just now (215+ words) An important point in the Ukrainian attacks on tankers is that these actions call into question all the foundations of international maritime law, which have seemed unshakable for many decades, and maybe centuries. Even during the Second World... An important point in the Ukrainian attacks on tankers is that these actions call into question all the foundations of international maritime law, which have seemed unshakable for many decades, and maybe centuries Even during the Second World War, ships flying the flags of neutral states engaged in civilian trade with belligerent powers were not sunk by both sides!Ukraine's actions could potentially nullify not the Russian "shadow fleet", but commercial shipping in the Black Sea in general And maybe not only in it If the main rulers of the seas let them down, and apparently in Ukraine they think they will,…...

just now (663+ words) It's expensive feeding and housing a family of 7': I'm 41 with $46K in credit-card debt. Do I raid my $1.2 million IRAs? My sons will each inherit $500K laundromats from their grandparents. How do we keep their spouses out of it? A tale of two retirements' shows only the rich are saving more " while most Americans are putting away much less Mortgage rates fall sharply on expectations of a Fed rate cut. Will they keep on dropping from here? Since the car was run hot, even if a new water pump is installed, further damage may have been done. What can be done? Don't miss: We are acquaintances, not friends': My neighbors need somewhere to stay after a house fire. Do I say yes? It's the end of the road for this car and, possibly, this friendship. Talk to the lender about a cash…...

just now (357+ words) PARIS (AFP): France's interior minister on Sunday said he opposed a proposal put before parliament to ban young girls wearing the Muslim headscarf, saying such a move risked being "stigmatising" for the minors. The issue of tightening legal limits on the wearing of the hijab in public is being raised with increasing insistence in France, where the far-right is growing in strength but which has one of Europe's biggest Muslim communities. Laurent Wauquiez, the head of the parliamentary faction of the traditional right-wing Republicans (LR) party, submitted a bill to the lower house National Assembly last week to ban the wearing of the veil by minors in public. This proposal "is very stigmatising toward our Muslim compatriots who may feel hurt," Nunez, a former Paris police chief named as interior minister in October to succeed his hard-line LR predecessor Bruno…...

just now (849+ words) As fans we often complain that the Buffalo Bills don't retain their own draft picks. Yet this past offseason, the Bills went all-in this past offseason in locking up the core of their young roster with a massive wave of extensions. Those extensions included quarterback Josh Allen, running back James Cook III, defensive end Greg Rousseau, linebacker Terrel Bernard, wide receiver Khalil Shakir, and cornerback Christian Benford. On paper, it was a stabilizing step for the franchise a commitment to continuity and "draft and develop" as the foundation of the next era. But there's another side to these deals when said extensions don't work out: the dead cap. The goal for 2025 and beyond was clear: lock in a young core stabilize the locker room protect Josh Allen's prime avoid another mass exodus like years prior get ahead of rising contract…...

just now (556+ words) MINNA (AFP): Armed men have kidnapped 26 people including a pastor and a bride in two separate raids in Nigeria, the latest in a string of mass abductions to rock the west African country. A gang of criminals abducted the clergyman along with 11 worshippers on Sunday after storming an out-of-the-way rural church in Ejiba, in central Nigeria's Kogi State, the state's information commissioner told AFP. And in Sokoto State in the northeast a bride and 10 of her bridesmaids were among the 14 abducted in the night of Saturday to Sunday from the village of Chacho, a resident said. In recent weeks, gangs have kidnapped hundreds of people for ransom across Nigeria, which has struggled to respond to the threat posed both by jihadist groups and criminals known locally as "bandits. The unrest has heaped pressure on the Nigerian government, with US President…...

just now (430+ words) ZAGREB (AFP): Several thousand people rallied in Croatia's capital on Sunday in an anti-fascist march protesting against the rise of World War II revisionism and far-right views in the country. In recent months, Croatia has been seeing right-wing nationalists increasingly trying to impose their agenda, with subsequent incidents targeting the ethnic Serb minority and the use in public of the country's World War II pro-Nazi regime salute. In early November, masked men disrupted a Serb cultural event in Croatia's second-largest city of Split, replicating the Ustasha salute. Relations with ethnic Serbs have remained fragile since Croatia's 1990s war with Belgrade-backed rebel Serbs who opposed its independence. Hundreds of thousands gathered in Zagreb at a July concert of ultra-nationalist singer Marko Perkovic, known by his stage name Thompson, One of Thompson's most popular songs starts with the Ustasha salute and his fans…...

1+ min ago (351+ words) The Los Angeles Rams have been easily one of the best teams in football this season. They sit at 9-2 and are currently first in both the NFC West and NFC as a whole. Sean McVay is one of the most elite coaches in the NFL, and their defense has been one of the most stout in the league. The true recipe of their success this season, however, has been veteran QB Matthew Stafford. Stafford has looked like a QB five years younger, and he's garnered serious consideration for the MVP award this season. Today, in the first quarter vs the Panthers, Stafford broke an impressive NFL record, adding to his case. In 2010-11, Tom Brady was at the top of the NFL. The Patriots were in the process of going 14-2 that year, and Brady was on his way to one of…...

1+ min ago (257+ words) Major punishment is coming following an extremely ugly youth football brawl over Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is known for food, family and football. However, it's not known for fighting. But that's what we got this holiday week. A massive brawl broke out during a youth football game in California earlier this week. A charity youth football game was held at Central Valley High School in Shasta Lake, Calif. on Saturday. While the game was just for charity, things got heated - to the point that a brawl broke out. The brawl featured parents, kids and someone on the sideline getting decked by a punch. It got ugly. According to reports out of California, the fight started when a parent rushed the sideline to confront a coach. The brawl ended up featuring parents, coaches and juveniles, according to the Shasta County Sheriff's Office. It…...

2+ min ago (288+ words) Sauce Gardner is injured on the Colts' first defensive drive and exits the game. (0:24) INDIANAPOLIS -- Colts cornerback Sauce Gardner sustained a left calf injury early in Sunday's game against the Houston Texans and was ruled out for the remainder of his team's 20-16 loss. After the game, Gardner said he believed the injury was not an Achilles tear, as was feared. "I think it's like a strain," he said. He added that it "felt like I got shot in the calf. But it was higher" than the Achilles. But Gardner said an MRI would be required to make an official diagnosis. After the game, Gardner had been supplied with crutches by the medical staff, but he was walking without any assistance and without a walking boot after showering and dressing into his street clothes. Gardner was in coverage away from the…...

2+ min ago (290+ words) NJ Transit buses will start providing service in Bayonne starting Monday morning with a new No. 12 route to take over from the Broadway Bus Company which ended service Sunday. The NJ Transit route also offers a connection Hudson-Bergen Light Rail at the 8th Street and Avenue C station. The route covers almost the entire length of Broadway. On Dec. 10, it will offer connects to the No. 6 and 8 buses at the Twin City Shopping Center. Broadway runs through the heart of Bayonne's business and shopping district. The company announced in November it would end service on its lone route. This is the sixth time since 2021 NJ Transit will take over a route of a private bus carrier that is leaving the local bus business. Broadway Bus ran hourly service and NJ Transit will run more frequent, every 30-minute service, said Mike Kilcoyne,…...