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Swiatek and Zverev comfortably advance at Madrid Open

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:47 GMT

MADRID (AP) — Iga Swiatek continued to make it look easy at the Madrid Open, reaching the round of 16 with a comfortable 6-3, 6-2 win over Bernarda Pera on Sunday.The world No. 1 conceded only one break point and converted on four of the 13 that she earned against the 32nd-ranked American at the “Magic Box” center court.Swiatek had beaten Julia Grabher by the same score in her opening match in Madrid. The Polish player has won six straight matches in her clay-court season while dropping only one set.“I wouldn’t say it was easy,” Swiatek said. “Every match is tricky here. I’m happy that I’m getting my rhythm. Playing against a lefty is never easy … but I’m pretty happy that I was disciplined and focused.”Swiatek will next play either 22nd-seeded Zheng Qinwen or 16th-seeded Ekaterina Alexandrova.Third-seeded Jessica Pegula had to work harder on her way to a 6-4, 7-6 (2) win over Marie Bouzkova. The American saved 12 of the 14 break opportunities that she conceded against her 31s...

Skier killed in avalanche outside Breckenridge

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:47 GMT

BRECKENRIDGE, Colo. (KDVR) -- The Colorado Avalanche Information Center said a solo skier was killed in a backcountry avalanche on Saturday. The CAIC said the skier was caught and buried in "a small, but long-running avalanche" on Bald Mountain which is east of Breckenridge. The skier is the 11th person to be killed in an avalanche this season, according to the CAIC. Recent rainfall increases the risk of landslides All areas in the state under avalanche conditions are in a Level 2, or moderate, which the CAIC site says "natural avalanches unlikely; human-triggered avalanches possible." Other avalanche deaths this seasonThe most recent deadly avalanches were last month when one person was killed in an avalanche outside Aspen Highlands on March 19 and another was buried in an avalanche southwest of the Town of Marble in Upper Rapid Creek on March 17. A 5-year-old girl who was caught in a roof avalanche near Purgatory Ski Resort with her father and brother died after she was taken to...

‘Wahoo!’: ‘Super Mario Bros. Movie’ hits $1B

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:47 GMT

NEW YORK  — It’s still Mario Time at the box office.“The Super Mario Bros. Movie” led ticket sales for the fourth straight weekend in U.S. and Canadian theaters with $40 million as the global haul for the Universal Pictures release surpassed $1 billion, according to studio estimates Sunday.The Nintendo videogame adaptation dominated the month of April in theaters, smashing records along the way. Over the weekend, it faced little new competition, though that will change next week when Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” kicks off the summer movie calendar and is expected to move Mario to the side. Studios spent the last week at CinemaCon in Las Vegas promoting coming blockbusters and promising big returns at the summer box office.“The Super Mario Bros. Movie” was estimated to easily cross $1 billion in worldwide box office Sunday, making it the 10th animated film to reach that milestone and the first since 2019. With a domestic to...

Feds greenlight higher ethanol blend for summer

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:47 GMT

DES MOINES, Iowa — Fuel stations throughout the country will be able to sell gasoline blended with 15% ethanol during the summer under an emergency waiver issued by the Environmental Protection Agency in a move that could reduce prices at the pump and boost demand for the Midwest-based ethanol industry.The EPA framed its decision as a way to reduce gasoline prices at a time of market supply uncertainty because of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The agency said its action also encourages U.S. energy independence and supports American agriculture and manufacturing.“Allowing E15 sales during the summer driving season will not only help increase fuel supply, but support American farmers, strengthen U.S. energy security, and provide relief to drivers across the country,” EPA Administrator Michael Regan said in a statement Friday.Most gasoline sold in the U.S. is blended with 10% ethanol and the higher 15% blend hasn’t been allowed in the summer because of concerns i...

Aaron Judge expected to be out of lineup for start of Guardians series

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:47 GMT

ARLINGTON — Aaron Judge continues to make progress on his strained right hip, but the star slugger’s absence will likely extend into the Yankees’ upcoming homestand, manager Aaron Boone said.Boone doesn’t expect Judge to play in Monday’s game against the Cleveland Guardians in the Bronx but says he could return to the lineup later in the week.“If he doesn’t go on the [injured list], probably the best case is sometime in that Cleveland series,” Boone said Sunday.Judge got banged up Wednesday on an awkward head-first slide into third base against the Minnesota Twins. He remained in that game and started Thursday’s road series opener against the Texas Rangers but left in the fourth inning after two at-bats.The reigning American League MVP hasn’t played since, and an MRI on Friday revealed a mild strain to the top of his hip. The Yankees hope to determine by Monday whether Judge will require a stint on the injured list.“H...

One arrest made after celebrations of Maple Leafs advancing to second round

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:47 GMT

One man was arrested after celebrating the Toronto Maple Leafs advancing to the second round for the first time since 2004 on Saturday night.Toronto Police Services Media Cst. Laura Brabant tells CityNews that one man was arrested under the Liquor Licence Act for public intoxication.The man he slapped a police horse on their hind quarter, but neither the riding officer nor horse suffered any injury.Once sober, the man was released with a Provincial Offence Notice from the station.No other known arrests have been made in connection with the celebrations.

Official: 148 Somalis evacuated from Sudan via Ethiopia

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:47 GMT

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — Scores of Somalis fleeing violence in Sudan arrived in their Horn of Africa nation on Sunday, an official said. Some 148 Somali nationals, mostly students, arrived by plane in the capital Mogadishu, said Abdurahman Nur Mohamed Diinaari, a top official with the Somali foreign ministry. “Through the assistance of the International Organization for Migration, Somalia’s foreign ministry has finally been able to relocate 148 Somalis from Sudan to Somalia today,” he said. The Somalis had traveled by land from Sudan to Ethiopia and then onward by air to Somalia. Forty-five of those who arrived Sunday were later transported to Garowe, the administrative capital of the Somali state of Puntland, Diinaari said. Somalia itself has been plagued by violence for years. The Islamic extremist group al-Shabab, which opposes the federal government, frequently launches deadly attacks in Mogadishu and other parts of the country. One of the Somalis evacuated on Sunday said...

Pope open to helping return Ukrainian children in Russia

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:47 GMT

ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE (AP) — Pope Francis said Sunday the Vatican was willing to help facilitate the return of Ukrainian children taken to Russia during the war, saying the Holy See had already helped mediate some prisoner exchanges and would do “all that is humanly possible” to reunite families.“All human gestures help. Gestures of cruelty don’t help,” Francis said during an airborne press conference en route home from Hungary.Francis also revealed a secret peace “mission” was under way. However, he gave no details when asked whether he spoke about peace initiatives during his talks in Budapest this weekend with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban or the representative of the Russian Orthodox Church in Hungary.“I’m available to do anything,” Francis said. “There’s a mission that’s not public that’s underway; when it’s public I’ll talk about it.”The International Criminal Court last month issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russia’s children’s commis...

When states limit care, some trans people do it themselves

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:47 GMT

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — With her insurance about to run out and Republicans in her home state of Missouri ramping up rhetoric against gender-affirming health care, Erin Stille nervously visited a foreign pharmaceutical site as a “last resort” to ensure she could continue getting the hormones she needs. Stille, 26, sent a $300 bank transfer to a Taiwan-based supplier for a 6-month supply of estrogen patches and androgen-blocking pills. For three weeks she feared she’d been scammed but breathed a sigh of relief when a large package arrived at her home in St. Peters.“It’s definitely a little scary,” Stille said. “Taking a chance like this, I could have my money stolen and there’s not much I can do about it. But I figured, at this point, that the benefits outweigh the risks.”Stille, and others nationwide, are scrambling to form contingency plans as Republican politicians rapidly erode access to the gender-affirming treatments many credit as life-saving. Fears became...

Police: Armed man wounded, 2 officers hit but saved by vests

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:47 GMT

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Police say an overnight standoff with an armed man barricaded in a Philadelphia home ended when he was shot and wounded by officers who had been fired upon and struck by bullets in their protective vests.First Deputy Commissioner John Stanford told WPVI-TV that officers were called to the Germantown home at about 4 p.m. Saturday after a report of an armed man and were given access to the property by a relative but were fired upon by the man.Officials say the barricade situation lasted overnight into Sunday, and SWAT negotiators tried to talk with the man but at some point they lost communication with him. Stanford said they were concerned about the man’s safety and went inside Sunday morning and found him on the third floor when he opened fire.Stanford said two officers were hit but “luckily in their vest area and so they were saved by their vest.” They returned fire, striking the man and he was transported to the hospital, he said. WPVI-TV reported t...