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Liberian-flagged cargo ship hit by projectile from rebel-controlled Yemen, set ablaze, official says

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 20:19:07 GMT

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A Liberian-flagged cargo ship caught fire in the Red Sea on Friday after being hit by a projectile launched from rebel-controlled Yemen, a U.S. defense official said. The attack on the Al Jasrah further escalates a campaign by Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthi rebels, who have claimed responsibility for a series of missile assaults in recent days just missing shipping in the Red Sea and its strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait. The U.S. official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence matters. The Houthis did not immediately claim responsibility for the assault.The Al Jasrah is operated by German-based shipper Hapag Lloyd, which declined to immediately comment about the attack. It wasn’t immediately clear if any of the crew on board the vessel had been hurt in the attack, which may have come from either a drone or a missile.Jon Gambrell, The Associated Press

515 injured in a Beijing rail collision as heavy snow hits the Chinese capital

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 20:19:07 GMT

BEIJING (AP) — Two subway trains collided in heavy snow in Beijing, sending 515 people to the hospital, including 102 with broken bones, authorities said Friday.The accident occurred Thursday evening in Beijing’s mountainous west on an above-ground portion of the sprawling subway system’s Changping line. Slippery tracks prompted automatic braking on the leading train. A train following from behind was on a descending section and went into a skid and was unable to brake in time, the city transport authority said in a statement Friday on its social media account. Emergency medical personnel, police and transport authorities responded, and all passengers were evacuated by about 11 p.m., it said. Twenty-five passengers were under observation and 67 remained hospitalized on Friday morning, the authority said. Unusually heavy snow that began falling on Wednesday has prompted the suspension of some train operations and school closures. Alerts remain in place for icy roads, extreme cold and...

Commission renews its policy against psychological and sexual harassment

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 20:19:07 GMT

The European Commission has revised its policy against psychological and sexual harassment, streamlining and modernising formal and informal redress mechanisms for victims. The renewed policy is based on a comprehensive approach further building on the strong harassment prevention measures already in place. It will also establish the post and the figure of the ‘Chief Confidential Counsellor' to oversee the policy on prevention and fight against harassment while ensuring its greater visibility within the institution. Moreover, the reform improves procedures in terms of awareness-raising as well as early detection of risks conducive to harassment and bystander interventions. Training will continue to be an essential component of the harassment prevention activities: all current and newly appointed managers will have to follow a mandatory training on prevention of and the fight against harassment.Budget and Administration Commissioner Johannes Hahn said: “There is no place for harassme...

Ultra-rare Nikes worth $10K found in shelter donation bin

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 20:19:07 GMT

In 2019, Academy Award-winning filmmaker Spike Lee hired famed Nike shoe designer Tinker Hatfield to create a custom set of Jordan 3s for a small group of people in honor of his 2019 Oscar nomination for “BlacKKKlansman.”Years later, a pair of those sneakers tumbled down the donation slot at the Portland Rescue Mission and into the hands of a former homeless man and recovering addict James Free. Free, who was undergoing worker training at the Portland Rescue Mission warehouse in West Portland, found the sparkling gold shoes and brought them to the staff’s attention.“He was sorting through a large crate of backlogged donations when he saw the shiny pair of gold Nike Air Jordan 3 sneakers,” the Portland Rescue Mission said. “After gathering second opinions from sneaker-heads and experts, staff members realized what they had on their hands.”$10,000 shoes sitting in a bin at the Portland Rescue Mission. (Photos courtesy of the Portland Rescue Mission)James Free poses with the shoes outs...

Thatcher Demko makes 36 saves, Canucks beat Panthers 4-0 for 4th straight victory

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 20:19:07 GMT

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Thatcher Demko made 36 saves after Vancouver added former star goalie Roberto Luongo to its Ring of Honor in a pregame ceremony and the Canucks beat the Florida Panthers 4-0 on Thursday night for their fourth straight victory.“It’s poetic, right? It’s almost in the air,” said Demko, who also took part in a ceremonial faceoff with Sergei Bobrovsky, his Florida counterpart.Demko had his third shutout of the season and sixth in the NHL. Dakota Joshua scored twice, Brock Boeser had his 22nd and Andrei Kuzmenko added a goal. Vancouver improved to 20-9-1, going 4-1-0 on a five-game homestand.“We’re still trying to establish our identity,” Vancouver coach Rick Tocchet said “We’re chipping away at it and trying to be a hard team to play against, being smart in our own endWe’re still learning. There’s still some times when we’re giving the puck away when we shouldn’t, but I think that’s part of the maturation to get to the next level.”Bobrovsky made 13 save...

James Harden scores his 25,000th point, leads streaking Clippers past slumping Warriors 121-113

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 20:19:07 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — James Harden scored his 25,000th career point while racking up a season-high 28 points, 15 assists and seven rebounds, and Kawhi Leonard added 27 points and eight rebounds in the Los Angeles Clippers’ sixth straight victory, 121-113 over the slumping Golden State Warriors on Thursday night.Norman Powell scored 10 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter for the Clippers, who overcame Paul George’s first injury absence of the season for their 11th win in 14 games. Los Angeles adroitly held off the Warriors’ late surge and improved to 5-0 at home in December.“That’s what James does,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said. “PG was out tonight, so (Harden) raised his level of play. Having the ball more, he had to create more and make more plays for himself and his teammates. That’s what we brought him here for, and it was a huge game from him.”Harden became the 24th player in NBA history to score 25,000 points on a driving layup late in the third. The veteran...

De’Aaron Fox scores 41 points as Kings beat Thunder 128-123

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 20:19:07 GMT

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — De’Aaron Fox scored 41 points and the Sacramento Kings beat Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder 128-123 on Thursday night.Oklahoma City wasted a stellar performance by Gilgeous-Alexander, who finished with 43 points, nine assists and six rebounds.The Kings led by 14 midway through the fourth quarter, but the Thunder cut the deficit to two with a 13-2 run. Fox and Keegan Murray answered with late baskets, and Sacramento stepped up its defense down the stretch. It was the third 40-point performance this season for Fox, who also had seven assists and three rebounds while shooting 14 of 25 from the field.“I didn’t feel like it was like one of the games where I was just like, hot,” Fox said. “I don’t really know how to describe it. When you’re just in the moment, I can’t really say I’m thinking about it. … I know I had a good game but I can’t say that I felt like I knew I had 40 already.”The game featured two of the NBA’...

4 officers and 3 militants die after attacks on police office and 2 army posts in northwest Pakistan

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 20:19:07 GMT

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — Militants attacked a regional police headquarters and two military posts in northwest Pakistan early Friday, triggering firefights that killed four officers and three insurgents, security officials said.The attacks came three days after a suicide bomber in the same region rammed his car into a police station’s main gate and five others opened fire, killing 23 officers in this year’s worst attack on troops. Local police chief Iftikhar Shah said two police officers were “martyred” and three others were wounded in an attack on the police headquarters in the town of Tank in Dera Ismail Khan, while two of the attackers died. He said a third militant was killed by soldiers during the assault on a nearby army post. Hours later, Pakistani Taliban also attacked a military post in the northwestern Khyber region bordering Afghanistan, killing two soldiers and wounding five others, local police official Salim Khan said.No one immediately claimed responsibility fo...

Sexton and Fonteccio lead short-handed Jazz to 122-114 win over Trail Blazers

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 20:19:07 GMT

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Collin Sexton scored 27 points, Simone Fonteccio had 24 and the Utah Jazz beat the struggling Portland Trail Blazers 122-114 on Thursday night.Talen Horton-Tucker added 23 points for the short-handed Jazz (9-16), who led by 33 in the second half despite playing without All-Star forward Lauri Markkanen, John Collins, Jordan Clarkson and Keyonte George.Fonteccio shot 7 of 8 from the field, including 5 for 5 from 3-point range.“I thought everyone was very connected, especially defensively,” Utah coach Will Hardy said. “And then offensively, I thought the ball moved around great tonight. I think you see what happens to the collective energy when everyone feels like they’re involved.”Rookie guard Scoot Henderson had a career-high 23 points and 10 assists to lead the Trail Blazers (6-17), who lost their fifth straight in the opener of a five-game homestand. Rookie forward Toumani Camara also set a career best with 18 points, and Portland got 14 points and nine reboun...

Kailer Yamamoto scores 2 early goals to spark Kraken to 7-1 romp over Blackhawks

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 20:19:07 GMT

SEATTLE (AP) — Continuing to get contributions from the depth players might be what the Seattle Kraken need to turnaround their sluggish, disappointing start. Kailer Yamamoto scored twice in the first period, Oliver Bjorkstrand had a goal and two assists and the Kraken shut down rookie sensation Connor Bedard in a 7-1 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday night.Seattle won consecutive games for just the third time this season and the first time without needing overtime. The Kraken snapped an eight-game losing streak with a 4-0 victory over Florida on Tuesday night and followed up by overpowering the outmatched Blackhawks.“It’s big for the confidence, big for the team,” Yamamoto said. “I know we had a tough stretch there but the ability to get these last two wins was big for us.”Yamamoto scored 3:07 into the game and added a second late in the period, although the goal was originally awarded to Pierre-Edouard Bellemare. But it was continued contributions from Seattle’...