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Andrey Kurkov, Maryse Condé on International Booker list

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:13 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Ukrainian novelist Andrey Kurkov and acclaimed Guadeloupe-born writer Maryse Condé are among 13 contenders announced Tuesday for the International Booker Prize for translated fiction.Kurkov, 61, who has written widely for Western publications on Russia’s invasion of his country, is nominated for “Jimi Hendrix Live in Lviv,” a darkly comic portrait of life in the western Ukraine city.Condé, often mentioned as a possible Nobel Literature Prize candidate, is nominated for “The Gospel According to the New World.” The writer, who is 86 and has lost her sight, dictated the novel to her husband and translator, Richard Philcox.The International Booker Prize is awarded every year to a translated work of fiction published in the U.K. or Ireland. It is run alongside the Booker Prize for English-language fiction.The longlist of books from 12 countries and 11 languages also includes “Whale” by Korean author Cheon Myeong-kwan, “Ninth Building” by China’s Zou Jingzhi, “Standing Heavy...

Sports betting apps give millions in free bets in Maryland

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:13 GMT

Sports betting apps promote free bets to lure new gamblers. It is legitimate, and it adds up to millions of dollars each month.Maryland Lottery and Gaming reports the eight mobile sports betting apps approved to operate in the state handled $325.1 million in wagers in February — $15.8 million of that was free promotional wagers.More Maryland NewsMore Business NewsMore Sports NewsPromotional play provided to customers by sportsbooks is deducted from the taxable win owed to the state.Maryland’s 10 retail and eight state-approved mobile sportsbooks generated a combined $339.4 million in wagers in February. Sportsbooks contribute 15% of taxable win to the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future Fund, which supports public education programs.Mobile wagering accounted for $2.7 million in contributions to the state in February. Retail sportsbooks, including betting parlors at Maryland casinos, contributed $98,114 in February.Maryland’s sportsbooks do not have a limit on promotion...

Montgomery Co. restaurants will offer healthy alternatives for kids’ meals, beginning Wednesday

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:13 GMT

Some new kids items will be on the menu at restaurants in Montgomery County, Maryland, beginning Wednesday.Drink options that are considered to be healthy alternatives will be added to kids’ menus at eateries across the Maryland county this week. The required-alternatives only apply to restaurants that bundle food and drink into a meal for kids.More Food & Restaurant NewsMore Health and Fitness NewsMore Montgomery County NewsAmong the less-sugary options is 6 ounces or less of 100% fruit juice. Milk with the kids’ meal must be nonfat or 1% and could not exceed 8 ounces. And chocolate or other flavored milks don’t count.Montgomery County Council member Craig Rice, the lead sponsor of the bill that requires this change, has previously said that it will help combat the rising incidence of childhood obesity.The second phase of the “Healthy Meals for Children” bill will require restaurants to offer healthy meals, like at least two fruits or vegetables th...

Iowa’s Lee chases history in going for his fourth NCAA title

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:13 GMT

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — History is the light at the end of Iowa wrestler Spencer Lee’s tunnel vision.The 125-pounder has a chance to win his fourth national title this weekend at the NCAA championships in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and join an exclusive club with names he can recite in just a few seconds.Lee’s six-year career with the Hawkeyes will end with this tournament, a career that has been built with a singular focus on the next match.The two-time winner of the Dan Hodge Trophy as the nation’s most dominant wrestler knows what he can accomplish in this final tournament.“Yeah, of course, I’ve definitely thought about it,” Lee said. “It would mean a lot to me. The thing is, I haven’t done it yet.”Lee would become the first Iowa wrestler to win four national championships. Cornell 149-pounder Yianni Diakomihalis also is pursuing his fourth. If both accomplish the feat, there would be six four-time Division I champions in NCAA history.Oklahoma State’s Pat Smith (1990...

Driver, passenger shot while turning onto Colfax Avenue

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:13 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — Police are looking for any information regarding a shooting that injured a driver and passenger between Kalamath Street and West Colfax Avenue.According to the Denver Police Department, the shooting took place on Jan. 29 at 10:40 p.m. when the victim was driving south on Kalamath Street from Speer Boulevard. The area is between the Auraria and Lincoln Park neighborhoods. $50K reward for information on robbery of USPS letter carrier truck DPD said the victim and their passenger were shot when they made a right-hand turn onto West Colfax Avenue from Kalamath. The victim was driving a silver Lexus SUV.No other information like the motive or identity of the suspects was immediately known. Now, police are asking for any information regarding this shooting. If you know anything, you are asked to contact the Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720-913-7867. Tipsters can remain anonymous and still be eligible for a cash reward of up to $2,000.

Here's why you might be seeing smoke near DIA

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:13 GMT

COMMERCE CITY, Colo. (KDVR) — Starting at around 10 a.m. Tuesday, if you are near the Denver International Airport you might see smoke in the air but it isn't a cause for alarm.According to the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge, crews will begin a prescribed burn at 10 a.m. causing some smoke to filter into the air. Since the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge is near DIA, many people may be alarmed by the sight of smoke in the area, but there is no need to alert 911 of the smoke. Driver, passenger shot while turning onto Colfax Avenue Rocky Mountain Arsenal said the burning will occur in the southern portion of the refuge with winds predicted between 7-10 mph pushing smoke to the northeast. Map of the prescribed burn in the Rocky Mountain Arsenal on March 14. (Credit: Rocky Mountain Arsenal)Those who live near the refuge and are affected by the smoke exposure should close windows and doors and stay inside while the prescribed burn is in progress.

Eggs are finally getting cheaper in the grocery store

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:13 GMT

(CNN) — Grocery prices rose slightly last month, but eggs are finally getting cheaper in the supermarket.In February, egg prices fell 6.7% compared to January, according to seasonally adjusted data released Tuesday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Groceries rose .3% in that time, while menu items got .6% more expensive, for overall food inflation of .4% in February.It’s a welcome reversal: Egg prices have been astronomically high, fueled by short supply caused by the deadly avian flu, high input costs and egg producers’ increasing their own profits. Some of those constraints have eased, sending wholesale prices down earlier this year. In February, retail prices finally followed.Still, eggs remain far more expensive than they were a year ago. In the 12 months through February, egg prices rose 55.4%.And food prices still outpaced inflation overall on a year-over-year basis. Food prices rose 9.5%, compared with 6% for all items, for the year. The difference was even...

Masatoshi Ito, Japanese billionaire behind the rise of 7-Eleven, dies at 98

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:13 GMT

(CNN) — Masatoshi Ito, the Japanese billionaire who turned 7-Eleven convenience stores into a global empire, has died aged 98, closing the chapter on one of Asia’s most storied retail entrepreneurs.Seven & I Holdings, operator of 7-Eleven, confirmed the death in a statement on Monday, adding that Ito died from old age on March 10.“We would like to express our deepest gratitude for your kindness and friendship during his life and respectfully inform you of his passing,” the company said.Ito transformed everyday retail in Japan, turning a US-born company into an international brand, particularly in Asia where 7-Eleven shops are rarely more than a few minutes’ walk away in many cities.Seven & I Holdings now operates over 83,000 stores around the world, including 7-Eleven shops in 19 regions and countries as well as the Speedway convenience store chain in the United States.Chief competitors include the Japanese-owned Lawson and Family Mart convenien...

Only 13 countries and territories had ‘healthy’ air quality in 2022

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:13 GMT

(CNN) — Only 13 of the world’s countries and territories had “healthy” air quality last year, according to a new report, as air pollution surged to alarming levels in 2022.The report by IQAir, a company that tracks air quality worldwide, found that average annual air pollution in roughly 90% of the countries and territories analyzed exceeded the World Health Organization’s air quality guidelines, which are designed to help governments craft regulations to protect public health.IQAir analyzed average air quality from 131 countries and territories, and found that just six countries — Australia, Estonia, Finland, Grenada, Iceland and New Zealand — and seven territories in the Pacific and Caribbean, including Guam and Puerto Rico, met the WHO air quality guidelines, which call for an average air pollution level of 5 micrograms per cubic meter or less.Seven countries — Chad, Iraq, Pakistan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Kuwait and India — ha...

Row over Gary Lineker’s anti-government tweets like ‘Putin’s Russia,’ claims Labour

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:13 GMT

LONDON — Gary Lineker’s temporary removal from BBC hosting duties over tweets attacking the U.K. government is like something out of Vladimir Putin’s Russia, the opposition Labour Party charged Tuesday.In a heated House of Commons exchange, Shadow Culture Secretary Lucy Powell made the link to the Russian leader’s regime, known for brutal press crackdowns — but was swiftly branded “disgraceful” by her government counterpart.It marks the latest clash over the Lineker row, which has consumed attention in Westminster and prompted criticism of the U.K. broadcaster over the past week. Lineker — one of the BBC’s most recognizable stars — was removed from a hosting duties after using Twitter to attack Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s recent immigration clampdown, likening the language used to sell it to 1930’s Germany. He was reinstated Monday after a walkout by fellow stars and as BBC bosses ordered a review of social media guidelines.Speaking during an urg...