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Nneka Ogwumike scores 20, Destanni Henderson adds 18 as Sparks rally from 17 down to beat Wings

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:51:44 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Nneka Ogwumike scored 20 points, Destanni Henderson had a career-high 18 points and the Los Angeles Sparks rallied from 17 points down to beat the Dallas Wings 76-74 on Friday night.Los Angeles took its first lead with 2:28 left in the fourth quarter on a free throw by Chiney Ogwumike.Sparks guard Jordin Canada made two free throws with 54.1 seconds left for a 76-74 lead and the Wings had a shot-clock violation at the other end for its 18th turnover. Canada had a jumper rattle out and Dallas secured the rebound and raced the other way, but Crystal Dangerfield’s runner at the buzzer did not hit the rim.Canada also scored 18 points for Los Angeles (6-7), which snapped a three-game losing streak.Natasha Howard had 23 points and 12 rebounds for Dallas (6-7). Arike Ogunbowale scored 14 of her 16 points in the first half and Satou Sabally had 13 points and 11 rebounds.The teams play each other again on Sunday.LIBERTY 110, DREAM 80COLLEGE PARK, Ga. (AP) — Betnijah Laney ...

Who is Yevgeny Prigozhin?

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:51:44 GMT

What just happened?Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was thrust into crisis mode as the leader of a key group of its mercenary fighters, Yevgeny Prigozhin, declared war on Russia’s military leadership.Who is Yevgeny Prigozhin?A high-profile, provocative mercenary leader with a penchant for trolling media outlets, Prigozhin has led the private Wagner Group’s involvement in Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. His history with leadership in Moscow dates back decades.What is the Wagner Group?The Wagner Group is an organization of militant mercenaries that have worked alongside the Russian army during the country’s invasion of Ukraine. Wagner’s early origins appear to be in 2014, when conflict broke out between Ukraine and Russia over the Crimean region. Prigozhin said on social media that he sought to build a group of fighters that could defend Russian interests in the region. The group has been tied to conflicts in Libya, Syria and several other African coun...

Wagner boss Prigozhin claims control of Rostov-on-Don, menaces Moscow

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:51:44 GMT

Russian warlord Yevgeny Prigozhin claimed early Saturday to have taken control of the strategic southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don without a fight, as Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed to “neutralize” the threat posed by the renegade Wagner mercenary army.It escalates the stakes in an uprising by Prigozhin’s Wagner group against the military leadership in Moscow and its 16-month-old war on Ukraine.“We are at the staff headquarters, it’s 7:30 in the morning,” Prigozhin said in a video statement posted in his Telegram channel. “Military objects in Rostov are under control, including the aerodrome.”According to reports and social media, Wagner forces met little resistance as they traveled the short distance from the Ukrainian border to Rostov, the operational center for Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. The thrust transformed Prigozhin’s increasingly furious tirades of the past 24 hours against the Kremlin into stark ac...

Putin calls armed rebellion by mercenary chief a betrayal and promises to defend Russia

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:51:44 GMT

Russian President Vladimir Putin addressed the nation Saturday and vowed to defend the country and its people from an armed rebellion declared by mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin.Putin said the mutiny amounted to “a deadly threat to our statehood” and vowed “tough actions” in response. “All those who prepared the rebellion will suffer inevitable punishment. The armed forces and other government agencies have received the necessary orders,” Putin said.He called Prigozhin’s actions, without referring to the owner of the Wagner private military company by name, “a betrayal” and “a treason.” He urged “those who are being dragged into this crime not to make a fatal and tragic, unique mistake, to make the only right choice — to stop participating in criminal acts.”Putin condemned the rebellion at a time when Russia was “fighting the toughest battle for its future” with its war in Ukraine. “The entire military, economic and information machine of the West is waged against us,” Putin...

‘Rage giving’ prompted by the end of Roe has dropped off, abortion access groups say

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:51:44 GMT

The ” rage giving ” did not last. Abortion access groups who received a windfall of donations following the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade one year ago say those emergency grants have ended and individual and foundation giving has dropped off. After the Dobbs decision, some major funders of abortion access also have ended or shifted funding from organizations working in states where abortion is now banned, said Naa Amissah-Hammond, senior director of grantmaking with Groundswell Fund, which funds grassroots groups organizing for reproductive justice.Women’s health and foster care nonprofits, who expected increased demand in areas where access to abortion has been eliminated or restricted, say they also haven’t seen increased support.Holly Calvasina said her experience as director of development at the reproductive health clinic CHOICES in Memphis, Tennessee, might provide an explanation. Like many working in the reproductive rights sector, Calvasina said she ...

Israeli security forces kill Palestinian gunman who opened fire at military checkpoint

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:51:44 GMT

JERUSALEM (AP) — A Palestinian assailant opened fire at an Israeli military checkpoint in the occupied West Bank on Saturday before being shot and killed, Israeli police said, the latest incident in months of escalating violence. The Palestinian gunman approached Israeli troops stationed at the Qalandiya checkpoint outside Jerusalem early in the morning, pulled out an M16 rifle and opened fire, the Israeli police said. Israeli security forces said they shot back, killing the suspected assailant. According to the Israeli rescue service, two security guards in their 20s were hospitalized with minor wounds — at least one from bullet fragments. There was no immediate word on the attacker’s identity.The shooting caps a bloody week in the West Bank that left 15 Palestinians and four Israelis dead. An hourslong gun battle between Israeli security forces and Palestinian militants in the northern Jenin refugee camp killed seven Palestinians and wounded eight Israeli soldiers earlier th...

UK village marks struggle against US Army racism in World War II

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:51:44 GMT

BAMBER BRIDGE, England (AP) — The village of Bamber Bridge in northwestern England is proud of the blow it struck against racism in the U.S. military during World War II.When an all-Black truck regiment was stationed in the village, residents refused to accept the segregation ingrained in the U.S. Army. Ignoring pressure from British and American authorities, pubs welcomed the GIs, local women chatted and danced with them, and English soldiers drank alongside men they saw as allies in the war against fascism.But simmering tensions between Black soldiers and white military police exploded on June 24, 1943, when a dispute outside a pub escalated into a night of gunfire and rebellion that left Private William Crossland dead and dozens of soldiers from the truck regiment facing court martial. When Crossland’s niece learned about the circumstances of her uncle’s death from an Associated Press reporter, she called for a new investigation to uncover exactly how he died.The comm...

San Jose: 30-plus residents displaced by four-alarm fire

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:51:44 GMT

SAN JOSE – Firefighters on Friday night battled a four-alarm fire near Regional Medical Center in San Jose.The fire was reported around 9:45 p.m. at a townhouse complex in the 2100 block of Luz Avenue, according to the San Jose Fire Department. It took crews about an hour to knock down the fire.Five of the complex’s seven units were damaged and more than 30 residents were displaced. The American Red Cross was summoned to provide assistance to the residents.San Jose fire spokesperson Jake Pisani said a dog died in the fire. There were no additional deaths or injuries.The cause of the fire is under investigation.Crews battled a four-alarm fire on the 2100 block of Luz Ave. Fire was in five of seven units in townhouse complex. 30+ residents displaced, one deceased dog, no additional injuries. Fire knocked down and situation under control. Red Cross en route. @SJPD_PIO pic.twitter.com/0Zry4dckiB— San José Fire Dept. (@SJFD) June 24, 2023Check back for updates.Related ArticlesCrash...

Armed rebellion by Wagner chief blocked civilian, military governing bodies in key southern city, President Putin says

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:51:44 GMT

MOSCOW (AP) — Armed rebellion by Wagner chief blocked civilian, military governing bodies in key southern city, President Putin says.Source

President Putin says Russia’s fighting ‘the toughest battle for its future’ as mercenary chief leads armed rebellion

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:51:44 GMT

MOSCOW (AP) — President Putin says Russia’s fighting ‘the toughest battle for its future’ as mercenary chief leads armed rebellion.Source