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Folarin Balogun opts to play for US instead of England

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:47:57 GMT

GENEVA (AP) — Promising striker Folarin Balogun has opted to play for the United States at international level instead of England. FIFA said in a statement to The Associated Press on Tuesday that it approved a request by the U.S. Soccer Federation to change Balogun’s national eligibility from England, which he had represented at Under-21 level. The 21-year-old Balogun, who has scored 19 goals in the French league this season while on loan at Reims from Arsenal, was born in New York but grew up in London. He had also been eligible to play for Nigeria through family ties.Balogun confirmed the move in a video on his social media accounts using the slogans “I’m coming home” and “Let’s make history.” Balogun has been in demand after a breakout season in France.He was dueling with Kylian Mbappé to top the scoring charts for much of the season, although the Paris Saint-Germain star now leads with 26 goals.Balogun, who was born in Brooklyn to Nigerian parents who were living in ...

Draft Lottery day arrives, with the NBA about to learn where Wembanyama is going

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:47:57 GMT

CHICAGO (AP) — Draft Lottery day has arrived, and the NBA is about to learn which team will win the chance to select Victor Wembanyama next month.The lottery will be held Tuesday night in Chicago, where 14 teams will have a chance to win the No. 1 pick for the June 22 draft. Detroit, Houston and San Antonio all have the best chance of winning, at 14% apiece.The lottery involves 14 ping-pong balls going into a machine, and the first four balls that come out will be matched to predetermined combinations assigned to each team.Results will be aired on ESPN, though the lottery itself takes place about an hour before in a secure room. Each team will have a representative in the room, and league officials, lottery observers and some reporters will also be present — but none will be allowed to leave the room or communicate with anyone until the results are shown on television.The lottery goes back to 1985. In the first five years, the lottery teams — seven in 1985 through 1988, nine i...

Cort wins stage in miserable conditions, Thomas stays in Giro d’Italia lead

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:47:57 GMT

VIAREGGIO, Italy (AP) — Magnus Cort won a wet and cold 10th stage of the Giro d’Italia on Tuesday and Geraint Thomas kept hold of the pink jersey.Thomas, who rides for Ineos Grenadiers, moved into the lead on Sunday after pre-race favorite Remco Evenepoel had to withdraw after testing positive for the coronavirus. Evenepoel had a 45-second advantage over Thomas.Other riders have also had to abandon after returning positive tests for COVID-19, including Domenico Pozzovivo and Rigoberto Urán.Thomas maintained his two-second lead over Primož Roglič after they both finished safely in the peloton, in terrible conditions, 51 seconds behind Cort.Tao Geoghegan Hart was third overall, five seconds behind his teammate Thomas.Cort edged Derek Gee and Alessandro De Marchi at the end of the rolling 196-kilometer route through the Tuscan Apennines from Scandiano to Viareggio on the Mediterranean coast. All three were part of a breakaway.The victory completed a Grand Tour set for Cort, who won six...

Apple App Store – Top Apps

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:47:57 GMT

Top Free iPhone Apps (US):1. Temu: Shop Like a Billionaire, Temu2. TikTok, TikTok Ltd.3. Instagram, Instagram, Inc.4. YouTube: Watch, Listen, Stream, Google LLC5. Gmail – Email by Google, Google LLC6. Facebook, Meta Platforms, Inc.7. WhatsApp Messenger, WhatsApp Inc.8. CapCut – Video Editor, Bytedance Pte. Ltd9. Google, Google LLC10. Snapchat, Snap, Inc.Top Paid iPhone Apps (US):1. Minecraft, Mojang2. Shadowrocket, Shadow Launch Technology Limited3. Geometry Dash, RobTop Games AB4. Papa’s Freezeria To Go!, Flipline Studios5. Heads Up!, Warner Bros.6. HotSchedules, HotSchedules7. Bloons TD 6, Ninja Kiwi8. Incredibox, So Far So Good9. Monopoly – Classic Board Game, Marmalade Game Studio10. Plague Inc., Ndemic CreationsSource

76ers fire coach Doc Rivers after 3 seasons, AP source says

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:47:57 GMT

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Philadelphia 76ers fired coach Doc Rivers on Tuesday following a third straight exit in the second round of the playoffs, a person with direct knowledge of the decision told The Associated Press.The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the team had not announced the move.Rivers led the 76ers to their second straight 50-win season behind NBA MVP Joel Embiid but again failed to lead them to the Eastern Conference Finals.The 76ers held a 3-2 semifinals series lead against Boston before dropping Game 6 at home and were crushed in Game 7 on the road.Rivers fell to 6-10 in Game 7s. The 10 defeats are five more than any other NBA coach.Rivers and the 76ers also lost a decisive Game 7 at home in the second round to Atlanta in 2021 as a No. 1 seed. Embiid endorsed Rivers’ return following Sunday’s loss but James Harden was noncommittal about wanting Rivers back.Rivers had two years left on his contract and was 236-154 in three years wit...

Report: Space Command may stay in Colorado due to Alabama's abortion laws

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:47:57 GMT

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KDVR) — The U.S. Space Command's headquarters may no longer be moving to Alabama from Colorado Springs, according to a report obtained by NBC News. Two U.S. officials and one U.S. defense official familiar with the discussions told NBC News that they believe the White House is laying the groundwork to halt plans on the Space Command move in part because of the state's restrictive abortion law.“This is all about abortion politics," one U.S. official told NBC News. Best places to live in the US: 3 cities in Colorado FOX31 reached out to Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet about his thoughts on the possible halt.“For over two years, I've urged the Biden Administration to reverse Trump's politically motivated decision and keep Space Command in Colorado. This decision should be made in the interest of the national security of the United States. As I said on the Senate floor last week, reproductive freedom is important for our military readiness and national security...

Denver is the 5th-best city in US for beer

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:47:57 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — Denver may have changed in the last 10 years, but its podium place as a beer hub hasn't.Denver is still one of the top cities for beer among U.S. cities, according to a study by Real Estate Witch, a brokerage powered by Clever Real Estate. The study ranked 51 major U.S. cities by their average beer prices, breweries and bars per capita, beer affordability, average Yelp rankings of breweries and bars, and Google search trends for beer. Denver murder numbers going down, but not by much Denver ranked fifth overall, but the Midwest beat the Mile High City. Pittsburgh ranked first, followed by Cincinnati, Milwaukee and New Orleans. Los Angeles, meanwhile, ranked last along with Riverside, California; Tampa; Phoenix and Memphis.The sheer presence of beer in Colorado's capital helped rank it among the top five. There are 3.74 breweries per every 100,000 residents in the city, the second-highest in the U.S. Only Portland has more with 4.38 per 100,000. Colorado among th...

BSO searching for gun-wielding man after video shows him pointing firearm at civilian

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:47:57 GMT

The Broward County Sheriff’s Office is searching for a man after, they said, he was caught on camera pointing a gun at another person in Cooper City.On March 6, the incident unfolded at a drive-thru ATM near the 9400 block of Griffin Road after the victim, according to detectives, attempted to make a deposit when an unknown man, who drove a black Cadillac sedan, pulled up behind the victim and beeped his horn.The victim said he exited his van to retrieve a deposit slip from the back of his vehicle, but then the two men spoke to one another. After the interaction, the Cadillac driver got out of his sedan and pulled out a firearm. Surveillance video of the incident showed a bald man with tattoos wearing a white t-shirt, armed with what appeared to be a semi-automatic with an extended magazine. He is believed to be in his 40s or 50s and can be heard yelling at the victim before fleeing the scene.Investigators are asking the public for information on the gun-wielding man’s i...

Family of missing 30-year-old woman pleads for public’s help in search at Miramar Police Station

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:47:57 GMT

A South Florida woman was gone without a trace, and relatives and officers fear the worst after she had been missing for one month.The family of 30-year-old Courtney Babb pleaded for the public’s help at the Miramar Police Station and although the search is still on, police believe her disappearance to be suspicious.On Tuesday, the department hosted a press conference for Babb’s family to express their concerns and to plead with the community in its efforts to bring their loved one home safely.Her family said she never missed a major holiday, including Mother’s Day, and she would would find a way to contact her loved ones on special days, but as her birthday just passed, Babb’s family wanted answers.“I did not hear from her on Mother’s Day,” said Roberta Robinson, Babb’s mother. “I want someone to please — if you’ve seen her, please have somebody call [police] because I really miss her.”Robinson held back tears ...

Spooked by Putin (and Macron), the Council of Europe meets

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:47:57 GMT

As Russia wages war in Ukraine, one aging pan-European institution hopes to reclaim its historic role at the heart of the Continent.Almost 50 heads of government are gathering this week in Iceland for what is only the fourth Council of Europe summit since the the body was created 74 years ago in the ashes of World War II. Focused on human rights, the Council was the original post-war forum for discussion among European leaders. Items on the agenda this week include a tentative first step toward a compensation mechanism for victims of the war in Ukraine.But officials and academics admit that Russian aggression in Europe was not the only reason to arrange the first Council summit since 2005.The arrival of a new kid on the block — Emmanuel Macron’s European Political Community (EPC) — has forced the Strasbourg-based Council to defend its patch. With questions raised about the value of so many pan-European bodies, the Council — which employs 2,200 people and has an annual budget of €479...