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Far-right leader Geert Wilders wins Dutch election, early results show

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 06:08:16 GMT

SCHEVENINGEN, Netherlands — The anti-Islam, Euroskeptic radical Geert Wilders is projected to be the shock winner of the Dutch election. With almost all votes counted, in a dramatic result that will stun European politics, his Freedom Party (PVV) is set to win around 37 of the 150 seats in parliament — more than double the number it secured in the 2021 election, according to exit polls. Frans Timmermans’ Labour-Green alliance is forecast to take second place, winning 25 seats — a big jump from its current 17. Dilan Yeşilgöz, outgoing premier Mark Rutte’s successor as head of the center-right VVD, suffered heavy losses and is on course to take 24 seats, 10 fewer than before, according to early results.A win for Wilders will put the Netherlands on track — potentially — for a dramatic shift in direction, after Rutte’s four consecutive centrist governments. The question now, though, is whether any other parties are willing to join Wilders to form a coalition. Despite emerging as th...

Ullmark, NHL-leading Bruins remain hot, top Panthers 3-1 to improve to 14-1-3 on season

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 06:08:16 GMT

SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Linus Ullmark stopped 27 shots, and the NHL-leading Boston Bruins topped the Florida Panthers 3-1 on Wednesday night in a rematch of last season’s Eastern Conference quarterfinals.John Beecher and Jake DeBrusk scored in a 3:05 span of the second period to put Boston in control, and Charlie Coyle also scored for the Bruins.Anton Lundell scored for Florida, and Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 22 shots. The Panthers saw their six-game winning streak on home ice snapped and lost for just the second time in their last nine games overall.“We were really good on the rush defense,” Bruins coach Jim Montgomery said of his team’s shutdown third-period performance. “We had a lot of numbers back, we were putting bodies on bodies and we had a little bit of time to make good breakout plays.”Boston improved to 14-1-3 on the season and 4-0-0 after losses. The Bruins have 31 of a possible 36 points so far — by far the best in the league, yet slightly behind their pace from last s...

Tatum shakes off illness, helps Celtics slow Giannis and beat fellow East power Bucks 119-116

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 06:08:16 GMT

BOSTON (AP) — Jayson Tatum shook off an illness to have 23 points and 11 rebounds, carrying the Boston Celtics over the Milwaukee Bucks 119-116 on Wednesday night in an early showdown of top Eastern Conference teams.Jaylen Brown had 26 points and eight assists for Boston, which improved the NBA’s best record to 12-3. Kristaps Porzingis added 21 points and Derrick White scored 13.“I thought it was great. Obviously, the fans and everyone in the building knew this was No. 1 and No. 2 seed playing against each other, and that just adds more fuel to the atmosphere,” Porzingis said. “The energy was there. We played hard and they made a good push at the end and almost made a comeback, but we held strong.”The Celtics opened a 21-point lead in the first half and never trailed. They held that double-digit edge until the Bucks made a late charge in the final two minutes, slicing it to 114-111 before Tatum hit three free throws in the closing 21.2 seconds.Brook Lopez led Milwaukee (10-5) ...

As Ravens OLB Odafe Oweh breaks out, he says he’s ‘still very much in the developmental stage’

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 06:08:16 GMT

Patrick Queen knows this path. He walked it a year ahead of his Ravens teammate, Odafe Oweh.You arrive in a hail of acclaim reserved for a first-round draft pick, possessed of sublime physical tools but relatively untutored in the finer points of your craft. Your early performances speak to your gifts and your fierce desire but also to that lack of polish. The same people who feted you turn to judging you harshly, forgetting that even the most optimistic scouts said you were not a finished product.Queen lived through the heights and depths of this cycle before he broke out last season. Now, he’s watching Oweh, written off as a failed pick by detractors, enjoy his moment of sweet, year-three release.“Everybody loves him now,” Queen said Tuesday, with a subtext of I told you so.Perhaps it was an offseason of healthy preparation. Perhaps it was the arrival of a new outside linebackers coach, Chuck Smith, who happens to be one of the world’s leading teachers of p...

3 New Zealand political leaders say they’ve reached agreement to form next government

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 06:08:16 GMT

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Three New Zealand political leaders on Thursday said they have reached an agreement to form the next government, pending a final signoff from their parties which they expected within hours.The three party leaders said they expected to hold a formal signing ceremony at Parliament on Friday. The announcement brought to an end nearly six weeks of negotiations since New Zealand held a general election on Oct. 14. What has never been in question is that former businessman Christopher Luxon will be the next prime minister, after his conservative National Party won 38% of the vote, the largest proportion of any party. What has been at play is what policies the three parties can agree upon to jointly govern, and what positions various lawmakers will hold. The parties went into the election campaign with different policies on tax, race relations and economic management. Luxon said they would release details of their agreement on Friday.“I’m really proud o...

Rescue of 41 workers trapped in a tunnel in India is hindered again in final stretch of digging

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 06:08:16 GMT

NEW DELHI (AP) — The rescue of 41 construction workers trapped nearly two weeks in a collapsed tunnel in northern India has been hindered again in the final stretch of digging, officials said Thursday.Some blades of the drilling machine were damaged by a metal object in the debris.Special cutters have been arranged from New Delhi and Dehradun, the capital of Uttarakhand state, and efforts were being made to remove the metal obstruction to resume drilling, said Kirti Panwar, a state government spokesman.The drilling machine is being repaired and will be realigned to resume drilling, said Devendra Patwal, a disaster management official.The drill as of late Wednesday night had made it through 44 meters (144 feet) out of approximately the 57 needed, Harpal Singh, a manager of another tunnel project who is helping with the rescue, told the Press Trust of India news agency.Once they finish excavating the additional 13 meters (43 feet) of dirt and debris, the rescuers can insert and weld t...

Small Kentucky town urged to evacuate after train derails, spilling chemical

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 06:08:16 GMT

MOUNT VERNON, Ky. (AP) — A train derailed and spilled a chemical in a remote part of eastern Kentucky on Wednesday, prompting officials to encourage residents of a small town to evacuate amid concerns about air quality. Gov. Andy Beshear said in a statement that local officials in Rockcastle County were encouraging residents of Livingston, with a population of about 200, to evacuate. News outlets reported that a shelter was opened at a local middle school. The derailment involving at least 16 cars happened around 2:30 p.m., according to Bryan Tucker, a spokesperson for railroad operator CSX. Two of the derailed cars were carrying molten sulfur, which caught fire after the cars were breached, Tucker said in an emailed statement. The company was still working to extinguish the fire as of late Wednesday, he said.It’s believed that the fire is releasing sulfur dioxide, but the amount won’t be confirmed until measurements are taken from air monitoring equipment that was being...

Jace Frederick: Credit to the Timberwolves for playing their players every night

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 06:08:16 GMT

Joel Embiid missed Wednesday’s highly-anticipated 76ers-Timberwolves bout Wednesday at Target Center.It was another bummer, of which there are many throughout the NBA season. You circle games when the schedule comes out in August, and Philadelphia making its lone trip to Minneapolis on Thanksgiving eve was a big one. Pair that with the hot starts of both teams, and it was a must-see contest.But the lack of Embiid’s availability took a little shine off the showdown. Part of the fun of Philadelphia and Minnesota squaring off is watching Embiid duel with Minnesota’s twin towers of Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns.Instead, it was Marcus Morris Sr., Paul Reed and Nic Batum battling with Minnesota’s premier centers. A credit to the 76ers (10-5), everyone sans Embiid did go Friday. They simply couldn’t keep up with the Wolves, who delivered another business-like performance in a 112-99 victory in which the Wolves led from the first bucket on and it never fel...

Blue Team bests Red Team at 36th annual Guns 'N Hoses

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 06:08:16 GMT

ST. LOUIS – First responders from the St. Louis area rallied in the ring at Enterprise Center the night before Thanksgiving, throwing down at the 36th annual Guns ‘N Hoses, the charity fight event benefiting The BackStoppers.Participants and organizers say the event shows how much the connection between the community, law enforcement, and firefighters has grown over the years.“This is our 36th year, and it remains all about the cause,” David Stokes, president of the Guns ‘N Hoses Boxing Association, said. “That cause is to raise the necessary funds to support the survivor families of fallen first responders.”Since the first Guns ‘N Hoses event in 1987, they’ve raised more than $11 million for families of first responders who have died or been seriously injured while in the line of duty. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Daily News ...

Fairview Heights man, 19, sets new world record for pull-ups

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 06:08:16 GMT

FAIRVIEW HEIGHTS, Ill. – Personal trainer Brandon Garrett is always looking for a challenge.The Fairview Heights man grew up playing several sports and was a serious runner; at one point, he ran 10 miles every morning. A few months after becoming a personal trainer at Club Fitness in O’Fallon, Illinois, Garrett set a new goal."It started off as nothing," he said.Garrett wanted to break the current world record for the most pull-ups in 24 hours. The current record is 8,600."If there was anybody that I knew could do it, it was him," Delano Harris-Samuels, Brandon’s friend, said.To break it down, Garrett would do 10 pull-ups a minute to get to 5,000 before switching his rep pace."Once I'm committed to something, I'm going to get it," Garrett said. Another St. Louis resident loses property via Recorder of Deeds Office He spent eight months training while juggling clients at the gym. Over the course of eight months, he spent 25 hours a week doing pull-ups, completing 70,000 every seven...