.Los Angeles went 7-11 at home last season while going 13-23 overall. The Sparks averaged 8.6 steals, 3.9 blocks and 13.8 turnovers per game last season.Chicago finished 12-6 on the road and 26-10 overall a season ago. The Sky gave up 81.3 points per game while committing 16.2 fouls last season.INJURIES: Sparks: Jasmine Thomas: out (knee), Katie Lou Samuelson: out (personal).Sky: Ruthy Hebard: out (personal), Isabelle Harrison: out (knee), Rebekah Gardner: out (foot), Morgan Bertsch: out (ankle).___The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.Source

Dallas plays Phoenix in conference matchup

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:54 GMT

Phoenix Mercury (1-3, 1-3 Western Conference) at Dallas Wings (3-3, 3-0 Western Conference)Arlington, Texas; Friday, 8 p.m. EDTBOTTOM LINE: Phoenix plays Dallas in Western Conference action Friday.Dallas went 8-10 in Western Conference action and 8-10 at home during the 2022-23 season. The Wings gave up 82.8 points per game while committing 18.8 fouls last season.Phoenix finished 15-21 overall and 7-11 in Western Conference play during the 2022-23 season. The Mercury averaged 81.1 points per game while allowing opponents to score 84.1 last season.INJURIES: Wings: Lou Lopez Senechal: out (knee), Diamond DeShields: out (knee).Mercury: Skylar Diggins-Smith: out (personal).___The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.Source