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Wednesday’s Sports in Brief

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:34:14 GMT

PRO BASKETBALLMEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Two-time All-Star guard Ja Morant was welcomed back with a standing ovation and cheers throughout the arena in his first action after missing nine games — eight because of an NBA suspension.Morant, who was not in the starting lineup against the Houston Rockets, entered the game after a timeout with 3:05 left in the first quarter, replacing starter Tyus Jones. The cheers began to build as Morant rose from the bench and made his way to the scorer’s table, adjusting the specially fit mask from a previous nasal fracture.Morant ended up playing 24 minutes and finished with 17 points on 6-for-13 shooting overall and 5 for 6 from the line as the Grizzlies beat the Rockets 130-125. Morant added five assists and four rebounds.DALLAS (AP) — Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said he plans to protest a two-point loss to Golden State after a confusing sequence led to an uncontested basket for the Warriors.Kevon Looney had an easy dunk on an inbounds play with ...

McDavid scores twice, including 60th in OT to lead Oilers

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:34:14 GMT

EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Connor McDavid scored his 60th goal of the season with his second of the game 1:31 into overtime to lift the Edmonton Oilers to a 4-3 victory over the Arizona Coyotes on Wednesday night.Moments after hitting the post, McDavid went high on Connor Ingram, giving him 60 goals in 72 games and making him the fastest player to reach the mark since Mario Lemieux accomplished the feat in 62 games in the 1995-96 season.McDavid extended his home points streak to 16 games with his first goal of the game on the power play 5:47 into the opening period. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins also had a pair of goals, and Leon Draisaitl assisted on all four of the Oilers’ scores. Stuart Skinner made 14 saves for Edmonton, which has won five straight games and nine of its last 11.Clayton Keller scored twice and J.J. Moser also scored for the Coyotes, who have lost two in a row following a four-game winning streak. Ingram stopped 27 shots.PENGUINS 5, AVALANCHE 2DENVER (AP) — Jeff Carter had a ...

1 teen killed, 1 injured in Southeast DC shooting

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:34:14 GMT

A teenage boy is dead, while another teen was taken to a hospital after a double shooting in Southeast D.C. Tuesday evening.D.C. police said in a statement that Traev’on Green, 16, of Southeast D.C., died at the shooting scene.More DC NewsMore Crime NewsThe shooting happened around the area of 22nd Street and Alabama Avenue after 9 p.m., police said.D.C. Police Chief Robert Contee said the two teens were on a motorbike before the shooting happened. Several unidentified people inside a vehicle saw the teens and stopped, stepping out onto the street, firing at the two teens and killing Green. Contee said the teens did not exchange gunfire.Then the shooting suspects reentered their vehicle and drove away. Contee said police have not determined what motivated the shooting.Later that evening, Contee said, police officers in D.C. located the exact vehicle, except it had been put up in flames.According to 7th District Commander LaShay Makal, officers responding to the Alabama Avenue shooti...

Eager young Albanians risk everything for new future in UK

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:34:14 GMT

BAJRAM CURRI, Albania (AP) — Monika Mulaj’s son was in his second year of college in Albania, studying to become a mechanical engineer, when he resolved to make a daring change: He told his parents he would leave his lifelong home for a new future in Britain.“We had tried to fulfil all his requests, for books and clothing, food and a bit of entertaining. But he was still dissatisfied,” said Mulaj, a high school teacher in the northeastern town of Bajram Curri, which is in one of the country’s poorest regions.Five years later, her now 25-year-old son is working two jobs in Britain and hardly thinks of returning to his homeland. “Albania is in regress,” he complains to his mother.His path has been shared in recent years by thousands of young Albanians who have crossed the English Channel in small boats or inflatable dinghies to seek work in the U.K. Their odyssey reflects the country’s anemic economy and a younger generation’s longing for fresh opportunities.In...

Ramadan begins in Mideast amid high costs, hopes for peace

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:34:14 GMT

KHARTOUM, Sudan (AP) — The first daily fast of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan began Thursday, as hundreds of millions of Muslims worldwide enter a four-week period of worship.The observance comes at a time when numerous countries and governments across the Middle East are taking tentative steps towards calming enduring conflicts and crises made more acute by the costly war in Ukraine and a devastating earthquake in Turkey and Syria that killed over 52,000 people.During the coming four weeks, hundreds of millions of Muslims will abstain from food and water from dawn to dusk, before gathering with family and friends for indulgent nighttime meals. According to Islam, fasting draws the faithful closer to God and reminds them of the suffering of the poor.In Sudan’s capital, families prepare and sell culinary delights weeks in advance to mark the break of the fast each evening, a meal known as Iftar.The food and drink of choice for nighttime feasts across households in the Islamic Afri...

Asian shares mixed after Fed hints rate hikes may end soon

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:34:14 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares were mixed Thursday after the Federal Reserve raised a key interest rate, while noting the end may be near for its economy-crunching hikes to interest rates. The Fed raised its key overnight rate by a quarter of a percentage point, the same size as its last increase, in its campaign to drive down inflation. That effort has been complicated by turmoil in the banking sector, with investors worried that more banks might fail after Silicon Valley Bank’s recent collapse. Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 shed 0.2% to 27,419.61. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 slipped 0.7% to 6,968.60. South Korea’s Kospi gained 0.3% to 2,424.48. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng gained 1.7% to 19,923.04, while the Shanghai Composite rose 0.5% to 3,282.11. Shares rose in India and Taiwan. “A risk-off tone following the recent Fed meeting has set the stage for the Asian region to follow through with some losses,” Yeap Jun Rong, a market analyst at IG, said in a commentary...

March Madness: Athletes balance privacy, online profile

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:34:14 GMT

Aliyah Boston recalls her parents prodding her to be more active on social media, to extend her brand as her basketball prowess began to draw national attention.She said she would be more active — and then post just one photo in two months, which is no way for an athlete influencer to earn big money in the era of name, image and likeness compensation.Eventually, the South Carolina superstar saw the light — and the green.“With the NIL, my mom and my dad were like: this is the time for social media to continue to brand yourself,” Boston said. “That’s when I really started to post more.”The NIL age has opened a vast new world of earning potential for athletes. Social media platforms, once solely windows into smaller worlds, are now heavily trafficked gateways to wider audiences and revenue streams. Social media also turbocharged March Madness, an event that already had communal elements — think bracket and office pool — before the internet even existed.Taking advantage of this chaotic ...

Belgium to introduce new crypto ad regulation

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:34:14 GMT

Companies sponsoring crypto advertisements in Belgium must submit to its financial regulator FSMA before any campaign, writes Oluwapelumi Adejumo. Belgium’s Financial Services and Markets Authority (FSMA) is set to introduce a new set of crypto ad regulations by 17 May, finance magnates reported on 20 March.Belgium’s Official Gazette published on 17 March showed that the crypto ad must be accurate and contain mandatory risk information. The companies sponsoring the advert must submit it to FSMA before any mass campaign — this means that adverts targeting at least 25,000 customers must be submitted to the regulator.FSMA’s chairman Jean-Paul Servais reportedly said:“To better protect consumers, the FSMA is stepping up the pace when it comes to supervision and financial education. Thanks to the new regulation, the FSMA will be able to check whether advertisements for virtual currencies are accurate and not misleading and whether the advertisements contain the compulsory warnings of ris...

Sale closed in San Jose: $1.5 million for a three-bedroom home

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:34:14 GMT

3872 Jarvis Avenue – Google Street ViewA house built in 1965 located in the 3800 block of Jarvis Avenue in San Jose has new owners. The 1,346-square-foot property was sold on March 2, 2023. The $1,500,000 purchase price works out to $1,114 per square foot. The property features three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a garage, and two parking spaces. The unit sits on a 7,260-square-foot lot.These nearby houses have also recently been purchased:On Bryan Avenue, San Jose, in June 2022, a 1,474-square-foot home was sold for $1,580,000, a price per square foot of $1,072. The home has 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.A 1,713-square-foot home on the 1400 block of Kimberly Court in San Jose sold in October 2022 for $1,950,000, a price per square foot of $1,138. The home has 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.In October 2022, a 1,640-square-foot home on Jarvis Avenue in San Jose sold for $1,550,000, a price per square foot of $945. The home has 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. 

EU leaders set to endorse more military support for Ukraine

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:34:14 GMT

BRUSSELS (AP) — EU leaders are set to endorse a deal aimed at sending to Ukraine 1 million rounds of artillery shells within the next 12 months to help the country counter Russia’s invasion forces.The fast-track procedure was adopted during a meeting of foreign and defense ministers earlier this week, and leaders gathered at a summit in Brussels on Thursday will give it a political blessing, according to several senior EU diplomats.With Ukraine facing shortages of ammunition to fight Russia, the idea of setting up a joint purchasing plan of action similar to the one devised during the coronavirus pandemic to buy vaccines was first brought to the table last month by Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas.EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said he has won approval for his proposal to provide 1 billion euros ($1.1 billion) to encourage member nations to provide artillery shells from their stocks and any orders for new rounds that they might have placed with industry.A further 1 billion...