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Padel, a rapidly growing racket game, has designs on becoming an Olympic sport

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:53:14 GMT

ROME (AP) — Record prize money of nearly $1 million at this week’s tournament in Rome.Recent investment from the company that owns the New York Yankees.A successful debut at the European Games with matches played before enthusiastic crowds in Krakow’s central square last month.Padel, the fastest growing racket sport in the world among amateurs, is also making big strides at the professional level.“In Italy — and the world — this sport has no limits,” said Angelo Binaghi, who oversees the sport as president of the Italian tennis and padel federation in a country where it is growing the fastest.The nine medals handed out at the European Games in Poland represented the first time the sport was contested at an event organized under the Olympics umbrella. Teams from Spain — the worldwide leader in padel — won gold in men’s and mixed doubles, while Italy won in women’s doubles.“It was a big step for our sport,” International Padel Federation president Luigi Carraro said. “We showed that w...

Un barco de la armada rusa atraca en Cuba mientras los tiempos difíciles unen a dos viejos amigos de la Guerra Fría

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:53:14 GMT

(CNN) — Mientras una serie de cañonazos de bienvenida resonaban desde un fuerte colonial cercano, el Perekop, un buque de entrenamiento de la armada rusa, zarpó hacia La Habana este martes.Durante su visita de cuatro días a Cuba, los marineros del Perekop “realizarán una amplia gama de actividades”, según el servicio noticioso estatal cubano Prensa Latina, y miembros del público cubano tendrán la oportunidad de recorrer el barco.Esta es la primera visita oficial de un buque de guerra ruso a Cuba en años, y otra señal de la renovación de la relación entre los dos aliados de la era de la Guerra Fría después de que el colapso de la Unión Soviética (URSS) casi derrumbó la economía cubana.Si bien la invasión rusa de Ucrania ha llevado a su ostracismo generalizado, el gobierno cubano ha defendido cada vez más a Moscú.“Estamos condenando, estamos rechazando la expansión de la OTAN hacia las fronteras de Rusia”, dijo el presidente cubano Miguel Díaz-Canel a la cadena controlada por Ru...

Former Trump White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson, a key witness at Jan. 6 hearings, has a book deal

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:53:14 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — A former White House aide to President Donald Trump who became a prominent congressional witness against him and his allies in the wake of the Jan. 6 siege of the U.S. Capitol has a book deal. Cassidy Hutchinson’s “Enough” will be released Sept. 26 by Simon & Schuster.“With ‘Enough,’ she provides a riveting account of her extraordinary experiences as an idealistic young woman thrust into the middle of a national crisis,” according to the publisher’s announcement.“She risked everything to tell the truth about some of the most powerful people in Washington and some of the most consequential events in recent American history.”In testimony last year to the House Jan. 6 committee, Hutchinson recalled the Secret Service resisting Trump’s demands that he join the mob of supporters trying to disrupt congressional certification of Democrat Joe Biden’s electoral victory.She alleged that members of Trump’s inner circle dangled job opportu...

Las 5 cosas que debes saber este 13 de julio: Biden y Zelensky en la cumbre de la OTAN

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:53:14 GMT

Mira la lista de los nominados a los Emmy. Bill Gates dice que podemos manejar los riesgos de la inteligencia artificial. Comandante ruso asesinado habría sido rastreado a través de una app. Esto es lo que debes saber para comenzar el día. Primero la verdad.1. Biden y Zelensky se reúnen tras la cumbre de la OTANEl presidente de Estados Unidos, Joe Biden, dijo este miércoles a los periodistas a su salida de Lituania que su reunión con el presidente de Ucrania, Volodymyr Zelensky, “salió muy bien” y que ha disipado algunas de las preocupaciones del líder ucraniano de cara a la cumbre.Cumbre de la OTAN 2023: las promesas de que el futuro de Ucrania está en alianza y las nuevas garantías de seguridad calman los temoresBiden prometió que los miembros de G7 apoyarán a Ucrania 2:442. Comandante ruso asesinado habría sido rastreado a través de una appStanislav Rzhitsky, comandante de un submarino ruso que fue asesinado a tiros mientras trotaba este lunes, pudo haber sido atacado...

Denver weather: More heat and rain showers possible Thursday

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:53:14 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — Thursday will be another hot day with 90-degree temperatures along the Front Range and the chance for a shower in the Denver weather forecast. Storm chances are better across the far eastern border where there is a slight risk for severe storms. Pinpoint Weather: Severe storm outlook on July 13.Weather today: Another 90-degree dayPlenty of early sunshine will allow for highs to reach the low 90s Thursday with an increasing wind. Excessive number of calls for dogs left in hot cars A spotty afternoon shower is possible over the Front Range with better chances for a strong storm across the far eastern border. Pinpoint Weather: Daily forecast on July 13.Weather tonight: Slow clearingClouds will gradually clear overnight Thursday with mild lows in the lower 60s. Winds will become light tonight after midnight.Pinpoint Weather: Overnight forecast on July 13.Looking ahead: Brief cool downFriday also has a small chance for an afternoon storm with sunny skies and highs in t...

Buses replacing service on a stretch of Red Line after fire under train at Charles/MGH

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:53:14 GMT

Buses are replacing subway service on a stretch of the Red Line on Thursday after firefighters extinguished a small fire under a train at the Charles/MGH MBTA station.Fire crews responding to a reported fire underneath a train around 5:45 a.m. found that all passengers had already self-evacuated and there were no injuries. Power was turned off to the third rail so that firefighters could investigate what was causing the fire, the MBTA said in a statement.Deputy Fire Chief James Greene said a broken water pipe in the station initially hindered crews ability to fight the fire but it was quickly extinguished.Buses are currently replacing service between Harvard and Broadway stations. Riders can use Green Line service from Union Square/Medford for alternate service inbound.They can also use Bus 1, 64, 68, 77, 87, and 96 for alternate service.The cause of the fire remains under investigation.https://twitter.com/BostonFire/status/1679450996202717185https://twitter.com/MBTA/status/16794424...

Kevin Spacey says sex assault accuser was intimate pal who had stabbed him in back

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:53:14 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Kevin Spacey took a dramatic pause in his testimony Thursday and appeared to almost choke up as he recalled the “intimate” and “somewhat sexual” friendship he shared with a man now accusing the actor of violently groping him, saying he was “crushed” when he learned of the allegations.“I never thought that (the man) I knew would … 20 years later stab me in the back,” Spacey testified in his own defense in his sexual assault trial in what could be the most consequential speaking part of his life.Spacey was earnest — humble at times and self-deprecating at others — as he breezed over his career and then fast-forwarded to the early 2000s when he was in London working at the Old Vic Theatre. Four men have accused the two-time Oscar winner of sexually assaulting them between 2001 and 2013, describing disturbing encounters that escalated from unwanted touching to aggressive crotch grabbing. One man who called Spacey a “vile sexual predator” said he passed out or fell as...

Olivia Chow vows to bring change to Toronto as she takes office

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:53:14 GMT

Olivia Chow encouraged residents to envision a more compassionate and affordable Toronto on Wednesday as she officially took office as mayor in a city facing major housing and financial challenges.The 66-year-old former NDP MP and past councillor – the first person of colour to lead Canada’s most populous city – drew on themes familiar to her election campaign as she made her first speech as mayor, casting Toronto as a resilient city primed for change.“Let’s build a Toronto that is more affordable, safe and caring, where everyone belongs,” Chow said to cheers and applause in a packed council chamber.“Together we can and today, we start.”Her remarks made overtures to the shortage of affordable housing and a transit system burdened by service cuts, while taking a jab at what she called the city’s “reluctant partners” in the provincial and federal governments for withholding a bailout of Toronto’s pandemic-ravaged finances.This year’...

Italy rail strike strands commuters and tourists in sweltering weather at height of tourism season

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:53:14 GMT

ROME (AP) — Commuters and tourists alike were stranded by a major train strike across Italy on a sweltering Thursday, with cancellations affecting even high-speed lines that are usually guaranteed during Italy’s frequent work stoppages.Transport Minister Matteo Salvini signed a decree ordering the two-day strike be cut in half, but even that truncated stoppage forced the cancellation of service up and down the peninsula on a weekday, at the height of Italy’s booming high tourist season. At Milan’s main rail station, for example, eight of 20 scheduled Trenitalia trains scheduled between 10:30-11:30 a.m. were canceled.State-run Trenitalia warned of the likelihood of a “significant impact” on service that would involve the partial or total cancellation of service on the high-speed Frecce lines, Intercity and regional trains, and cause delays after the official end of the strike. Private Italo listed the trains that it guaranteed would be operational on its website.Roberta R...

Google rolls out AI chatbot Bard to Europe and Brazil and adds more features

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:53:14 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Google said Thursday that it’s rolling out its AI-powered chatbot Bard across Europe and in Brazil, expanding its availability to hundreds of millions more users. The company also said it’s adding more features to Bard as it scrambles to keep up with rival Microsoft — which uses OpenAI’s popular ChatGPT service in its Bing search engine — in the race to capitalize on generative artificial intelligence technology that has captured worldwide attention. Google launched Bard in February, but its planned rollout last month in the European Union was delayed as regulators checked whether the service complied with the 27-nation bloc’s strict privacy rules. The company said it has “proactively engaged with experts, policymakers and privacy regulators.” The Irish Data Protection Commission, Google’s main EU privacy watchdog, said it sent the internet search giant a detailed list of questions seeking more information. As a result, Google hit pa...