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Indian court dismisses opposition leader Rahul Gandhi’s plea

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:25 GMT

NEW DELHI (AP) — An Indian court has dismissed opposition leader Rahul Gandhi’s plea to stay his conviction in a criminal defamation case that resulted in his expulsion from Parliament, the Press Trust of India reported Thursday.Gandhi, a fierce critic of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his main challenger in 2024 polls, was ousted after a court last month sentenced him to two years in prison for defamation for mocking Modi’s surname in a 2019 election speech.A court in Modi’s home state of Gujarat suspended the prison sentence earlier in April for the duration of the appeal process.A man who shares the prime minister’s surname, which is common in Gujarat, accused Gandhi of defamation over the speech in which he asked, “Why do all thieves have Modi as their surname?” Gandhi then referred to three well-known and unrelated Modis in the speech: a fugitive Indian diamond tycoon, a cricket executive banned from the Indian Premier League, and the prime minister.The petitioner who f...

Cattle raiding by jihadis soars in Mali, fuels conflict

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:25 GMT

BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — Ayouba Ag Nadroun was at the market in central Mali in March when Islamic extremists attacked his village, killing dozens of people and stealing about $10,000 worth of his cows and camels.“We lost everything,” the 62-year-old told The Associated Press by phone from the Menaka region in the West African nation. Cattle raiding by Islamic extremists is soaring at unprecedented levels in Mali, with jihadis linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group stealing millions of dollars’ worth of cattle to buy weapons and vehicles to fund their insurgency across the war-torn West African country and region below the Sahara Desert, known as the Sahel.As jihadis gain control of more territory, looting is increasing and fueling conflict among already impoverished communities fighting to keep their families fed and alive, according to a recent report by The Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime. Mali has been battling to contain an Islamic extremist ins...

Cambodian PM’s son, tipped to succeed him, gets promotion

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:25 GMT

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — Cambodian army chief Hun Manet, who is widely expected to replace his father as the country’s prime minister later this year, was promoted Thursday to his country’s highest military rank.Prime Minister Hun Sen, 71, explicitly declared his support in December 2021 to have the United States Military Academy-trained Hun Manet succeed him through constitutional means. In mid-March, Hun Sen hinted strongly that he intends to step down when a new government is installed after July’s general election.“Now we have found the young generation that will come to replace us. We should hand over to them and just stay behind them,” Hun Sen said at the time.Hun Manet, 45, was made a four-star general — a promotion from his three-star lieutenant-general’s rank — at a ceremony attended by about a thousand senior officers at the Defense Ministry in the capital Phnom Penh. He was formally granted his promotion in March by King Norodom Sihamoni, whose position is largely symb...

Anthony Edwards sparks big rally, but Timberwolves still fall down 2-0 to Denver

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:25 GMT

DENVER — Now down 2-0 in a best-of-7 series, the Timberwolves are in a deep hole against the conference’s No. 1 seed.But they’re not buried — not just yet. Because their 21-year-old guard showed he still has a pulse. And because of that, perhaps the Wolves still have a heartbeat.On Edwards’ shoulders, Minnesota rallied from 21 points down in the first half to hold a fourth-quarter lead, before falling 122-113 to the Nuggets in Denver.The series heads back to Minnesota for the next two bouts, with Game 3 set for Friday at Target Center. Minnesota will need a similar performance to the one it mustered in the third quarter Wednesday to extend the series beyond that.And the Wolves will need plenty more from Edwards.The guard scored 27 of his playoff career-high 41 points in the second half. Edwards buried six triples while scoring 10 more points in the paint. He hit a Michael Jordan-like baseline, turnaround fadeaway to put the Wolves back up by one point w...

Exhibition of historical maps reflecting Kazakh nationhood opens at European Parliament

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:25 GMT

An exhibition of old maps reflecting the Kazakh nationhood was opened at the European Parliament in Brussels.The featured historical documents were created by Dutch, French, English and German cartographers. About 1,500 such maps have been collected by Mukhit-Ardager Sydyknazarov, a Kazakh scholar and Director of the Institute of Modern Political Studies at the Lev Gumilev Eurasia National University in Astana, and published in his book “Uninterrupted Nationhood of Kazakhstan. The Kazakh State on European and American Maps of the XVI–XIX Centuries,” which had been published earlier in Brussels. The place of its publication was chosen because of the special role of Belgian cartographers of that era in the dissemination in Europe of geographical information about Central Asia and other regions of the world.“It is very important to get the knowledge and to learn from each other, to see from historical perspective how Europeans perceived Central Asia and Kazakhstan in different historic...

Nimmo leads Mets against the Giants after 5-hit outing

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:25 GMT

New York Mets (12-7, second in the NL East) vs. San Francisco Giants (6-11, fourth in the NL West)San Francisco; Thursday, 9:45 p.m. EDTPITCHING PROBABLES: Mets: Kodai Senga (2-0, 3.38 ERA, 1.44 WHIP, 21 strikeouts); Giants: Sean Manaea (0-0, 4.76 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 13 strikeouts)FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK MLB LINE: Mets -135, Giants +115; over/under is 8 1/2 runsBOTTOM LINE: The New York Mets take on the San Francisco Giants after Brandon Nimmo’s five-hit game on Wednesday.San Francisco has a 6-11 record overall and a 2-4 record in home games. The Giants have a 2-10 record in games when they have given up a home run.New York is 12-7 overall and 8-5 on the road. The Mets have gone 7-2 in games when they record eight or more hits.The matchup Thursday is the first meeting this season between the two teams.TOP PERFORMERS: Thairo Estrada has three home runs, four walks and six RBI while hitting .323 for the Giants. Wilmer Flores is 12-for-39 with a double, a home run and four RBI over the pa...

Cubs take on the Dodgers in first of 4-game series

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:25 GMT

Los Angeles Dodgers (9-10, second in the NL West) vs. Chicago Cubs (11-6, second in the NL Central)Chicago; Thursday, 7:40 p.m. EDTPITCHING PROBABLES: Dodgers: Michael Grove (0-1, 9.00 ERA, 1.62 WHIP, 14 strikeouts); Cubs: Jameson Taillon (0-2, 3.86 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, 16 strikeouts)FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK MLB LINE: Cubs -116, Dodgers -103; over/under is 10 1/2 runsBOTTOM LINE: The Chicago Cubs host the Los Angeles Dodgers on Thursday to begin a four-game series.Chicago has gone 5-4 in home games and 11-6 overall. The Cubs are 6-2 in games when they scored at least five runs.Los Angeles is 3-4 in road games and 9-10 overall. The Dodgers have a 4-8 record in games when they have allowed at least one home run.The teams match up Thursday for the fourth time this season.TOP PERFORMERS: Patrick Wisdom leads the Cubs with eight home runs while slugging .754. Nico Hoerner is 15-for-42 with three doubles and four RBI over the last 10 games.Max Muncy has seven home runs and 15 RBI while hitting .237 ...

Reds visit the Pirates to start 4-game series

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:25 GMT

Cincinnati Reds (7-11, fifth in the NL Central) vs. Pittsburgh Pirates (12-7, third in the NL Central)Pittsburgh; Thursday, 6:35 p.m. EDTPITCHING PROBABLES: Reds: Luke Weaver (0-0); Pirates: Roansy Contreras (1-1, 6.00 ERA, 1.73 WHIP, 11 strikeouts)FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK MLB LINE: Pirates -160, Reds +138; over/under is 9 runsBOTTOM LINE: The Pittsburgh Pirates start a four-game series at home against the Cincinnati Reds on Thursday.Pittsburgh is 12-7 overall and 3-3 at home. The Pirates have a 6-3 record in games when they did not allow a home run.Cincinnati has gone 1-5 on the road and 7-11 overall. The Reds have the ninth-ranked team on-base percentage in the NL at .328.The teams play Thursday for the fourth time this season.TOP PERFORMERS: Bryan Reynolds has three doubles, a triple and five home runs for the Pirates. Connor Joe is 13-for-38 with five doubles, two triples and a home run over the last 10 games.TJ Friedl has four doubles, a triple and two home runs for the Reds. Wil Mye...

Rockies bring 8-game losing streak into matchup against the Phillies

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:25 GMT

Colorado Rockies (5-14, fifth in the NL West) vs. Philadelphia Phillies (8-11, fourth in the NL East)Philadelphia; Thursday, 6:40 p.m. EDTPITCHING PROBABLES: Rockies: Ryan Feltner (0-2, 8.78 ERA, 1.95 WHIP, 15 strikeouts); Phillies: Matt Strahm (1-1, 2.13 ERA, .95 WHIP, 16 strikeouts)FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK MLB LINE: Phillies -227, Rockies +189; over/under is 9 runsBOTTOM LINE: The Colorado Rockies are looking to break their eight-game losing streak with a win over the Philadelphia Phillies.Philadelphia has a 3-3 record in home games and an 8-11 record overall. The Phillies have a 4-2 record in games when they did not allow a home run.Colorado is 2-7 on the road and 5-14 overall. The Rockies have gone 0-13 in games when they have given up a home run.Thursday’s game is the first meeting between these teams this season.TOP PERFORMERS: Kyle Schwarber is third on the Phillies with eight extra base hits (four doubles and four home runs). Brandon Marsh is 14-for-36 with four doubles, a t...

Diamondbacks play the Padres in first of 4-game series

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:25 GMT

San Diego Padres (9-11, third in the NL West) vs. Arizona Diamondbacks (11-8, first in the NL West)Phoenix; Thursday, 9:40 p.m. EDTPITCHING PROBABLES: Padres: Michael Wacha (2-1, 6.06 ERA, 1.47 WHIP, 15 strikeouts); Diamondbacks: Ryne Nelson (1-0, 3.71 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 10 strikeouts)FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK MLB LINE: Padres -140, Diamondbacks +118; over/under is 9 1/2 runsBOTTOM LINE: The Arizona Diamondbacks open a four-game series at home against the San Diego Padres on Thursday.Arizona has gone 5-2 in home games and 11-8 overall. Diamondbacks hitters have a collective .421 slugging percentage to rank seventh in the NL.San Diego has a 9-11 record overall and a 4-3 record in road games. The Padres are 6-2 in games when they out-hit their opponents.The teams square off Thursday for the third time this season.TOP PERFORMERS: Corbin Carroll leads the Diamondbacks with four home runs while slugging .554. Ketel Marte is 13-for-41 with three doubles, a triple, two home runs and four RBI over th...