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Sterling win at UFC 288 may send Cejudo back to retirement

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:16 GMT

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Aljamain Sterling survived a late takedown that sent a packed crowd into a frenzy and held on to his 135-pound championship with a split decision victory against Henry Cejudo in the main event of UFC 288 on Saturday night.The 33-year-old Sterling won his ninth straight fight and spoiled Cejudo’s comeback after a three-year retirement. Sterling was immediately confronted inside the cage by challenger Sean O’Malley and the two fighters instantly needed to be separated.Sterling (23-3) launched into a profanity-laced tirade against O’Malley and was booed out of Prudential Center by 17,559 fans that paid to watch Cejudo tried to turn back the clock. Cejudo, the only person to win an Olympic gold medal and a UFC title, held the bantamweight crown when he abruptly retired in May 2020 after he successfully defended the championship against Dominick Cruz. “I hate losing but it’s also been three years,” Cejudo said.Cejudo said he was a “little confused” a...

White powers Whitecaps to 3-2 victory over Minnesota United

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:16 GMT

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Brian White scored two goals to help the Vancouver Whitecaps earn a 3-2 victory over Minnesota United on Saturday night.White gave Vancouver (3-2-5) an early lead when he took a pass from Andrés Cubas and scored in the 17th minute.Defender Michael Boxall pulled Minnesota United (3-4-3) even when he scored unassisted in the 33rd minute to tie the match at halftime.The Whitecaps grabbed the lead for good on back-to-back goals by White and Simon Becher. Ranko Veselinovic earned an assist on White’s second netter of the night and fourth of the season — in the 52nd minute. Ryan Gauld had an assist in the 56th minute on Becher’s fifth goal in four appearances this season. Becher subbed in and scored in his first two matches and had two goals in his first start.Sang Bin Jeong picked up his first career goal in his fifth appearance and fourth start for Minnesota United, capping the scoring in the 65th minute with an assist from Robin Lod.Vancou...

Eovaldi throws 8 scoreless innings, Rangers beat Angels 10-1

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:16 GMT

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Nathan Eovaldi threw eight scoreless innings and the Texas Rangers defeated the Los Angeles Angels 10-1 on Saturday night.Eovaldi (4-2) followed up a complete game shutout against the New York Yankees last Saturday by taking his scoreless streak to 20 innings. He allowed five hits and two walks, helping the Rangers snap a four-game road losing streak. “He gave us what we needed,” Texas manager Bruce Bochy said. “He’s such a competitor.”Eovaldi is the first Ranger to post consecutive starts of at least eight scoreless innings since Martin Perez in 2014. Although Eovaldi was up for the challenge of trying to become the first pitcher in the majors with consecutive complete game shutouts since Mike Montgomery did it for Seattle in June 2015, Bochy overruled him, in part because Texas piled on seven runs in the ninth.“I felt like I had gas left in the tank,” Eovaldi said. “I mean, I would have loved to go back out there and finish the game, but anytime we can score...

Satellite images show tankers Iran seized off Bandar Abbas

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:16 GMT

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Satellite images analyzed Sunday by The Associated Press show two oil tankers recently seized by Iran off the coast of one of its key port cities on the strategic Strait of Hormuz. The photos from Planet Labs PBC showed the Advantage Sweet and the Niovi anchored just south of Bandar Abbas near a naval base in the port city in Iran’s Hormozgan province Saturday. Their capture represents just the latest ship seizure conducted by Iran amid tensions with the West over its rapidly advancing nuclear program, though it appears the two ships may have been taken for different reasons. Iran seized the Marshall Islands-flagged Advantage Sweet, staffed by 23 Indians and one Russian, on April 27 as it traveled in the Gulf of Oman. Tehran claimed the vessel had struck another ship, though tracking data for the Advantage Sweet showed no erratic behavior on its trip. Iran has made claims in the past over ship seizures to cover for the vessels being taken to ...

Rallygoers in Pakistan kill man accused of blasphemy

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:16 GMT

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — Rallygoers for a political party in Pakistan beat to death a participant for allegedly making a blasphemous speech, police said Sunday. Local police officer Iqbal Khan said Maulana Nigar Alam, 40, was killed Saturday night by demonstrators in Sawaldher village of Mardan district northeast of Peshawar in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.The rallygoers, gathered to express support for the country’s judiciary, accused Alam of blasphemy when he made a concluding prayer at the end of the event.“Some words of his prayer were deemed blasphemous by a number of protestors, leading to torture and death at the hands of the angry mob,” said Khan.Witnesses said the police deputy on duty at the rally attempted to save the man by locking him up in a nearby shop, but the mob broke through the door and attacked him.Videos circulating on social media showed people pushing the accused man to the ground, kicking him and beating him with batons. The man died at the scene.Polic...

Israel releases lawmaker said to have smuggled guns

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:16 GMT

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israeli authorities released a Jordanian lawmaker to his home country on Sunday, Israel’s domestic security agency said, after he allegedly tried smuggling dozens of rifles and handguns through an Israeli-controlled border crossing.Legislator Imad Al-Adwan’s arrest threatened to further strain ties between Israel and neighboring Jordan, which have had tense relations recently despite a nearly three-decade-old peace treaty. Israel viewed the incident as serious, but Al-Adwan’s release signaled it was hoping to put the potentially combustible affair behind it.Al-Adwan was arrested on Apr. 22 with bags full of more than 200 guns, the Shin Bet agency said in a statement. It said its investigation revealed that Al-Adwan carried out 12 separate smuggling attempts since early 2022, using his diplomatic passport to bring in anything from electronic cigarettes to gold to birds. The Shin Bet said that since the start of the year, he made numerous successful...

12 killed in multi-vehicle crash in Turkey’s Hatay province

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:16 GMT

ISTANBUL (AP) — A multi-vehicle crash in southern Turkey’s Hatay province killed at least 12 people and injured 31 others, including three seriously, officials said.A truck crossed into opposite lanes after the driver lost control late Saturday, colliding with nine cars and two minibuses, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported.Many of the vehicles were parked by the roadside near a gas station as friends and relatives said goodbye to men leaving to carry out mandatory military service.Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said that fires broke out on the Iskenderun-Antakya highway. The minister tweeted that 22 ambulances and three medical rescue teams were sent to the scene in Topbogazli.“May God have mercy on our citizens who lost their lives, I express my condolences to their relatives,” he tweeted. “We will do our best to ensure that the injured regain their health as soon as possible.”Hatay was one of the worst hit of the 11 Turkish provinces affected by a Feb. 6 earthquake t...

Lives immigrants built in Texas town shattered by shooting

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:16 GMT

CLEVELAND, Texas (AP) — Wilson Garcia and his family were among the Latino immigrants who carved out a community inside the thick, piney woods near Cleveland, Texas, through a combination of hard labor, fortitude and love of family, friends and neighbors.On a 1-acre (4,046 square-meter) plot of land bought with a small down payment, Garcia built a home in the Trails End neighborhood that provided nurturing shelter for his family. It was also an inviting space for friends to visit. The lush green space around his home, located about 60 miles (100 kilometers) north of Houston, reminded Garcia of the countryside of his native Honduras.“Back home in Honduras, he was a country man … He talked about how beautiful the country is,” said Johnny Ray Gibbs, who has known Garcia for a decade. “I asked him, ’How is it up there (in Cleveland)? He said, ‘Beautiful.’”That beauty was shattered by gunfire on April 28 when authorities say a neighbor, Francisco Oropeza, responded to a reque...

Ukraine farmers risk losing their lives or livelihoods

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:16 GMT

POTOMKYNE, Ukraine (AP) — A grassy lane rutted with tire tracks leads to Volodymyr Zaiets’ farm in southern Ukraine. He is careful, driving only within those shallow grooves — veering away might cost him his life in the field dotted with explosive mines. Weeds grow tall where rows of sunflowers once bloomed. Zaiets’ land hasn’t been touched since the fall of 2021, when it was last seeded with wheat. Now, it’s a minefield left by retreating Russian forces.Zaiets eschewed official warnings and demined this patch of land himself, determined not to lose the year’s harvest. He expects that 15% of his 1,600 hectares (4,000 acres) of farmland was salvaged. Workers like Victor Kostiuk still spot mines, but he’s ready to start the tractor.“We have to do it,” he says, “Why be afraid?”Across Ukraine, the war has forced grain growers into a vicious dilemma. Farmers in areas now free from Russian occupation are risking their lives to strip their land of explosives before the cr...

Israel releases Jordan lawmaker said to have smuggled guns

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:16 GMT

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israeli authorities released a Jordanian lawmaker to his home country on Sunday, Israel’s domestic security agency said, after he allegedly tried smuggling dozens of rifles and handguns through an Israeli-controlled border crossing.Legislator Imad Al-Adwan’s arrest threatened to further strain ties between Israel and neighboring Jordan, which have had tense relations recently despite a nearly three-decade-old peace treaty. Israel viewed the incident as serious, but Al-Adwan’s release signaled it was hoping to put the potentially combustible affair behind it.Al-Adwan was arrested on Apr. 22 with bags full of more than 200 guns, the Shin Bet agency said in a statement. It said its investigation revealed that Al-Adwan carried out 12 separate smuggling attempts since early 2022, using his diplomatic passport to bring in anything from electronic cigarettes to gold to birds. The Shin Bet said that since the start of the year, he made numerous successful...