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Canada coach John Herdman says more money needed for nation to compete

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 07:00:00 GMT

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Coach John Herdman challenged the Canada Soccer Association to increase resources ahead of co-hosting 2026 World Cup.“We’ve got to figure this out financially,” he said Sunday night after Canada’s 2-0 loss to the United States in the CONCACAF Nations League final. “We’ve got to get serious about winning a World Cup. When you play at home, you get a chance to win it. You get a chance to get to a semifinal, a quarterfinals, semifinal, and then get on the road to win it. And we’re not serious. We’ve brought a World Cup to our country and we’re not serious about winning it.”Canada’s men have not won a trophy since the 2000 CONCACAF Gold Cup, where it beat Mexico 2-1 in the semifinals and defeated invited guest Colombia 2-0 in the final.Canada reached the World Cup last year for the first time since 1986, losing 1-0 to Belgium, 4-1 to Croatia and 2-1 to Morocco, which reached the semifinals.Because they are co-hosts, Canada, the U.S. a...

Middleboro offense leads way to Div. 3 state softball title

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 07:00:00 GMT

AMHERST — There aren’t many teams that can hit as hard as Middleborough does when it gets on a roll. Sunday in the Division 3 state final, the Sachems put that on full display at Sortino Field.Pounding out 13 hits and scoring in every inning but one, Middleborough rolled to a 15-3 win over Norton to win the school’s first softball title.“We’ve been one of the best teams in the state, I think, for the last few years and they came out and proved that (Sunday),” Sachems coach Dan Sylvia said.Tied at 2-2 heading to the third, the Sachems took over and scored 13 of the games final 14 runs to cruise to a title.Leading the way was the heart of the Sachems order which Norton pitching never could slow down.Alex Welch’s two run homer in the third, her fourth of the tournament, gave her team a lead it never relinquished as part of a five run third that saw Middleborough bat around. She also walked four times and scored all five times she reached base.“Alex has that power and everyone knows it,...

A spate of weekend mass shootings leaves 6 people dead and dozens injured across the US

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 07:00:00 GMT

A spate of weekend mass shootings and violence across the U.S. killed at least six people, including a Pennsylvania state trooper, and left dozens injured.The shootings follow a surge in homicides and other violence over the past several years that experts say accelerated during the coronavirus pandemic. They happened in suburban Chicago, Washington state, central Pennsylvania, St. Louis, Southern California and Baltimore.“There’s no question there’s been a spike in violence,” said Daniel Nagin, a professor of public policy and statistics at Carnegie Mellon University. “Some of these cases seem to be just disputes, often among adolescents, and those disputes are played out with firearms, not with fists.”Researchers disagree over the cause of the increase. Theories include the possibility that violence is driven by the prevalence of guns in America, or by less aggressive police tactics or a decline in prosecutions for misdemeanor weapon offenses, Nagin said. As of Sunday evening, non...

Americans mark Juneteenth with parties, events and quiet reflection on the end of slavery

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 07:00:00 GMT

Detroit (AP) — Americans across the country this weekend celebrated Juneteenth, marking the relatively new national holiday with cookouts, parades and other gatherings as they commemorated the end of slavery after the Civil War. While many have treated the long holiday weekend as a reason for a party, others urged quiet reflection on America’s often violent and oppressive treatment of its Black citizens. And still others have remarked at the strangeness of celebrating a federal holiday marking the end of slavery in the nation while many Americans are trying to stop parts of that history from being taught in public schools. “Is #Juneteenth the only federal holiday that some states have banned the teaching of its history and significance?” Author Michelle Duster asked on Twitter this weekend, referring to measures in Florida, Oklahoma and Alabama prohibiting an Advancement Placement African American studies course or the teaching of certain concepts of race and racism.Monday’s f...

Blinken to meet Xi, State Department says, in bid to ease US-China tensions

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 07:00:00 GMT

BEIJING (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping at 4:30 p.m. Monday, the State Department said, as America’s top diplomat wrapped up a two-day visit to Beijing aimed at easing soaring tensions.A Blinken-Xi meeting had been expected, but neither side had confirmed it would happen until just an hour before the talks, which are seen as key to the success of the trip. A snub by the Chinese leader would have been a major setback to the effort restore and maintain communications at senior levels.Blinken is the highest-level U.S. official to visit China since President Joe Biden took office, and the first secretary of state to make the trip in five years. His visit is expected to usher in a new round of visits by senior U.S. and Chinese officials, possibly including a meeting between Xi and Biden in the coming months.The encounter with Xi comes on the second and second and final day of Blinken’s critical meetings with senior Chinese o...

Suspect in custody after 4 people fatally shot at residence in Idaho, reports say

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 07:00:00 GMT

KELLOGG, Idaho (AP) — Police in Idaho arrested a suspect in a shooting that killed four people on Sunday, according to a news report.The Shoshone County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post that it responded with the Kellogg Police Department to a residence in Kellogg around 7:30 p.m. Police found four people who died of gunshot wounds, news reports said.The shooting occurred at multi-dwelling units behind the Mountain View Congregational Church in the city about 36 miles (58 kilometers) east of Coeur d’Alene, the Shoshone News-Press reported on the newspaper’s Facebook page.The Idaho State Police said a 31-year-old man was detained, KXLY-TV reported. A neighbor at the scene told the TV station that there was an ongoing dispute between neighbors at the location.The Shoshone County Sheriff’s Office said the Kellogg Police Department and the state police were leading the investigation.The Kellogg Police Department did not immediately respond to an email from The Associ...

Migrants rescued from sailboat in distress off eastern Greek island

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 07:00:00 GMT

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greece’s coast guard says 68 people have been rescued in the eastern Aegean Sea after the sailboat they were on sent a distress signal while off the coast of island of Leros.The sailboat, which is believed to have set sail from Turkey carrying migrants hoping to reach Greece, issued a distress call early Monday, and the passengers were initially picked up by a passing merchant ship before being transferred to a coast guard vessel, the coast guard said. All were safely transported to Leros, and there were no reports of any injuries or people missing. The nationalities of those on board were not immediately available.The sailboat rescue comes days after a massively overcrowded fishing trawler transporting people from Libya to Italy sank off of western Greece last week, with hundreds of migrants feared drowned. The trawler is believed to have been carrying around 700 or 750 people when it capsized and sank last Wednesday in international waters west of Greec...

Voters in Neuschwanstein area back world heritage status bid for Bavarian palaces

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 07:00:00 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — Voters in the municipality where Neuschwanstein Castle is located have voted to approve a bid for UNESCO World Heritage status for the 19th century palaces built by King Ludwig II of Bavaria, some of which are among Germany’s most popular tourist attractions.In a referendum on Sunday, some 56% of voters who turned out in the Schwangau municipality gave their approval to the bid, German news agency dpa reported. Officials plan to submit the bid officially to UNESCO early next year, with the U.N. body’s World Heritage Committee expected to make a decision in mid-2025.German officials hope to win World Heritage status for four of Ludwig’s creations dotted across southern Bavaria. They are Linderhof Palace; Herrenchiemsee Palace, modeled on France’s Versailles and located on an island in a lake; Neuschwanstein Castle, a monument to medieval culture with inspiration from Richard Wagner; and the King’s House on Schachen, by far the least-known o...

China's Xinjiang, five Central Asian countries establish alliance of tourism exchanges, cooperation

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 07:00:00 GMT

An alliance of tourism exchanges and cooperation between northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and five Central Asian countries was established at a conference on the development of Xinjiang's tourism industry held on 13 June, People's Daily Online.The association of travel agencies in Xinjiang and tourism industry associations and inter-enterprise consultation and cooperation organizations of five Central Asian countries signed an agreement to establish the alliance at the conference, which also served to promote the tourism industry of Xinjiang.According to the conference, the alliance is a non-governmental, non-profit, and informal interregional cooperation organization aimed at promoting tourism exchanges and cooperation among its members, enhancing international exchanges between relevant parties, and advancing coordinated economic and social development of relevant economies.Central Asia is the fastest growing and most promising region for China's inbound tourism,...

Amy Lareau: Charting an Unconventional Path to Global Business Development Success

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 07:00:00 GMT

Amy Lareau’s journey from law and business school to her remarkable achievements at Cirque du Soleil is nothing short of inspiring. Her unique and unconventional career path has led her to become a top business development professional with unique abilities, paving the way for international projects, groundbreaking show formats, and themed destinations. This feature delves into Amy’s extraordinary story, emphasizing the importance of following one’s passions and staying true to oneself.Growing up in Quebec City, Canada, Amy initially pursued law and went to business school, but fate had other plans. Instead of opting for traditional roles at large firms like her peers, she followed her gut, taking an unexpected detour into the world of show business. This decision ultimately led her to spend a decade at Cirque du Soleil, working on a diverse range of projects and becoming an instrumental force behind the company’s branding and revenue diversification efforts....