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BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — Tens of thousands of people gathered in Romania ’s capital Saturday to sit down at a miles-long table to break a Guinness record and raise money for what organizers said will be the country’s first pediatric psychiatry hospital. The 5,055-meter (3.1-mile) “Uniting Table” was sprawled along Unirii Boulevard to Constitution Square in front of Bucharest’s massive communist-era Palace of Parliament. The Romania-based organizers Bloom The World Association were awarded a certificate by Guinness World Records for the “longest table made from recycled materials.” The event brought together a reported 20,000 people at the many tables, many of which were decorated with flowers and snacks. Joanne Brent, a senior adjudicator and official onscreen judge for Guinness World Records, who joined the Bucharest event, said on stage that it proved that the record-breaking achievement had been put to good use. “Everyone, 20,000 people I am told are here today, have come around one table and a common cause,” she said. “I get to see this often, people coming together, record-breaking achievements with real-world impact.” Money raised from the event will go toward a 3,900-square-meter children’s psychiatric facility within the Obregia Hospital complex in Bucharest. It is being funded by private donations and sponsorships and will cost an estimated 16.5 million euros, according to the Metropolis Foundation, which is behind the construction project. “It is a project that started from a real need,” the foundation states on its website. “The current section at Obregia Hospital operates in an old, overcrowded space, which no longer meets the medical and emotional needs of children. … It means the chance to bring closer to reality a hospital that will benefit over 5,700 children facing severe mental illnesses annually.” The foundation says the number of children diagnosed with serious mental disorders, such as depression, behavioral disorders, substance use, autism and ADHD, has “increased alarmingly” in Romania, from 3,839 in 2018 to more than 5,600 in 2024. The hospital’s current pediatric psychiatry clinic has 62 beds, but wards with many beds that lack their own bathrooms, according to the foundation. It also states that the old facility’s lack of space can make private discussions with patients and their families challenging. The new five-level building will host medical offices, occupational therapy and virtual reality rooms, sensory and educational spaces, dedicated relaxation spaces, as well as a section dedicated to treating addiction among adolescents. “We clearly want as many people as possible to donate (toward) the first psychiatric hospital for children,” said Alexa Vilcan of Bloom the World. The previous Guinness record for the longest table made from recycled materials was also held by Bloom the World, measuring 2,782 meters in Romania’s central town of Alba Iulia, and was recorded on the same date last year. In 2023, Romania had one of the lowest healthcare budgets in the European Union relative to GDP at 5.7%, compared to a bloc average of about 10%, according to the EU’s statistics office, Eurostat. Romania’s Minister of Health Alexandru Rogobete has pledged to support the initiative by supplying the “equipment and furniture necessary” to equip the medical facility, construction for which is scheduled to be completed by 2027. ___ McGrath reported from Leamington Spa, England. Brought to you by www.srnnews.com

HENDERSON, Nev. (AP) — The Las Vegas Raiders signed a contract extension with tight end Michael Mayer on Saturday. Mayer agreed to a three-year, $45 million deal with $30 million guaranteed, according to someone with knowledge of the contract. The person spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because the terms were not announced. Mayer likely will start Sunday’s season opener when Miami visits Las Vegas. Top tight end Brock Bowers is out because of a knee injury. But even if Bowers was available, Mayer would have figured to receive a lot of snaps because the Raiders are expected to regularly run two-tight end sets. Ian Thomas is their third tight end. The Raiders drafted Mayer in the second round in 2023 out of Notre Dame. He has 83 catches for 788 yards and three TDs in his career, and availability has been an issue. Mayer has missed seven games because of injuries and was out an additional six games in 2024 because of personal reasons. Mayer said last month he was hopeful about this season, largely because of position coach Luke Steckel’s return to his third year in the organization as well as the arrival of coach Klint Kubiak and the offense he is installing. “I need to know the offense like the back of my hand, and I need to keep my head down and I need to work,” Mayer said. “I know there’s going to be mistakes. I can’t let mistakes ruin the day, I can’t let them ruin the rep, I can’t let them ruin the period. I’ve got to move on, mistakes happen. I’m very, very excited for this season.” ___ See AP’s full NFL coverage here Brought to you by www.srnnews.com

Sept 12 (Reuters) – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s chief of staff was quoted as saying on Saturday that Kyiv was preparing for the resumption in October of three-sided talks aimed at resolving the more than 4-1/2-year-old war with Russia. Kyrylo Budanov, quoted by Ukrainian media, told reporters on the sidelines of a conference in Kyiv that Ukraine was readying itself for the prospect of new talks involving Russia and the United States. “We are getting ready. In October,” Budanov was quoted as saying. Budanov was speaking several days after U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner held talks in both Moscow and Kyiv. It was their first such visit to Moscow since February and their first visit to the Ukrainian capital. The last three-sided meeting took place in Geneva in February. U.S.-led diplomatic efforts had stalled as Washington was focused on the conflict with Iran. Witkoff said after visiting both capitals that they welcomed new momentum in proceeding with talks. Zelenskiy said the two envoys had presented some “very decent, worthwhile ideas”. He suggested that a new three-sided meeting could be hosted by Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Switzerland or other countries. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow did not rule out a resumption of peace talks but added that it was too early to say when and where such talks might take place. Major differences on how to end the war remain between the two sides. A key issue is the fate of the remaining Ukrainian-held territory in the eastern Donbas region, which Moscow has claimed as its own but has failed to capture despite years of fierce fighting. (Reporting by Ron Popeski, editing by Deepa Babington) Brought to you by www.srnnews.com

By Lori Ewing BUDAPEST, Sept 12 (Reuters) – Audrey Werro outpaced Olympic champion Keely Hodgkinson to win the women’s 800 metres, one of the most anticipated showdowns of the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championship on Saturday, while Melissa Jefferson-Wooden blazed to the world’s fastest time this season to win the women’s 100m. • Switzerland’s Werro led from the gun to pick up the $150,000 winner’s paycheque, clocking 1:55.88, 0.38 ahead of Briton Hodgkinson, while double world 400m hurdles champion Femke Broeders-Bol of the Netherlands was third. • Jefferson-Wooden of the U.S. pulled away from the field to earn the Ultimate women’s 100m title in 10.62, 0.12 ahead of Olympic champion Julien Alfred of St Lucia. • American Kenny Bednarek pulled away from Jamaica’s Oblique Seville to capture the men’s 100m title in 9.85, to Seville’s 9.90. • Reigning world champion Collen Kebinatshipi from Botswana won the men’s 400m in 43.39 seconds, while double world champion Marileidy Paulino of the Dominican Republic won the women’s 400m in 49.07 seconds. • Japan’s Olympic champion Haruka Kitaguchi captured the women’s javelin title with a throw of 68.92m, while 18-year-old Yan Ziyi of China was second with 68.05 — the first time in 14 years two women have thrown over 68m in the same event. • Klaudia Kazimierska of Poland outsprinted Britain’s Georgia Hunter Bell over the final 100m to win the women’s 1,500m in 3:57.55. “Two years ago I was still working in tech sales so it has been a long process to get here,” said Hunter Bell, who finished 0.17 shy of victory. “It just shows that I can do anything.” • Double Olympic champion Miltiadis Tentoglou of Greece flew 8.35m to win the men’s long jump, while American Sandi Morris cleared 4.90m to win the women’s pole vault. • The three-day Ultimate Championship concludes on Sunday. (Reporting by Lori Ewing) Brought to you by www.srnnews.com

NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump’s childhood home has sold for nearly $2 million after a renovation transformed the New York City residence from a mold-ridden cat den to a modern abode. The president lived at the Tudor-style Queens estate until age 4. His father, developer Fred Trump, built the home in the affluent Jamaica Estates neighborhood in 1940. The family hasn’t owned it in years. The sale price, $1.93 million, appeared Friday on real estate websites after a buyer, whose name hasn’t been disclosed, entered into a contract in July. The seller, Tommy Lin, had purchased the five-bedroom, three-bathroom home last year for $835,000 after it sat vacant and neglected for years. Lin, a developer, spent another $500,000 on an eight-month interior overhaul that added amenities including a chef’s kitchen, herringbone wood floors and spa-like bathrooms, the New York Post reported. The home has changed hands several times in recent years, including for $2.14 million months after Trump became president in 2017, according to Zillow. The buyer was an entity called Trump Birth Home LLC and the home was briefly offered for rent on Airbnb, complete with copies of a life-sized cardboard cutout of Trump, copies of his book “The Art of the Deal” and a framed People magazine cover featuring Trump. It was listed for sale again in 2019 with an asking price of $2.9 million, but went unsold until Lin snapped it up. In the meantime, the Post reported, the home fell into disrepair, with water damage and mold from a burst pipe, and a colony of feral cats taking up residence where Trump spent his earliest years. The president, now 80, got rich in the real estate business — putting up his namesake Trump Tower in Manhattan and living there for decades — before parlaying his fame and wealth into politics. As president, he’s overseeing his own residential overhaul: adding a massive ballroom to the White House and adorning the Oval Office with the kinds of gold-plated fixtures that are a hallmark of his properties and aesthetic. Brought to you by www.srnnews.com