Perdomo, Gurriel hit 2-run homers as Diamondbacks win 4th straight, beat A’s 5-2 behind Kelly

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 15:47:46 GMT

Perdomo, Gurriel hit 2-run homers as Diamondbacks win 4th straight, beat A’s 5-2 behind Kelly OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Merrill Kelly thought for sure Jordan Díaz had swung, and the Arizona pitcher was expecting to add another strikeout to his stellar start. If the call had gone his way, maybe Kelly would have been able to stay in for the complete game he wanted so badly.Instead, Díaz drew a walk and the Diamondbacks’ dugout went berserk before Arizona beat the Oakland Athletics 5-2 on Monday night.Manager Torey Lovullo got tossed by first base umpire Brock Ballou for arguing a check swing, then when Kelly got removed by bench coach Jeff Banister after the next batter, the pitcher gestured toward the baserunner and was ejected, too — for the first time in his life.“I thought that was a terrible call. I thought it was a very, very obvious swing,” Kelly said. “I’ve seen the video of it; in my mind it was a very obvious swing. At that time that guy’s got one job to do and that’s the only thing he’s got to pay attention to right there. Missed it and it...

Padres slugger Manny Machado exits game after getting hit by pitch on left hand

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 15:47:46 GMT

Padres slugger Manny Machado exits game after getting hit by pitch on left hand SAN DIEGO (AP) — San Diego Padres slugger Manny Machado came out of Monday night’s game against the Kansas City Royals two innings after he was hit on the left hand by a pitch from Brad Keller.Machado was drilled with the bases loaded in the second to bring in a run in the Padres’ 4-0 win that snapped a five-game losing streak. He played defense at third base in the top of the third but was replaced by pinch-hitter Rougned Odor in the fourth.Padres manager Bob Melvin said X-rays were negative.“There’s nothing broken in there. He got hit on the top of the hand. Might have gotten a nerve or something like that,” Melvin said. “For him to come out of the game, it can’t feel too terribly good. He’s got quite the pain tolerance. We’ve got a lot of treatment. We’ll see how he is tomorrow.”___AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb and https://twitter.com/AP_SportsSource

Green Bay ranks as No. 1 best place to live, but where does DC land?

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 15:47:46 GMT

Green Bay ranks as No. 1 best place to live, but where does DC land? The city may be best known for its NFL team and the “Cheeseheads” who fill stands and cheer on their team, but according to a new ranking, Green Bay, Wisconsin, should also be known as the best place to live in the United States.U.S. News and World Reports took a deep dive into the data, ranking the 150 most populous metropolitan areas on things such as value, desirability, job market and quality of life.As for D.C., it found itself further down the list at No. 39.Devon Thorsby, real estate editor at U.S. News, said the nation’s capital ranked well when it comes to the job market because it is third best in the nation, with an average salary of over $80,000 for a single person. Schools, colleges and access to health care also worked in the city’s favor.“I don’t think anyone in the D.C. area that is questioning it’s an extremely expensive place to live and that value, that affordability aspect is a big part of why D.C is at number 39,” Thorsby said.“The places that had an...

Russia launches ‘exceptional’ air attack in Kyiv with drones, missiles

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 15:47:46 GMT

Russia launches ‘exceptional’ air attack in Kyiv with drones, missiles KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Loud explosions sounded above Kyiv early Tuesday as Russia launched an intense air attack on the capital using a combination of missiles launched from the air, sea and land. Russia’s latest attack on Kyiv was “exceptional in its density — the maximum number of attacking missiles in the shortest period of time,” said Serhii Popko, the head of the Kyiv military administration. It is the eighth time this month that Russian air raids have targeted the capital, a clear escalation after weeks of lull and ahead of a much-anticipated Ukrainian counter-offensive. It also comes as President Volodymyr Zelenksyy concludes a whirlwind European tour to greet Ukraine’s key wartime allies, which spurred an additional tranche of pledged military aid. “According to preliminary information the vast majority of enemy targets in the airspace of Kyiv were detected and destroyed,” said Popko. Ukraine’s Air Force said 18 missiles of various types were launched, includ...

Stock market today: Asian shares turn lower after China economic data weaker than expected

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 15:47:46 GMT

Stock market today: Asian shares turn lower after China economic data weaker than expected Asian shares were mostly higher on Tuesday even though the latest data showed China’s economy is weaker than expected, with domestic demand failing to bounce back as much as hoped for after the pandemic. Benchmarks advanced in Tokyo, Hong Kong and Seoul but fell in Shanghai and Sydney.China’s economic recovery after the pandemic faces pressure from sluggish consumer and export demand, a government official said Tuesday, with retail sales and other activity in April weaker than expected.Retail sales rose 18.4% over a year earlier, up 7.8 percentage points from March, official data showed. Other indicators were mixed: Factory output rose 5.6% over a year ago but was off 0.5% from March. Investment in factories, real estate and other fixed assets was up 4.7% in the first four months of 2023, but that was off 0.4 percentage points from the first quarter’s growth rate.“Today’s activity data suggest China is mired in an extended soft patch,” said Stephen Innes of SPI Asset Management in a...

Official: China recovery faces pressure after April activity weaker than expected

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 15:47:46 GMT

Official: China recovery faces pressure after April activity weaker than expected BEIJING (AP) — China’s economic recovery faces pressure from sluggish consumer and export demand, a government official said Tuesday, after retail sales and other activity in April were weaker than expected.Chinese activity accelerated while U.S. and European economic growth is cooling following interest rate hikes to extinguish inflation. But consumer spending, an important economic engine, is taking longer than expected to recover after most Chinese curbs on business activity and travel ended in December.“The recovery of demand is still insufficient,” said Fu Linghui, spokesperson for the National Bureau of Statistics, at a news conference. “External demand has weakened” and exporters face a “complex and severe” environment.Growth in retail sales accelerated to 18.4% over a year earlier in April, official data showed, but that was below private sector expectations of up to 35%.Factory output rose 5.6% but was off 0.5 percentage points from March. Investment in factories, real esta...

Unsuccessful Republican candidate in Arizona attorney general race pushes for new trial

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 15:47:46 GMT

Unsuccessful Republican candidate in Arizona attorney general race pushes for new trial PHOENIX (AP) — The Republican candidate who lost last year’s election for Arizona attorney general returns to court Tuesday to request a new trial in his efforts to overturn the results of the November contest. Attorneys for candidate Abraham Hamadeh were set to appear at an afternoon Superior Court hearing in Mohave County in Arizona’s northwestern corner to claim they have fresh evidence some votes were not tallied in the election won by Democrat Kris Mayes, who was sworn in early this year.Hamadeh wants Judge Lee Jantzen to allow a thorough inspection of all ballots in the election. The case is among several still alive in Arizona courts six months after an election that saw Democrats win the top races in the former Republican stronghold. Former TV anchor Kari Lake, the 2022 Republican candidate for Arizona governor, also continues to challenge her defeat to Democrat Katie Hobbs, who took office in January, even though courts have dismissed most of her lawsuit. Lake m...

Youngest Kazakh MP: An inclusive society is an equal society

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 15:47:46 GMT

Youngest Kazakh MP: An inclusive society is an equal society Dinara Naumova (pictured), the youngest member of parliament of Kazakhstan, described the changes that have taken place in Kazakh society and politics since the January 2022 unrest, as well as what lies ahead for the future. Naumova took up her seat in the 98-member Mazhilis, the lower chamber of the bicameral parliament of Kazakhstan, following the 19 March election. The 25-year-old politician was born with cerebral palsy to parents who could not care for her, entrusting her to her grandmother. At 18, she dreamt of opening an inclusiveness centre in her village; by 24, it became a reality. The centre now provides services for children with mental and physical disabilities free of charge. She became a member of Respublica, a new political party, weeks before the elections, elected in the Akmola region. Naumova, who spoke to EURACTIV via Zoom in Russian, said that although she does not remember Soviet times, she knows that society did not care about those with disabilities. And there...

Kazakh president outlines defence sector priorities

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 15:47:46 GMT

Kazakh president outlines defence sector priorities The Armed Forces of Kazakhstan must protect the fundamental values of peace and tranquility amid conflicts, President and Supreme Commander-in-Chief Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said at a 5 May expanded meeting on the development of the army, the Akorda press service reported, writes Saniya Sakenova in Nation.The role of the army has increased, the president stressed, noting that providing professional training and equipping it with modern weapons and advanced technologies are of paramount importance. Security forces must comply with the new requirements. With the establishment of the Special Operations Command, work is underway to improve the capabilities of the air assault troops, bolster territorial defense forces, form civil defense units and strengthen special forces units.“All this work must be completed in due course,” the President added.Photo credit: Akorda.Tokayev emphasized the role of the domestic military-industrial complex in the full-fledged rearmament and modernization of t...

Erdogan Arrested and Deported International Officials Observing Turkish Election

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 15:47:46 GMT

Erdogan Arrested and Deported International Officials Observing Turkish Election The government of Recep Tayyip Erdogan swept up and jailed a team of international observers on hand to monitor election day activity in Turkey on Sunday, members of the team told The Intercept in a statement. Following a day-long detention – during which more than a dozen international elected officials and civil society representatives from Spain were placed in solitary confinement and refused bathroom breaks – the officials were escorted to the airport and flown out of the country, landing in Spain on Monday and Tuesday. The delegation had not been granted official observer accreditation by the Erdogan government, but were formally invited by the HDP, the leading Kurdish party and a key member of the opposition coalition. The election held on Sunday was the closest contest Erdogan has faced in the two decades he has been in power. Immediately, the opposition coalition, led by Kemal Kilicdaroglu, charged election irregularities, zeroing in on what Kilicdaroglu said was an ext...