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Russian warlord Prigozhin to POLITICO: Get me F-35 fighter jets

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:00 GMT

The notorious Russian warlord Yevgeny Prigozhin has asked POLITICO for help in equipping his Wagner private army with Lockheed Martin F-35 fighter jets.In a sarcastic voice message delivered in response to a request for comment, Prigozhin also sought assistance in obtaining U.S.-made sniper rifles, machine guns and grenade launchers.“I ask you to talk to your contacts so that we can get these supplies,” said Prigozhin, whose mercenaries have fought at the forefront of Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine.“I have one more request for you,” Prigozhin continued. “So: F-35s. If it’s possible, as we previously discussed, to buy up supplies via New Zealand. They may need to refuel in Hawaii, but I don’t really foresee a problem.”Prigozhin’s statement appeared intended as a joke: It was delivered in a jovial, ironic tone that was in complete contrast to the furious, profanity-laden tirades he has unleashed at Russia’s top military brass over problems supplying his forces.POLITICO re...

EXCLUSIVE: How US-made sniper ammunition ends up in Russian rifles

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:00 GMT

As gear reviews go, it was a glowing one: In a 60-second video clip posted on Telegram, a masked sniper sporting the death’s-head insignia of the Wagner mercenary army sings the praises of the Russian-made Orsis T-5000 rifle.“The equipment comes very well recommended,” the soldier, pictured in the charred interior of a building, tells a war reporter from the Zvezda TV channel run by the Russian Ministry of Defense.Pulling out the clip of the weapon at his side, he continues: “It uses Western .338 caliber ammunition. It works very well. It can penetrate light cover if the enemy is behind it. And, in the open, it can strike the enemy at a range of up to 1,500 meters.”The Orsis T-5000 is made by a company based in Moscow called Promtekhnologiya that has been sanctioned by the United States.And the “Western” ammunition?Filings obtained by POLITICO indicate that Promtekhnologiya and another Russian firm called Tetis have acquired hundreds of thousands of rounds made by Hornady, a U...

Labour targets wind power and planning as it unveils green plan

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:00 GMT

LONDON — Keir Starmer will restate his commitment to wind power Monday as he seeks to position Labour as the green choice ahead of an expected general election.Speaking in Edinburgh alongside Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar, Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves and Shadow Energy and Climate Secretary Ed Miliband, the Labour leader will double down on his pledge to end the U.K. government’s de facto ban on new onshore wind projects. Labour claims that the ban has forced the U.K. to purchase more energy from overseas, adding the equivalent of £182 to average annual household energy bills.The move on onshore wind is part of Labour’s Green Prosperity Plan, which will also introduce new targets into the planning system for renewables, streamline the consenting process for offshore wind, and hand regulators a mandate to pursue net zero goals.“We’ve got to roll up our sleeves and start building things, run towards the barriers — the planning system, the skills shortages, the inve...

Police: Driver careens through fence, hits teen girl in parking lot in Chelsea

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:00 GMT

Police in Chelsea are investigating after a driver crashed through a fence, hit several vehicles, and struck and seriously injured a 14-year-old girl in a parking lot.Crime scene tape was up near a Dunkin’ parking lot on Beacham Street and several vehicles in the area could be seen damaged.Police say the teen was rushed to a hospital with serious injuries and the driver involved was also hospitalized and is in police custody.Criminal charges are expected in connection with the crash.No additional information was immediately available.This is a developing news story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest details.

Earthquake recorded off Myanmar’s coast, shakes buildings in Thailand

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:00 GMT

BANGKOK (AP) — An earthquake was recorded off the southern coast of Myanmar on Monday with tremors also felt in Thailand, but there were no immediate reports of major damage.The 5.1 magnitude quake was recorded about 152 kilometers (95 miles) south of Yangon, Myanmar’s biggest city, at 10 kilometers (6 miles) below the surface at 8:10 a.m., according to Myanmar’s meteorology department.Thailand’s meteorological department reported the earthquake as 6.0 magnitude at 8:40 a.m. and said tremors were felt in the capital Bangkok and nearby Nonthaburi province, about 450 kilometers (280 miles) from the epicenter.The United States Geological Survey measured the earthquake at 5.6 magnitude.Different agencies often have different preliminary measurements for earthquakes.Many people in high-rise buildings in Bangkok reported feeling the tremors for 15 to 30 seconds, according to the public report section of the Thai government’s Earthquake Observation Division website.There were no imme...

Person in life-threatening condition after shooting in Pickering: police

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:00 GMT

A male victim is in life-threatening condition after a shooting in Pickering on Sunday, Durham Regional Police officers say.An update posted on the police service’s Twitter account at 10:45 p.m. said the incident happened near the intersection of Valley Farm and Kingston roads between Liverpool and Brock roads.Details about the victim and potential suspect information weren’t released in the initial update.The circumstances surrounding the shooting weren’t immediately clear. A spokesperson wasn’t immediately available for comment. Officers encouraged residents to avoid the area and said more information would be released at a later time.Police are in the area of Kingston Rd and Valleyfarm Rd in Pickering for a shooting investigation. One male has been located with life threatening injuries. Please avoid the area. Further information to follow… pic.twitter.com/nX1bcJJX9E— Durham Regional Police (@DRPS) June 19, 2023

Sunday Night Forecast: Cloudy, low of 67

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:00 GMT

Sunday Night: Cloudy skies and a slight chance of a shower. E 5-10 mph. Low: 67Monday: Slight chance of an early showers/sprinkle then partly sunny. E 10-15 mph. Highs mid 80s, cooler lakesideChicago Weather | Tom Skilling and the WGN Weather Center's Forecast (wgntv.com)Extended outlook calls for a pattern of dry weather for the rest of the week is expected with hazy sunshine from Canadian wildfire smoke. Temps creep up toward 90 the end of the week-- but each day looks about 5 to 10 degrees cooler by the lake. Next weekend partly sunny & warm a chance of showers both days and temps in the mid 80s. 

Local teams to air it out at Texas 7-on-7 football championships June 22-24

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:00 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — As Texas high school football teams prepare for the upcoming 2023 season, they'll take the pads off and sling it all over the field in the state 7-on-7 tournament June 22-24 at Veterans Park in College Station.Pool play matchups were released by tournament directors Sunday and Central Texas teams are out in full force. Division I includes 6A and 5A schools, SPC and TAPPS Division I teams, Division II has 3AD1 and 4A teams, and the remainder of private schools and Division III includes 3AD2-1A teams.Full Division I state 7-on-7 pool play scheduleFull Division II and III state 7-on-7 pool play scheduleIn the Division I tournament, Westlake, Lake Travis and Dripping Springs all qualified and get started June 23. Weiss, San Marcos, Round Rock, Westwood, Vista Ridge and Buda Johnson are also competing in Division I. The Chaps open the tournament against Katy Tompkins and Lake Travis takes on El Paso Eastwood. Dripping Springs faces off against Lubbock Coronado in its pool...

Lynx let Aces run wild again in 93-62 blowout

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:00 GMT

Odds are to beat Las Vegas you can’t let the Aces get on a run at any point in the game. But with superstars up and down the roster, it’s never easy.Minnesota did well for about a quarter and a half, then it got ugly.Napheesa Collier ended up with 18 points and seven rebounds, but the Lynx fell 93-62 Sunday to the WNBA’s top team.“Vegas is a great team but a lot of times we beat ourselves letting them get to things we talked about before the game of not letting them have and just not having the urgency we need,” Collier said.Especially in the final two quarters.The Lynx were outscored 39-21 in the second half en route to scoring their fewest points of the season. Minnesota shot a season-worst-tying 33.3% and made just 4 of 24 shots from outside the arc.Minnesota’s other four starters combined for just 22 points, although Dorka Juhász grabbed nine rebounds.“Vegas sort of does this, or really any good team, the longer the game goes on the more the separation of talent maybe starts to ...

‘Preparation is everything’: Kayaker offers tips after recent incidents near St. Cloud, one of them fatal

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:00 GMT

SAUK RAPIDS — Even through air thick with haze, someone looking at the Mississippi River from Sauk Rapids might catch sight of Rick Rassier doing stunts with his freestyle kayak, which he describes as “gymnastics on water.”Aside from doing impressive tricks on his kayak, Rassier, 63, of Sauk Rapids, is passionate about river navigation safety.In just the last few months, there have been three reported incidents in the St. Cloud area of people getting separated from their boats or kayaks on the Mississippi River. In one of those cases, a kayaker, Donald Richard Worden, 39, of St. Cloud, was found dead in the river on June 2.As an experienced kayaker, Rassier shared his insight on safety on one of the longest rivers in the U.S.‘If you don’t have control … it doesn’t take much to get in trouble’Rassier recently joined the St. Cloud Area Kayak Club Facebook group to raise awareness of high river levels.The Mississippi River was shrouded in a haze in Sauk Ra...