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Cristian Javier struggles as Houston Astros lose to Texas Rangers in ALCS Game 7

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:32 GMT

HOUSTON (AP) — Cristian Javier got one out, and J.P. France got two. That marked the end of Houston’s title defense.Playing a Game 7 in Space City, the Astros never even took off.Javier flopped in an abbreviated postseason start and France had a rocky relief outing, sending Houston to an 11-4 loss to the Texas Rangers in the finale of the AL Championship Series on Monday night. The lineup wasn’t much help either, going 2 for 14 with runners in scoring position.So much for Houston’s seventh straight appearance in the ALCS, and its bid for baseball’s first repeat champion since the New York Yankees won three in a row from 1998-2000. The Astros’ trouble at home finally caught up to them.Houston went 39-42 at Minute Maid Park during the regular season, but it secured the AL West title with a win at Arizona and a Texas loss on the final day. It went 1-5 at home in the playoffs.No team with a losing record at home has ever reached the World Series.The Astros ...

AP PHOTOS: Thousands attend a bullfighting competition in Kenya despite the risk of being gored

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:32 GMT

KAKAMEGA, Kenya (AP) — Thousands of people braved the rain and cold to attend an annual bullfighting competition in western Kenya over the weekend, some of them sitting in trees or on hilltops to witness an event that has become a tourist attraction.Bullfighting in western Kenya goes back decades and features two prized bulls fighting it out until one runs away.The competition is usually preceded by a march where bull owners and supporters work the animals into a frenzy. Previous events have seen bulls goring onlookers.Some bulls are fed concoctions that include marijuana, which locals believe makes them fierce in battle. Owners of the bulls are considered local heroes.Fifteen bulls took part in the final event held at two locations, Khayega and Kabras. The main attraction was a fight between bulls Captain and Senje, with Senje winning in a 20-minute bout.One spectator, 32-year-old Antony Angulu, said he was excited to be at the event but was left disappointed after his favorite bul...

‘Superfog’ near New Orleans blamed for highway crashes that killed at least 7

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:32 GMT

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — At least seven people were killed Monday after a “superfog” of smoke from marsh fires and dense morning fog caused a series of wrecks on Interstate 55 near New Orleans that left a long stretch of mangled and scorched cars, trucks and tractor-trailers.An estimated 158 vehicles were involved and 25 people injured, according to the Louisiana State Police, who warned the death toll could climb as first responders worked into the night looking for victims, the smell of burnt wreckage still heavy in the air. Vehicles were crushed, piled atop each other and engulfed by flames. Some people got out of their vehicles and stood on the side of the road or on the roofs of their cars looking in disbelief at the disaster, while others cried out for help.Clarencia Patterson Reed was driving with her wife and niece and could see people waving their hands for her to stop, but when she did her car was hit from behind and on the side by two other vehicles, she told the The Times-Pica...

Few transplant surgeons are Black. Giving medical students a rare peek at organ donation may help

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:32 GMT

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — It’s long after midnight when the bustling operating room suddenly falls quiet –- a moment of silence to honor the man lying on the table.This is no ordinary surgery. Detrick Witherspoon died before ever being wheeled in, and now two wide-eyed medical students are about to get a hands-on introduction to organ donation. They’re part of a novel program to encourage more Black and other minority doctors-to-be to get involved in the transplant field, increasing the trust of patients of color.“There are very few transplant surgeons who look like me,” said Dr. James Hildreth, president of Meharry Medical College, which teamed with Tennessee Donor Services for the project — one of several by historically Black colleges and universities to tackle transplant inequity.Fresh off their first year at Meharry, six students spent the summer shadowing the donor agency to learn the complex steps that make transplants possible: finding eligible donors, broaching donation with ...

Vikings outlast 49ers 22-17 with 2 Cousins-Addison TDs and 2 late interceptions by Bynum

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:32 GMT

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Kirk Cousins let the ball fly for Jordan Addison earlier than he wanted to in the face of an all-out San Francisco blitz in the closing seconds of the second quarter for Minnesota, bracing for the worst after realizing the pass was underthrown.Addison won the tug-of-war battle this time with 49ers cornerback Charvarius Ward and spun away for a 60-yard touchdown, and the Vikings finally pulled out a victory after three straight late lapses at home.“I thought it was getting picked,” Cousins said. “I still don’t know how Jordan came away with it.”Cousins connected with Addison for two first-half scores, Camryn Bynum intercepted Brock Purdy twice in the fourth quarter, and the Vikings held on to beat the 49ers 22-17 on Monday night.“One play here, one play there. We’ve had some tough losses,” said Cousins, who went 35 for 45 for 378 yards and no sacks. “Last year we were fortunate enough to pull them out. We found a way tonight.”Christian McCaffrey scored twice for th...

Brussels terror attack: Two charged in France in connection with killings

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:32 GMT

French prosecutors have charged two men in connection to last week’s terror attack in Brussels that left two Swedish football supporters dead.The National Anti-Terrorist Prosecutor’s Office told AFP on Tuesday that two men were charged with “forming a terrorist criminal group” and “complicity in murder linked to a terrorist plot.” The two men, who are still in custody, are thought to be linked to the gunman who killed two Swedish football fans in an Islamist terror attack in Brussels last week. The attacker, a 45-year-old Tunisian man, was shot dead by police following an overnight manhunt.The suspects are part of a group of four people who were detained across several French regions last week for possible connections to the gunman, local French media reported. But only two — both residing in the Paris region — were brought in front of a judge on Monday, while the other suspects were released. The attack has sent shockwaves across Europe and through the Belgian ...

Ukraine and Germany announce first JV defense project

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:32 GMT

Presented by ASD By LAURA KAYALI with JOSHUA POSANER, CALEB LARSON, STUART LAU and VERONIKA MELKOZEROVA PRESENTED BY View in your browser or listen to audioSNEAK PEEK— Ukraine and Germany will today announce a new joint-venture defense project between Rheinmetall and Ukroboronprom. — The U.S. plans to sell over $1.5 billion worth of missiles to European countries. — Inside the Tonnerre: Life aboard a French amphibious helicopter carrier.Good morning, and welcome to Morning Defense. Tips to [email protected], [email protected] and [email protected] or follow us at @joshposaner, @LauKaya and @calebmlarson.DRIVING THE DAYFIRST GERMAN-UKRAINIAN JOINT DEFENSE VENTURE: Oleksander Kamyshin, Ukraine’s minister of strategic industries, tells Josh and Caleb that German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal will today announce the formation of a new joint-venture defense ...

Live updates | Israel escalates its bombardment in the Gaza Strip

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:32 GMT

Israel is escalating its bombardment of targets in the Gaza Strip ahead of an expected ground invasion against Hamas militants. The war is rapidly raising the death toll in Gaza, and the U.S. fears could the fighting could spark a wider conflict in the region.Gaza’s 2.3 million people have been running out of food, water and medicine since Israel sealed off the territory following the Hamas attack on Israeli towns Oct. 7. The aid convoys allowed into Gaza so far have carried a fraction of what’s needed, and the U.N. said distribution will have to stop if there’s no fuel for the trucks.The war, in its 18th day Tuesday, is the deadliest of five Gaza wars for both sides. The Health Ministry said at least 5,087 Palestinians have been killed and 15,270 wounded. In the occupied West Bank, 96 Palestinians have been killed and 1,650 wounded in violence and Israeli raids since Oct. 7.More than 1,400 people in Israel have been killed, mostly civilians who died in the initial Hamas...

Two ships have collided off the coast of Germany and several people are missing

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:32 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — Two cargo ships collided in the North Sea off the German coast on Tuesday and several people were missing, German authorities said.The ships, Polesie and Verity, collided in the early morning about 22 kilometers (14 miles) southwest of the island of Helgoland, Germany’s Central Command for Maritime Emergencies said.One of the ships, the British-flagged Verity, apparently sank. The emergency command said one person was rescued from the water and was being given medical treatment, and rescuers were searching for several more people who were missing. It said the ship was headed from Bremen, Germany, to the English port of Immingham.The other ship, the Bahamas-flagged Polesie, remained afloat with 22 people on board. The Associated Press

Israel increases strikes on Gaza, as two more hostages are freed

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:32 GMT

RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israel escalated its bombardment of targets in the Gaza Strip, the military said Tuesday, ahead of an expected ground invasion against Hamas militants that the U.S. fears could spark a wider conflict in the region, including attacks on American troops.The stepped-up attacks, and the rapidly rising death toll in Gaza, came as Hamas released two elderly Israeli women who were among the hundreds of hostages it captured during its devastating Oct. 7 attack on towns in southern Israel.Amid a flurry of diplomatic activity in Israel since the war started, French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Tel Aviv on Tuesday, meeting with the families of others held hostage in Gaza before heading to talks with top Israeli officials.Gaza’s 2.3 million people have been running out of food, water and medicine since Israel sealed off the territory following the attack. A third small aid convoy entered Gaza on Monday carrying only a tiny fraction of the cargo aid groups say is...