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Mercury’s Skylar Diggins-Smith says team won’t let her use practice facility

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:58:39 GMT

PHOENIX (AP) — Phoenix Mercury star Skylar Diggins-Smith said Thursday in a social media post that she’s been barred from the team’s practice facility while she is on maternity leave from the team.The six-time All-Star hasn’t played for the Mercury this season after the birth of her second child.Diggins-Smith made the allegations when responding to a post on X about the Mercury not celebrating her birthday on social media. She wrote: “They’re not gonna acknowledge me this year and it’s ok guys. We’re not affiliated unless it’s the checks….per management. I can’t even use the practice facility or any resources.”Mercury interim coach Nikki Blue was asked about Diggins-Smith before Thursday night’s game against Atlanta, but she didn’t say much about the situation.“Skylar is on maternity leave right now and as we do with players on maternity leave, we give them their space,” Blue said.___WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-...

Pac-12 being pushed to brink as Big Ten joins Big 12 in honing in on West Coast schools

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:58:39 GMT

The Big Ten has joined the Big 12 in pushing the Pac-12 to the brink.Arizona is in serious talks to join the Big 12, a person with direct knowledge of the discussions told The Associated Press on Thursday night. Meanwhile, the Big Ten is discussing membership with Oregon and Washington, two people with direct knowledge of those talks told the AP.All spoke on condition of anonymity because nothing has been made official by the schools or conferences involved.None of the news bodes well for the Pac-12’s survival.The boards of regents for Arizona’s two biggest universities, along with the University of Washington, had special meetings Thursday night, ramping up speculation that more Pac-12 schools could leave the flailing conference.The person with direct knowledge of the Arizona situation also said that Arizona State was mulling jumping to the Big 12, too, but was not as far along in the process. That could slow down Arizona’s final decision because the Tucson-based school would...

Danish PM: Banning Quran burning would not reduce freedom of expression

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:58:39 GMT

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen spoke out for the first time on the burning of the Quran in her country, saying that a potential ban on setting fire to the religious text would not limit freedom of expression. “I don’t consider it a restriction on freedom of expression that you can’t burn other people’s books,” Frederiksen said in an interview published Thursday. “It is not a slippery slope,” she added, referring to a debate triggered after the Danish government announced a potential ban on Quran burnings on Sunday.Last week, far-right protesters organized anti-Islam demonstrations and burned copies of the Quran in front of the Egyptian and Turkish embassies in Copenhagen. On Sunday, Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen condemned these acts and said the small number of people responsible did not represent Danish society or values.“There is a concrete security risk. And then there is a risk that we will become isolated on the i...

South Korea detains suspect in high school teacher’s stabbing a day after separate attack wounded 14

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:58:39 GMT

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korean police detained a man suspected of stabbing a high school teacher with a knife Friday in the city of Daejeon. The stabbing follows a separate, apparently random attack on Thursday in which 14 people were wounded near a busy subway station in Seongnam.Officials at the Daejeon Metropolitan Police Agency didn’t immediately release the personal details of the suspect in the Friday morning attack on the teacher at Songchon High School, describing him only as a man in his late 20s.According to police, the suspect waited for the teacher to step out of a classroom before stabbing him and fleeing the scene, which, according to officials, suggests they were acquaintances. Police and fire department authorities did not specify the teacher’s health condition.The attack in Daejeon, about 120 kilometers (75 miles) south of Seongnam, came hours after President Yoon Suk Yeol called for “ultra-strong” law enforcement measures to restore faith in public safety a...

Austrian leader proposes enshrining the use of cash in his country’s constitution

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:58:39 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — Austria’s leader is proposing to enshrine in the country’s constitution a right to use cash, which remains more popular in the Alpine nation than in many other places.Chancellor Karl Nehammer said in a statement on Friday that “more and more people are concerned that cash could be restricted as a means of payment in Austria.” His office said that the “uncertainty” is fueled by contradictory information and reports.“People in Austria have a right to cash,” Nehammer said. While payments by card and electronic methods have become increasingly common in many European countries, Austria and neighboring Germany remain relatively attached to cash. The government says 47 billion euros ($51 billion) per year are withdrawn from ATMs in Austria, a country of about 9.1 million people.Protecting cash against supposed threats has been a demand of the far-right opposition Freedom Party, which has led polls in Austria in recent months. The country’s next election is due in...

Russia accuses Ukraine of attacking Black Sea navy base and Crimea with drones

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:58:39 GMT

Russia accused Ukraine early Friday of attacking its Black Sea navy base in the port of Novorossiysk with sea drones. Novorossiysk is just across the water from Crimea, where Russia’s Ministry of Defense said it thwarted another attack by Ukraine overnight, taking down 13 drones.Russia’s Ministry of Defense said Russian ships patrolling the perimeter of the naval base destroyed two Ukrainian sea drones.Footage published on Russian social media channels appeared to show a ship firing into the sea and a burning object exploding. Ukrainian agencies carried footage from social media channels they suggested showed a Russian ship listing to one side after the attack.The Associated Press could not verify the videos. Ukrainian officials have not commented on the attack, in keeping with the country’s security policy.Minutes after confirming the attack on the Black Sea port, Russia’s Ministry of Defense said it had also repelled another attack by Ukraine on Moscow-annexed Crimea. The defense ...

Erasmus+: 159 projects selected to modernize higher education worldwide

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:58:39 GMT

The Commission has selected 159 projects for funding under Erasmus+ Capacity Building for Higher Education, which supports the modernization and quality of higher education in third countries worldwide. These projects all respond to the overall aim to support the international cooperation of higher education, improve education systems and strengthen growth and prosperity on a global scale. Through the projects selected this year, 2,500 higher education stakeholders from almost 130 EU countries and across the world will work together to modernise and internationalize higher education. The overall 2023 budget of €115.3 million will for example advance the professionalisation of maths in Central Africa; university studies in equity and equality law for vulnerable groups in Latin America; curricula for a sustainable blue economy in the Southern Mediterranean; and courses for transformative change in health education in South-East Asia. Projects in other regions focus on entrepreneurship...

Dear Abby: This unpleasant couple is ruining my peace and quiet

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:58:39 GMT

DEAR ABBY: A year ago, my landlord asked me to move out of an apartment that I loved. I could no longer afford the rent, so I asked my son if I could live with him. He agreed without hesitation. Two weeks later, I packed up and moved.Related ArticlesAdvice | Dear Abby: He put security cameras everywhere, and now he’s logging our activities Advice | Dear Abby: The photos he takes of me are threatening our marriage Advice | Dear Abby: My friends are going to be angry about what I’ve hidden from them Advice | Dear Abby: My parents took in my ex while I had to live in my car Advice | Dear Abby: My friend makes silly excuses for why her husband won’t see me At first, it was comfortable, but things started to change around the time I had emergency open-heart surgery.My granddaughter announced that she was moving in as well. Then here she comes with her boyfriend, expecting him to live there, ...

Single-family residence in Fremont sells for $2.5 million

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:58:39 GMT

2357 Castillejo Way – Google Street ViewA spacious house located in the 2300 block of Castillejo Way in Fremont has new owners. The 2,292-square-foot property, built in 1970, was sold on June 15, 2023. The $2,450,000 purchase price works out to $1,069 per square foot. This single-story house offers a spacious layout with four bedrooms and three bathrooms. Outside, the home presents roofing composed of wood shake roofing / shingles materials. Inside, a fireplace enhances the ambiance of the living area. Additionally, the house is equipped with a two-car garage, accommodating vehicles and storage needs efficiently. The property occupies a sizable 8,400-square-foot lot which provides abundant outdoor space, including a pool.Additional houses have recently been purchased nearby:On Travis Layfield Place, Fremont, in October 2022, a 5,804-square-foot home was sold for $4,525,000, a price per square foot of $780. The home has 3 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms.In April 2023, a 1,761-square-foot ho...

Today in History: Aug. 4, Anne Frank and family arrested

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:58:39 GMT

Today in History Today is Friday, Aug. 4, the 216th day of 2023. There are 149 days left in the year. Today’s Highlight in History On Aug. 4, 1944, 15-year-old diarist Anne Frank was arrested with her sister, parents and four others by the Gestapo after hiding for two years inside a building in Amsterdam. (Anne and her sister, Margot, died at the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp.) On this date: In 1790, the U.S. Coast Guard had its beginnings as President George Washington signed a measure authorizing a group of revenue cutters to enforce tariff and trade laws and prevent smuggling. In 1830, plans for the city of Chicago were laid out.In 1916, the United States reached agreement with Denmark to purchase the Danish Virgin Islands for $25 million. In 1936, Jesse Owens of the United States won the second of his four gold medals at the Berlin Olympics as he prevailed in the long jump over German Luz Long, who was the first to congratulate him. In 1964, the bodies of missing civil rights...