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The pandemic is over, says German health minister

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:43:52 GMT

BERLIN — The COVID-19 pandemic is over in Germany, Health Minister Karl Lauterbach said Wednesday.Lauterbach, an epidemiologist, said at a press conference he made this assessment based on looking at virus variants, vaccination rates and hospital cases.“We have successfully overcome the pandemic in Germany and also with a good balance sheet,” the Social Democrat added. Lauterbach, known for his initially cautious COVID-19 policies during the global health crisis, has adopted a different tone lately. He was an MP at the start of the pandemic, but still had considerable influence on the government, then led by conservative Angela Merkel, as an expert in the field, frequently appearing on talk shows and gaining attention on social media.Lauterbach said he could understand that there was an interest in asking what had gone wrong during the crisis, but argued Germany’s strategy as a whole had worked out “because, after all, the reasonable ones and those who have been helpful in Ger...

UK foreign secretary: Focus on war now, Ukraine’s NATO bid later

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:43:52 GMT

British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly cautioned on Wednesday that now is not the time for a concrete conversation on Ukraine’s NATO bid, as allies debate how to address Kyiv’s aspirations to join the military alliance. In an interview with POLITICO, Cleverly acknowledged NATO’s commitment — made during a 2008 summit in Bucharest — that Ukraine will ultimately join the alliance. But echoing a view popular in western capitals, he argued that this is a discussion for a later stage. “Obviously, there is long-standing commitments to providing Ukraine with a path to NATO membership,” he said following a NATO foreign ministers meeting in Brussels. But, the foreign secretary added, “the priority of course, at the moment, is about their self-defense in the here and now.”Cleverly’s remarks come as Ukrainian officials have reiterated their calls in recent days for the country to move closer to NATO, eliciting mixed reactions from alliance leaders. During a visit to Poland on ...

Orioles postpone home opener Thursday because of weather forecast; game vs. Yankees moved to 3:05 p.m. Friday

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:43:52 GMT

Orioles fans will have to wait one extra day to watch the 2023 team play at Camden Yards.A forecast of inclement weather prompted the team to move its home opener, scheduled for Thursday against the New York Yankees, to 3:05 p.m. Friday. The date was previously open on the Orioles’ schedule to account for the possibility of weather. Tickets for Thursday will be valid Friday, and those unable to attend after the change can exchange their tickets at Orioles.com/MyAccount; exchanges must be completed before noon Friday.The Orioles, who are 3-2 entering top pitching prospect Grayson Rodriguez’s debut Wednesday against the Texas Rangers, are scheduled to start right-hander Dean Kremer against New York’s Clarke Schmidt.This story might be updated. ()

Dolphins’ Tyreek Hill taunts Chiefs ahead of 2023 matchup — and has retirement year in sight

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:43:52 GMT

The Dolphins are scheduled to visit the Kansas City Chiefs during the 2023 season, and that means Miami’s star receiver Tyreek Hill will play against his former team, with which he won a Super Bowl and earned six Pro Bowls.Hill had a message for the Chiefs in an interview with a Kansas City radio station released Tuesday night.“Chiefs Kingdom, when the Miami Dolphins come to Arrowhead Stadium this year, guess what we’re going to do,” Hill proclaimed before wrapping up an interview with Sports Radio 810 WHB. “I hate to say it, man. I hate to throw up the peace sign against y’all. I hate to do it. But guess what. I’m going to be y’all worst enemy that day. I’m going to be y’all worst enemy that day.”The peace sign is Hill’s patented taunt when he speeds away from opposing defenses for a long touchdown. Starting it in Kansas City, he kept it going with the Dolphins in 2022.Hill also plans to use his familiarity wit...

Dolphins opted for continuity at running back over a big free-agent move

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:43:52 GMT

The Miami Dolphins opted for continuity at running back over a major change for a bell-cow back this offseason.Four tailbacks from last year’s roster were free agents of some kind. Four are returning as members of the 2023 Dolphins.Such running backs like the Raiders’ Josh Jacobs, Giants’ Saquon Barkley and Cowboys’ Tony Pollard were placed on the franchise tag with their teams, so they were erased as offseason options for Miami. The Dolphins then passed on free agents like Miles Sanders (from Philadelphia to Carolina), David Montgomery (Chicago to Detroit) and Jamaal Williams (Detroit to New Orleans).With four running backs brought back — Raheem Mostert, Jeff Wilson Jr., Salvon Ahmed and Myles Gaskin — it seems like that’s the group the team is rolling with, instead of looking into a possible offseason trade with the Titans for Derrick Henry or Vikings to produce a Dalvin Cook homecoming.The Dolphins could still look to add a running back i...

DJ LeMahieu swinging like his old self: ‘I forgot how good it felt to be normal’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:43:52 GMT

Night and day.That’s how Aaron Boone compared DJ LeMahieu’s present capabilities to his injured form from a season ago. Foot and toe issues derailed what was shaping up to be another strong year for the versatile Yankees infielder, but LeMahieu hit just .162/.215/.162 with zero extra-base hits from Aug. 8 to Oct. 5, a stretch that included spending most of September out of commission.LeMahieu returned for a few regular season games at the very end, but the Yankees deemed it best to keep him off their playoff rosters.“He was a shell of himself at the end of the season,” Boone said Wednesday morning. “He’s back where he was when he was in the middle of a great year last year before he got hurt. So it’s good to see him like that.”Indeed, LeMahieu is off to a productive start at the plate, taking a .294/.333/.647 slash line into Wednesday’s series finale against the Phillies. It being so early in the season, his sample sizes are smal...

Keolis rail engineer indicted for alleged $8M fraud scheme

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:43:52 GMT

The feds have charged the assistant chief engineer of facilities for the company that runs the MBTA’s commuter rail system with 17 counts in relation to an alleged fraud conspiracy that siphoned $8 million from the commuter rail.A co-conspirator in the alleged grift  has agreed to plead guilty, prosecutors say.A federal grand jury on Tuesday indicted John P. Pigsley, 58, who is the assistant chief engineer for facilities for the Paris-based Keolis’ commuter rail operations, on five counts of wire fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, six counts of tax evasion, one count of filing a false tax return and four counts of structuring financial transactions to evade reporting requirements. He is scheduled to appear in court on the charges this afternoon.His alleged co-conspirator and friend, according to the complaint filed in the case, has already agreed to plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.“There is perhaps no single state agency that impa...

Alex Cora says ‘good chance’ Garrett Whitlock makes season debut next week

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:43:52 GMT

Barring any setbacks, Garrett Whitlock will rejoin the Red Sox and make his season debut early next week.“There’s a good chance,” Alex Cora said.Whitlock began the season on the injured list after a careful, measured spring training. He underwent season-ended hip surgery last September, so the Red Sox didn’t want to rush his preseason program. His first rehab start was Triple-A Worcester’s Opening Day last Friday, and he’s scheduled to start Double-A Portland’s season opener on Thursday.The current plan is to move the 26-year-old right-hander to the starting rotation full-time. Since his hip surgery, he says he feels the best he’s felt since high school. Hopefully, that will translate to good results on the mound; his team needs that. Despite scoring 34 runs in their first five games (third-most in MLB), the Red Sox are 2-3 to start the season, in large part due to the rotation’s inability to limit runs, creating large deficits e...

Maryland AG releases report on Catholic Church sex abuse

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:43:52 GMT

BALTIMORE (AP) — The Maryland Attorney General’s Office has publicly released a redacted version of an investigative report detailing sex abuse allegations against more than 150 Catholic priests and examining the Archdiocese of Baltimore’s response.The redacted findings were made public Wednesday afternoon, marking a significant development in an ongoing legal battle over their release and adding to growing evidence from parishes across the country as numerous similar revelations have rocked the Catholic Church in recent years.Former Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh launched the probe in 2019 and announced its completion in November, saying investigators had reviewed over 100,000 pages of documents dating back to the 1940s and interviewed hundreds of victims and witnesses. The report’s contents weren’t immediately released because they include information obtained from church officials via grand jury subpoenas, which are confidential proceedings in Maryland.Lawyers for the stat...

Predawn Missouri tornado kills at least 5, sows destruction

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:43:52 GMT

ST. LOUIS (AP) — A large tornado tore through southeastern Missouri before dawn on Wednesday, causing widespread destruction and killing at least five people as a broad swath of the Midwest and South kept a wary eye out for further storms that could spawn additional twisters and hail.The tornado touched down around 3:30 a.m. and moved through a rural area of Bollinger County, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of St. Louis, said Sgt. Clark Parrott of the Missouri State Highway Patrol. Crews from more than 20 agencies were on the scene and clearing debris in search of any others who might have been killed or injured, he said.“The damage is pretty widespread. It’s just heartbreaking to see it,” Parrott said.The twister caused significant destruction in and around the small rural communities of Glen Allen and Grassy, Bollinger County Sheriff Casey A. Graham said in a Facebook post.At least five people were killed, Graham wrote, noting that he was withholding the names of the dead to ...