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Rested Scotland run away from Tonga 45-17 at the Rugby World Cup and stay in contention

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:45:14 GMT

NICE, France (AP) — A well-rested Scotland returned from a two-week break to run in seven tries against Tonga and win 45-17 with a bonus point and revive its quarterfinal hopes at the Rugby World Cup on Sunday.Scotland playmaker Finn Russell was near his masterly best at No. 10 as Tonga was finally overrun, but only after the Tongans led 10-7 in the first half and closed it to 24-17 early in the second with a bulldozing charge by 151-kilogram captain Ben Tameifuna, the heaviest man at the World Cup.Scotland wing Duhan van der Merwe bounced back from a couple of juddering hits on him by Tonga to throw his own considerable weight around. He scored the second of Scotland’s four first-half tries untouched on the left wing, then powered past and through three Tonga defenders to set up replacement George Horne in the corner for the try that ended Tonga’s resistance and put the Scots two converted tries clear at 31-17 with 25 minutes to go.Fullback Blair Kinghorn added a sixth ...

Mike Trout’s season over because of wrist injury, played in just 82 games for Angels

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:45:14 GMT

Mike Trout’s season ended Sunday because of a wrist injury that limited him to one game after July 3.The Los Angeles Angels moved the three-time AL MVP to the 60-day injured list because their series finale against the Minnesota Twins.Trout, a 32-year-old center fielder, fractured the hamate bone in his left wrist on July 3 while fouling a pitch off against San Diego’s Nick Martinez, returned Aug. 22 and went 1 for 4 against Cincinnati. Trout said he felt pain when he fouled off pitches, and he went back on the IL.He had said he hoped to return late in the season.An 11-time All-Star, Trout hit .263 with 18 homers, 44 RBIs and an .858 OPS. In 2021, he missed all but 34 games due to a right calf strain.Los Angeles activated infielder Mike Moustakas from the injured list; selected the contract of right-hander Carson Fulmer from Triple-A Salt Lake; placed left-hander Tyler Anderson on the 15-day IL because of left knee pain, a move retroactive to Thursday, and placed infield...

Lens beats Toulouse for 1st win this season. PSG faces bitter rival Marseille

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:45:14 GMT

PARIS (AP) — Lens rallied to beat Toulouse 2-1 at home for its first win of the season and moved off the bottom of the French league on Sunday.The northern side finished second and only one point behind Paris Saint-Germain in a remarkable campaign last season, but sold its two best players and struggled to adapt.After midfielder César Gelabert put Toulouse in front in the 33rd minute, forward Wesley Saïd equalized with a neat half-volley in first-half stoppage time. Striker Morgan Guilavogui grabbed the winner in the 84th as Lens moved up to 16th spot through six rounds of games.Eighth-place Rennes remains unbeaten but was held for the fifth time this season in a 0-0 draw at Montpellier.Later Sunday, PSG hosted bitter rival Marseille at Parc des Princes in Paris.Marseille has been in crisis after yet another managerial upheaval rocked the club this week, with Spanish coach Marcelino stepping down. Yet the team still managed to salvage a 3-3 draw away to Ajax in the Europa League on ...

Usher to headline Super Bowl halftime

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:45:14 GMT

LOS ANGELES — Usher has a new confession: The Grammy winner will headline the Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show in Las Vegas.The NFL, Apple Music and Roc Nation announced Sunday that Usher would lead the halftime festivities from Allegiant Stadium on Feb. 11. The music megastar, who has won eight Grammys, said he’s looking forward to performing on the NFL’s biggest stage.“It’s an honor of a lifetime to finally check a Super Bowl performance off my bucket list,” Usher said in a statement. “I can’t wait to bring the world a show unlike anything else they’ve seen from me before.”Usher spring boarded into superstardom with “Confessions,” which sold more than 10 million units in the U.S. and earned him eight nominations at the 2005 Grammys, winning him three. He lost album of the year to Ray Charles’ final album “Genius Loves Company,” released two months after the legend died.“Confessions”...

Ticker: High-speed rail launches in Florida; UK signals OK on Microsoft, Activision Blizzard deal

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:45:14 GMT

A privately owned high-speed passenger train service launched Friday between Florida’s two biggest tourist hubs.The Brightline train is a $5 billion bet by owner Fortress Investment Group that eventually 8 million people annually will take the 3.5-hour, 235-mile trip between Miami and Orlando — about 30 minutes less than the average drive.The company is charging single riders $158 round-trip for business class and $298 for first-class, with families and groups able to buy four round-trip tickets for $398. Thirty-two trains will run daily.Brightline, which began running its neon-yellow trains the 70 miles between Miami and West Palm Beach in 2018, is the first private intercity passenger service to begin U.S. operations in a century.The only other U.S. high-speed line is Amtrak’s Acela service between Boston and Washington, D.C., which began in 2000. Amtrak is owned by the federal government.UK signals OK on Microsoft, Activision Blizzard dealMicrosoft’s restructure...

Soccer notebook: A sister act at St. Mary’s (Lynn)

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:45:14 GMT

LYNN — It’s not often that you see siblings playing together at the varsity level. Simply having one pair can create plenty of camaraderie within a program.If you were to pay a visit to a girls soccer practice at St. Mary’s (Lynn) at any point this season, you would notice a unique phenomenon that may have never been seen before.The Spartans? Their squad boasts four sets of sisters, each playing vital roles for their school’s varsity program as it looks to compete in the Div. 3 landscape.St. Mary’s coach Jim Foley has been with the Spartans for 25 years now, and has seen just about everything imaginable in his tenure.That is, until recently.“No I really haven’t (had something like this),” said Foley. “We’ve had sisters come through the program that have played before, but not in terms of four sets of sisters.”That’s not all.“We do have another three sets on JV,” Foley said. “Between (the two squads) we have seven sets of sisters that are in the program, which is pretty a...

Red Sox notebook: Zack Kelly completes improbable comeback from elbow surgery

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:45:14 GMT

It seemed in the moment like Zack Kelly’s season, and possibly big league career, was over.Barely two weeks after making his first Opening Day roster, the 28-year-old rookie appeared to blow out his elbow on the mound at Tropicana Field. It was an ugly, emotional scene, but while Tommy John surgery initially seemed likely, further testing revealed the injury was not as serious as originally feared.Kelly instead underwent a successful ulnar nerve transportation revision on his right elbow, which allowed for the possibility he might be able to return to action before season’s end.The right-hander officially accomplished that goal on Sunday, and now he’ll have a chance to finish the season with the big league club before heading into what should be a normal offseason.“It was important to me to get back no matter how many or how little games we have left, but to get back and be able to close the book on this chapter, because I really didn’t want a five-mont...

Kosovar police surround a village after Serb gunmen storm a monastery in violence that has killed 4

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:45:14 GMT

PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP) — Dozens of Serb gunmen dressed in combat uniforms killed a Kosovar Albanian police officer then stormed an Orthodox monastery in Kosovo near its border with Serbia, setting off gunbattles that left three assailants dead and further raised tensions between the two former wartime foes as they seek to normalize ties. Kosovo police surrounded Banjska, a village located 55 kilometers (35 miles) north of Kosovo’s capital where the monastery is located, and the gunfire was continuing, according to Prime Minister Albin Kurti. Kosovo’s interior minister stated later Sunday that the area was under control but he did not say if the gunmen had left.The Kosovo Diocese of the Serbian Orthodox Church said a temple of the monastery in Banjska was locked down after the gunmen stormed it. A group of pilgrims from Serbia was inside the temple along with an abbot. Kurti said the attack was supported by Serbia. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic spoke later Sunday in B...

President Macron says France will end its military presence in Niger, pull its ambassador after coup

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:45:14 GMT

PARIS (AP) — President Emmanuel Macron announced Sunday that France will end its military presence in Niger and pull its ambassador out of the country after its democratically elected president was deposed in a coup.The announcement is a significant, if predicted, blow to France’s policy in Africa, after French troops pulled out of neighboring Mali and Burkina Faso in recent years after coups there. France had stationed thousands of troops in the Sahel region at the request of African leaders to fight jihadist groups.France has maintained some 1,500 troops in Niger since the July coup, and had repeatedly refused an order by the new junta for its ambassador to leave, saying that France didn’t recognize the coup leaders as legitimate.Tensions between France and Niger, a former French colony, have mounted in recent weeks, and Macron said recently that diplomats were surviving on military rations as they holed up in the embassy.In an interview with France-2 television, Macron said...

California Gov. Gavin Newsom signs bills to enhance the state’s protections for LGBTQ+ people

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:45:14 GMT

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed several bills Saturday aimed at bolstering the state’s protections for LGBTQ+ people, a day after issuing a controversial veto that was criticized by advocates.The new laws include legislation that focuses on support for LGBTQ+ youth. One law sets timelines for required cultural competency training for public school teachers and staff, while another creates an advisory task force to determine the needs of LGBTQ+ students and help advance supportive initiatives. A third requires families to show that they can and are willing to meet the needs of a child in foster care regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity. “California is proud to have some of the most robust laws in the nation when it comes to protecting and supporting our LGBTQ+ community, and we’re committed to the ongoing work to create safer, more inclusive spaces for all Californians,” Newsom said in a statement. “These measures will help pro...