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F1 leader Verstappen takes pole for Belgian GP sprint race ahead of Piastri

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:36:20 GMT

SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS, Belgium (AP) — Two-time reigning Formula One champion Max Verstappen edged out rookie driver Oscar Piastri by just .011 seconds to take pole position for the sprint race at the Belgian Grand Prix later Saturday.The shortened qualifying format — known as the “sprint shootout” — sets the grid for the sprint race. It was delayed by 35 minutes because of wet and rainy conditions, with air blowers used to clear water from the track.Piastri has been in good form recently and the McLaren driver shot to the top of the leaderboard on his last run, only for Verstappen to typically find extra pace from his Red Bull.“Simply lovely,” Verstappen said on team radio. “Not easy with this weather.”Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz Jr. starts the sprint from third ahead of his teammate Charles Leclerc, with McLaren’s Lando Norris fifth, Alpine’s Pierre Gasly sixth and Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton going from seventh. It was a disappointing session for Red Bull’s Sergio...

France 2, Brazil 1

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:36:20 GMT

Brazil01—1France11—2First Half_1, France, Le Sommer, (Diani), 17th minute.Second Half_2, Brazil, Debinha, (Kerolin Nicoli), 58th; 3, France, Renard, (Bacha), 83rd.Goalies_Brazil, Leticia Izidoro, Barbara Micheline do Monte Barbosa, Camila Rodrigues; France, Pauline Peyraud-Magnin, Solene Durand, Constance Picaud.Yellow Cards_Dali, France, 11th; Toletti, France, 29th; Luana, Brazil, 44th; Karchaoui, France, 69th.Referee_Katherine Margaret Jacewicz. Assistant Referees_Kyoung Min Kim, Joanna Charaktis, Massimiliano Irrati. 4th Official_Lina Lehtovaara.A_49,378.___Source

Swedish swimmer Sarah Sjoestroem breaks her own world record in the 50-meter freestyle

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:36:20 GMT

FUKUOKA, Japan (AP) — Swedish swimmer Sarah Sjoestroem broke her own world record in the 50-meter freestyle on Saturday, swimming a time of 23.61 seconds in a semifinal heat at the World Aquatics Championships.Her previous record was 23.67 set in 2017. The new record came just over 10 minutes after she won gold in the 50-meter butterfly. Her time there was 24.77.Sjoestroem has now won 20 individual medals at the world championships to tie Michael Phelps. Relays are not included in the count. She has 11 gold in world championships.___AP sports: https://apnews.com/hub/sports and https://twitter.com/AP_SportsSource

Ukraine changes date of Christmas, in slap at ‘Russian heritage’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:36:20 GMT

Ukraine is on a mission to shed the vestiges of historic Russian influence — and now it’s even got rid of Russian Christmas.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday signed a law which moves the official Christmas Day state holiday from January 7 — as observed by the Russian Orthodox Church — to December 25.An explanatory note to the law said its aim was to “abandon the Russian heritage” and forms part of a wider campaign to assert Ukrainian identity in defiance of Russia’s 17-month-old invasion.The Russian Orthodox Church and its leader, Patriarch Kirill, have been strong supporters of the war launched last year by Russian President Vladimir Putin. Kirill has said Russian soldiers killed in action will have their sins forgiven and has compared their sacrifice to that of Jesus Christ.In 2019, part of the church in Ukraine formally gained independence from Moscow to form the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU), which has become an independent rival to the Ukrainian Or...

Biden admin announces new weapons assistance package for Taiwan

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:36:20 GMT

Washington (CNN) — The US on Friday announced a new weapons package for Taiwan valued at up to $345 million, a move that is likely to anger Beijing at a time when the US has been attempting to reset its relationship with China.This package marks the first time the US has transferred equipment to Taiwan under what’s known as Presidential Drawdown Authority, allowing the US to pull the weapons and other stocks directly from Defense Department inventories. Just like many of the weapons deliveries to Ukraine, this process accelerates the transfer of inventory.It’s unclear what weaponry or equipment will be in the drawdown package – the announcement did not detail its contents, as such announcements often do with Ukraine aid packages.Pentagon spokesperson Lt. Col. Martin Meiners said the package “includes self-defense capabilities that Taiwan will be able to use to build … to bolster deterrence now and in the future.” He added that the systems include “critical defensive stockp...

MBTA Orange, Green Lines partially shut down for work on Government Center Garage demolition

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:36:20 GMT

Parts of the Orange and Green Lines will be closed for work on the Government Center Garage demolition starting Saturday, MBTA officials said.The Green Line service will be suspended July 29 through Aug. 9 between North Station and Government Center, while the Orange Line will bypass the Haymarket Station during the closure. The MBTA said in the closure announcement that accessible shuttles can be made available upon request.The shutdown comes as the MBTA finished replacing and repairing the tracks of the B Line of the Green Line Saturday after a 12-day closure.  Officials said this work should alleviate Green Line delays.

Lost for centuries, Emperor Nero’s theater is unearthed in Rome

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:36:20 GMT

Rome (CNN) — Ruins of a private theater belonging to the 1st century Roman Emperor Nero have been unearthed in the Italian capital just meters from the Vatican, in what experts are calling an “exceptional” find.The discovery, revealed by Rome’s special superintendent Daniela Porro on Thursday, unveils the venue where Nero rehearsed poetry and music, and lies near to where St. Peter’s Basilica now stands.Until now, the existence of the ancient theater had perplexed many historians because it was mentioned in Roman texts written by Pliny the Elder but its whereabouts had not previously been documented.Nero was the fifth Roman emperor, ruling between 54 and 68 AD. An unpopular leader, he became famous for his extravagances and personal debaucheries.The site includes elegant marble columns, gold-leaf decorations and storage rooms with remnants of costumes and backdrops used in Nero’s theatrical productions.The dig is part of a renovation project of the Palazzo d...

It’s a miracle, say family of Japanese soldier killed in WWII, as flag he carried returns from US

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:36:20 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — Toshihiro Mutsuda was only 5 years old when he last saw his father, who was drafted by Japan’s Imperial Army in 1943 and killed in action. For him, his father was a bespectacled man in an old family photo standing by a signed good-luck flag that he carried to war. On Saturday, when the flag was returned to him from a U.S. war museum where it had been on display for 29 years, Mutsuda, now 83, said: “It’s a miracle.”The flag, known as “Yosegaki Hinomaru,” or Good Luck Flag, carries the soldier’s name, Shigeyoshi Mutsuda, and the signatures of his relatives, friends and neighbors wishing him luck. It was given to him before he was drafted by the Army. His family was later told he died in Saipan, but his remains were never returned.The flag was donated in 1994 and displayed at the museum aboard the USS Lexington, a WWII aircraft carrier, in Corpus Christi, Texas. Its meaning was not known until it was identified by the family earlier this year, said ...

Russian investigators call children as witnesses against their mother accused of discrediting army

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:36:20 GMT

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — A 9-year-old girl and her 10-year-old brother have been called as witnesses in a criminal case against their mother after she was accused of repeatedly “discrediting” the Russian army.Lidia Prudovskaya and her two children were summoned by investigators in the northern Russian region of Arkhangelsk on Friday to give testimony in the case, Russian news outlet Sota reported.Prudovskaya previously faced administrative charges on similar allegations after sharing anti-war posts on Russian social media platform VKontakte in September 2022.Discrediting the Russian military is a criminal offense under a law adopted after Russia sent troops into Ukraine in February 2022. The law is regularly used against Kremlin critics.In April, Russian authorities petitioned to restrict the parental rights of a single father convicted of discrediting the army following an anti-war sketch drawn by his daughter at school.Alexei Moskalyov, 54, was sentenced to two years in prison for ...

Metro stores in Greater Toronto Area close as workers go on strike

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:36:20 GMT

Metro locations across the Greater Toronto Area are closed today after thousands of employees at the grocery chain formally went on strike.Unifor, the largest private-sector union, says some 3,700 frontline store employees walked off the job just after midnight. It says members of Local 414  rejected a tentative labour deal reached last week, but provided few other details. Picket lines at some of the 27 affected locations formed at 8 a.m., and Unifor is set to hold a news conference at one east-Toronto store later this morning.Unifor says stores affected by the strike will include those in Toronto and its suburbs, Brantford, Orangeville, Milton, Oakville, Brampton and Mississauga.Metro Ontario Inc. a subsidiary of Metro Inc., issued a statement saying it is “extremely disappointed” that employees at the 27 locations rejected the agreement even though the union bargaining committee unanimously recommended its members accept the deal. “The company has been negotiati...