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Gaza receives largest aid shipment so far as deaths top 8,000 and Israel widens military offensive

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:31 GMT

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Nearly three dozen trucks entered Gaza on Sunday in the largest aid convoy since the war between Israel and Hamas began, but humanitarian workers said the assistance still fell desperately short of needs after thousands of people broke into warehouses to take flour and basic hygiene products.The Gaza Health Ministry said the death toll among Palestinians passed 8,000, mostly women and minors, as Israeli tanks and infantry pursued what Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called a “second stage” in the war ignited by Hamas’ brutal Oct. 7 incursion. The toll is without precedent in decades of Israeli-Palestinian violence. Over 1,400 people have died on the Israeli side, mainly civilians killed during the initial attack.Communications were restored to much of Gaza early Sunday after an Israeli bombardment described by residents as the most intense of the war knocked out most contact late Friday. The besieged enclave’s 2.3 million people were largel...

Bebé scores late again to help Rayo Vallecano hold Real Sociedad to a 2-2 draw in Spanish league

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:31 GMT

MADRID (AP) — Real Sociedad missed a chance to put pressure on the Champions League spots after conceding a stoppage-time equalizer in a 2-2 draw at Rayo Vallecano in the Spanish league on Sunday.Bebé scored one minute into injury time to give the hosts the draw after Sociedad had taken the lead with a pair of goals by Mikel Oyarzabal in the 41st and 66th minutes. Abdul Mumin had opened the scoring for eighth-place Rayo, which was looking for its second consecutive win after four straight draws.Fifth-place Sociedad could have moved only one point behind fourth-place Atletico Madrid, which hosts Alaves later Sunday. Sociedad had won six of its last seven matches in all competitions, with its only setback a loss at Atletico two rounds ago. It can drop to sixth place if Basque Country rival Athletic Bilbao defeats Valencia later.Bebé had also scored in stoppage time in Rayo’s 1-0 win at Las Palmas in the previous round.ISCO SAVES BETISIsco scored four minutes into stoppage time to give...

Eddie Jones resigns as Australia head coach after Rugby World Cup disaster

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:31 GMT

SYDNEY (AP) — Eddie Jones has resigned as Australia head coach only 10 months into a five-year contract after the Wallabies’ worst ever performance at a Rugby World Cup.The Wallabies failed to progress beyond pool play for the first time at the tournament in France after losses to Wales and Fiji.Rugby Australia had issued repeated assurances that Jones was fully committed to the Australia role in the face of reports Jones had met officials to discuss returning as Japan head coach. Jones is reported to have told Rugby Australia on Friday he was willing to walk away from the Wallabies job, and terms were agreed Sunday night.He will not receive a payout on the 5 million Australian dollar (US$3.2 million) contract when he became Australia coach for the second time in January after being dismissed by England.“I feel disappointment about the fact that what we wanted to do in terms of changing the system hasn’t been able to happen in the short term,” Jones said. “I have a major feeling of ...

Bangladesh police arrest a key opposition leader as violence leaves 3 dead and many injured

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:31 GMT

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — Authorities in Bangladesh arrested a key opposition figure from the Bangladesh Nationalist Party on Sunday and sent him to prison after hours of detention. The party had called for a nationwide strike after violent clashes with security forces a day earlier.Media reports said at least three civilians died in the violence, which included an arson attack in the nation’s capital, Dhaka, on Sunday. Dozens of others were injured during the strike. At least one police officer was killed and scores were injured Saturday when a massive rally by tens of thousands of opposition activists turned violent, police said. The opposition is demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and the transfer of power to a non-partisan caretaker government to oversee general elections next year.Almost nine hours after detention, police late Sunday arrested Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, the secretary general of the Nationalist Party led by former Prime Minister Khal...

Hurricane Otis death toll rises to 43, missing now number 36 as search and recovery work continues

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:31 GMT

ACAPULCO, Mexico (AP) — At least 43 people died when Category 5 Hurricane Otis slammed into Mexico’s southern Pacific coast, the governor of hard-hit Guerrero said Sunday as the death toll continued to climb.Gov. Evelyn Salgado said on X, the platform formerly called Twitter, that the number of missing also rose to 36 from 10 a day earlier. That increase came after authorities had raised the toll to 39 on Saturday.In Acapulco, families began to bury the dead on Sunday and continued the search for essentials while government workers and volunteers cleared streets clogged with muck and debris from the powerful Category 5 hurricane.More resources were arriving as searchers recovered more bodies from Acapulco’s harbor and from beneath fallen trees and other storm debris.President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said Saturday that his opponents are trying to inflate the toll to damage him politically, but with hundreds of families still awaiting word from loved ones it was likely to ke...

South Africa stands alone at Rugby World Cup summit as new eras beckon everywhere

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:31 GMT

Give the Springboks a few days to revel in their record-breaking Rugby World Cup success. Give losing finalist New Zealand a little time to grieve.But before long, those two giants and rugby as a whole will emerge from World Cup fever and face the prospect of entirely new eras. They’ll all do it with a hint of trepidation.South Africa’s most successful coaching combination ever — some call it a rugby love affair — finally parted in the Paris night on Saturday with back-to-back titles for them and an unprecedented fourth Rugby World Cup win for their country. How on earth do the Springboks ever replace the Rassie Erasmus-Jacques Nienaber partnership?New Zealand also bids farewell to coach Ian Foster and a group of retiring all-time All Blacks greats in Sam Whitelock, Brodie Retallick and Aaron Smith without the consolation of them leaving with winner’s medals around their necks. With those three players, the All Blacks see nearly 400 test caps of experience head off...

Dolphins cornerback Jalen Ramsey intercepts Pats’ Mac Jones in first game back from knee injury

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:31 GMT

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Jalen Ramsey returned from a knee surgery after just three months of rehab, made his Miami Dolphins debut Sunday and intercepted Patriots quarterback Mac Jones in the second quarter.Ramsey, who missed the first seven games of the season after undergoing surgery in July to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee, was activated from injured reserve Saturday and wasted no time to make an impact.Down 14-7, the Patriots moved the ball to the Miami 23 when Ramsey intercepted Jones on a pass intended for receiver Kendrick Bourne and returned it 49 yards to the New England 40. Ramsey had not been targeted before the play.The Dolphins turned the interception into a 30-yard field goal by Jason Sanders that put them ahead 17-7 at halftime.Ramsey also made a hard open-field tackle on running back Ezekiel Elliott that jarred the ball loose before it rolled out of bounds earlier in the quarter.Miami acquired Ramsey in an offseason trade with the Los Angeles Rams, but he...

AP Top 25: Oklahoma slips to No. 10; Kansas, K-State enter poll; No. 1 UGA and top 5 hold steady

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:31 GMT

Oklahoma dropped four spots to No. 10, the top five teams held their places and Kansas and Kansas State both entered The Associated Press college football poll on Sunday.Georgia is No. 1 for the 20th straight week, receiving 48 of 63 first-place votes, distancing itself from No. 2 Michigan after the Bulldogs walloped Florida on Saturday.This is the 50th consecutive week that either Georgia or Alabama has been No. 1.The Wolverines, who were off Saturday after a week of being in the news for an NCAA investigation, received nine first-place votes. No. 3 Ohio State and No. 4 Florida State each received three first-place votes.Washington remained at No. 5, one spot ahead of Pac-12 rival Oregon. The Ducks moved up two spots to No. 6 after a dominant win at Utah, which dropped five spots to No. 18.Texas stayed put at No. 7 while Alabama moved up to No. 8 and Penn State to ninth.The Sooners lost for the first time this season and to Kansas for the first time since 1997, then tumbled in the ...

Boutier goes 9 playoff holes in Malaysia to get 4th LPGA title of the year

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:31 GMT

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Celine Boutier closed with an 8-under 64 and then had to go nine extra holes to outlast Atthaya Thitikul and win the Maybank Championship on Sunday for her fourth LPGA Tour title of the year.Thitikul birdied the 18th hole for a 68 to force a playoff at 21-under 267.In the marathon playoff, both players made nearly identical shots on several holes and saw potential winning putts lip out as they stayed tied through eight tense holes, which included sitting out a 90-minute storm delay at Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club.At the ninth playoff hole on the par-3 15th, the Thai player narrowly missed her birdie putt, opening the door for Boutier, who showed no nerves in holing her 6-foot putt. The nine-hole playoff tied the LPGA record for the second longest.Boutier’s four titles include her first major at the Evian Championship.Rose Zhang, who had a one-stroke lead going into the final round, shot a 71 and finished two shots back in a tie for third wit...

College Football Corner: ‘Moving month’ brings misery for Maryland, hope for the Hokies, Cavs, Dukes

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:31 GMT

Virginia Tech's Grant Wells (6) hands off to Bhayshul Tuten (33) in the second half against Old Dominion of an NCAA college football Saturday, Sept. 2, 2023, in Blacksburg, Va. (AP Photo/Robert Simmons)(AP/Robert Simmons) Virginia Tech's Grant Wells (6) hands off to Bhayshul Tuten (33) in the second half against Old Dominion of an NCAA college football Saturday, Sept. 2, 2023, in Blacksburg, Va. (AP Photo/Robert Simmons)(AP/Robert Simmons) Dave Preston is an AP Top 25 voter. Read his latest rankings here.I’ve long labeled October as college football’s “moving month,” a time when the contenders expose the pretenders while title chances and bowl dreams go from “in theory” to ̶...