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F1 leader Verstappen has pole position at Japan GP after record winning streak ended in Singapore

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:23:45 GMT

SUZUKA, Japan (AP) — Formula One series leader Max Verstappen claimed pole position for the Japanese Grand Prix in Saturday’s qualifying, finishing .581 seconds ahead of McLaren rookie Oscar Piastri.Highly motivated after missing out on the podium in Singapore, Verstappen has topped every session since arriving in Japan. The Red Bull driver clocked the fastest time of 1 minute, 28.877 seconds at the Suzuka circuit.Australian Piastri will be on the front row for the first time in his F1 career. His teammate Lando Norris was third-fastest. Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc was fourth-fastest while Verstappen’s Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez rounded out the top five.A front-row start is key at Suzuka. The winner has only come from behind the front row once in the past 12 races when Valtteri Bottas won from third in 2019.Verstappen saw his record streak of 10 consecutive wins end in Singapore last weekend when he finished fifth. Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz won at Marina Bay, knocking Red B...

Wings to visit Aces Sunday

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:23:45 GMT

Dallas Wings (22-18, 11-9 Western Conference) at Las Vegas Aces (34-6, 18-2 Western Conference)Las Vegas; Sunday, 5 p.m. EDTFANDUEL SPORTSBOOK WNBA LINE: Aces -10.5; over/under is 174.5WNBA PLAYOFFS SEMIFINALS:BOTTOM LINE: The Las Vegas Aces play the Dallas Wings.The Aces’ record in Western Conference play is 18-2. Las Vegas leads the Western Conference averaging 92.8 points and is shooting 48.6%.The Wings have gone 11-9 against Western Conference opponents. Dallas ranks 12th in the WNBA averaging 6.8 made 3-pointers per game while shooting 31.7% from deep. Arike Ogunbowale leads the team averaging 2.9 makes while shooting 34.3% from 3-point range.TOP PERFORMERS: A’ja Wilson is shooting 55.8% and averaging 22.9 points for the Aces. Kelsey Plum is averaging 17.4 points over the last 10 games for Las Vegas.Ogunbowale is averaging 21.2 points, 4.5 assists and 1.7 steals for the Wings. Satou Sabally is averaging 18.5 points over the last 10 games for Dallas.LAST 10 GAMES: Ac...

Giorgio Napolitano, twice elected Italian president, dies at 98

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:23:45 GMT

Giorgio Napolitano, a former president of Italy who served in that post for an unprecedented two mandates, passed away on Friday evening at the age of 98. Napolitano was first elected president in 2006 and then again in 2013. In Italy, the position of president is an institutional and not a governmental role, but it still carries with it significant political weight, particularly in delicate moments like when a government is being formed, or when one falls. Napolitano saw the country through a period of political turbulence in the aftermath of the financial crisis and the resignation of Silvio Berlusconi’s government. The politician was elected to the Italian parliament’s lower house in 1953 in the ranks of the Italian Communist Party (PCI). After the dissolution of the PCI in the early 1990s in the wake of fall of the Soviet Union and the Tangentopoli corruption scandal, Napolitano joined Italy’s center-left, and held ministerial positions in Romano Prodi’s ...

Tropical Storm Ophelia close to landfall on the North Carolina coast, weather agency says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:23:45 GMT

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — Tropical Storm Ophelia was nearing landfall on the North Carolina coast early Saturday with the potential for damaging winds and dangerous surges of water, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. Ophelia was about 25 miles (45 kilometers) southwest of Cape Lookout and about 70 miles (110 kilometers) east-northeast of Cape Fear. The system was moving at 9 mph (15 kph) with maximum sustained winds of 70 mph (110 kph), the hurricane center said in an update at 5 a.m. Saturday. Life-threatening flooding caused by the weather system was forecast for parts of eastern North Carolina and southeastern Virginia, but the system was forecast to weaken after landfall, the hurricane center reported.Ophelia was expected to turn north Saturday and then shift northeast on Sunday. The storm promised a weekend of windy conditions and heavy rain up to 7 inches (18 centimeters) in parts of North Carolina and Virginia and 2 to 4 inches (5 to 10 centimeters) in the rest of the mid-A...

Pope Francis insists Europe doesn’t have a migrant emergency and challenges countries to open ports

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:23:45 GMT

MARSEILLE, France (AP) — Pope Francis challenged French President Emmanuel Macron and other European leaders to open their ports to people fleeing hardship and poverty, insisting Saturday that the continent does not face a migration “emergency” but rather a long-term reality that governments must deal with humanely.For a second straight day in the French port city of Marseille, Francis took aim at European countries that have tried to close their doors to migrants and tried to shame them into responding with charity instead. “May we let ourselves be moved by the stories of so many of our unfortunate brothers and sisters who have the right both to emigrate and not to emigrate, and not become closed in indifference,” Francis told Macron and others at a Marseille conference center where Mediterranean region Catholic bishops are meeting. “In the face of the terrible scourge of the exploitation of human beings, the solution is not to reject but to ensure, according to the possibilities o...

A court in China sentences a famed Uyghur scholar to life in prison, foundation says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:23:45 GMT

BEIJING (AP) — A prominent Uyghur scholar specializing in the study of her people’s folklore and traditions has been sentenced to life in prison, according to a U.S.-based foundation that works on human rights cases in China.Rahile Dawut was convicted on charges of endangering state security in December 2018 in a secret trial, the San Francisco-based Dui Hua Foundation said in a statement Thursday. Dawut appealed but her conviction was upheld, the foundation said.“The sentencing of Professor Rahile Dawut to life in prison is a cruel tragedy, a great loss for the Uyghur people, and for all who treasure academic freedom,” John Kamm, executive director of the Dui Hua Foundation, said in a statement.Dawut was a professor at Xinjiang University and founder of the school’s Ethnic Minorities Folklore Research Center. She disappeared in late 2017 amid a brutal government crackdown aimed at the Uyghurs, a Turkic, predominately Muslim ethnicity native to China’s northwest Xinjiang regio...

New Jersey house explosion hospitalizes 5 people, police say

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:23:45 GMT

WEST MILFORD, N.J. (AP) — Five people were transported to hospitals after an explosion at a New Jersey home on Friday night, police said.The house in West Milford was heavily damaged by the explosion around 9 p.m., the West Milford Police Department said in a statement.A sixth person at the scene refused additional medical treatment, police said.West Milford Deputy Fire Chief Rich Poplaski said the structure collapsed as a result of an “unknown cause,” northjersey.com reported.West Milford is located about 33 miles (53 kilometers) north of Morristown, New Jersey, and 48 miles (77 kilometers) northwest of New York City.Police said the victims were transported by helicopter, including two to Morristown Medical Center, one to St. Joseph’s University Medical Center in Paterson, New Jersey, one to Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston, New Jersey, and one to Hackensack University Medical Center in Hackensack, New Jersey.The explosion is under investigation by West Milford...

Word Game: Sept. 23, 2023

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:23:45 GMT

TODAY’S WORD — ARMADILLO (ARMADILLO: arm-uh-DIL-oh: A burrowing mammal whose body is encased in small bony plates.)Average mark 43 wordsTime limit 60 minutesCan you find 55 or more words in ARMADILLO? The list will be published Monday.YESTERDAY’S WORD — OLDSTER older oldest ostler lest lode lord lore lose loser lost doer does dole dolt dose dote sled sloe slot sold solder sole sore sort stole store strode told tole tore trod redo resold rest retold rode rose rotelTo purchase the Word Game book, visit WordGameBooks.com. Order it now for just $5 while supplies last!RULES OF THE GAME:1. Words must be of four or more letters.2. Words that acquire four letters by the addition of “s,” such as “bats” or “dies,” are not allowed.3. Additional words made by adding a “d” or an “s” may not be used. For example, if “bake” is used, “baked” or “bakes” are not allowed, but “bake” and “baking” are admissible.4. Proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit words a...

Bridge: Sept. 23, 2023

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:23:45 GMT

“Simple Saturday” columns focus on basic technique and logical thinking.You’re declarer at today’s notrump game. When you opened 1NT, North used Stayman to look for a 4-4 major-suit fit although he had 4-3-3-3 pattern and ample high-card strength for game. Some players would have raised directly to 3NT.West leads a low diamond: three, ten, jack. You know West has the A-Q, and if East gets in to return a diamond, your cook will be goosed. You need eight more tricks without letting East get in.DANGER HAND“Avoidance” is the technique of keeping a “dangerous” defender from gaining the lead. If you let the queen of clubs ride next, you will finesse into the danger hand and will risk defeat.Lead a heart to dummy and return a spade to your nine. If that finesse wins, you have three spades, four hearts, a diamond and a club. If the finesse loses to West, you don’t mind. He can’t lead another diamond effectively, and when you get ba...

Horoscopes Sept. 23, 2023: Anthony Mackie, ramp up your energy

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:23:45 GMT

CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Anthony Mackie, 45; Jason Alexander, 64; Bruce Springsteen, 74; Mary Kay Place, 76.Happy Birthday: Bide your time, consider your options and move forward quietly. The less hoopla around what you want to accomplish, the easier it will be to reach your destination this year, minus the interference. Ramp up your energy and enthusiasm and direct them with precision and detail. Be good to yourself, loved ones and causes that concern you. Make health, love and creativity your journey. Your numbers are 8, 12, 17, 23, 32, 44, 48.ARIES (March 21-April 19): Keep your emotions in check. Be observant, helpful and willing to make time to get what you want. A social invitation will tempt you, but be careful not to bite off more than you can chew. Curb overindulgence. 2 starsTAURUS (April 20-May 20): Look at the possibilities and sign up for whatever piques your interest. Don’t do anything halfheartedly. Give your all, and you’ll reap the rewards. An open ...