Victor Caratini's 3rd career grand slam leads the Astros past the Rockies 6-5

Victor Caratini's 3rd career grand slam leads the Astros past the Rockies 6-5

DENVER (AP) — Victor Caratini hit his third career grand slam, Christian Walker went 3 for 4 with an RBI and the Houston Astros beat the Colorado Rockies 6-5 on Tuesday night. The Astros have won seven of eight and 15 of their last 19 games. The Rockies have lost nine of 11 following their first four-game winning streak, falling to a major league-worst 19-66. Colorado's losses are tied for the most by a major league team in the modern era through the first 85 games. The Rockies are 8-33 at Coors Field, tied with the 2003 Tigers for the worst start through the first 41 home games of a season in the modern era. Caratini's homer in the third gave Houston a 6-1 lead. Houston reliever Bennett Sousa (2-0) kept Colorado scoreless in the sixth and Bryan Abreu struck out the side in the eighth. Josh Hader added two strikeouts in the ninth to improve to 24 for 24 in save chances — the longest perfect streak in club history to open a season. Colorado rookie Chase Dollander (2-9) allowed six earned runs in 2 2/3 innings, his shortest start of the season. Hunter Goodman hit solo homers in the first and ninth innings for his fifth career two-homer game. Colorado's Jordan Beck had his first career five-hit game. Key moment Dollander thew the ball into center field on a pickoff attempt with no outs in the third to put runners on first and third. Jake Meyers picked up an RBI on a fielder's choice to give Houston the lead for good at 2-1. Key stat Jose Altuve went 0 for 4 to remain one hit shy of tying Jeff Bagwell (2,314) for second place on the Astros career hits list. Up next Hunter Brown (8-3, 1.74 ERA), who has the fourth-lowest ERA through the first 16 starts of a season in Astros history, faces Austin Gomber (0-1, 6.14) on Wednesday. ___ AP MLB:https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

byAdministrator

in

July 02, 2025

Victor Caratini's 3rd career grand slam leads the Astros past the Rockies 6-5

Victor Caratini's 3rd career grand slam leads the Astros past the Rockies 6-5 DENVER (AP) — Victor Caratini hit his third career grand s...

Read More

Ohtani reaches 30 homers for 5th straight season as Yamamoto and the Dodgers beat the White Sox 6-1

Ohtani reaches 30 homers for 5th straight season as Yamamoto and the Dodgers beat the White Sox 6-1

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Shohei Ohtani reached 30 homers for the fifth straight season, hitting a fourth-inning drive after fouling a pitch off the plate umpire, and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Chicago White Sox 6-1 on Tuesday night. Ohtani fouled the ball off Alan Porter's right knee in the fourth. Ohtani checked on the umpire and stood by watching until Parker got up under his own power. The three-time MVP then hit a 408-foot shot to center, snapping an 0-for-6 skid and extending the lead to 6-1. Ohtani walked over and checked on Porter again during the seventh-inning stretch before leading off. Los Angeles scored its most runs this season in support of Yoshinobu Yamamoto (8-6), staking the Japanese right-hander to a 4-0 lead in the first inning. The Dodgers won for the 13th time in 16 games and opened a season-high, eight-game NL West lead. Every run in the game was scored with two outs. Yamamoto allowed one run and three hits in seven innings, struck out eight and walked one. White Sox rookie Shane Smith (3-6) got two quick outs in the first before walking Will Smith and Max Muncy back-to-back. Teoscar Hernández followed with a RBI single, Andy Pages hit a run-scoring double and Michael Conforto a two-run single. Chicago's lone run came on Lenyn Sosa's RBI single in the third. Key moment Ohtani joined Seattle's Cal Raleigh (33) and Aaron Judge of the Yankees (30) as players with at least 30 homers by the All-Star break. Key stat The Dodgers had been averaging just 2 1/2 runs of support for Yamamoto. Up next White Sox RHP Sean Burke (4-7, 4.22 ERA) makes his first career start against the Dodgers on Wednesday. Los Angeles LHP Clayton Kershaw (4-0, 3.03) is three strikeouts from reaching 3,000 in his 18-year career. ___ AP MLB:https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

byAdministrator

in

July 02, 2025

Ohtani reaches 30 homers for 5th straight season as Yamamoto and the Dodgers beat the White Sox 6-1

Ohtani reaches 30 homers for 5th straight season as Yamamoto and the Dodgers beat the White Sox 6-1 LOS ANGELES (AP) — Shohei Ohtani reached...

Read More

Stadium where Babe Ruth played in Tokyo is at the center a disputed park redevelopment plan

Stadium where Babe Ruth played in Tokyo is at the center a disputed park redevelopment plan

TOKYO (AP) — Plans to demolish a historic baseball stadium where Babe Ruth played and an adjacent rugby venue are at the heart of a disputed park redevelopment in Tokyo that critics say trades history and greenery for commercial space. The plan to remake the Jingu Gaien park area was approved 2 1/2 years ago by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. Work clearing land has begun but opponents are still trying to stop the project, which could take a decade to complete. A coalition on Wednesday presented an open letter to Toshiko Abe, the minister of education, culture, sports, science and technology, asking the project be reassessed. It's signed by 368 experts — urban planners, architects and environmental scientists — and 1,167 others. Ode to an emperor The park area was established a century ago through public donations to honor the Meiji Emperor. At the heart of the issue is citizens' control of public space, and a potential conflict of interest with private developers and politicians deciding how valuable parcels are used. The stadium oozes history and critics saybuilding skyscrapersin the park space would never be allowed in Central Park in New York or Hyde Park in London. Ruth and Lou Gehrig played at the stadium on a 1934 barnstorming tour. Japanese novelist Haruki Murakami was inspired to write his first novel while drinking beer and watching a game there in 1978. The stadium is still home to the Yakult Swallows baseball team and hosted a concert this week. Lofty plans in place Plans call for developers to build a pair of 200-meter (650-feet) towers and a smaller tower. The stadiums are to be rebuilt in the reconfigured space with the baseball stadium going where the rugby stadium now stands. The open letter is critical of so-called private finance schemes that give private developers access to park space. Hibiya Park is Tokyo's oldest public park, another example of this approach. Opposition to the Jingu redevelopment hasincluded novelist Murakami, a conservancy group, and botanists and environmentalists who argue the sprawling project threatens100-year-old gingko treesthat grace the area's main avenue. Aglobal conservancy bodyICOMOS, which works with the United Nations body UNESCO, has said the development will lead to "irreversible destruction of cultural heritage" with trees and green space being lost. Strong lobby for the development Opposition groups are pitted against powerful real-estate developer Mitsui Fudosan, the Shinto religious body, and Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike. "The problem is that many Japanese citizens are not so much interested in democratically regulating their own city and are used to demolishing buildings," Kohei Saito, a Japanese political economist at Tokyo University, wrote to The Associated Press. He said "companies with political power try to maximize their short-term profits without consideration of Tokyo's attractiveness (history, culture), inhabitants' well-being and future generations." Zoning changes to allow high-rise buildings in the area were made around 2013 by the Tokyo government when the city won the bid for the 2020 Olympics. Many of those changes permitted building the neighboring National Stadium but also applied to the park area. "The process of rezoning the area lacked transparency and democratic procedure and constitutes an illegal abuse of the governor's discretion in urban planning decisions," the open letter said. The Jingu district was considered "common property" until after World War II when the government sold it to Shinto under a promise it would remain a common space. The national government comes into play because therugby venueis the property of the Japan Sport Council, a national government affiliated body. The rugby venue represents about 30% of the Jingu Gaien area. Forthcoming election might help Opponents hope the timing later this month of a national election might aid their cause with Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba heading a minority government. Former Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori has ties to the rugby venue. In addition to serving two decades ago as prime minister, he is the former president of the Japan Rugby Football Union and also served as the president of the 2020 Olympic organizing committee until he wasforced to resignafter making sexist comments about women. Opened in 1926, developers argue the baseball stadium is too old to save. However, Fenway Park in Boston dates from 1912 and Wrigley Field in Chicago from 1914. Both have been refurbished and are among the most venerated in the United States. Meiji Kinenkan, a historic reception hall in Jingu Gaien, dates from 1881 and is still widely used with no calls for its demolition. Mitsui Fudosan's headquarters building in Tokyo dates from 1929. Koshien Stadium, located near Osaka, was built in 1924 and has been in use since a refurbishment. The new rugby stadium would be an indoor venue with plastic grass, which players view as the least desirable surface for the sport. ___ AP sports:https://apnews.com/sports

byAdministrator

in

July 02, 2025

Stadium where Babe Ruth played in Tokyo is at the center a disputed park redevelopment plan

Stadium where Babe Ruth played in Tokyo is at the center a disputed park redevelopment plan TOKYO (AP) — Plans to demolish a historic baseba...

Read More

Ukrainian aid projects wither as Western funding drops

Ukrainian aid projects wither as Western funding drops

By Elizabeth Piper KHARKIV, Ukraine (Reuters) -Playing outdoors with his friend, Ukrainian teenager Nazar was badly injured when an explosive device blew up under his feet. Despite his phone being shattered by the blast from what was apparently a discarded munition, he called an ambulance and spent months in hospital where he underwent multiple surgeries and doctors managed to save his leg. Now at home in the eastern village of Nikopol, 130 km (80 miles) south of Kharkiv city and about half that distance from the frontline of Russia's war against Ukraine, the young teen and his mother rely on overseas aid to pay for his care. "They gave us crutches, a walking frame and also a computer tablet ... But mostly it was financial aid," Yevheniia Mostova, Nazar's mother, said in mid-May of the help she received from aid group the International Rescue Committee. That money is running low, however, after U.S. President Donald Trump ordered a pause in foreign aid in January and froze operations at the U.S. Agency for International Development. "We do not know what to do next," Mostova, 36, told Reuters in Nikopol, a village of small, single-storey homes, surrounded by tidy vegetable gardens. IRC's support was central to Nazar's mental recovery too, she said, after her traumatised son spent weeks unable to communicate. She now worries about paying for Nazar's painkillers and medical creams for his leg following several skin grafts. Groups like IRC that relied on U.S. funding are reeling. Other leading donors, including Britain, are also paring back humanitarian aid as they seek savings to boost defence spending. The impact of these changes on Ukraine is particularly acute. Ukraine was by far the biggest recipient of USAID funds after Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022. According to the agency's now-defunct website, it has provided Ukraine with $2.6 billion in humanitarian aid, $5 billion in development assistance and has paid $30 billion directly into Ukraine's budget since. That has all but stopped. U.S. support had been used to pay salaries of teachers and emergency workers, as well as helping Ukrainians displaced internally and overseas, de-mining and support for local media. The cuts coincide with Trump's lurch towards Russia in the war, leaving Ukraine more exposed than at any time since the early days of the full-scale invasion. Reuters spoke to eight non-governmental groups providing humanitarian services to Ukrainians, from medical aid to evacuations, as the war with Russia grinds into its fourth year. They detailed the turmoil caused by Washington's abrupt withdrawal, and cuts in funds from other countries. Two groups had laid off staff, some employees had taken salary cuts, one group has shut its Kyiv office while another is cutting back operations across Ukraine. All are downsizing significantly as funding slows. "The reduction in U.S. assistance ... has already had a critical impact on our organisation," said Dmytro Sherembei, co-founder of the 100% LIFE group, the largest patient-led organisation in Ukraine for health conditions such as HIV. Ukraine is vulnerable, "not only due to ongoing epidemics of HIV, tuberculosis, and hepatitis, but also because it is a country under active military attack ... financial support is not only vital - it is the only way to save lives," he said. EUROPE HASN'T FILLED THE GAP The Trump administration froze and then cut billions of dollars of foreign aid after taking office on January 20 to align with his "America First" policies. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy appealed to European allies for help, but far from stepping up to fill the gap, they have also cut back humanitarian aid funding. After Trump called for Europe to shoulder more of the burden in NATO, alliance leaders backed the big increase in defence spending that he had demanded - pushing governments to hunt for savings in other areas, such as foreign aid. Britain plans to cut its aid budget to 0.3% of gross national income from 0.5% by 2027. Germany, another of the biggest donors of humanitarian aid to Ukraine, will cut its overall aid budget by almost 10% this year. "NGOs are competing for the same small pots of money available in Ukraine," said Alain Homsy, IRC's Ukraine country director in Kyiv. With frontlines stretching more than 1,000 km, and millions of Ukrainians living under the daily threat of Russian drone, missile and artillery fire, the needs are vast. U.S. funding covered around 30% of coordinated humanitarian funding plans in Ukraine in 2022, 2023 and 2024, says ACAPS, an independent project that analyses global humanitarian activity. By the end of 2024, there were 39 active USAID programmes in Ukraine, with a total budget of $4.28 billion. Just three months later, in late March 2025, only about $1.27 billion of the awards remained active, ACAPS said. Similarly, aid from Europe is declining, from 6.2 billion euros ($7.3 billion) in 2022 to 4.1 billion euros in 2023 and about 3 billion last year, according to Taro Nishikawa, project lead for the Ukraine Support Tracker at the Kiel Institute think-tank. BESIEGED VILLAGES In the village of Morozivka, occupied by Russian forces for almost seven months before being retaken by Ukraine, the oldest among some 400 residents rely on free medicine from IRC. Its mobile doctors come around once a month, bringing medications for ailments including high blood pressure and diabetes. Svitlana Basova, a 56-year-old social worker, could not access treatment during the Russian occupation. More recently, she's had regular check-ups after her joint surgery. "They treat people well, they help us, (give us) medicines and also they help psychologically," she said. The village's nurse, Yuliia Samiha, 34, says the medical support is crucial. "We don't even have a pharmacy," she said. IRC is now reviewing how to allocate its funds. Britain recently halved the budget of a project with IRC and partners to support Ukrainians with job training and safety services, said Homsy. A UK foreign ministry spokesperson said there would be "no let-up" in support for Ukraine, but acknowledged there would be an impact on specific programmes after a recent government spending review. A German government official said Ukraine was a priority, and a fall in overall aid did not necessarily mean funding for Ukraine would fall. The U.S. State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. For people in Samiha's small village, the idea of losing the help is hard to contemplate. The nearest hospital is some 20 km away and few of the elderly have access to private cars or any kind of regular public transport. "There are not many other options," she said. (Additional reporting by Olena Harmash in Kyiv and Thomas Escritt in Berlin; Editing by Mike Collett-White and Ros Russell)

byAdministrator

in

July 01, 2025

Ukrainian aid projects wither as Western funding drops

Ukrainian aid projects wither as Western funding drops By Elizabeth Piper KHARKIV, Ukraine (Reuters) -Playing outdoors with his friend, Ukr...

Read More

What to Know About Trump’s Gaza Ceasefire Proposal

What to Know About Trump's Gaza Ceasefire Proposal

The sun sets behind destroyed buildings in Gaza on July 1, 2025. Credit - Jack Guez—AFP/Getty Images Israel is open to accepting a 60-day ceasefire, President Donald Trump announced Tuesday, urging Hamas to sign the deal that he said would pave the way for a potential "end" to the war in Gaza. Trump's announcement comes as he expects a visit from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the White House next week. Last week, the Presidentupped the pressureon Israel and Hamas to reach an agreement that would end the war in Gaza and release the remaining Israeli hostages. It's also come a day after one of thedeadliest days in Gaza, as Israeli attacks killed more than 70 people. More than 56,000 Palestinians and more than 1,700 Israelis have been killed over the course of the war that began when Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. Trump's shift infocus towards Gazafollows thetenuous ceasefirebrokeredbetween Israel and Iranin June after the U.S. joined Israel inbombing Iranian nuclear facilities. Trump may be hoping that, with a weakened Iran—one of Hamas' key allies in the region—Hamas may be pressured to accept the conditions of this ceasefire agreement. "My Representatives had a long and productive meeting with the Israelis today on Gaza. Israel has agreed to the necessary conditions to finalize the 60 Day CEASEFIRE, during which time we will work with all parties to end the War," Trumppostedon Truth Social on Tuesday evening. "I hope, for the good of the Middle East, that Hamas takes this Deal, because it will not get better — IT WILL ONLY GET WORSE." Since thestart of its war with Iranin June, Israel alsointensified its campaignin Gaza.More than 100 people have been killedin Israeli attacks this week, which included astrike on a seaside cafethat killed a Palestinian photojournalist among others,strikes on a schoolthat was sheltering displaced Palestinians, andsoldiers firing on civilians seeking aidat thecontroversialU.S.- and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. Trump said that mediators Egypt and Qatar will deliver the final ceasefire proposal. The terms have not yet been publicly released, thoughreportssay it would involve Hamas releasing 10 living Israeli hostages and 18 deceased ones during the 60-day ceasefire period. There are an estimated 50 hostages still in Gaza, of whom Israel believes around half are dead. The remaining hostages would be released upon the agreement of a permanent ceasefire. Earlier Tuesday, Trump said Netanyahu "wants to" reach a ceasefire deal and teased that one would likely come next week. Israeli Minister for Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer met with Trump officials, including Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, Tuesday, and a senior Israeli officialtoldAxios that Dermer is prepared to begin indirect talks with Hamas concerning the deal. Trumprantedover the weekend about corruption proceedings against Netanyahu in Israel, calling it "a Witch Hunt," and Netanyahu's hearings this week were postponed on the basis of classified diplomatic and security reasons. Read More:Trump Tries to 'Save' Netanyahu as Israeli PM Faces Challenges at Home Talks between Israel and Hamas have been stymied by disagreement over whether a ceasefire should include an end to the war. Hamas says a ceasefire must include the end of the war and a full withdrawal of Israel's military from the Gaza Strip, which Israel has refused. Israel says it will only end its war in exchange for the dismantling and exile of Hamas, which Hamas has refused. An offer had already been on the table. Hamas hadreportedly offeredto release all hostages in exchange for a full withdrawal of Israel's military from Gaza and an end to the war. On Sunday, Hamas official Mahmoud Mardawireportedly saidNetanyahu insisted on a temporary agreement that releases only 10 hostages. Mardawi accused Netanyahu of setting "impossible conditions aimed at thwarting the possibility of reaching a ceasefire agreement and a deal on the hostages." Previous ceasefire proposals have only been agreed to by one side or have proved short-lived. In November 2023, six weeks after the outbreak of war, Israel and Hamasbegan an initial four-day ceasefire. Hamas returned 50 Israeli hostages in exchange for the release of 150 Palestinian women and children held in Israeli prisons. Israel said it would extend the truce for the release of 10 more captives per day, but Netanyahu said he did not want a permanent ceasefire until Israel achieved his aim of dismantling Hamas. Theceasefire collapsed a week laterin December 2023 after 110 hostages and 240 Palestinians were exchanged. Talks to extend the truce further failed as Israel refused Hamas' demand for all of theroughly 10,000 Palestinian prisoners, including 400 children, to be freed, and as Hamasrefused to releasecaptive women soldiers as part of its agreement to release all women and children held in Gaza. Also that month, the U.S.vetoed a United Nations Security Council proposalto stop the war, claiming that Hamas refused to accept a two-state solution, although Hamas' 2017 charterofficially acceptsone. Hamas at the time wasreviewing a three-stage ceasefire proposalby Arab, Israeli, and U.S. negotiators that involved the release of Israeli captives, opening up of aid, and return of dead Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. Netanyahuultimately rejectedthe proposal after Hamas asked for Israeli military withdrawal from Gaza, the release of at least 1,500 Palestinian prisoners, and a four-and-a-half-month ceasefire in exchange for releasing all Israeli hostages. In March 2024, the UNSCpassed a ceasefire proposalwith 14 out of 15 members voting in favor. The U.S. abstained, after earlier in Februaryvetoing another ceasefire resolutionon the basis that it would impact talks between the U.S., Egypt, Israel, and Qatar. Later, the U.S. said the UNSC resolution was "non-binding." In May 2024, Hamas agreed to a three-stage ceasefire proposal from Egypt and Qatar that involved releasing all Israeli hostages in exchange for some number of Palestinian prisoners, increasing aid into Gaza, the gradual withdrawal of Israel from Gaza, and lifting Israel's siege on Gaza since 2007. Israel, however,rejected the proposal, insteadlaunching a new military offensivein the city of Rafah. Then-President Joe Biden alsolaid out a three-phase proposalat the end of May 2024 that would include the release of Israeli hostages and a "full and complete ceasefire." But shortly after Biden announced the proposal, Netanyahu saidIsrael would not end the war"until all of its goals are achieved," including "the elimination of Hamas' military and governmental capabilities." Netanyahu said in June that hewould only accept a "partial" dealthat returns Israeli hostages in return for pausing—but not ending—the war. In August, Netanyahureportedly supportedtheterms of a so-called "bridging" proposalmeant to meet in the middle of both sides' demands after talks in Doha negotiated by the U.S., Egypt, and Qatar. Hamas, however, rejected the plan, saying its terms, which were not officially made public, includedconditions that it could not agree to, such as Israel's refusal of a full ceasefire and military withdrawal from Gaza. Instead, Hamas called for Netanyahu to sign Biden's earlier proposal. On Jan. 19, 2025, Israel and Hamasbegan a three-phase ceasefireafterdelayed talksandIsraeli military escalation. But after the first phase had been achieved, theceasefire collapsed in Marchwhen Israel launched fresh airstrikes on Gaza before declaring that it was resuming the war. It's unclear whether Trump's proposal, which Hamas has not yet agreed to, will take hold or prove more lasting than prior efforts. But domestic and international pressure has mounted on the U.S., Israel, and Hamas to bring the war in Gaza to an end as it drags into its 21st month. Over the weekend, protesters in Israel called for a deal that would free the remaining hostages in Gaza. "There's a deal on the table,"saidEinav Zangauker, the mother of one of the hostages, at the rally. "What prevents it is Netanyahu's refusal to end the war." Trump allies have suggested it is entirely on Hamas now. "Take the deal, or face the consequences," former White House physician Rep. Ronny Jackson (R, Texas)postedon X. Whether those consequences could include U.S. involvement, as wasthe case with Iran, are unclear. Trump has on multiple occasionsduring his campaignandat the start of his second-term presidencyvowed that the militant group will have "hell to pay" if it does not release all the hostages. Hamas is generally positive about the proposal, but has conditions, Hamas sources told London-based news outlet Al-Sharq Al-Awsat. Those conditions include a demand to make it more difficult for Israel to resume the war if a permanent ceasefire is not achieved by the end of the 60 days such as through the gradual release of the 10 hostages, a source involved in the negotiationstoldtheTimes of Israel. Still, while Trump has asserted that Israel is on board with a ceasefire proposal, observers suggest that may indicate the terms are unlikely to be acceptable to Hamas. "If Netanyahu has agreed to another interim deal, it's almost certainly with language that doesn't commit him to end war," Middle East analyst and former U.S. diplomat Aaron David Millerpostedon X. "The main holdup today is exactly the same as it was last year: Israel's unwillingness to permanently end the war and Hamas's refusal to accept anything less,"addedforeign policy analyst and writer Daniel DePetris. "Unless Trump has found a way to crack those two irreconcilable positions, this is all theater." Contact usatletters@time.com.

byAdministrator

in

July 01, 2025

What to Know About Trump’s Gaza Ceasefire Proposal

What to Know About Trump's Gaza Ceasefire Proposal The sun sets behind destroyed buildings in Gaza on July 1, 2025. Credit - Jack Guez—A...

Read More