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Dense fog causes delays in Ethiopia-Sierra Leone game as World Cup qualifying in Africa begins

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:16:00 GMT

EL JADIDA, Morocco (AP) — Ethiopia and Sierra Leone played to a 0-0 draw on Wednesday in a World Cup qualifying game that was delayed several times because of dense fog.The halftime break lasted about one hour as the fog lingered, and the referee stopped play twice in the second half before the match ended after 15 minutes of stoppage time.The game was played at El Abdi Stadium in the port city of El Jadida on the Atlantic coast of Morocco.Ethiopia and 16 other African teams are playing their home matches in other countries because they don’t have stadiums that meet international standards.Elsewhere, two Spanish-born players combined to give Equatorial Guinea a 1-0 win over Namibia as African qualifying for the 2026 World Cup got started.Emilio Nsue scored from inside the box in the 67th minute after controlling a cross from Iban Salvador at home in Malabo.Both teams have qualified for the African Cup of Nations, which will be held in Ivory Coast in January.Also Wednesday, Con...

Ruling in lawsuit to bar Trump from Colorado ballot may come by Friday

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:16:00 GMT

DENVER (AP) — A Colorado judge on Wednesday heard closing arguments on whether former President Donald Trump is barred from the ballot by a provision of the U.S. Constitution that forbids those who “engaged in insurrection” from holding office.The hearing came on the heels of two losses elsewhere for advocates trying to remove Trump from the ballot under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, which bars from office those who swore an oath to uphold the U.S. Constitution and then “engaged in insurrection” against it. The measure has only been used a handful of times since the period after the Civil War, when it was intended to stop former Confederates from swamping government positions. Teacher fired after showing footage of school tragedies during lockdown drill Last week, the Minnesota Supreme Court dodged the question of whether the provision applies to Trump, who is so far dominating the Republican presidential primary. It dismissed a lawsuit to toss him off that state's primary ball...

‘Next Goal Wins’ stars walk red carpet at Taika Waititi’s underdog sports movie’s premiere

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:16:00 GMT

A good underdog story has a lot of heart … but don’t take it from us. We caught up with the cast of “Next Goal Wins” at the movie’s premiere to see what they had to say about the film.Oscar Kightley (as Tavita): “Mark my words: things are going to change. I got us a new coach.”Soccer coach Thomas Rongen has the toughest challenge of his career: turn the American Samoa soccer team, the weakest team in the league, into winners.Oscar Kightley (as Tavita): “We haven’t had one goal in the history of our country trying to having a soccer team.”The movie doesn’t just tell the story of the soccer team. It also showcases the Samoan culture — on-screen and at the premiere.One aspect they really wanted to highlight was the story of Jaiyah Saelua, the first fa’afafine or transgender player, to compete in the World Cup, played by Kaimana.Kaimana: “She is a legend in the FIFA world, and I just feel really honored,...

Nearly 450 patients at Salem Hospital potentially exposed to hepatitis, HIV

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:16:00 GMT

Salem Hospital has notified some endoscopy patients after officials found they may have been exposed to infectious diseases such as HIV and Hepatitis B and C, officials said Wednesday. Salem Hospital addressed the situation in a statement, saying the hospital was made aware earlier this year of “an isolated practice involving a small portion of endoscopy practices who were potentially exposed to infection due to the administration of their intravenous medication in a manner not consistent with our best practice.”A hospital spokesperson in a subsequent statement said the situation affected nearly 450 patients over a period of roughly two years between June 2021 and April of this year.Salem Hospital said the IV practice was immediately corrected after being identified. Hospital quality and infection control teams were also notified.7NEWS learned one person involved in the situation now no longer works at Salem Hospital.“After a comprehensive review, including feedback from public...

Walpole hands Franklin first loss, advances to Div. 1 state final

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:16:00 GMT

TAUNTON – After consecutive losses in the Div. 1 state final over the last two years, the top-seeded Walpole field hockey team is headed back for a crack at redemption.Behind a sensational defensive effort to stave off several waves of trouble, as well as an early lead, the Porkers (21-1) knocked off the last unbeaten Div. 1 team Wednesday night with a 4-2 state semifinal win over No. 4 Franklin.The Panthers (20-1-1) used 19 corners to out-shoot Walpole 18-9, but junior Izzy Adams buried two goals to lead the Porkers. Goalie Abby Johnson was tremendous with 11 saves, while senior Katie Colleran had three of the team’s five defensive saves despite moments of chaos inside the circle.Walpole will meet two-time defending champion Andover in the state final for a third straight year on Saturday at WPI.“Especially the seniors that have been around here for three years, we’ve gone through (this) a few times already, we just want it so, so bad,” Colleran said. “I’m done with losing, I just ...

Karen Read case: Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court partially backs defense records request argument

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:16:00 GMT

Karen Read’s legal defense team announced they had scored a win at the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court with a ruling uncovering data they say could exonerate their client.Read, of Mansfield, is accused of murdering her boyfriend, Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe, in the early hours of Jan. 29, 2022, following a night of drinking with acquaintances at two Canton bars.The prosecution says the relationship was strained and she killed her boyfriend with her car in front of 34 Fairview Road in Canton, the scene of a planned get-together with others who prosecutors say never saw either member of the couple walk inside.Read’s defense says she dropped O’Keefe off there, the then-home of fellow Boston cop Brian Albert, and went home. They finger Albert and his sister-in-law Jennifer McCabe as the ones actually culpable in O’Keefe’s death. Both Albert and McCabe have secured their own lawyers in the case.On Wednesday, the SJC ordered the Norfolk Superior Court to issue the defens...

Mass. lawmakers still searching for deal on migrant, homeless shelter funding

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:16:00 GMT

Massachusetts lawmakers were still searching for a deal Wednesday night on a $2.8 billion spending bill that includes hundreds of millions for state emergency shelters housing homeless and migrant families.As the clock quickly ticked down to the end of formal law making for the year, a compromise had not surfaced on legislation closing out the books on fiscal year 2023 that also included $250 million for the Healey administration to respond to a shelter crisis that has sucked up much of the political oxygen on Beacon Hill in recent months.As sun set over the State House, the House had just finished approving a long-term care overhaul bill while the Senate was tying off prescription drug cost legislation. But no public action had been taken on the multi-billion supplemental budget.Gov. Maura Healey repeatedly stressed in recent months that the shelter system — burdened by an influx of migrants and high housing costs — is in dire straits and needs more money to sustain itself through ...

Takeaways from Biden’s long-awaited meeting with Xi

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:16:00 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — It was a meeting a year in the making. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping sat down together on Wednesday just outside of San Francisco, where Asian leaders gathered for an annual summit. It was almost exactly one year since their last encounter in Bali, Indonesia, on the sidelines of another global gathering. In addition to a formal bilateral meeting, Biden and Xi shared a lunch with top advisers and strolled the verdant grounds of the luxury estate where their meeting took place.There’s no word on whether Chinese pandas will return to Washington’s zoo. But Biden said the meeting included “some of the most constructive and productive discussions we’ve had.” Here’s a look at how the day panned out. NEW AGREEMENTSBiden left the meeting with commitments on key issues.Xi agreed to help curb the production of the illicit fentanyl that is a deadly component of drugs sold in the United States. A senior administration official, who...

Ryan Reynolds becomes newest member of Order of British Columbia

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:16:00 GMT

VANCOUVER — Ryan Reynolds is the newest member of the Order of British Columbia.The Vancouver-born actor and producer received the honour from Premier David Eby and Lt.-Gov. Janet Austin at a private ceremony in Vancouver.The province’s Intergovernmental Relations Secretariat says a last-minute scheduling conflict means Reynolds won’t be attending a ceremony in Victoria on Thursday where more than a dozen other recipients will be recognized.The award is considered the province’s highest honour.Recipients this year include Dr. Penny Ballem, who led B.C.’s COVID-19 vaccination program; nurses Evanna Brennan and Susan Giles, who have worked in the Downtown Eastside for decades; and Chief Harold Leighton, who has served as the chief councillor of the Metlakatla First Nation for more than 35 years.The government biography for Reynolds says he is a “homegrown heavyweight” whose kindness and selflessness have benefited countless people in B.C., Canada an...

Australia proposes law to allow prison time for high-risk migrants who breach visa conditions

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:16:00 GMT

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — High-risk migrants in Australia will face up to five years in prison for breaching their visa conditions under emergency legislation introduced Thursday in response to a High Court ruling that migrants can’t be detained indefinitely.The government said it has released 83 foreigners — most of whom have convictions for crimes including murder and rape — since the court ruled last week that indefinite detention of migrants is unconstitutional.The decision reversed a High Court ruling from 2004 that had allowed stateless people to be held in migrant centers for any length of time in cases where there were no prospects of deporting them from Australia.The legislation introduced in Parliament by Immigration Minister Andrew Giles would let the government order certain migrants to wear electronic tracking bracelets and to comply with curfews. Failure to comply with those visa conditions could be a criminal offense punishable by up to five years in prison.The relea...