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Belgian ace Wout van Aert leaves Tour de France ahead of second child birth

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:05 GMT

MOUTIERS, France (AP) — Belgian allrounder Wout van Aert, a key teammate of Tour de France leader Jonas Vingegaard, has left the race to be with his wife Sarah ahead of the birth of their second child. Van Aert, a versatile rider capable of winning on all grounds, has provided crucial support to Vingegaard since the start of the Tour. But because Vingegaard has opened a huge gap in the general classification with one tough mountain stage left, Van Aert’s presence was not deemed as essential.“As everyone knows, Sarah is pregnant, things are starting to get a bit tight at home,” Van Aert said in a video published by his Jumbo-Visma team ahead of Thursday’s Stage 18. “In consultation with the team we have decided that my place is now at home.”Van Aert added that leaving the race is “a strange feeling, but it’s not a dilemma.”Vingegaard, the defending champion, dropped Tadej Pogacar in the last big stage in the French Alps on Wednesday to increase his overall lead to 7...

Australia star Sam Kerr ruled out of opening two Women’s World Cup games with injury

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:05 GMT

SYDNEY (AP) — Sam Kerr has been ruled out of Australia’s opening two games of the Women’s World Cup in a major setback for the tournament co-hosts.The star striker picked up a calf muscle injury during practice on Wednesday and it was confirmed shortly before kickoff Thursday that she wouldn’t be able to play for the Matildas against Ireland at Stadium Australia or their second match against Nigeria in Brisbane next week.“Sam will be unavailable for the next two matches with the Matildas medical team to re-assess her following our second group stage match,” Australia’s national team tweeted. The Matildas also face Olympic Canada in Group B. She is Australia’s captain and all-time leading scorer with 63 goals in 120 games, and was one of the favorites to win the Golden Boot at this World Cup.“I wanted to share this with everyone so there is no distraction from us doing what we came here to achieve,” she wrote in an Instagram post distributed by the team. “Of c...

India’s Modi breaks silence over ethnic violence in Manipur after video shows mob molesting women

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:05 GMT

NEW DELHI (AP) — Prime Minister Narendra Modi broke more than two months of public silence over deadly ethnic clashes in India’s northeast, saying Thursday that the assaults of two women as they were being paraded naked by a mob in Manipur state were unforgivable.A video showing the assaults triggered massive outrage and was widely shared on social media late Wednesday despite the internet being largely blocked and journalists being locked out in the remote state. It shows two naked women surrounded by scores of young men who grope their genitals and drag them to a field.“The guilty will not be spared. What has happened to the daughters of Manipur can never be forgiven,” Modi told reporters ahead of a parliamentary session in his first public comments related to the Manipur conflict.Without making any direct references to the violence in Manipur, Modi urged heads of state governments to ensure the safety of women and said the incident is “shameful for any civilized nation.”“My...

Live updates | Cameron Smith opens title defense at British Open

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:05 GMT

SMITH OPENS TITLE DEFENSE, AMATEUR LEADSHOYLAKE, England (AP) — Cameron Smith has started his title defense at the British Open and is chasing a South African amateur holding an unlikely lead at Royal Liverpool.Smith is looking to do what no player has achieved since Padraig Harrington in 2008 and lift the claret jug in successive years.The Australian opened with a birdie at the first after a putt from about eight feet.Christo Lamprecht, a two-time All-American from Georgia Tech who qualified by winning the British Amateur at the nearby Hillside links, reached the back nine at 3 under. He made three birdies in a four-hole stretch from No. 3.Lamprecht is hard to miss. He stands at 6-foot-8 (2.03 meters) and hits it long off the tee.He is a shot clear of 2009 champion Stewart Cink, who is 2 under after seven holes.___WHAT TO KNOW— A brown British Open turns green— Rasmus and Nicolai first set of twins playing the British Open— New hole on an old links getting all the attention at Roya...

Wilkinson’s goal gives New Zealand a 1-0 win over Norway in an emotional Women’s World Cup opener

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:05 GMT

AUCKLAND, New Zealand (AP) — Hannah Wilkinson scored to open the second half and New Zealand went on to beat Norway 1-0 on Thursday for its first-ever win at the Women’s World Cup, just hours after a shooting in downtown Auckland shocked the host nation.A gunman stormed a high-rise construction site near Norway’s team hotel and opened fire, killing two people. The gunman was found dead after a police shootout. There was increased security at Eden Park stadium, where 42,137 — a record crowd for a soccer match in New Zealand — were on hand to cheer on the home team, co-hosts of the tournament with Australia. New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins was among those at the game. After an opening ceremony that honored New Zealand’s Indigenous heritage, there was a moment of silence for the victims of the shooting. Four people were wounded in the attack, including an police officer. New Zealand got the nod to stage the first game, although co-host Australia’s match...

Women’s World Cup opening ceremony focused on First Nations

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:05 GMT

AUCKLAND, New Zealand (AP) — The Women’s World Cup opened Thursday with an elaborate greeting from the Maori people of New Zealand and the First Nations people of Australia.In a moment intended by FIFA to stress the cultural roots of tournament co-hosts New Zealand and Australia, along with international unity, the roughly 10-minute ceremony focused on groups of people meeting peacefully at the center of Eden Park.For New Zealand, volunteers held aloft an artistic representation of a giant stingray, which in traditional beliefs is said to have been caught by the demi-god Maui and turned into what has become the country’s North Island. A giant rainbow serpent, representing Australia, was likewise held up by the cast and joined the stingray.Monique Maihi-Pihema, a descendant of the Ngati Whatua Orakei tribe that has the historical rights over Eden Park, where the opening match between New Zealand and Norway took place, sang a traditional calling to welcome the Australians.The ce...

The next chapter of Lionel Messi’s career begins Friday at 18,000-seat DRV PNK Stadium

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:05 GMT

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — The seats at DRV PNK Stadium filled up quickly with fans eager to get a glimpse at Inter Miami’s new superstar.Lionel Messi — arguably the greatest soccer player ever — stood on a runway in the middle of the field looking out at his new home.“Thank you Miami,” Messi said to the crowd. “I’m happy to be here with you all.”The next chapter of the 36-year-old’s storied career will begin here. Not at Camp Nou in Barcelona or Parc des Princes in Paris. At Inter Miami’s DRV PNK Stadium — a cozy venue in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, decorated with the team’s pink and black colors.Messi will make his Inter Miami debut Friday against Cruz Azul in the League’s Cup. Coach Tata Martino told ESPN on Wednesday that he hasn’t decided if Messi and fellow Inter Miami newcomer Sergio Busquets will start, or how long they will play.When the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner announced in June that he would join Inter Miami, the club — which is only in its fourth s...

Vestager’s economist mishap complicates her bid for the EIB

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:05 GMT

France’s opposition to Margrethe Vestager’s pick of an American citizen as chief competition economist could harm her chances of getting the next job she’s eyeing.Vestager, who is the European Commission executive vice president, is Denmark’s nominee to lead the European Investment Bank when Werner Hoyer’s mandate ends this year. She had been considered the front-runner.But after Paris successfully led the charge against the appointment of Fiona Scott Morton to the role at DG COMP, the Commission’s department in charge of antitrust enforcement, Vestager is now uncertain to get French support for the EIB. Vestager’s bid is not dead in the water, several French officials said, but many factors will be taken into consideration. One of them is how much a Vestager-led EIB would consider French interests, including a request by President Emmanuel Macron for the body to fund nuclear energy, and a push for it to invest more in defense. Another factor is who Vestager is up ...

Frans Timmermans to leave Brussels to run in Dutch election

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:05 GMT

EU Green Deal chief Frans Timmermans will leave the European Commission to run in the Dutch election, local media reported on Thursday. The Netherlands will head to the polls in November. Long-time Prime Minister Mark Rutte announced his departure from politics earlier this month following his government’s collapse. Members of Timmermans’ Labor Party recently voted to fight in the upcoming election together with the Dutch Greens. This morning, Timmermans told NOS that he would run as a candidate to lead the joint list. He’s expected to make a formal announcement later today. De Volkskrant reported that he has already informed Commission President Ursula von der Leyen of his imminent departure. Timmermans has served in the Commission since 2014. In 2019, he became executive vice president in charge of the European Green Deal. 

Summer Beauty

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:05 GMT

Whoa! How about that start to the day this morning! Temps and humidity down a few notches and it feels great. In Boston, the dew point has slid to 59, one of the lowest readings we’ve have over the last month. In addition, temps inland feel back into the upper 50s and low 60s overnight, allowing for a very comfy feel to the air to kick off this Thursday morning. The lower humidity will last into the afternoon with highs running 80-85 away from the beaches and 75-80 close to the coast. Overall, with a mix of clouds and sun and the less humidity air, we’re in store for a beauty of a summer’s day. Now the question… can we keep this pattern around? In short, the 7 day forecast does offer more nice weather, but not every day. Tomorrow, humidity ramps back up with more clouds in the mix. Temps hold near 80 with dew points push up into the mid to upper 60s. That higher humidity, combined with a disturbance moving in from the west, will create the opportunity for ...