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Grayson Rodriguez stacking ‘building blocks’ since rejoining Orioles rotation

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:00:03 GMT

In evaluating Grayson Rodriguez’s quartet of starts in the majors since returning to the Orioles’ rotation, both the rookie right-hander himself and his manager compared them with those that came before.“A lot better than the first set,” Rodriguez said.“Much improved over earlier in the year,” Brandon Hyde offered.If one took the 7.35 ERA the 23-year-old posted in his first 10 majors league outings across April and May and arranged those digits in the ideal order, it would result in what Rodriguez has done since rejoining Baltimore last month. He has a 3.57 ERA in four starts, a figure that could be improved upon if not for some troubles late in his outings. That includes Wednesday night’s start against the Toronto Blue Jays, when he was one out from completing the sixth for the second straight start before consecutive full-count walks ended his night. Both runners eventually scored off reliever Shintaro Fujinami.Those final two batters were...

Battenfeld: New public safety alarm at Mass and Cass a testament to failed policies

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:00:03 GMT

The deteriorating situation at Mass and Cass in Boston stands as a testament to the failed policies that the current and previous mayors have tried to get the area under control.Boston Mayor Michelle Wu’s admission that Mass and Cass has become a major safety threat is also an acknowledgement that what she’s been trying is not working.“We have to get going on a different approach,” Wu said on the “Java with Jimmy” podcast.“In the last month or so, especially in the last couple of weeks, it has gotten to a new level of public safety alarm. All of the non-city teams have said in the last few weeks the situation has gotten so dangerous that we are pulling our people out — we cannot be in there.”Wu said that “drug trafficking, human trafficking and violence taking place,” — as well as the storage of weapons — present too many risks for outreach workers to be there.It’s not clear what Wu is planning but something drastic appears to be immin...

’23 Versa SR is a sporty means of transportation

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:00:03 GMT

As the small sedan market dwindles, and mass-market manufacturers focus their time on SUVs and what EV’s they can draw up to top the competition, Nissan sits quietly in the corner and thrives on rightly-priced, small sporty sedans. The Versa is a prime example of small sedan excellence and our 2023 Versa SR tester brings back what commuting is all about. Over 35 mpg’s on our test and under a $20K base price, the Nissan Versa SR is very appealing visually and easy on the pocket.Powering the commuter, a 1.6 liter, DOHC, 16-valve 4-cylinder engine producing 122 horsepower. Paired with a basic CVT transmission, powertrain noise was certainly present. Although in the commuter category, the CVT is commonly present, it fits the bill for this price range and increases fuel mileage drastically.17-inch alloy wheels, LED headlights and SR emblems were nicely standard items on the Versa SR, while we noticed an array of standard safety features. Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, SiriusXM and NissanCo...

Bud Light sales plunge following boycott over campaign with transgender influencer

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:00:03 GMT

Anheuser-Busch Inbev reported a drop in U.S. revenue in the second quarter as Bud Light sales plunged amid a conservative backlash over a campaign with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney.The world’s largest brewer said Thursday that revenue in the United States declined by 10.5% in the April-to-June period from a year earlier, “primarily due to the volume decline of Bud Light.”It has lost its place as America’s best-selling beer after more than two decades, slipping into second place in June behind Mexican lager Modelo Especial, which is also owned by the Belgium-based ABInBev.The company faced blowback after sending a commemorative Bud Light can to Mulvaney, who posted it to her millions of social media followers.Conservative figures and others called for a boycott of Bud Light, while Mulvaney’s supporters criticized the beer brand for not doing enough to support her. Mulvaney has said she faced bullying and transphobia, criticizing the brand for not reaching out to her am...

Philippine coast guard rescues 67 people from damaged boat in the second ferry accident in a week

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:00:03 GMT

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — The Philippine coast guard rescued all 67 people from a ferry boat that struck a floating object and took on water Thursday off a northeastern province, in the second ferry accident to hit the country in a week, officials said.A passenger on the Jovelle Express 3 managed to contact a coast guard station for help when the vessel was damaged after slamming into an unspecified object around midday off Polillo island in Quezon province, the coast guard said.The 60 passengers and seven crew members were brought to Polillo and were awaiting another boat to take them to their destination in Quezon.Last week, at least 27 people died when an overcrowded ferry boat flipped over in Laguna de Bay minutes after leaving Binangonan town southeast of the capital, Manila. Strong winds had lashed the boat sparking panic among many passengers, who moved to one side of the wooden boat and caused it flip over, the coast guard and police said.More than 40 other passengers and c...

Greenpeace demonstrators drape UK prime minister’s house in black to protest oil expansion

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:00:03 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Greenpeace demonstrators draped the country estate of British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in black fabric Thursday to protest his plan to expand oil and gas drilling in the North Sea. Video posted by the group showed a crew dressed in bright red jumpsuits, helmets, and safety harnesses carrying ladders and climbing onto the roof of the Yorkshire house. They slowly unfurled long black sheets of fabric over the front of the home and held a yellow sign on the roof that read “No New Oil.”The prime minister was not home because he is vacationing with his family in California. North Yorkshire police said officers were at the location. Sunak announced Monday that Britain will grant hundreds of new oil and gas licenses in the North Sea to gain energy independence. The move was widely criticized by environmental groups that have accused the government of backsliding on its pledge to eliminate net carbon emissions by 2050.As four Greenpeace members were on the roof of the British...

Typhoon Khanun forecast to turn back to Japanese islands where it already caused damage and injuries

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:00:03 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — The typhoon that damaged homes and knocked out power on Okinawa and other southern Japanese islands this week was slowly moving west Thursday but is forecast to make a U-turn and dump even more rain on the archipelago.Typhoon Khanun, now in the waters between China and Japan’s southwestern islands, is expected to slow to nearly stationary movement before a weakening high pressure system nearby allows it to turn east Friday, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.That forecast would largely spare China, where rain from an earlier typhoon caused deadly flooding and damage this week around the capital, Beijing.Khanun, which means jackfruit in Thai, had sustained surface winds of 162 kph (100 mph) with higher gusts Thursday evening. Up to 20 centimeters (7.8 inches) of rainfall were expected in the Okinawa region by midday Friday, JMA said. China and Taiwan were also making preparations for the storm. Though the eye is forecast to stay offshore as the typhoon turns east...

An uneasy calm settles over Lebanon’s Ein el-Hilweh Palestinian camps after overnight clashes

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:00:03 GMT

SIDON, Lebanon (AP) — A cautious calm returned to Lebanon’s Ein el-Hilweh Palestinian camp in south Lebanon Thursday after a night of renewed clashes.Lebanon’s largest Palestinian refugee camp, which is home to about 50,000 people, has been racked since Sunday by fierce battles between President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah party and Islamist groups Jund al Sham and Shabab al Muslim.Fatah has accused the Islamists of gunning down a Fatah military general, Abu Ashraf al Armoushi, in the camp on Sunday.The fighting has so far killed more than a dozen people, wounded dozens more, and displaced thousands.In the city of Sidon, outside the camp’s borders, around 100 camp residents who had fled the clashes were sheltering in a nearby mosque on Thursday. Sheikh Ahmad Nader said that around 2,000 people had sheltered at the mosque since the beginning of the clashes.“We are tired of all of this,” said Mohamed Sabakh, an Ein el-Hilweh resident staying in the mosque with his family. “We have children.”...

Banks from 4 Arab countries are in talks to invest in struggling Lebanese banks, official says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:00:03 GMT

BEIRUT (AP) — Banks from four Arab countries are interested in investing in Lebanon’s struggling banking sector, which was hard-hit by the small nation’s three-year economic meltdown, a top Arab banker said Thursday.Lebanon is in the throes of its worst economic crisis in its short and troubled history that has skyrocketed poverty and inflation, and crippled its bloated public sector and infrastructure. Wissam Fattouh, the Secretary General of the Union of Arab Banks, spoke to The Associated Press on the sidelines of the biggest regional banking conference held in Beirut since the historic economic crisis began in October 2019. Caretaker Economy Minister Amin Salam and Lebanese and regional banking officials called on their Arab counterparts to invest in the crisis-hit country and help revitalize its battered economy.Fattouh told Saudi-owned TV station Al-Hadath in July that Jordanian and Iraqi banks have expressed an interest to buy small Lebanese banks.“During our numerous visits ...

Stock market today: Global stocks decline after the US government’s credit rating was cut

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:00:03 GMT

BEIJING (AP) — Global stock markets and Wall Street futures declined Thursday after Fitch Ratings cut the U.S. government’s credit rating.London and Paris opened lower. Tokyo lost 1.7% and Hong Kong also declined. Shanghai advanced. Oil prices retreated.Wall Street turned in its biggest one-day decline in months Wednesday after Fitch Ratings lowered the U.S. government credit rating by one level. The agency cited rising debt and a “steady deterioration in standards of governance” after Congress pushed Washington close to defaulting before agreeing to raise the amount it can borrow.“This is largely irrelevant despite some initial shock,” Kristina Hooper, chief global market strategist at investment management company Invesco, said in a report, noting that this makes the U.S. rating more consistent with other major economies. “The timing was odd, given that it occurred well after the debt ceiling issue was resolved.”In early trading, the FTSE 100 in London lost 1.3% to 7,466.49....