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Gilgeous-Alexander leads Thunder rebuild after stars exodus

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:53:11 GMT

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander seemed like a nice pickup for Oklahoma City Thunder, a secondary piece in the trade that sent Paul George to the Los Angeles Clippers four years ago.Gilgeous-Alexander has turned out to be more than an afterthought — much more.He has blossomed into an All-Star, the unquestioned leader of the Thunder’s rebuilding efforts and the centerpiece of a Canadian national team that could be a medal contender at the Paris Games next summer. He ranks fourth in the league in scoring with 31.5 points per game — behind Joel Embiid, Luka Doncic and Damian Lillard and just ahead of two-time league MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo. He doesn’t grab as many national headlines as the other top scorers — in part because the Thunder (38-42) haven’t been competitive the past two years. Now Oklahoma City is battling for a spot in the Play-In Tournament with Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks heading into their game Thursday night at Utah.“It’s been fun,” ...

12-year-old boy arrested on murder count in UK crash death

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:53:11 GMT

A 12-year-old boy was arrested in an English town on suspicion of murder in the death of a woman who was struck by a car, police said Thursday. A woman in her 60s was found dead Wednesday night at the scene of the crash in Sheffield, South Yorkshire police said.The boy was found shortly afterward and arrested with a knife, police said. He remained in custody Thursday.Police did not provide names of the victim or the suspect and provided no other details.“This will be a deeply distressing time for the families of those involved in this incident, and I would ask their privacy is respected as they seek to understand what has happened,” Det. Chief Inspector Andrea Bowell said. Source

Rowdy protests again hit France, yet striker numbers dwindle

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:53:11 GMT

PARIS (AP) — Protesters disrupted vehicle traffic at Paris’ main airport and police fired clouds of tear gas in other French cities in the latest round of strikes and demonstrations Thursday against President Emmanuel Macron’s contested pension reforms. Macron’s drive to raise the national retirement age from 62 to 64 has ignited a months-long firestorm of public anger. Talks between trade union leaders and Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne broke up Wednesday without a breakthrough, setting the stage for protesters’ return to the streets, while unions called yet another day of protests for April 13.However, the number of strikers has fallen, particularly in the transportation sector, since protests began in January. About 400,000 people joined the protest in Paris Thursday, down from 450,000 the week before, said the powerful CGT union. Interior Ministry estimates of the marchers’ numbers weren’t immediately available but are always much lower.On Thursday, the Paris Metro r...

Lightning’s Killorn, Rangers’ Fox fined $5,000 for slashing

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:53:11 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Alex Killorn of the Tampa Bay Lightning and Adam Fox of the New York Rangers were fined $5,000 apiece for separate slashing incidents in the teams’ game at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday night.The NHL’s department of player safety announced the supplemental discipline Thursday.Killorn was fined for spearing Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin midway through the second period. Fox was fined for slashing Lightning winger Corey Perry a few minutes earlier.The $5,000 amount is the maximum allowed under the league and players union’s collective bargaining agreement. The money goes to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.Each player was penalized for slashing on the play. The feisty game, won by the Rangers 6-3, featured four fights and 80 combined penalty minutes.New York and Tampa Bay met in the Eastern Conference final last year. Both have qualified for the playoffs this season, but could not meet until the third round.___AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/...

Dirty money: Corruption case highlights Hawaii cesspool mess

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:53:11 GMT

HONOLULU (AP) — A former Hawaii lawmaker is expected in court Thursday for sentencing in a federal corruption case that’s drawn attention to a perennial problem in the islands: the tens of thousands of cesspools that release 50 million gallons of raw sewage into the state’s pristine waters every day.Cesspools — in-ground pits that collect sewage from houses and buildings not connected to city services for gradual release into the environment — are at the center of the criminal case against former Democratic state Rep. Ty Cullen. He has admitted to taking bribes of cash and gambling chips in exchange for influencing legislation to reduce Hawaii’s widespread use of cesspools. The toxic pits proliferated in Hawaii in the ’50s, ‘60s and ’70s. when investment in sewer lines didn’t keep up with rapid development. Today Hawaii has 83,000 of them — more than any other state — and only banned new cesspools in 2016. Now Hawaii is in a rush to get rid of them because of...

Adesanya couldn’t wait for UFC title rematch with Pereira

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:53:11 GMT

Israel Adesanya could’ve taken the easier path by fighting lesser opponents and building back his resume after losing to Alex Pereira in November at UFC 281.Adesanya didn’t want to wait.He will be back in the Octagon on Saturday for UFC 287 in Miami for a rematch for the middleweight championship.Even though he is the challenger, the 33-year-old Adesanya is a minus-142 favorite, according to FanDuel Sportsbook. He was either unaware of the betting line or chose to ignore it, offering his own narrative of a comeback that he called “one of the greatest storylines in MMA history.”“Not many people get the opportunity to show how great they are, to rise to the occasion when all the odds are stacked against them, when people have counted them out,” Adesanya said. “For me, this fight I feel like the underdog. I feel like everyone’s counting me out. They’ve forgot what I’ve done in this game. They’ve forgot who I am, and it’s time to remind people how great I am.”May...

Wildfire in southern Spain forces evacuation of 70 residents

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:53:11 GMT

MADRID (AP) — Spanish authorities said Wednesday that they evacuated 70 people from their homes to ensure their safety as a wildfire burned unchecked in southern Andalusia.Emergency services for fighting wildfires in the Andalusia region said that heavy winds with gusts as strong as 80 kph (50 mph) have fanned the flames that broke out on Tuesday in Tarifa near the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula.The residents were evacuated from the settlement called El Chaparral as a precaution. Authorities said had scorched some 50 hectares (123 acres) in hilly terrain close by.Five units of firefighters battled the fire with the support of seven aircraft, authorities said.Spain led Europe in land burned last year during a record hot 2022 that government officials and independent experts said was a product of global climate change. A prolonged drought has authorities concerned that the wildfire season is starting earlier than usual after the country endured its first major fires of the year...

King Charles III supports probe into monarchy’s slave ties

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:53:11 GMT

LONDON (AP) — King Charles III for the first time has signaled support for research into the British monarchy’s ties to slavery after a document showed an ancestor with shares in a slave-trading company, a Buckingham Palace spokesperson said Thursday.Charles takes the issue “profoundly seriously” and academics will be given access to the royal collection and archives, the palace said.The statement was in response to an article in The Guardian newspaper that revealed a document showing that the deputy governor of the slave-trading Royal African Company transferred 1,000 pounds of shares in the business to King William III in 1689.The newspaper reported on the document as part of a series of stories on royal wealth and finances, as well as the monarchy’s connection to slavery.Charles ascended to the throne last year after the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II. His coronation is planned for May 6. Charles and his eldest son, Prince William, have expressed their ...

Average 30-year mortgage rate dips as spring season opens

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:53:11 GMT

The average long-term U.S. mortgage rate dipped for the fourth straight week, a good sign for potential home buyers and a real estate market that’s been mostly cold since the Federal Reserve began raising interest rates more than a year ago.Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac reported Thursday that the average on the benchmark 30-year rate dipped to 6.28% from 6.32% the previous week. The average rate last year at this time was 4.72%.The average long-term mortgage rate hit 7.08% in the fall — a two-decade high.The recent decline in mortgage rates is good news for prospective homebuyers, many of whom were pushed to the sidelines during the past year as the Federal Reserve cranked up its main borrowing rate nine straight times in a bid to tamp down persistent, four-decade high inflation.Though supply remains low, home prices appear to be leveling off, another development that could lure buyers back into the market. The national median home price slipped 0.2% from February last year to $3...

FDA forces unproven premature birth drug Makena off market

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:53:11 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday ordered the immediate market withdrawal of a drug intended to prevent premature births, which has remained available for years despite data showing it doesn’t help pregnant women.The decision follows repeated efforts by Swiss drugmaker Covis Pharma to keep Makena on the U.S. market while it conducted additional studies. The medication was the only drug approved in the U.S. to help reduce the risk of early births in women with a history of preterm deliveries.In recent months, Covis finally bowed to FDA pressure, proposing a “winding down” period of several months so that women taking the drug could complete their treatment. The FDA rejected that and said Thursday that the action against Makena and several generic versions should take effect immediately.“Makena and its generics are no longer approved and cannot lawfully be distributed in interstate commerce,” the agency said in a statement.The injectable drug is a sy...