Russia vetoes UN resolution, abolishing monitoring of UN sanctions against North Korea by UN experts

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Russia vetoed a U.N. resolution on Thursday, effectively abolishing the monitoring of U.N. sanctions against North Korea by a panel of U.N. experts. The Security Council resolution sponsored by the United States would have extended the mandate of the panel for a year, but Russia’s veto will halt its operations. The vote in the 15-member council was 13 in favor, Russia against and China abstaining. Russia’s U.N. ambassador, Vassily Nebenzia, told the council before the vote that Western nations are trying to “strangle” North Korea and sanctions have proven “irrelevant” and “detached from reality” in reining in its nuclear program. The resolution does not alter the sanctions, which remain in force.

These three questions will determine SF Giants’ fate in 2024

SAN DIEGO — The conversation surrounding the San Francisco Giants has shifted since manager Bob Melvin addressed the group for the first time last month. On an almost bi-weekly basis since Melvin’s team meeting at the start of spring training, a new player more decorated than the last walked through the clubhouse doors. Any discussion about offseason disappoint has dwindled in favor of the heightened expectations for this season. With Blake Snell, Matt Chapman and Jorge Soler rounding out a winter spending spree of more than $300 million, there is but one goal in mind: Erase the bad taste of last season’s collapse and return to the playoffs for only the second time in six seasons under Farhan Zaidi. “It’s (going to take) a combination of everything,” Melvin said. “Do we have a ton of team speed? No. Do we need to run the bases right? For sure. We have to play good defense, and we feel like we’re a much better defensive team now. Our pitching staff could get better as the season goes along. … “There are going to be spots where guys

Oakland A’s season preview: 5 things to watch for Opening Day and beyond

The Oakland A’s will host the Cleveland Guardians at the Coliseum on Thursday evening, officially kicking off what could be a fascinating season. Fascinating off the field, at least. Their planned move to Las Vegas is full of potential pitfalls. They have a fanbase that’s revolting, a ballpark that’s crumbling and no home stadium to play in for at least three seasons, if not more, until the proposed ballpark in Vegas can open. This won’t be any ordinary season at the Coliseum. Some storylines to keep an eye on: 1. What happens in Vegas (if they ever get there) When sports teams announce relocation, there tends to be excitement in the city that’s about to get a new team. That wasn’t the case last month, when A’s owner John Fisher completed a short interview at the Vegas Chamber, then a speaker came on stage to ask the crowd, “The Las Vegas A’s, we like the sound of that, right Vegas?” The crowd was silent. “Are we alive back there?” the speaker asked. No applause. Nothing. Last month, Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman went on the

What needs to go right for Oakland A’s to have successful season on the field in 2024

We still don’t know where the A’s will play after this season, but what will a successful 2024 on the field look like for Oakland? Any amount of success on the field won’t do anything to heal the fans’ broken hearts or diminish their rage toward ownership. And after going a combined 104 games under .500 the past two seasons, simply no longer being mentioned in the same breath of the 1962 New York Mets and their modern-record 120 losses would be an improvement. After losing 100 games in a season just once in their first 54 years in the Bay Area, the A’s have suffered that indignity in each of the past two: 112 games last season, a year after they lost 102. The A’s are once again operating with by far the lowest payroll in the majors, and another 100-loss season wouldn’t be a surprise. Fangraphs.com projects the A’s will lose 91 games, but a sampling of major sports betting sites puts the number between 102 and 104 losses. The A’s have had a winning record in a full month just once in

Brewers’ Chourio, Orioles’ Holliday, among the top prospects to watch in 2024

Times have never been better for baseball prospect watchers. When Buster Posey first joined the Giants late in the 2009 season, he was one of 204 players to debut in the majors that season. Last season, 261 players appeared in their first MLB games – a year after there were a record-setting 303 debuts. More top prospects than ever are being fast-tracked, in large part because of rules intended to discourage teams from manipulating service time to stall players’ arbitration and free agent clocks. Here’s a look at some of the prospects fans should know for Opening Day and to keep an eye out for later this summer. (High-profile international free agents such as Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Giants outfielder Jung Hoo Lee and Cubs pitcher Shota Imanaga are considered rookies this season but did not make the prospects list because of their significant pro experience overseas.) National League Jackson Chourio, OF, Brewers – The Brewers believe they have the next Ronald Acuna Jr., Mike Trout or Juan Soto on their hands, which is why they signed the Venezuelan native to an $82 million, eight-year

Porterville man arrested on child porn and gun charges

WEATHER ALERT Winter Weather Advisory WATCH LIVE Welcome, Manage MyDisney Account Log Out Thursday, March 28, 2024 2:14PM A Porterville man is in custody accused of having child pornography and improperly stored guns. TULARE COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) — A Porterville man is in custody accused of having child pornography and improperly stored guns. An investigation led police to the arrest of 45-year-old John Warner. Police say they have evidence of Warner downloading the images at his home on Newcomb Street off Olive Avenue. Wednesday morning, officers arrested Warner at the residence. There, they also found a handgun and two shotguns, which were accessible by a child in the home. Warner was booked into the Tulare County Jail and is being held on $135,000 bail. Copyright © 2024 KFSN-TV. All Rights Reserved. Top Stories

Crypt near Marilyn Monroe and Hugh Hefner could fetch $400,000 at auction

By Leah Dolan, CNN , CNNWire Thursday, March 28, 2024 12:03PM The burial spot is in the vicinity of Marilyn Monroe’s final resting place at the Pierce Brothers Westwood Village Memorial Park and Mortuary. LOS ANGELES — A one-space mausoleum crypt in the vicinity of Marilyn Monroe and Hugh Hefner will go on auction Saturday, when it is expected to reach between $200,000 and $400,000. The burial spot (specifically, Wall B, Space C-3) is notably one row above and four spaces to the left of Monroe’s final resting place at the Pierce Brothers Westwood Village Memorial Park and Mortuary in LA. It is marginally closer to her eternal neighbor, Hefner. Orchestrated by Julien’s Auctions, the sale is part of a wider auction of Hefner’s and Monroe’s belongings, including the latter star’s first Playboy magazine cover from 1953, Hefner’s burgundy smoking jacket and silk pajamas, and an orange-hued Elizabeth Arden lipstick owned by Monroe in the 1960s. The burial lot has a starting bid of $50,000, though the auction house estimated it will reach at least quadruple that price. After Monroe’s death in 1962, her ex-husband