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Latvia and Estonia sign deal to buy German-made missile defense system

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:32:42 GMT

VIENNA (AP) — Estonia and Latvia signed an agreement Monday with Germany to purchase a medium-range air defense missile system that opens the way for the two Baltic nations to join a common air defense system proposed by Germany last year.The agreement was signed Monday at a meeting of defense ministers in the German city of Rötenbach and involved what officials said was the overall sale of 1 billion euros ($1.07 billion) worth of IRIS-T defense systems produced by German company Diehl Defense. Estonia and Latvia previously have signed letters of intent to joint the Sky Shield Initiative, a common air defense system proposed by Germany in 2022 in the wake of the Russian war against Ukraine. The project currently includes 16 NATO member states, NATO invitee Sweden, as well as the neutral states Austria and Switzerland.Monday’s deal means that Germany replaces the United States as Estonia’s biggest defense partner, Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur said.“This is by fa...

Making a splash: World’s largest rubber duck back to quack in Toronto

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:32:42 GMT

It’s your ducky day; the world’s largest rubber duck is returning to Toronto’s waterfront this weekend.The annual Toronto Waterfront Festival is being held from September 16 to 17 at Queens Quay East and in a twist, the world’s largest rubber duck, affectionately known as Mama Duck, will appear on land this time.The festival begins on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. and runs until Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.A spokesperson for the waterfront festival said that while the event is not open to the public on Friday, Mama Duck will be inflated for an hour, inviting the public to get a first look before the weekend event.In April, Nancy Gavin, Chair of the Toronto Waterfront Festival, confirmed that Mama Duck would return to the city’s shores.“The number one program we continually get asked to bring back is by far the ‘World’s Largest Rubber Duck,” Gavin said. “After six years, we are very excited to have Mama Duck back on Toron...

Bernie Taupin, Elton John’s lyricist, would like to have a word

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:32:42 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — If you’re thinking of checking out the new memoir by Elton John’s lyricist to learn more about the Rocket Man, you’re out of luck. This is Bernie Taupin’s song to sing.“Scattershot: Life, Music, Elton & Me” is a fascinating read for the pictures it paints of the music scene of the 1970s, ’80s and ‘90s but if John is what you seek, he writes, the singer-pianist is “in absentia for much of this narrative.”“What people don’t realize is that we were joined at the hip at the beginning. It was sort of me and him against the world,” Taupin said in a recent interview. “But I think once that we gained a modicum of success, it was natural that we would sort of separate and find our own lives.”“Scattershot” is the story of an Englishman bewitched by country music and the American West who grows up to supply lyrics to one of rock n ’roll’s all-time superstars and later in life embraces art and becomes a bona fide cowboy.“It was a great sor...

Get a taste of the world of Catan with a cookbook inspired by the hit board game

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:32:42 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — You can work up quite an appetite sitting around a table plotting world domination. Luckily, a new cookbook lets Catan fans savor the board game even more while out-trading opponents.“Catan: The Official Cookbook ” includes 77 recipes inspired by the multiplayer phenomenon, dishes like Forest Dweller’s Dip, Tavern Ale Pie and Fireside Banana Boats. There are snacks, small plates, full dinners, desserts and even a few drinks.“We wanted them to be fun, but real. This is a real cookbook. There are recipes in here that you can and should definitely make. It’s not just a gimmick or a gag gift by any means,” says Casie Vogel, vice president of editorial at Ulysses Press.The recipes pay homage to the game, in which competitors try to build settlements on a fictional island using five resources: wool, grain, lumber, brick and ore. The cookbook includes dishes with lamb, to honor the wool, while there are a few that call for bricks: Brick Smash Burger, Chicken Under a Brick a...

Next time you invite friends over to play Catan, why not feed them Chicken Under a Brick?

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:32:42 GMT

Everyone knows that one Brick and one Lumber make a road in the game Catan. But what about two bricks and four chicken thighs? That’s the beginnings of an amazingly delicious, yet simple, main dish included in the new “Catan: The Official Cookbook.” Add a lemon, oven, and aluminum foil, and you’re all set. This recipe is fast and easy, and will add some victory points to your cooking game. It is gluten-free, sugar-free, dairy-free and low-fat.CHICKEN UNDER A BRICKServes: 4Prep Time: 5 minutesCook Time: 15 minutesServes: 4INGREDIENTS4 boneless, skin-on chicken thighs (ask your butcher to remove the bones for you)Extra-virgin olive oil, for coating2 lemons, halvedSea salt, to tasteFreshly ground pepper, to taste INSTRUCTIONS1. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Wrap two bricks in aluminum foil.2. Season the chicken on all sides with salt and pepper.3. Heat a large cast-iron skillet over high heat for about 2 to 3 minutes, or until very hot. Add enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan. ...

Stellantis reports progress in talks with auto workers and plans to make another offer Monday

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:32:42 GMT

DETROIT (AP) — Stellantis is reporting progress in talks with the United Auto Workers union with just three days left before contracts expire with Detroit’s three automakers.Tobin Williams, head of human resources for North America, told employees in an email that the union made counteroffer to its economic proposal on Sunday. Stellantis released no details of its offer Monday.He also says both sides have reached agreement in a number of areas including health and safety. “There was good energy among both teams and great momentum to reach an agreement as we head into the final days before the contract expires Thursday night,” Williams wrote. “We are on a good path UAW President Shawn Fain on Friday called counter offers from Stellantis, General Motors and Ford inadequate. He warned of strikes against any company without a tentative contract agreement when the contracts expire at 11:59 p.m. Thursday.On Friday, Stellantis, which was formed in a 2021 merger of Fiat Chrysler and F...

UK government may ban American XL bully dogs after a child was attacked

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:32:42 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Britain’s home secretary said Monday she is seeking “urgent advice” on banning a type of American bully dog, highlighting an attack on a 11-year-old girl over the weekend. Suella Braverman said she has commissioned advice on outlawing American bully XL dogs after police said they were investigating an incident in the central English city of Birmingham on Saturday, when a girl was injured by one of the dogs. Two men who intervened were also injured. “This is appalling. The American XL Bully is a clear and lethal danger to our communities, particularly to children,” Braverman wrote on social media. ”We can’t go on like this.”Police said the dog was seized by officers and officials will consider what to do with the animal. For months, some campaigners have been calling for a ban on the XL Bully, which was originally bred from the American pitbull terrier.Emma Whitfield, the mother of a 10-year-old boy who died after he was mauled by an American bully XL ...

Russia says ruling party wins most votes in Ukrainian regions it occupies. West calls elections sham

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:32:42 GMT

Russia’s Central Election Commission said Monday that the country’s ruling party won the most votes in elections held in occupied Ukrainian regions, as Kyiv and the West denounced the ballots as a sham.The votes were held as Russian authorities attempt to tighten their grip on territories Moscow illegally annexed a year ago and still does not fully control.Voting for Russia-installed legislatures began last week. According to the Central Election Commission, lawmakers from the ruling party, United Russia, came out on top in the four Ukrainian regions Moscow annexed in 2022 — Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia — and on the Crimean Peninsula, which the Kremlin annexed in 2014. Western countries have denounced the elections as a violation of international law. “We strongly reject this further futile attempt by Russia to legitimize or normalize its illegal military control and attempted annexation of parts of Ukrainian territories,” the European Commission said Monday in a state...

Pete Crow-Armstrong is making his way to the majors, report says

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:32:42 GMT

CHICAGO — As the Cubs continue their push for a spot in the National League playoffs, they'll have their top minor league prospect along for the ride.Per a report from Jeff Passan of ESPN, the team is calling up outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong from Triple-A Iowa. The 21-year-old is expected to join the team as they start a three-game series against the Rockies in Denver on Monday evening.The club has yet to confirm the promotion. Crow-Armstrong was acquired in July 2021 from the Mets in the trade that sent Javier Baez and Trevor Williams to New York. Since that time, the outfielder has moved his way through the Cubs' system, earning his promotion just over two years after joining the club. MLB.com has Crow-Armstrong as the Cubs' No. 1 prospect in their minor league system.In 2023, he's split his time between Double-A Tennessee and Triple-A Iowa, starting out with 73 games with the Smokies where he had a slash line of .289/.371/.527 with 19 doubles, five triples, 14 homers and 60 RBI....

Police: Bicyclist struck by distracted driver in Northwest Suburbs

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:32:42 GMT

LAKE COUNTY, Ill. — A man on a bicycle was critically injured Sunday morning after he was struck by a suspected distracted driver in the Northwest Suburbs.Authorities responded to a report of a traffic crash at around 7 a.m. on Fairfield Road near Route 176 in unincorporated Wauconda.Police believe a 24-year-old woman, of Palatine, was traveling southbound on Fairfield Road when she became distracted by young children in her vehicle.Police said she turned her attention from the roadway and veered to the right — striking a 48-year-old bicyclist, of Waukegan. Semi driver arrested after school bus crash in Northwest Indiana The man struck the windshield before falling underneath the car.He was transported to Advocate Condell Medical Center in critical condition.The crash investigation remains open, police said.