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Ursula von der Leyen is fighting for Europe’s conservative soul

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:02:00 GMT

BRUSSELS — They’re supposed to be political allies. But squaring off over dinner and wine at the center-right European People’s Party’s Brussels headquarters in early July, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and party leader Manfred Weber tussled over the future of the EU’s environmental policy. The prickly policy fight between the two Germans is central to what kind of Europe is liable to emerge on the international stage from EU elections next year, which their grouping of Europe’s conservative parties is on track to win.While the cautious von der Leyen has governed the Commission as a broad-based technocrat, an aggressive Weber is now seeking to drag the conservative family further to the right, and mop up votes from those frustrated with migration and new green laws.“Frosty, tense and no budging from either side,” is how one person with knowledge of the working dinner described it, backing up the accounts of two others who were in a room stuffed ...

A car-carrying ship that burned for a week on the North Sea will be towed to a Dutch port

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:02:00 GMT

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — A freight ship carrying thousands of cars that burned for a week on the North Sea will be towed on Thursday to a Dutch port for salvage, the government said.The Fremantle Highway, carrying 3,784 new vehicles, including 498 electric ones, from the German port city of Bremerhaven to Singapore was to be towed to the northern port of Eemshaven, the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management said.The nearly 200-meter (around 650-foot) vessel will be accompanied as a precaution by a boat that has special booms to clean up oil spills.Fire broke out on the Fremantle Highway on July 25 and burned out of control for a week as it floated near busy North Sea shipping lanes and the shallow Wadden Sea, a World Heritage-listed migratory bird habitat. Dutch authorities did not attempt to spray water onto the ship for fear of making it unstable.The ministry said that Eemshaven, 215 kilometers (134 miles) northeast of Amsterdam, was chosen because it is close to the...

Indian court allows survey of a 17th-century mosque to see if it was built over a Hindu temple

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:02:00 GMT

LUCKNOW, India (AP) — An Indian court on Thursday ruled that officials can conduct a scientific survey to determine if a 17th-century mosque in the country’s north was built over a Hindu temple. The Gyanvapi mosque in the holy Hindu city of Varanasi, an area Prime Minister Narendra Modi represents in India’s parliament, is one of several mosques in northern Uttar Pradesh state that some Hindus believe was built on top of demolished Hindu temples. The dispute over land ownership had been one of India’s most heated issues between India’s 80% majority Hindu community and Muslim minority, which makes up nearly 14% of the country’s 1.4 billion people.Vishnu Shankar Jain, an attorney representing the Hindu petitioners, said the High Court in the state on Thursday allowed the state-run Archaeological Survey of India to survey the structure without causing any damage to it.“Scientific survey is necessary in the interest of justice,” Live Law, an online portal for Indian le...

Commission clears acquisition of Telge Energi by Fortum Markets

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:02:00 GMT

The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the acquisition of sole control of Telge Energi AB by Fortum Markets AB, both of Sweden.Telge Energi is part of the Swedish Telge group, currently owned by the Swedish municipality of Södertälje. It is active in the retail sale of electricity generated from renewable sources to households and to small industrial and commercial customers. Fortum Markets is part of the Finnish-based energy group Fortum, solely controlled by the Finnish State. It is active in power generation, in the retail sale of energy to consumers and companies, and in the circular solutions business. The activities of Telge Energi and Fortum Markets overlap in the retail sale of electricity to households and to small industrial and commercial customers.The Commission concluded that the proposed acquisition would raise no competition concerns, given its limited impact on the markets concerned. The transaction was examined under the simplified mer...

Single family residence sells in San Ramon for $2.4 million

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:02:00 GMT

2608 Watervale Way – Google Street ViewA 3,824-square-foot house built in 2004 has changed hands. The spacious property located in the 2600 block of Watervale Way in San Ramon was sold on July 6, 2023. The $2,439,000 purchase price works out to $638 per square foot. This two-story home offers a capacious living environment with its five bedrooms and four bathrooms. The property is equipped with central A/C. In addition, the house features an attached three-car garage, providing ample room for vehicles and storage needs. The property encompasses a generous 7,512 square feet of land.Additional houses have recently been sold nearby:A 3,826-square-foot home on the 2200 block of Rosemount Lane in San Ramon sold in August 2022, for $2,585,000, a price per square foot of $676. The home has 5 bedrooms and 5 bathrooms.In August 2022, a 3,757-square-foot home on Tolley Court in San Ramon sold for $2,260,000, a price per square foot of $602. The home has 5 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms.On Rosemount...

Washington hosts Los Angeles after Sykes’ 25-point game

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:02:00 GMT

Los Angeles Sparks (9-17, 6-10 Western Conference) at Washington Mystics (12-13, 6-9 Eastern Conference)Washington; Friday, 7 p.m. EDTBOTTOM LINE: Washington plays the Los Angeles Sparks after Brittney Sykes scored 25 points in the Washington Mystics’ 80-73 loss to the Atlanta Dream.The Mystics have gone 8-4 in home games. Washington is fourth in the Eastern Conference scoring 80.8 points while shooting 42.6% from the field.The Sparks are 2-9 in road games. Los Angeles gives up 81.7 points to opponents and has been outscored by 3.5 points per game.The teams meet Friday for the first time this season.TOP PERFORMERS: Sykes is averaging 14.5 points, 3.5 assists and 2.2 steals for the Mystics. Tianna Hawkins is averaging 11.9 points over the last 10 games for Washington.Nneka Ogwumike is averaging 19.9 points, nine rebounds and 1.7 steals for the Sparks. Azura Stevens is averaging 11.9 points over the last 10 games for Los Angeles.LAST 10 GAMES: Mystics: 3-7, averaging 81.9 points...

New York faces Minnesota after Vandersloot’s 23-point game

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:02:00 GMT

New York Liberty (20-6, 11-3 Eastern Conference) at Minnesota Lynx (13-14, 8-7 Western Conference)Minneapolis; Friday, 8 p.m. EDTBOTTOM LINE: New York visits the Minnesota Lynx after Courtney Vandersloot scored 23 points in the Liberty’s 76-69 victory over the Los Angeles Sparks.The Lynx have gone 6-8 in home games. Minnesota is fifth in the WNBA with 26.7 defensive rebounds per game led by Napheesa Collier averaging 6.3.The Liberty have gone 10-2 away from home. New York is fifth in the WNBA giving up 82.0 points while holding opponents to 42.3% shooting.The teams square off for the second time this season. The Lynx won the last matchup 88-83 on July 29. Kayla McBride scored 26 points to help lead the Lynx to the victory.TOP PERFORMERS: Dorka Juhasz is averaging six points and six rebounds for the Lynx. Collier is averaging 21.8 points, 7.9 rebounds and 1.6 steals over the past 10 games for Minnesota.Breanna Stewart is averaging 22.9 points, 9.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.5 ...

Connecticut visits Indiana following Cannon’s 23-point game

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:02:00 GMT

Connecticut Sun (19-7, 10-3 Eastern Conference) at Indiana Fever (7-19, 4-9 Eastern Conference)Indianapolis; Friday, 7 p.m. EDTBOTTOM LINE: Indiana faces the Connecticut Sun after Emma Cannon scored 23 points in the Indiana Fever’s 72-71 victory against the Phoenix Mercury.The Fever’s record in Eastern Conference games is 4-9. Indiana ranks second in the Eastern Conference with 38.2 points per game in the paint led by Aliyah Boston averaging 10.5.The Sun are 10-3 in conference games. Connecticut is the best team in the Eastern Conference giving up only 78.5 points per game while holding opponents to 42.6% shooting.The teams square off for the third time this season. The Sun won the last matchup 81-78 on May 30. Tiffany Hayes scored 22 points to help lead the Sun to the victory.TOP PERFORMERS: Erica Wheeler is averaging 9.9 points and five assists for the Fever. Kelsey Mitchell is averaging 15.0 points over the last 10 games for Indiana.Alyssa Thomas is scoring 14.8 point...

Today in History: Aug. 3, deadly Walmart shooting in Texas

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:02:00 GMT

Today in History Today is Thursday, Aug. 3, the 215th day of 2023. There are 150 days left in the year. Today’s Highlight in History: On Aug. 3, 2019, a gunman opened fire at a Walmart store in El Paso, Texas, leaving 22 people dead; prosecutors said Patrick Crusius targeted Mexicans in hopes of scaring Latinos into leaving the U.S., and that he had outlined the plot in a screed published online shortly before the attack. (A man who was wounded in the shooting died in April 2020 after months in the hospital, raising the death toll to 23.)On this date: In 1492, Christopher Columbus set sail from Palos, Spain, on a voyage that took him to the present-day Americas. In 1916, Irish-born British diplomat Roger Casement, a strong advocate of independence for Ireland, was hanged for treason. In 1936, Jesse Owens of the United States won the first of his four gold medals at the Berlin Olympics as he took the 100-meter sprint.In 1949, the National Basketball Association was formed as a merger...

Many stars at Women’s World Cup juggle parenthood while playing on the world stage

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:02:00 GMT

Alex Morgan was speaking to reporters at the Women’s World Cup when she had to excuse herself to Facetime her young daughter before the toddler’s bedtime back home in the United States. Just another day for a working mom. Forget about orange slices, players such as Morgan, Katrina Gorry of Australia and Cheyna Matthews of Jamaica are redefining what it means to be a “soccer mom.” There have been plenty of elite athletes who have also juggled parenthood, but the level of support the mothers are receiving while on the job at the Women’s World Cup is improving. Morgan’s daughter, Charlie, has now joined her mother at the World Cup as the United States prepares for a Round of 16 match against Sweden on Sunday in Melbourne, Australia. Morgan has been reflective about being both a parent and a player at soccer’s biggest international tournament. In 2019, when the United States won its second straight World Cup trophy and fourth overall, now 3-year-old Charlie...