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Rafael Nadal is trying to be realistic ahead of his 1st tournament in a year at Brisbane

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 18:41:27 GMT

BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — Rafael Nadal is not putting a lot of pressure on himself ahead of his first tournament in more than a year.The 37-year-old Spanish lefthander is set to return at the Brisbane International next week after almost a year out with a hip injury. The 22-time Grand Slam singles champion’s last match was a second-round loss at the Australian Open in January, and Nadal eventually decided to have surgery on his troublesome hip in June.Thousands queued for a glimpse of Nadal on Friday at a fan appearance in downtown Brisbane when Nadal was keen to play down the prospect of a title in the Queensland state capital — or a third Australian Open crown beginning Jan. 14 in Melbourne.“It’s impossible to think about winning tournaments today,” he said. “What’s really possible is to enjoy the comeback. I don’t expect much — one year without being on the court.”But he was quick to mention his Melbourne Park wins when prompted, two against-the-odds titles won in 2009 and...

Weber State wins 93-63 over Montana

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 18:41:27 GMT

OGDEN, Utah (AP) — Blaise Threatt had 18 points in Weber State’s 93-63 win over Montana on Thursday night.Threatt finished 8 of 11 from the floor for the Wildcats (8-4, 1-0 Big Sky Conference). Dyson Koehler added 15 points while going 4 of 4 from the floor, including 3 for 3 from 3-point range, and 4 for 4 from the line, and he also had seven rebounds. Dillon Jones shot 4 of 14 from the field and 6 for 7 from the line to finish with 15 points. Steven Verplancken had 15 points, going 5 of 7 with two 3s.Te’Jon Sawyer led the way for the Grizzlies (7-5, 0-1 ) with 13 points. Dischon Thomas added 11 points and three blocks for Montana. In addition, Aanen Moody had 11 points. The loss broke the Grizzlies’ five-game winning streak.NEXT UPBoth teams play on Saturday. Weber State hosts Montana State and Montana travels to play Idaho State.___The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.Source

AP Week in Pictures: Global | Dec.22-Dec.28, 2023

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 18:41:27 GMT

Dec. 22 – 28, 2023Originally held to celebrate the end of rice harvest, the annual ‘Pacu Jawi’ bull race competition, in Tanah Datar, Indonesia, has now become a major tourist attraction.A magician burns notes written by people in Times Square in New York, as part of an event called Good Riddance Day, where people write their frustrations or problems on slips of paper that are then burned, symbolizing hope for a better year ahead.Devotees douse a statue of their patron saint with gallons of rum in Cabimas, Venezuela, while University of Southern California football players pour a bucketful of eggnog on their coach after winning the Holiday Bowl.This gallery highlights some of the most compelling images published in the past week by The Associated Press. The selection was curated by AP photo editor Anita Baca in Mexico City.Follow AP visual journalism:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/apnewsAP Images blog: http://apimagesblog.com/Source

Derrick White’s shoe change spurs resilient second half after rare dud in first half

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 18:41:27 GMT

The Celtics trailed by 19 at halftime. Boos from the TD Garden crowd trailed them as they headed to the locker room. Inside, Joe Mazzulla and Derrick White shared a light moment.“I just laughed with him,” Mazzulla said. “We both agreed it was probably the worst half he’s ever played in his career.”He probably wasn’t far off. At least by the standard White has set for himself. The do-it-all guard had hardly made an impact on the game. He had as many turnovers (2) as points. He missed four of his five shots, including when he completely gaffed on a layup attempt and hit nothing but air.On one sequence in the second quarter, White committed a turnover and then slipped and fell running back on defense, allowing the Pistons to get another easy basket.White needed a change. So, after a few slips in the first half, he switched out his shoes from an orange pair to some blue ones.“It was like, I might as well try something else,” White said. “That was a horrible first half, so I just h...

Balanced attack paves the way for Weymouth’s win in the Ico Cup finals

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 18:41:27 GMT

KINGSTON – Six different Weymouth players found the scoresheet to help the Wildcats earn a 7-4 victory over Duxbury to secure the Ico Cup Championship. The scoring outburst came after a semi-final matchup against Nauset Wednesday that was light with scoring as the Wildcats advanced in a shootout after skating to a 1-1 tie. Wildcats coach Patrick Kennedy said the strength of the competition was significant in the tournament and the way his team handled it showed its mental fortitude. “It was a good tournament with good, competitive teams and no easy games,” Kennedy said. “Definitely proud of the kids, they rallied together, and they did it as a team.” It did not take long for the game’s first goal as Weymouth’s Jake Buccigross found the back of the net within the first 40 seconds of the contest. That initial lead would be short lived after Duxbury’s David Pittenger scored via an off angle shot to even the score. The teams would trade goals once again early i...

Four Rancho Santa Fe suspects plead not guilty to first degree burglary

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 18:41:27 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- Four people accused of breaking into a home in the Rancho Santa Fe neighborhood that led police on a chase had their first court appearance Thursday.The four pleaded not guilty to several charges.Ignacio Antonio Parra Otarola, 31, Eduardo Andres Morajora and Jeremy Javier Ramirez Munoz, both 22, plus Fabian Cristobal Jerez Abarca, 19, all pleaded not guilty to several felony charges. Those charges include conspiracy to commit a crime, first degree burglary, attempted first degree burglary, evading officer with reckless driver and resisting executive officer.The prosecutor said on Dec. 23, the four rented a car from LAX and drove to the Rancho Santa Fe/4S Ranch neighborhood.Prosecutor said the four broke into one home through the rear master bedroom and ransacked the closet and bathroom. Prosecutor said officers would later find a stolen purse in the getaway car.The deputy district attorney said then three of them attempted to break into the home next door, and the owner...

Stock market today: Asian stocks mixed in muted holiday trading as 2023 draws to a close

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 18:41:27 GMT

BANGKOK (AP) — Asian shares were mixed in muted trading on Friday, the last trading day of the year, with some regional markets logging solid gains in 2023 while many sagged. U.S. futures and oil prices edged higher. Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 gave up 0.2% to 33,464.17. It gained 27% in 2023, its best year in a decade as the Japanese central bank inches toward ending its longstanding ultra-lax monetary policy. The Hang Seng index in Hong Kong was down 0.2% at 16,966.77, while the Shanghai Composite index gained 0.6% to 2,971.35. The Shanghai index has lost about 4% this year and the Hang Seng is down nearly 15%. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 shed 0.3% to 7,590.80, having gained about 6% for the year. India’s Sensex slipped 0.2% to 72,279.18. It has gained more than 18% this year, reaching new highs as retail investors bought heavily on expectations that the Federal Reserve will begin cutting interest rates next year, giving the U.S. and other economies a boost after it manag...

A frantic push to safeguard the Paris Olympics promises thousands of jobs and new starts after riots

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 18:41:27 GMT

PARIS (AP) — With a name that doesn’t ring old-school French like Jean, Pierre or Jacques, and a home address in a tough suburb of Paris where riots flared, Salah Benkadmir is discovering how hard it can be to make prospective employers in France see beyond their prejudices.Despite having a high school diploma in sales and work experience as a vendor on his resume, the 19-year-old job seeker says that when he sends it to stores making hires, often no one calls him back. “I feel like I’ve got a label stuck to me. It is very unpleasant,” he says. But with the Olympic Games soon to hit Paris, Benkadmir thinks his fortunes may be about to improve. Organizers urgently need thousands of security guards to help keep athletes and spectators safe and reduce the likelihood of another deadly extremist attack in the French capital. Demand for people at checkpoints, to scan tickets and help manage crowds is so great that France’s state employment agency is offering free and exp...

After serving jail term over security law, a Hong Kong pro-independence activist seeks asylum in UK

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 18:41:27 GMT

HONG KONG (AP) — An activist who advocated for Hong Kong independence and was jailed under a sweeping national security law fled to Britain to seek political asylum, according to his social media posts Friday. Tony Chung was among the first convicted under the Beijing-imposed law that was introduced after the 2019 pro-democracy protests. He was found guilty of secession and money laundering in 2020 and sentenced to 43 months in prison. In two Instagram posts Friday, Chung detailed how authorities closely watched him after he was released from prison: He was asked to meet with national security authorities regularly and report to them on where he had been, whom he had met with and his conversations, and authorities offered to pay him for information on others to prove he had reformed himself. They also proposed he go to mainland China. Chung said he was made to sign a document that barred him from disclosing his conversations with the authorities, so he could not seek help from any l...

Rogue wave slams into Southern California beachgoers, 9 hospitalized

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 18:41:27 GMT

Video captured the terrifying moment beachgoers were slammed into by a massive rogue wave in Ventura on Thursday. The incident happened as locals were being warned about a massive swell pounding the Southern California coastline this week.The rogue wave submerged bystanders at Pierpont Beach on Seaward Avenue around 11 a.m. That area has been hit the hardest with what the National Weather Service called “tremendous wave energy.”A witness, Colin Hoag, captured cell phone video of the explosive wave. As the waters suddenly flooded an observation zone, both people and vehicles were instantly swept away. Beachgoers were seen frantically running for their lives. The raging waters destroyed the windows of nearby beachfront buildings and hotels on its destructive path.Video captured the moment beachgoers were slammed into by a massive rogue wave in Ventura County on Dec. 28, 2023, sending nine people to the hospital. (Colin Hoag)Video captured the moment beachgoers were slammed into by a m...