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The F-16 takeoff to Ukraine will take time

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:00:28 GMT

Don’t expect to see F-16s in Ukrainian skies anytime soon — the allies need some time.Following months of Ukrainian lobbying, the U.S. on Friday greenlit training for Ukrainian pilots on fourth-generation fighter aircraft, raising expectations that a fleet of F-16s would soon be on its way.Yet as of now, some of the leading contenders to donate the American-developed warplanes — including the Netherlands, Belgium and Denmark — have only committed to helping train Ukrainian pilots, expressing reluctance to make further promises. “Let’s make sure we now make the most of training activities,” Dutch Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra told reporters in Brussels on Monday. “What the future then holds for us,” he added, “remains to be seen.” Some, like Belgium, have even directly said they don’t have F-16s to spare.The pattern, however, is one that has played out over and over as Western allies gradually escalate the weaponry they are shuttling to Ukraine. At first, there is he...

EU Parliament to slash luxury retirement fund payouts in half

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:00:28 GMT

BRUSSELS — Former members of the European Parliament enrolled in a plush pension scheme that’s nearing implosion will have their payouts cut in half as senior lawmakers try to stave off a bailout that would cost EU taxpayers millions.More than 900 people, including former pro-Brexit MEPs and several current EU commissioners, continue to receive thousands of euros in monthly payouts from the Parliament’s additional pension pot. But the legacy retirement scheme, which ran for two decades before being closed to new members in 2009, is poised to run out of money by early 2025. That could leave EU taxpayers on the hook for €310 million. At a closed-door meeting on Monday, the most senior EU lawmakers in charge of the institution’s finances agreed to slash payouts to beneficiaries by 50 percent, raise the eligible age from 65 to 67, freeze the annual inflation-linked increase of payments and invite more beneficiaries to accept a sweet one-time offer to quit the scheme. T...

‘No threats identified’ at St. John’s Prep in Danvers after police respond to report of active shooter

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:00:28 GMT

Massachusetts State Police say no threats were found after troopers and local police were called to St. John’s Preparatory School in Danvers for a report of an active shooter. In a message entitled “Report of an Active Shooter on Campus,” the Catholic, all-boys school stated on its website that authorities were investigating and that students and staff were sheltering in place on Monday afternoon.The initial message stated:“There has been a report of an active shooter on campus at Benjamin Hall. Danvers and State police are on site. Students, Faculty, and Staff are sheltering in place. We will further provide updates as soon as possible.”By 2:20 p.m., Massachusetts State Police provided an update, stating that after both troopers and Danvers police officers responded to the school and entered, “no threats [were] identified at this time.”https://twitter.com/MassStatePolice/status/1660712218512564225“Teams doing secondary sweeps,...

LIV Golf tees off in DC May 27-28

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:00:28 GMT

Jimmy Buffett shares health update following hospitalization

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:00:28 GMT

(CNN) — Jimmy Buffett is on the mend following a brief hospitalization on Thursday.The 76-year-old shared an update on his Facebook page on Friday that he is heading home from the hospital.He thanked his followers for the “outpouring of support and well wishes,” and shared that he’d be going on a “fishing trip with old friends, along with paddling and sailing and get myself back in good shape” upon his return home from the hospital.Buffett added that once he’s back in shape, the Jimmy Buffett & the Coral Reefer Band would “look at the whens and wheres of shows,” adding that he feels playing music “is as therapeutic for me as it is for fans to listen and sing along.”The Jimmy Buffett & the Coral Reefer Band were scheduled to perform in Charleston, South Carolina over the weekend but were forced to postpone due to the singer being hospitalized.Buffett told his followers in a social media post on Thursday that following a trip to the Bahamas, “I had to stop ...

Judge enters not guilty pleas on behalf of Bryan Kohberger, charged in Idaho student murders

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:00:28 GMT

(CNN) — An Idaho judge entered not guilty pleas on behalf of Bryan Kohberger, the man accused of killing four University of Idaho students last fall, during an arraignment in a Latah County Court on Monday.Judge John Judge read aloud Kohberger’s rights and each of the murder and burglary charges outlined in the indictment. When asked if he understood the charges, Kohberger replied to each, “Yes.”When asked for his plea to the counts, Kohberger remained silent. His attorney rose and said, “Your honor, we are standing silent,” and the judge then entered not guilty pleas for him.Kohberger, 28, was indicted last week on four counts of first-degree murder and one count of burglary for the November 13 killings of Kaylee Goncalves, 21; Madison Mogen, 21; Xana Kernodle, 20; and Ethan Chapin, 20, at a home just outside the university’s main campus in Moscow, Idaho.The trial was set for October 2 and is expected to last about six weeks. Prosecutors have 60 days from Monday to a...

Fire officials remind public to leave fireworks to professionals after Kingston explosion

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:00:28 GMT

Following an explosion that seriously injured a resident in Kingston over the weekend, the State Fire Marshal’s office and local officials are reminding the public that when it comes to fireworks, leave the pyrotechnics to the professionals.The reminder was circulated Monday afternoon while officials provided an update on the explosion that left a man with severe injuries on Sunday.According to a news release from the State Fire Marshal’s office, the man injured was expected to survive after he was flown to a hospital in Boston being found by firefighters and police.Authorities say first responders found the adult male suffering severe injuries to his hands, abdomen, and face after they were called to the area of 8 Nobadeer Cir. around 1 p.m.Fire investigators and officials with the Massachusetts State Police Fire & Explosion Investigation Unit assigned to the State Fire Marshal’s office were later called in, as well as hazmat technicians and other personnel.Official...

Facing 3-0 series deficit, Celtics trying to conjure hope: ‘There is always a first’

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:00:28 GMT

MIAMI — Al Horford already knew the number off the top of his head. The Celtics had just lost a disgraceful Game 3 to the Heat on Sunday night, and the veteran was doing his best to conjure up belief. But the facts were on his mind.No team in NBA history has ever come back from a 3-0 series deficit to advance, the situation the C’s find themselves in heading into Tuesday night’s Game 4.“We’re not out yet,” Horford said. “It is 3-0. I know what it looks like. I think I saw the other day, 0-149 or something like that. So, we’re not out yet. We’re still kicking. One of four teams that are still kicking.”The odds are certainly long, even longer considering how broken, irreparable and hopeless the Celtics looked in Sunday’s humiliation. Only three teams in NBA history have even forced a Game 7 after falling behind 3-0, the last being the 2003 Blazers.The next year, the 2004 Red Sox became the first team in baseball history to overcome a 3-0 hole when they did so against...

How long can the show go on? Another 7 rock acts we may not see in concert again

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:00:28 GMT

Back in February, I wrote a pair of columns about 14 aging superstar musical acts and the likelihood we’d see them play the metro again. It proved to be a hit with readers, so I’m back with more.Here’s a look at seven senior acts and the chances we’ve already seen the last of them in concert.EARLIER: How long can the show go on? 7 rock acts we might not see in concert againHow long can the show go on? 7 more rock acts we may not see in concert againThe WhoRoger Daltrey and Pete Townshend of The Who perform in concert at Madison Square Garden on March 3, 2016 in New York City. (Theo Wargo/Getty Images)Ages: Roger Daltrey, 79; Pete Townshend, 77.The dirt: The Who was one of the biggest bands in the world in the early ’70s. But the 1978 death of drummer Keith Moon and a 1979 crowd crush at a Cincinnati concert that killed 11 fans were the first steps toward the end of the band. Townshend, Daltrey and bassist John Entwistle went on to make two albums with drummer Kenney Jones, but Towns...

Tom Brady agrees to deal for ownership stake in Las Vegas Raiders

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:00:28 GMT

Tom Brady has reached a deal to become a minority owner of the Las Vegas Raiders, according to reports.The seven-time Super Bowl champion’s agreement with Raiders owner Mark Davis is now pending approval by the NFL, CBS Sports reported Monday.Brady, 45, retired from the NFL in February after 23 seasons with the New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The following month, the former quarterback became a minority owner of the Las Vegas Aces, the WNBA team owned by Davis.Brady’s discussions to join the Raiders as a limited partner began weeks before they were first reported by ESPN this month. He reportedly received approval to pursue the venture from Fox Sports, where he’s set to become a football analyst during the 2024 season on a 10-year, $375 million contract.Brady isn’t expected to have any operational control of the Raiders, according to ESPN.The Raiders, who moved from Oakland to Las Vegas in 2020, recently signed quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, who ...