Latest News

Travis Kelce breaks down in tears AGAIN as he discusses Jason's NFL retirement in New Heights… as Chiefs star admits he wanted his older brother to keep playing: 'It feels empty'

Travis Kelce was overcome with emotion as he discussed his retirement from football with brother Jason on their latest New Heights podcast.

Jason, 36, announced his retirement Monday after 13 years in the NFL as a Philadelphia Eagles player, with the legendary center breaking down in tears during an emotional farewell speech.

In the crowd at Philadelphia's practice facility, Travis was also seen shedding tears alongside mom Donna and dad Ed as his brother waved goodbye to the Eagles and the game he has dedicated his life to for nearly two decades.

In this week's New Heights issue, the Kelce brothers discussed Jason's decision to retire from the NFL in more detail, as Travis admitted he wanted his older brother to keep playing next season.

“We haven’t talked much about your retirement,” the Kansas City Chiefs tight end said. “And I wanted to make sure you didn't feel any pressure from me to keep going because I knew I wanted you to keep going. “I wanted you to keep playing this game.

Travis Kelce talks about Jason's retirement Jason Kelce has retired from the NFL

Travis Kelce was overcome with emotion as he spoke to brother Jason about his retirement from football

Jason Kelce has brought the curtain down on his NFL career after 13 years with the Eagles

Jason Kelce has brought the curtain down on his NFL career after 13 years with the Eagles

While discussing Jason's decision to go to New Heights, an emotional Travis burst into tears

While discussing Jason's decision to go to New Heights, an emotional Travis burst into tears

Jason joked, “Why didn't you tell me? I would have changed my mind.”

After claiming that his brother was “always one step ahead” and pointing out to Jason that he was the older of the two, Travis broke down in tears while expressing the emptiness he already feels without him in the sport.

“It was always like I always had this flotation device right there. “It's um… getting you out of there, man, it feels empty… and it definitely feels um… like it's complete, you know,” he said, fighting back tears.

“It was a success.”

“I hear you,” Jason replied.

Travis and Jason have had an iconic journey as the NFL's most famous brothers over the last decade, with the pair even competing against each other in a historic Super Bowl last year.

And the Chiefs tight end is disappointed when he sees his brother's back on the football field and praises him for showing him how to master the sport.

“The journey was a lot of fun to watch,” Travis continued. “Like I said yesterday, man, I just appreciate you showing me the way and taking us all along for the ride with your big guy.”

Jason replied, “We showed each other the way.” I appreciate it. Listen, I don't play anymore, but I still go to the games. Like I said, you've been playing on your own for a long time and I look forward to appreciating and watching your games even more, taking in the bigger picture of soccer and everything it has to offer, while staying local to Philadelphia.

The Kansas City Chiefs tight end admits he feels “empty” after his brother’s retirement

The Kansas City Chiefs tight end admits he feels “empty” after his brother’s retirement

“I'll never be there, but I'm definitely looking forward to it… I don't know, it's a different chapter and in some ways I'll be able to experience more things and do things that I've never done before.” intend to. Which is exciting.

Travis added: “It was cool being the National Football League tag team!” Pretty cool sex.

“Yeah, I didn’t talk to you about that [retiring], I'll let you do your own thing, so to speak. I couldn't have been prouder listening to you speak yesterday. There were a lot of emotions, a lot of sad emotions, a lot of exciting emotions.

“You've got the damn world in the palm of your hand right now, dude.” You have three little kids that I know you're dying to see grow up. There's a lot of future, exciting future things to look forward to. So yeah, back to the speech – can I see the Kleenex real quick…”

Jason then joked after his tearful retirement press conference: “I'm sorry I would cry more, but I wasted all my tears.”

Travis Kelce breaks down in tears AGAIN as he discusses Jason's NFL retirement in New Heights… as Chiefs star admits he wanted his older brother to keep playing: 'It feels empty' Read More »

Israel approves plans for 3,400 new homes in West Bank settlements

1 hour ago

image description,

Plans have reportedly moved forward for more than 2,500 houses in the Maale Adumim settlement

The Israeli government has pushed ahead with plans for more than 3,400 new homes in settlements in the occupied West Bank.

About 70% of the houses will be built in Maale Adumim, east of Jerusalem, with the rest in the nearby cities of Kedar and Efrat, south of Bethlehem.

A minister said the construction was in response to a deadly Palestinian attack near Maale Adumim two weeks ago.

The Palestinian Authority condemned the plans, which were reportedly the first to be approved since June.

Israel has built around 160 settlements for about 700,000 Jews since occupying the West Bank and East Jerusalem – land the Palestinians want as part of a future state – in the 1967 Middle East war.

The vast majority of the international community considers the settlements to be illegal under international law, although Israel denies this.

Israeli newspaper Haaretz said the Higher Planning Committee of the Civil Administration – the body that implements the Israeli government's policies in the West Bank – submitted plans on Wednesday for the development of 3,476 settler houses – including 2,452 in Maale Adumim, 694 in Efrat and 330 in Kedar .

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a far-right politician who oversees the civil administration, said after the meeting that a total of 18,515 houses had been approved in West Bank settlements last year.

“The enemies are trying to harm and weaken us, but we will continue to build and be built in this country.” he wrote on Xformerly Twitter.

However, Israeli anti-settlement organization Peace Now warned: “Instead of building a future full of hope, peace and security, the Israeli government is paving the way for our destruction.”

The projects would have a negative impact on the possibility of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, it said.

The Foreign Ministry of the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority condemned both the new plans and Mr. Smotrich's comments.

“The settlement is invalid and illegitimate from the start and represents an explicit call for the continuation of the spiral of violence and wars,” it said in a statement.

Mr. Smotrich presented the plans on February 22, hours after three Palestinian gunmen opened fire on cars on a road near Maale Adumim, killing one Israeli and wounding several others. He said the attack must have “a strong security response, but also a comparative response.”

“It has long been standard U.S. policy under both Republican and Democratic administrations that new settlements are counterproductive to achieving lasting peace,” he told reporters in Argentina.

“They also violate international law. Our government firmly rejects settlement expansion. And in our assessment, this only weakens Israel’s security, not strengthens it.”

A Peace Now report said in January that there had been an “unprecedented surge in settlement activity” across the West Bank since the start of the war in Gaza, sparked by Hamas' deadly attacks in Israel on October 7.

There was also an increase in violence in the West Bank over the same period.

According to the United Nations, at least 413 Palestinians – members of armed groups, attackers and civilians – have been killed in conflict-related incidents in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, or in Israel since October.

Fifteen Israelis, including four members of the security forces, were also killed.

Israel approves plans for 3,400 new homes in West Bank settlements Read More »

Fifteen Russian planes shot down in two weeks? Ukraine remains vague and doubtful

The announced success is colossal. The Ukrainian army reportedly managed to shoot down fifteen Su-34s or Su-35s in two weeks, while destroying an average of only six per month since the start of the war. “February is the shortest month of the year, but our air defenders achieved the best results in shooting down Russian aircraft since October 2022,” the Defense Ministry said. These Russian aircraft are being used massively by Moscow to bomb the front line and Ukrainian cities.

The destruction of a single aircraft therefore represents an incalculable loss of military capability, but also significant costs of around $85 million. For example, this figure of 15 aircraft shot down would correspond to the loss of about 7.5% of the French Rafale aircraft fleet.

Problem: Ukraine has not provided evidence confirming its successes. However, the Ukrainian army does not skimp on images when it comes to demonstrating its superiority over Russia, such as the naval drone strikes that are documented in detail in videos every time they win.

After announcing this assessment in its reports of the last few days, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) clarified on Tuesday, March 5, “that it has accepted the Ukrainian information about the slaughter of several Su-34 aircraft “We have not been able to independently verify this in recent weeks.”

No fewer strikes were observed

From then on, two opposing theories circulate. Either Ukraine actually managed to destroy these aircraft, but cannot provide any pictures. Either Kiev is embellishing the situation a little in order to distract from the land battlefield, which is currently much less favorable.

In his daily update on March 4, observer @Escortert reminds that “according to the Ukrainian command, the seven-day rolling average of Russian air-to-ground attacks over the past 15 days has been 87 to 97 (today 90). ..” not to go underground after the alleged aircraft losses. However, fewer aircraft could have led to a decline in missile numbers, which is not observed. Escortert does not hesitate to call the Ukrainian announcements “confirmed wildcards”.

The Oryx website, which lists all visually confirmed casualties of both armies, reports only three Russian aircraft shot down in the last two weeks. Perhaps the weather makes it difficult to spot the wreckage with drones or satellites, or perhaps these Russian planes crashed far from the front and are difficult to locate. No image leaves any doubt about a Ukrainian communications operation. “Propaganda is always counterproductive when it is unrealistic because it reduces citizens’ trust in their armed forces,” she analyzes @Escort continues. And the loss of trust has a catch: it is difficult to reverse. »

Have Russian planes been hijacked?

But could Ukraine still have shot down those 15 Russian planes? Does she have the means to do this? The Ukrainians managed to bring a battery of Patriot anti-aircraft missiles close to the front in order to attack the Su-34 and Su-35 as far away as possible. However, it is a valuable weapon that is usually used to protect cities. Another idea has emerged in the last few days. According to Austrian air warfare expert Tom Cooper, interviewed by the Kyiv Post, the Ukrainian army could have gotten its hands on a destroyed Su-34 or Su-35 at the beginning of the war and exploited its weaknesses.

“A likely, but so far neither proven nor confirmed, explanation for the recent series of Sukhoi shoots is the compromise of sensitive defense electronics systems on board Russian aircraft and changes to anti-aircraft systems,” our colleagues write. To put it simply: The Ukrainians found a way to distort the radar of the Su-34 and Su-35 so that the Russian pilot no longer saw the missile approaching. A possible hypothesis, but it does not explain why no wreck was found.

Fifteen Russian planes shot down in two weeks? Ukraine remains vague and doubtful Read More »

Russia is collaborating with China to install a nuclear reactor on the moon: here's why

A nuclear reactor on the moon installed by Russian and Chinese robots. The new frontier of “borderless cooperation” promised by Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping targets a plan that is anything but science fiction. “We are seriously thinking about the project” and we could implement it by 2035, revealed Yuri Borissov, the director of the Russian space agency Roscosmos.

Already in 2021, Moscow and Beijing had announced a cooperation plan to establish a permanent research station at the lunar south pole with cosmonauts and taikonauts (as the Russians and Chinese call their men and women on space missions) and a fleet of rover movements. According to the Tass agency, work on the Chinese-Russian lunar base is expected to begin around 2030. “And now we are thinking about bringing a nuclear power plant to the moon together with our Chinese colleagues, which will be commissioned between 2033 and 2035,” Director Borisov said yesterday.

There is a precedent for using nuclear energy in space missions: According to NASA, on a few dozen trips, Americans have used plutonium-238 as a source of energy to power computers and other scientific equipment. The Russians have used more radioactive material to power lighthouses in remote places on Earth.

Putting a nuclear reactor on the moon, having robots install it and turn it on also suggests possible military use. Last month, anonymous Washington officials revealed to the New York Times that the Russians had developed a nuclear weapon that would be used in space to destroy satellite networks set up by Western countries and block their communications. Moscow denied this.

Borissov, giving a lecture to Russian students, said: “Of course space should be free of nuclear weapons.” The director of Roscosmos has also served as deputy defense minister in the past.

Why place a nuclear reactor on the moon? Borisov explained that solar panels could not provide enough energy to allow men (and women) to populate the satellite and live and work on permanent bases. Only nuclear power can guarantee a stable energy supply.

Moscow's plans also include the construction of a nuclear-powered spacecraft: “We are working on a tug, something big, Cyclops, which, thanks to nuclear propulsion, would have the power to transport large loads from one orbit to another and to collect space debris.” and in one engage in a variety of activities. There is still a significant problem, admitted Director Borisov: Russian scientists have not yet managed to solve the problem of cooling the reactor.

Moscow's ambitions should not be underestimated. During the Soviet era, Russian scientists surprised the world and beat the United States with their Sputnik, launched into Earth's orbit in 1957; In 1961, Yuri Gagarin became the first person to fly into space. But landing on the moon is still a difficult operation: last year, the Luna-25 lander launched by Roscosmos crashed onto the lunar surface during the very delicate descent phase. It was a setback for the Kremlin's new dreams of outstanding glory.

And China's new space expertise, combined with its impressive ability to invest enormous sums in astral travel, could have an impact on this area. Beijing entered the race late, in 1993, but has made it forward: in 2003, Yang Liwei was celebrated as the first taikonaut, probes and rovers were sent to the Moon and Mars, and the station will be in permanent orbit around the Earth from 2021 Tiangong (meaning “Heavenly Palace”). Xi Jinping has proclaimed that the nation's “eternal dream” is to make the People's Republic of China a space power.

The Beijing space agency has planned 100 launches in 2024. Two will employ cosmonauts, two will dock at Tiangong Station for refueling and upgrades, the Chang'e 6 expedition will take a robot to the far side of the moon, the hidden one that the Chinese were the first to reach in 2019. The Lander has a romantic name: Lanyue, which means “Embrace of the Moon” and comes from an ancient poem from the Tang era. And new long-range missiles are being tested for the first time.

The old Russian experience, the new Chinese prowess coupled with its economic clout could create a new lunar axis in competition with the United States, which wants to build a lunar base with astronauts through its Artemis program. And NASA scientists are also studying the use of nuclear energy for their missions. But despite the climate of a new Cold War, the conflict over Ukraine and sanctions against Russia, it is important to remember that Moscow and Washington have not burned the bridges of cooperation in space: just yesterday three American astronauts and a Russian cosmonaut arrived at International arrived at the space station aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft that launched from Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Sunday.

Russia is collaborating with China to install a nuclear reactor on the moon: here's why Read More »

They set the date for the presidential elections in Venezuela in 2024

Caracas – Venezuela's electoral authorities announced Tuesday that presidential elections will be held on July 28, 2024, with President Nicolás Maduro expected to seek re-election and maintain the disqualification of the main opposition candidate.

The president of the National Electoral Council (CNE), Elvis Amoroso, indicated that the schedule was approved “unanimously”, with the day of the polls coinciding with the birthday of the late former President Hugo Chávez.

The announcement came four days after Venezuela's National Assembly, with a pro-government majority, submitted a document to the electoral body on the conditions of the next presidential election.

The mandate of President Maduro, who could run for re-election, ends in early 2025.

The document was not signed by the main opposition coalition, the so-called Democratic Unity Platform, which is backed by Washington and whose candidate, María Corina Machado, remains barred from holding public office by the Venezuelan authorities.

Machado won the opposition primaries last October with a large majority of more than 90% of the vote. When asked about the CNE announcement, her press team declined to comment and reported that she was on tour in the Venezuelan Andes.

María Corina Machado, aspiring opposition presidential candidate, waves to her supporters during a rally in Valencia, Carabobo state, Venezuela, October 5, 2023. The opposition will hold its primary elections on October 22nd. (Ariana Cubillos / ASSOCIATED PRESS)

The electoral authority did not provide any information about what will happen to his candidacy or that of other opposition names that have also been disqualified. Amoroso, who was previously chief of Venezuela's auditor general, imposed a 15-year political disqualification on Machado in late June 2023.

According to the Comptroller's Office, the former lawmaker was involved in a corruption plot orchestrated by opposition leader Juan Guaidó, who appointed himself interim president in 2019 as head of the National Assembly. The Auditor's Office provided no evidence.

But Machado was not a member of the National Assembly led by Guaidó and was one of his harshest critics.

His disqualification was confirmed by the Supreme Court at the end of January, although Machado stated that he did not recognize this decision and continued to travel around the country.

Hours later, at a televised government event, Maduro expressed his satisfaction with the announcement of the electoral schedule, exclaiming: “We are going to presidential elections and I am sure that the people will fight their fight again and achieve a great victory once again.”

The ruler has repeatedly stated that the ruling party is ready for the election campaign.

Presentation of candidacies

Candidates can be submitted between March 21 and 25, as announced by the President of the CNE. The campaign runs from July 4th to 25th.

In order to take part in the election, new voters must register between March 18th and April 16th.

Some fear that the proximity of the election date and the deadlines set, including the limited scope for registering candidates, will make the elections less competitive.

“The date is not a surprise,” Benigno Alarcón, a political scientist and professor at Andrés Bello Catholic University in Caracas, told AP. “It was known that, faced with a process that is traumatic for (the ruling party), they would try to get out of this birth, which is a high-risk birth, as quickly as possible,” he said. In his opinion, there is not enough time for the election campaign.

Presidential elections in Venezuela have, with some exceptions, been scheduled six months in advance on other occasions.

“One thing is very clear: this election is designed so that the government minimizes the risk of defeat. “The election is designed so that Maduro is the only one who is competitive,” said Alarcón, who believes the government’s main concern is to stop Machado from running.

“The government assumes that everything will return to normal after the storm and that foreign governments, including democratic ones, will have to accept that Maduro will become president again and that they will have to come to an agreement with him or yes,” said the political scientist.

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro during a meeting at the Miraflores Palace on February 20, 2024 in Caracas. (Ariana Cubillos / ASSOCIATED PRESS)

The assembly had proposed up to 27 different dates between mid-April and early December for the call for presidential elections. The pro-government lawmakers assured that the drafting of the document involved 43 parties, representing 97% of the organizations legally registered in the CNE.

Some of these parties are now led by opposition dissidents after the highest court gave them the address, symbols, colors and maps of the three main opposition parties: First Justice, Democratic Action and Popular Will.

Jorge Rodríguez, president of the National Assembly and a close Maduro aide, has repeatedly said that the proposal is not intended to replace the CNE, which is responsible for organizing elections at the national, state and local levels, in decision-making.

By choosing a later date, July 1, the CNE allows the Maduro government to respect part of the agreement signed in October on the Caribbean island of Barbados with the Unity Platform, which envisaged the holding of presidential elections in the second half of 2024 proposed working on a plan that would create the political conditions for holding free and competitive elections.

Related: Venezuelans confused about TPS extension: There is misinformation about who is eligible

The electoral guarantees included in the proposed law include “equality in participation in the media and social networks” regardless of the size of the parties.

Critics of the government complain that the Maduro government has not yet taken any concrete measures to ensure transparent and fair presidential elections.

For years, international observer missions have denounced irregularities that undermine the level playing field in Venezuela's electoral processes, such as the disqualification of opposition candidates, the use of state resources in election campaigns and unequal access to the media.

In Venezuela, political disqualification is a secondary penalty that is imposed when there is a final court decision. Critics of Chávez and Maduro, including Machado, denounce that disqualification has been used as a political weapon for years.

Subscribe to the Al Día newsletter for a roundup of North Texas news

They set the date for the presidential elections in Venezuela in 2024 Read More »

Slovakia: Church publishes report on child protection for the first time

The Church in Slovakia has published for the first time a report on the activities of its Child Protection Commission, created in 2018. The publication of the report, which also contains data on reported cases of abuse committed by priests, religious and lay people in religious service to the Church since 1990, aims to clarify the transparency effort and encourage the reporting of previously unreported cases, he said. the president of the Episcopal Conference, Bernard Bober.

The evaluation report has been online since Tuesday on the church's official news portal www.tkkbs.sk. If the Church wants to make progress in addressing and preventing abuse, “we have to take an honest look in the mirror,” Bober explained.

According to statistics, complaints have been received against 68 church employees related to sexual violence against children and young people since 1990, with the vast majority of complaints made since 2015. According to the report, investigations have been completed and cases confirmed in 39 of them . The report describes a further 5 of the 68 complaints as “closed and unconfirmed” and 7 as unresolved. Investigations are still ongoing in 17 cases.

In the 39 confirmed cases that occurred between 1990 and 2022, there are a total of 44 victims of abuse aged 18 or younger, the majority of them (21) girls. In 31 cases, the perpetrators were priests. According to statistics, the severity of crimes varies greatly, from non-physical sexual violence to penetration.

High number of unreported cases

Of course, the numbers only include cases that have been reported to the Church, as Archbishop Bober emphasized when the statistics were published. “We are aware that the number of victims is certainly much higher,” said the Archbishop of Kosice. Bober expressly encourages anyone who experiences sexual abuse in the church to report it. This also applies to cases where someone knows that crimes committed in the past were not reported to state authorities.

The bishops sincerely regretted “that we have not always taken an active role in resolving crimes of abuse, especially in the past,” Bober continued. Today the Church wants to put into practice the zero tolerance for abuse that the Pope also called for, assured the president of the Episcopal Conference.

(cap – mg)

Slovakia: Church publishes report on child protection for the first time Read More »

Lula says he is 'satisfied' with Venezuela's planned elections: 'They will invite scouts from all over the world' | politics

Lula comments on the planned elections in Venezuela: “They will invite scouts from all over the world”

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) said this Wednesday (6) that he was “satisfied” with the scheduling of the presidential elections in Venezuela for July 28, since there are disputes about the fairness of the electoral process (Further information can be found below).

According to the president, an international observation of the Venezuelan elections has been agreed. “What they told me at the meeting I had at Celac [Comunidade dos Estados LatinoAmericanos e Caribenhos]“That is, they will invite scouts from all over the world,” he explained.

However, when asked about the fairness of the vote, Lula said that if the country's opposition behaves similarly to Brazil's, “nothing matters.”

“If the opposition candidate here behaves the same as us, it’s worth nothing,” he said.

Venezuela sets date for presidential election

Current Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, Chávez's political heir who has been in power since his death, is expected to run for reelection.

The National Electoral Council (CNE), a governmentcontrolled body, was responsible for choosing the date.

According to the NGO Provea, 36 known opponents of the Venezuelan government have been arrested this year alone.

Lula says he is 'satisfied' with Venezuela's planned elections: 'They will invite scouts from all over the world' | politics Read More »

Mauricie: A driver dies on the highway in Saint-Étienne-des-Grès

A driver in her thirties died in a serious accident in Saint-Étienne-des-Grès in Mauricie on the night of Tuesday to Wednesday.

At around 2:20 a.m. emergency services were called to an accident that occurred near kilometer 207 on Highway 55 northbound in the Maskinongé MRC area.

When they arrived on scene, police found a woman in a car parked in the left lane, said the spokesman for the Sûreté du Québec (SQ).

According to initial information, the driver was in the left lane at the time of the collision with a second vehicle that was traveling in the same direction and could not have avoided him.

The victim, who appeared to have no injuries, deteriorated rapidly during transport to a hospital where he was eventually pronounced dead.

The coroner's office, which will investigate the collision, may request an autopsy and toxicology analysis, said SQ publicist Ève Brochu-Joubert.

The driver of the other vehicle was not injured but was taken to hospital for treatment of nervous shock, it said.

Mauricie: A driver dies on the highway in Saint-Étienne-des-Grès Read More »