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Europe opens F-16 warplane training center for Ukrainian pilots

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:27 GMT

The European training center to teach Ukrainian pilots how to operate F-16 combat planes was officially opened on Monday in Romania, according to press reports and posts on social media. “The center will be an international hub for the training of F-16 pilots and will facilitate increased interoperability among allies,” the Romanian defense ministry said. It was inaugurated by Romanian Defense Minister Angel Tîlvăr and his Dutch counterpart Kajsa Ollongren at an air base east of Bucharest.Ukraine has long argued it needs fighter jets to make significant military progress against Russia, which launched a full-scale invasion against it in February 2022. Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway and Belgium have announced they are willing to give U.S.-made F-16s to Kyiv. Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said in October the first jets would be sent by April 2024. Belgium pledged to deliver the fighters by 2025, as long as the next government agrees after an election next y...

Plymouth family set to return home after escaping war-torn Gaza

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:27 GMT

A Plymouth family is finally heading home after spending weeks stuck in Gaza amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas. The Shafai family is due to arrive back in Massachusetts on Tuesday and family members are sharing their harrowing story.Hani Shafai says his brother, his sister-in-law and their three children managed to escape into Egypt last Monday.“It took about 12 hours to cross the borders and get their paperwork processed and then 12 hours to cross Sinai,” he said, adding that a young child had to be treated by paramedics when they arrived.He still worries for his extended family in Gaza, Shafai said.“It’s sad to see that happen, it’s a very ugly situation and hopefully things will end soon for the sake of all the people involved because you hate see any loss of innocent lives on either side.”He went on the thank the federal government and their friends in Massachusetts in helping them get home.This is a developing news story; sta...

Bill Belichick says Patriots offense has made progress but must ‘eliminate errors’

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:27 GMT

Every time it seems like the Patriots offense has figured something out, it finds a way to shoot itself in the foot. Whether it’s an ill-timed interception, a dropped pass, a missed block or another issue, the Patriots have been their own worst enemy all season.Asked about the offense’s lack of progress from last season, Belichick said the unit has shown improvement but needs to cut out the mistakes.“There are good things, there are things we can build off of,” Belichick said. “We’re certainly doing a lot of things better than we did earlier in the year, but it doesn’t take much to stop a drive and have bad plays and we have to do a better job eliminating those errors. So that’s what we’re working towards.”Entering Monday the Patriots have managed just 14.1 points per game, which is second only to the New York Giants for worst in the NFL. New England is also tied for fifth-worst in the league with 15 total touchdowns, seventh-worst with 294....

Chicago Bears Q&A: What’s Matt Eberflus’ status? How will the offensive line look when Nate Davis returns?

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:27 GMT

The Chicago Bears had some extra time this week between Thursday’s 16-13 victory over the Carolina Panthers and Sunday when they face the NFC North-leading Lions in Detroit.Heading into Week 11, there are still many questions surrounding the coach, the culture and the contracts. Brad Biggs answers your Chicago Bears questions each week.After hearing Ryan Poles talk about Matt Eberflus in his last news conference, what are the honest chances he actually gets fired come the end of the season if they win a couple more games? I think the team overall is playing hard and the run defense is playing eons better than last year — a key responsibility of his. But the pass defense is still bad for many reasons. Clearly they love his culture at Halas Hall given how much they use the word. I think it’s also important to not forget this is an organization that kept John Fox for a third year after a 6-10 and 3-13 seasons. — Gerry M., ChicagoI don’t know what is going ...

Bill Belichick mum on potential QB change after latest Patriots loss

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:27 GMT

Mac Jones’ run as Patriots starting quarterback reached a new low on Sunday, with a dismal late interception helping doom New England to a 10-6 loss to the Indianapolis Colts in Germany.It was telling when Jones was benched for backup Bailey Zappe with under two minutes left and the game still up for grabs, but speaking to WEEI’s The Greg Hill Show on Monday morning, Bill Belichick said they haven’t made a choice on who will lead the Patriots out of the bye week.“I don’t know, we haven’t really talked about that,” Belichick said. “We’re just getting back from Germany and trying to get reorganized here.”Belichick said he felt they needed to make a change after the Jones interception, though he noted that the decision to make a switch wasn’t about one play but how the game had gone as a whole. Zappe’s attempt at a two-minute drill also ended poorly, with the reserve throwing a game-ending interception with 36 seco...

Romania inaugurates an F-16 jet pilot training center for NATO allies and neighboring Ukraine

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:27 GMT

BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — NATO member Romania inaugurated on Monday an international training hub for F-16 jet pilots from allied countries and other partners, including Ukraine.The training facility situated at an air base in Fetesti in southeast Romania will aim to increase interoperability between NATO allies, and better position the military alliance “to face the complex challenges” in Eastern Europe and the Black Sea region, Romania’s defense ministry said.It said the powerful U.S.-made warplanes will be supplied by the Royal Netherlands Air Force while the aircraft maker Lockheed Martin will provide instructors and maintenance at the training center.Kathleen Kavalec, the U.S. ambassador to Romania who attended the opening, called the collaboration an “example of how the public and private sectors can cooperate to further our defense priorities.”“I am here with one simple message,” she said. “The United States government is here to support in any way we can.”Romania, whic...

Man found dead following house explosion, fire in Scarborough

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:27 GMT

One person is confirmed dead after an explosion that levelled a home in Scarborough over the weekend.Fire officials tell CityNews they located the body of a man in the rubble of the home on Kitchener Road near Kingston and Galloway roads. Crews were called to the home just after 11:30 a.m. Sunday for reports of an explosion in the area.Officials are now working to retrieve the body. Toronto Fire Chief Matthew Pegg said Sunday that crews were searching for one person, believed to be the lone occupant at the time of the blast, who was unaccounted for.No other injuries have been reported and officials said adjacent homes were largely unaffected by the fire and explosion. One firefighter sustained minor injuries and was taken to hospital as a precautionary measure.People blocks away reported feeling and hearing the blast.There is no word what led to the explosion.With files from Carl Hanstke

Dye & Durham launches strategic review of non-core assets

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:27 GMT

TORONTO — Dye & Durham Ltd. says it has launched a strategic review of its non-core assets in an effort to reduce its debt.The company says the review will examine a variety of options, including the potential sale of all or part of its non-core assets, including its financial services business.Dye & Durham CEO Matthew Proud says the company is working closely with its financial and legal advisers to ensure the review is “comprehensive, diligent and maximizes value.”The company cautioned that there’s no assurance the review will result in a transaction. Dye & Durham is a provider of cloud-based legal practice management software.It has operations in Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia and South Africa.This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 13, 2023.Companies in this story: (TSX:DND)The Canadian Press

Restaurant revenues are booming, so why are so many losing money?

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:27 GMT

In today’s Big Story Podcast, last year, Canadian restaurants took in roughly $100 billion in revenue, more than the pre-pandemic year of 2019. This year it’s pegged to be $110 billion. Yet a third of all restaurants report they are losing money, up from just seven per cent before the pandemic.Even as lockdowns eased and diners returned, a complex set of problems face restaurants in particular — and now the industry’s lobby group says we’re beginning to see double the number of restaurants closing than opening. Kelly Higginson is the president and CEO of Restaurants Canada. “I wish we had a simple, easy answer for [why restaurants are losing money]], because we might be able to find a better solution. But there are so many factors that have led to this situation,” said Higginson.How did this happen, and how do we keep small, local restaurants afloat?You can subscribe to The Big Story podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google and Spotify.You can also find it at thebigs...

The son of a Spanish actor pleads not guilty in Thailand to most charges in the killing of a surgeon

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:27 GMT

BANGKOK (AP) — The son of a Spanish film star has pleaded not guilty in Thailand to most charges related to the death of a Colombian surgeon whose dismembered body was found on a popular tourist island, officials said Monday.Daniel Sancho Bronchalo, 29, was indicted by prosecutors last month over the death of Edwin Arrieta Arteaga, whose remains were found stuffed in plastic bags at a landfill on Ko Pha Ngan, an island famous for its rave-style “full moon parties.” The indictment laid out the charges of premeditated murder, concealment of the body and destruction of other people’s documents.The Ko Samui Provincial Court and the local prosecutor said Sancho pleaded not guilty to two of the charges. The Spanish news agency EFE reported that sources close to his family said he pleaded not guilty to the murder and destruction of documents charges but pleaded guilty to the charge of hiding the victim’s body.The charge of premeditated murder carries a possible death penalty.The cour...