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‘Wedding became a graveyard.’ At least 100 killed as fire rips through party in Iraq

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:27:12 GMT

(CNN) — A fire tore through a wedding hall in Qaraqosh in northern Iraq on Tuesday, killing at least 100 people and injuring 150 others, prompting anger at the lack of safety measures at the venue.Fireworks were set off at the venue in the Hamdaniya district of northeast Nineveh governorate, the Iraqi Civil Defense said, and an investigative committee was formed to identify the cause of the incident.“The hall did not meet safety criteria. Because of the fireworks the ceiling collapsed on the people in the hall,” Interior Minister Abdul Amir al-Shammari told reporters on Wednesday.“Justice will be served to those who were negligent,” Al-Shammari added.Nine people were arrested following the fire, the Iraqi interior minister spokesperson Khalid al-Muhanna told CNN. Arrest warrants have been issued for another four, Al-Muhanna said.There were 1,300 guests when the blaze broke out, the Iraqi Joint Operations Command Spokesperson Major General Pilot Tahseen Al Khafaji told CNN.The g...

Fun and interesting things to do in the Cancun Hotel Zone

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:27:12 GMT

Mark Chesnut | TravelPulse (TNS)With its stunning white-sand beaches and clear turquoise waters, the Cancun Hotel Zone has been a vacation hot spot for decades.And while the sand, sea and spectacular array of beachfront hotels may get most of the attention, this sun-soaked strip of Caribbean coast is also home to a variety of interesting attractions, restaurants, nightlife and shopping areas, making it an especially fun place to explore.The beauty of Cancun’s Hotel Zone is that everything is nearby, making it easier for visitors to spend more time enjoying and less time traveling. Rather than relying on private transportation and pricey taxis on long rides, vacationers staying in Cancun can take a quick car ride, hop on a public bus or even stroll to nearby attractions and restaurants. Here are some of the top activities that await in the Hotel Zone.Chichen Itza and Tulum may be some of the Yucatan peninsula’s most legendary Mayan ruins, but travelers without the time or budget to v...

Column: Chicago Cubs’ blown game in Atlanta is a blast from the past — the 1998 Brant Brown ‘Oh, no!’ drop

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:27:12 GMT

Seiya Suzuki’s missed eighth–inning fly ball that sent the Chicago Cubs to a crushing 7-6 loss Tuesday will no doubt go down in infamy.The immediate reaction from Cubs fans watching at home was one of horror, as many flashed back to a similar play on Sept. 23, 1998, at County Stadium in Milwaukee.Like Suzuki, Cubs outfielder Brant Brown had been a key player in their wild-card race. But when a fly ball by Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Geoff Jenkins bounced off his glove with two outs in the ninth inning, bringing home three runs in an 8-7, walk-off loss, Brown felt like his world caved in.“Basically my whole philosophy all year, no matter if I’m starting or coming off the bench, is just to try to contribute,” Brown said that day. “Today wasn’t the best contribution. You just have to go on. Life goes on. It’s not the worst thing that’s ever going to happen to me. Hopefully it is, but you know, it’s just something tha...

The readers have spoken: Brooks Robinson’s fielding clinic in 1970 is Orioles’ top postseason moment

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:27:12 GMT

The Orioles have been creating postseason memories for more than half a century. With the team poised to make more in 2023, here’s a look back at the most magical moments in franchise history, ranked according to votes received from Baltimore Sun readers in a Sept. 19-25 online poll. No surprisingly Hall of Fame third baseman Brooks Robinson, who died Tuesday after voting was complete, topped the voting for his wizardry in the field.1) 1970: Brooks Robinson puts on a clinic at third base281 votes in Sun online pollMoments after the Orioles defeated the Cincinnati Reds, 9-3, in Game 5 to win the 1970 World Series, the Baseball Hall of Fame asks for third baseman Brooks Robinson’s glove. Small wonder. His backhand stabs, diving catches and off-balance pegs foil the Reds and earn Robinson MVP honors. Fittingly, in the final game, he throws out the last batter.“I never saw a man dominate a single event like Robinson in [that Series],” baseball commissioner Bo...

Damian Lillard is being traded from the Trail Blazers to the Bucks, AP source says, ending long saga

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:27:12 GMT

Damian Lillard is being traded by Portland to play alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo in Milwaukee, a person with knowledge of the agreement said Wednesday, a deal that ends his 11-year run with the Trail Blazers and a three-month saga surrounding his wish to be moved elsewhere in hopes of winning an NBA title.The seven-time All-Star — a player so elite that he was selected to the NBA’s 75th anniversary team — goes from the Trail Blazers to the Bucks in a three-team deal that sends Jrue Holiday from the Bucks to Portland, Deandre Ayton from Phoenix to Portland and Jusuf Nurkic from the Blazers to the Suns, according to the person who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because none of the involved teams had announced the agreement.As with all trades, it cannot be finalized until NBA attorneys review the terms and approve the deal.It became known on July 1 that Lillard asked the Trail Blazers for a trade, which he was long speculated to be considering given his...

Gretchen’s table: Hey kids, wanna help make Japanese chicken meatball skewers?

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:27:12 GMT

Gretchen McKay | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (TNS)One way to get kids to try new things at mealtime while also teaching them about nutrition is to hand them a spoon (or bowl or knife, if they’re old enough) and get them involved in making dinner.Sons and daughters are more apt to eat things they’ve had a hand in preparing and, by teaching them to cook, even just a little, you’re fostering life skills that will come in handy once they’re off on their own at college or jobs or wherever life takes them.Also, it’s just fun to carve out a little one-on-one “us” time with your children. I speak from experience when I say they grow up so fast and will be gone in the blink of an eye, almost before you know it.Iron Chef and cookbook author Alex Guarnaschelli, alongside her teenage daughter, Ava, show exactly how fun and inspirational cooking together can be in their new cookbook, “Cook it Up.”In it, they share more than 70 recipes that define their modern family meals tog...

San Diego International Airport advises travelers to 'anticipate traffic delays'

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:27:12 GMT

SAN DIEGO --For those traveling to and from the San Diego International Airport this weekend, traffic delays should be anticipated. Northbound traffic lanes on Interstate 5 will be reduced north of State Route 15 for Caltrans work from 9 p.m. Sept. 29 until 5 a.m. Oct. 2. Six miles of the freeway will be squeezed into one lane. House fire under investigation in Lemon Grove Officials at SAN are encouraging travelers to plan ahead. They are advising flyers to allow more than two hours before your flight departs to allow for potential traffic congestion and delays.Here are some key details to know about this scheduled closure:-- Alternative routes during this timeframe for drivers coming to SAN from the south include taking SR-15 or Interstate 805 to Interstate 8 west and then I-5 south. -- One northbound I-5 lane will remain accessible for limited local and airport traffic. -- I-5 north will be accessible from SR-75 east and the 19th Street, B Street/Pershing drive on-ramps. Four...

GOP debate live updates: Rivals go head-to-head as Trump woos autoworkers

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:27:12 GMT

Republican presidential hopefuls will strive to set themselves apart from one another and capture voters' attention when they meet Wednesday night in Simi Valley, Calif., for the second primary debate.Seven candidates, all polling well behind former President Trump, met the Republican National Committee (RNC) criteria to participate. Asa Hutchinson, former Arkansas governor, did not make the cut a month after being on stage in Milwaukee.Trump, meanwhile, is again not joining the debate. Instead, he will be at an event near Detroit meeting with current and former union workers amid their ongoing strike against three major automakers — Ford, General Motors and Stellantis.The debate starts at 9 p.m. EDT on Fox Business Network. Find out how to watch it here.And follow along here through the night for live updates.

Landlord who killed two tenants, shot by police, said he wouldn’t make it out alive

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:27:12 GMT

A Hamilton landlord who killed two tenants and then barricaded himself inside a home said he wouldn’t make it out alive before he was killed in a gunfight with police, according to a new report from Ontario’s police watchdog.In the report, which sheds more light on the hours-long May 27 standoff, the Special Investigations Unit says an officer used legally justified force when he shot and killed the 57-year-old landlord.The SIU says negotiators repeatedly tried, with limited success, to reach the man holed up inside the house after he killed the two tenants, an engaged couple living in the unit below him. Family members and Hamilton police have previously identified the victims as Carissa MacDonald, 27, and Aaron Stone, 28. Based on interviews conducted as part of its investigation and evidence collected from the scene, the SIU offered a detailed account of the events leading up to the standoff and the landlord’s death. After the landlord fatally shot the tenants o...

Colorado supermarket shooting suspect suggested to psychologist that he wanted police to kill him

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:27:12 GMT

BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — The man accused of killing 10 people at a Colorado supermarket in 2021 told a mental health evaluator he bought firearms to carry out a mass shooting and suggested that he wanted police to kill him, according to Wednesday court testimony.Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa made the statements at a state mental hospital during an August evaluation that determined he was mentally competent to stand trial, said Loandra Torres, the forensic psychologist who evaluated the 24-year-old suspect.Alissa, who has been diagnosed with schizophrenia, also “recognized that there are guns that have his fingerprints on them and that can be used as some evidence against him,” Torres said.Alissa is charged with murder and multiple attempted murder counts after the shooting rampage on March 22, 2021, in a crowded King Soopers store in Boulder, about 30 miles (50 kilometers) northwest of Denver. He has not yet been asked to enter a plea.Judge Ingrid Bakke is holding a two-day hearing on Al...