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US pair of Chock and Bates win first world ice dance title

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:11:15 GMT

SAITAMA, Japan (AP) — Madison Chock and Evan Bates of the United States won their first ice dance title at the figure skating world championships on Saturday.First after the rhythm dance, Chock and Bates finished first in the free dance at Saitama Super Arena with 134.07 points for a total of 226.1.Reigning European champions Charlene Guignard and Marco Fabbri of Italy were second with 219.85 points while Grand Prix Final Champions Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier of Canada were third with 217.88.“We’ve been pursuing this goal for so many years,” Bates said. “It was exciting and stressful all at the same time. I know that the ice dance field is so competitive. We’ve competed against all these teams for so many years. We really just wanted to focus on ourselves and skate our best.”Chock and Bates, the three-time Four Continents champions , have been together for 12 years.They won the silver medal at the 2015 world championships in Beijing, bronze in Boston in 2016 and bronze last year i...

Early morning tractor-trailer crash creates backup in Fairfax Co.

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:11:15 GMT

A tractor-trailer crash on the Beltway’s outer loop ramp to southbound Interstate 95, exit 169A, in Springfield, Virginia, had all traffic stopped in the predawn hours of Saturday.The WTOP Traffic Center reported the crash at around 1 a.m. and the ramp reopened just before 4 a.m. There are no reported injuries.More Fairfax County NewsMore Virginia NewsMore Local NewsDriving near the crash, Robin Howard took a photo of the overturned tractor-trailer, posting the picture to Twitter and saying she called the police to report the crash. She said the driver broke through the windshield and was safe.I was one of the first there, called 911. Driver broke through the windshield and is safe. pic.twitter.com/YRYYtTImBh— Robin Howard (@robinmhoward) March 25, 2023Howard told WTOP via Twitter that, while calling police, she saw two other bystanders run up to the overturned vehicle and walk back with the driver.Using a crane, officials with the Virginia State Police got the tractor-trailer...

Warm Final Weekend of March

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:11:15 GMT

The final weekend of March and the first weekend of spring is here in South Florida and it will sure feel like spring across the area with the return of above average temperatures and muggy humidity levels. Much of our weather pattern has been quiet this week and we will keep it quiet through early next week thanks to high pressure that has been rather stagnant over the Atlantic.Expect sunshine and a few clouds this Saturday with high temperatures a degree or two warmer than yesterday into the mid 80s, including up to 86F in Miami. Besides a spotty shower across inland areas late today, it will be another nice and dry day. That means the weather will look nice for all the events happening this weekend, like the Ultra Music Festival taking place in downtown Miami.This weather story will hold true for Sunday as well to complete the weekend with partly cloudy to mostly sunny skies, highs in the mid to upper 80s and a low rain chance. The warmth and sunshine will continue through Tuesda...

Brussels and Berlin strike deal on 2035 combustion-engine ban

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:11:15 GMT

The European Commission and Germany announced a deal Saturday morning that will allow the continued sale of combustion-engine cars running exclusively on synthetic e-fuels even after legislation comes into force mandating a policy of zero-emission sales only as of 2035.“We have found an agreement with Germany on the future use of e-fuels in cars,” the European Commission’s Green Deal chief Frans Timmermans said on Twitter, confirming an accord had been reached. “We will work now on getting the CO2-standards for cars regulation adopted as soon as possible.”Timmermans added that the Commission would “follow up swiftly” with “legal steps” needed to turn a non-binding annex to the law, introduced at the insistence of the EU’s car-marking titan Germany, into a concrete workaround to allow new vehicles running on e-fuels, which do emit some CO2, to be sold after 2035.It is unclear exactly how the Commission plans to do that, but ...

ASK IRA: Has Heat’s Jimmy Butler put himself into the MVP discussion?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:11:15 GMT

Q: Hi, Ira. If Jimmy Butler continues to play the way he has of late and because of it the Miami Heat end up capturing the No. 5 seed, should Jimmy Butler be in the conversation for NBA MVP? – Carlos, West Park.A: Probably still not the won-loss record or high enough playoff seed for that. But with Jimmy Butler, I would put it this way: When Jimmy Butler wants to play like an MVP, he is as good as any two-way candidate this side of say Giannis Antetokounmpo or Joel Embiid. There have been plenty of Jim-V-P games lately, and likely will have to be several more for the Heat to get where they want in the playoff seeds. Beyond that, all of a sudden, missing 15 games is not necessarily an outlier among NBA leading men. There are spots for five players on each MVP ballot. Three locks are Antetokounmpo, Embiid and Nikola Jokic, so the question is whether Jimmy could enter the next group, which many have including Jayson Tatum and Luka Doncic.Q: Ira, in a season full of frustrating up...

Kyle Gibson is coming off a down season. The Orioles’ defense could help him bounce back. | ANALYSIS

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:11:15 GMT

A good defense is a pitcher’s best friend, and for Kyle Gibson, he’s had few years with a best friend.Gibson, a 10-year veteran, has largely spent his career in front of poor defenses — a tall task for any pitcher, but especially one with a low 90s mph fastball who relies on soft contact more than swings and misses. Last season, Gibson posted a 5.05 ERA with the Philadelphia Phillies, a team that made it to the World Series despite having one of the worst defenses in the major leagues.Now the Orioles’ opening day starter, Gibson is looking to have a renaissance at 35 years old behind a defense that could be one of the best in baseball.When the Orioles signed Gibson in December, executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias said he believed the lanky right-hander was a bounce-back candidate after his disappointing 2022 with Philadelphia. The $10 million dollar contract was the most money Elias has handed out to any free agent since taking over Baltim...

Lucas: Putin’s photo op from hell

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:11:15 GMT

History has a way of repeating itself.Especially if you do not learn from it.A special case is Russia’s Vladimir Putin, who has been handed his head following his unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.He is like Italian fascist dictator Benito Mussolini who in 1940 thought he could invade Greece, walk over the small Greek army and take over the country in a matter of days.Mussolini wanted to show his World War II ally German Chancellor Adolph Hitler, who had just conquered Poland and France, that he too could invade and conquer a country.Mussolini launched his unprovoked invasion from occupied Albania after right-wing Greek Prime Minister Ioannis Metaxas refused Mussolini’s demands that Greece turn over parts of its country to the fascist leader.Metaxas famously said, “Oxi” (No), which is what Ukrainian President Volodymir Zelensky said to Putin, only in Ukrainian.Like Mussolini dreaming of having his photo taken at the Acropolis in Athens, Putin believed he would be in the Ukrainian capit...

Coroner: 13 dead in tornado that ripped through US South

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:11:15 GMT

ROLLING FORK, Miss. (AP) — A powerful tornado tore through rural Mississippi and Alabama on Friday night, killing at least 13 people, destroying buildings and knocking out power as severe weather that produced hail the size of golf balls moved through several southern states and prompted authorities to warn some in its path that they were in a “life-threatening situation.”The National Weather Service confirmed a tornado caused damage about 60 miles (96 kilometers) northeast of Jackson, Mississippi. The rural towns of Silver City and Rolling Fork were reporting destruction as the tornado continued sweeping northeast at 70 mph (113 kph) without weakening, racing towards Alabama through towns including Winona and Amory into the night.Sharkey County Coroner Angelia Easton told ABC News that 13 people were killed by the tornado in Mississippi. Rolling Fork is located in Sharkey County.ABC News early Saturday reported an additional six deaths, including three in Carroll County...

Spiking violence strains sectarian ties in Iraqi province

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:11:15 GMT

MUQDADIYAH, Iraq (AP) — Hussein Maytham and his family were driving past the palm tree grove near their home after a quiet evening shopping for toys for his younger cousins when their car hit a bomb planted on the moon-lit road.“I only remember the explosion,” Maytham, 16, said weakly from his hospital bed, his pale arms speckled brown by shrapnel. The attack took place earlier this month in the Shiite-majority village of Hazanieh. The force of the blast hurled the teenager out of the vehicle, but his family – his parents, an aunt and three cousins – perished in the fiery carnage. Residents say gunmen hidden nearby in irrigation canals opened fire, killing two others.This is the latest in a series of attacks witnessed over the last month in the central Iraqi province of Diyala, located north and east of Baghdad. Security officials say at least 19 civilians have been killed by unidentified assailants, including in two targeted attacks.The violence is pitting communities against...

Germany, EU reach agreement in combustion engine row

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:11:15 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — Germany and the European Union announced Saturday that they have reached an agreement in their dispute over the future of cars with combustion engines, allowing the registration of new vehicles with such engines even after 2035 provided they use climate-neutral fuel only.EU Commission Vice-President Frans Timmermans tweeted that “we have found an agreement with Germany on the future use of e-fuels in cars.”German Transport Minister Volker Wissing tweeted that the way had been cleared for vehicles with internal combustion engines that only use climate-neutral fuels to be newly registered even after 2035.“We secure opportunities for Europe by preserving important options for climate-neutral and affordable mobility,” Wissing wrote.An initial proposal by European Union member countries on new carbon dioxide emission standards for cars had been postponed amid opposition from Germany. The EU had wanted to ban the sale of all new cars with combustion engines from 2035. ...