Washington approves $228 million in US military aid to the three Baltic states, Estonia says
Estonia's defense officials say the U.S. Congress has passed a bill that involves a total of $228 million in military and defense aid to Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania this year under the Baltic Security Initiative.
Tsitsipas, with Big Three missing, makes 4th round in Miami
Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece returns to Damir Dzumhur of Bosnia during the Miami Open tennis tournament, Saturday, March 27, 2021, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)MIAMI โ For tennis up-and-comers like Stefanos Tsitsipas, the draw at the Miami Open began to look a lot less daunting even before the tournament began. โItโs a first test to see how it is playing without them,โ Tsitsipas said after his third-round victory Saturday. 2-seeded Tsitsipas is among those with the best chance to take advantage, and he looked the part against Damir Dzumhur, winning 6-1, 6-4. โI created a lot of opportunities with my serve โ I wasnโt rushing at all, finding the right angles and executing it perfectly,โ Tsitsipas said. In women's play, top-ranked Ash Barty and three-time champion Victoria Azarenka advanced to a round of 16 showdown.
Award-winning SKorean director Kim Ki-duk dies in Latvia
FILE - In this Thursday, April 18, 2019 file photo, Chairman of jury Kim Ki-duk speaks during the opening ceremony of the 41st Moscow International Film Festival in Moscow, Russia. South Korean director Kim Ki-duk who won the top award at the Venice Film Festival in 2012 and later faced allegations of trying to force an actress into shooting off-script sexual scenes while making another movie, has died in Latvia. The Baltic News Service cited Latvia-based Russian documentary filmmaker Vitaly Mansky, president of an international documentary film festival in Riga, as saying Kim died after falling ill with COVID-19. Kim won the top prize at the Venice Film Festival with his 2012 film โPieta,โ a brutal mother-and-son tale of revenge and redemption. The South Korean Foreign Ministry said its embassy in Riga was contacting the manโs family and offering help in arranging a funeral.
Cybercrime money-launders busted by European police, FBI
The international police operation โ2BaGoldMuleโ led by Portuguese investigators and the FBI included 14 more European countries, under the umbrella of Europol. Europol said that more than 40 homes were searched by agents in Spain, Italy, Bulgaria and Latvia in the operation. The ring laundered money stolen from victims in the U.S. and European countries. The suspects face criminal investigations in the U.S., Portugal, Spain and the U.K.โThis operation has shown that through this cooperation we can collectively tackle the global nature of cybercrime. This is the only way forward,โ said Carlos Cabreiro, director of Portugalโs National Unit for Fighting Cybercrime.
The Latest: Carballes Baena reaches 3rd round for 1st time
Shapovalov committed 106 unforced errors in the match compared to 42 for Carballes Baena and twice served for the match. The Canadian also had more winners than Carballes Baena with 65 to the unseeded Spaniard's 31. Carballes Baena sank to his knees after Shapovalov hit a forehand long and let out a loud shout of delight. Carballes Baena will next play 18th-seeded Grigor Dimitrov. Pliskova's twin sister, Kristyna, was also playing a former French Open champion when she faced 2016 winner Garbiรฑe Muguruza.
AP Interview: Palermo Open to mark the return of tennis
FILE -- In this June 8, 2017 file photo Latvia's Jelena Ostapenko plays a shot against Timea Bacsinszky of Switzerland during their semifinal match of the French Open tennis tournament at the Roland Garros stadium, in Paris, France. With second-ranked Simona Halep joined by 2017 French Open champion Jeena Ostapenko and last years Roland Garros finalist Markta Vondrouov, this years Palermo Ladies Open, the Aug. 3-9 event marking the return of tour-level tennis following a five-month break for the coronavirus pandemic, will be like no other. A finalist from last years French Open. With second-ranked Simona Halep joined by 2017 French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko and last years Roland Garros finalist Markta Vondrouov, this years Palermo Ladies Open tennis tournament will be like no other. Theyre coming just because they want to play and return to their normal lives.___More AP sports: https://apnews.com/apf-sports and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports___Andrew Dampf is at https://twitter.com/AndrewDampf