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Japan crushes New Zealand to set up Asia Cup final against China

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:04:46 GMT

SYDNEY (AP) — Five-time defending champion Japan produced another commanding performance at the women’s basketball Asia Cup with a heavy 88-52 defeat of New Zealand in the semifinals on Saturday.After beating Australia by 25 points in pool play earlier in the week to top the standings — and earn qualification for the Paris Olympics next year — Japan started fast and never gave New Zealand a foothold in the game.China beat Australia 74-60 in the other semifinal game with Han Xu scoring 17 points. China had narrowly led 43-41 toward the end of the third quarter.Japan and China met in the 2019 and 2021 title games. Japan won every quarter of Saturday’s match with forward Stephanie Mawuli top scoring with 17 points and six rebounds from just over 19 minutes on court, while Monica Okoye scored 16 points with five rebounds in the lopsided contest. Charlisse Leger-Walker led New Zealand with 14 points. The eight-team regional tournament doubles as qualifying for next year’s Olympics,...

Capital Caring Health provides robotic pets to veterans

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:04:46 GMT

Capital Caring Health is leading the way in Washington D.C., Maryland and Virginia by providing free companion robotic pets to veterans with dementia.(Courtesy Capital Caring Facebook) Capital Caring Health is leading the way in Washington D.C., Maryland and Virginia by providing free companion robotic pets to veterans with dementia.(Courtesy Capital Caring Facebook) This article was written by WTOP’s news partner InsideNoVa.com and republished with permission. Sign up for InsideNoVa.com’s free email subscription today.It may look like a dog and it may bark like a dog, but it’s not what you would expect. One organization’s approach to mental health is taking “man’s best friend” to a n...

1 person dead, 2 rushed to hospital after fatal Oakland Park car crash

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:04:46 GMT

Broward Sheriff’s Office deputies and Oakland Park Fire Rescue responded to a fatal crash overnight in Oakland Park.At approximately 3 a.m. on Saturday, Broward County Regional Communications received a report of a single-vehicle traffic crash with injuries in the area of the 2100 block of Northwest 39th Street in Oakland Park, in front of a fire station. On scene, deputies found the vehicle fully engulfed in flames with the windows blown out. Firefighters said two people were taken to Broward Health Medical Center with serious injuries and burns. One other person was pronounced dead on the scene.“It was discovered by our firefighters hearing a noise coming outside and seeing the vehicle sit in the apron and on fire and of course calling it in and getting everybody to start taking care of the patients,” said Fire Chief Stephen Krivjanik. BSO’s Traffic Homicide Unit is investigating the circumstances of the incident.Please check back on WSVN.com and 7News for ...

In Kyiv, Sanchez says Ukraine’s EU candidacy to be a priority of Spain Council presidency

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:04:46 GMT

Ukraine’s aspiration to join the EU will be one of the priorities of the Spanish presidency of the Council of the EU, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said Saturday on a visit to Kyiv. “Spain reaffirms its commitment to work with Ukraine as it makes progress in meeting the conditions in its EU accession,” according to a joint statement by Sanchez and Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelenskyy issued on Saturday. Sanchez arrived in Kyiv on Saturday morning to meet the Ukrainian leader for what was meant to be a highly symbolic visit, taking place as Spain officially takes over the reins of the presidency of the Council for the next six months.“The war in Ukraine will be one of the great priorities of our presidency, with the focus being on guaranteeing the unity among all member states,” Sanchez said at Friday’s European Council in Brussels.It’s yet to be seen, however, whether Sanchez will remain in power after elections scheduled for July 23, with recent polls released ...

Police investigating shooting death in Mission Hill

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:04:46 GMT

Two people were shot in Mission Hill early Saturday morning, and one of the victims was later pronounced dead at the hospital, officials said.Police, including the homicide unit, responded to 27 McGreevey Way around 12:11 a.m. and shut down part of the street to search for evidence and put down evidence markers.Both victims were transported to the hospital, and the second victim’s injuries are considered non-life threatening.No other information was immediately available.This is a developing story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest updates.

Mike Lupica: Buck Showalter and the Mets learning how quick things can turn bad in the big city

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:04:46 GMT

Brian Daboll must wonder sometimes if he’ll hear it from all precincts if the Giants start out 2-6 next season the way Buck Showalter is hearing it right now. It reached the point this week where Mets general manager Billy Eppler felt compelled to give Buck a vote of confidence. Maybe Eppler thought that would quiet the noise. But it never does in sports if your team keeps losing. And the Mets sure do.Seriously, ask yourself a question:Why assume things might be different for Daboll, who became the king of Jersey last season and became Coach of the Year for taking the Giants back to the playoffs, if the Giants start suddenly playing like slobs? Showalter again became Manager of the Year for putting the Mets back in the playoffs. And you know how much of a period of grace that earned him?Not even half-a-season.The Mets won 101 games last season, same as the Braves did. Showalter showed up and changed the culture around the Mets the way he did when he became manager of the Oriol...

The Dutch king apologizes for his country’s role in slavery on 150th anniversary of abolition

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:04:46 GMT

AMSTERDAM (AP) — Dutch King Willem-Alexander apologized Saturday for his country’s role in slavery and asked for forgiveness in a historic speech greeted by cheers and whoops at an event to commemorate the anniversary of the abolition of slavery.The king’s speech followed Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s apology late last year for the country’s role in the slave trade and slavery. It is part of a wider reckoning with colonial histories in the West that have been spurred in recent years by the Black Lives Matter movement.In an emotional speech, Willem-Alexander referred back to that apology as he told a crowd of invited guests and onlookers: “Today I stand before you. Today, as your King and as a member of the government, I make this apology myself. And I feel the weight of the words in my heart and my soul.”The king said he has commissioned a study into the exact role of the royal House of Orange-Nassau in slavery in the Netherlands.“But today, on this day of remembranc...

UK press watchdog finds a tabloid column about hate for Prince Harry’s wife, Meghan, was sexist

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:04:46 GMT

LONDON (AP) — A column in The Sun tabloid that fantasized about seeing Prince Harry’s wife, Meghan, being pelted with feces as she was paraded naked through the streets was sexist, Britain’s press watchdog found.The column by TV personality Jeremy Clarkson in December described how he hated the Duchess of Sussex “on a cellular level.” He said she used “vivid bedroom promises” to turn Harry into a “warrior of woke” and controlled him like a sock puppet.“The imagery employed by the columnist in this article was humiliating and degrading toward the duchess,” said Edward Faulks, chairman of the Independent Press Standards Organisation. “IPSO’s purpose is to protect the public and freedom of expression by upholding high editorial standards. In this case, The Sun failed to meet these standards.”The independent organization, which most U.K. newspapers, magazines and digital news outlets voluntarily commit to be regulated by, found that multiple “pejorative and prejudicial...

New cable car near the Matterhorn allows non-skiers to cross between Switzerland and Italy

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:04:46 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — A new cable car that allows visitors without skis to cross between Switzerland and Italy near the Matterhorn, one of the most famous Alpine peaks, went into service on Saturday.The operator, Matterhorn Zermatt Bergbahnen, says the new service enables the highest-altitude border crossing in the Alps. It links the Klein Matterhorn cable car station in Switzerland, at more than 3,800 meters (12,467 feet) above sea level, with Testa Grigia in Italy, at 3,458 meters (11,345 feet).Cars take about four minutes to travel the 1.6 kilometers (1 mile) over the Theodul glacier. The new stretch closes a cross-border gap, enabling tourists to travel between the Swiss resort of Zermatt and its Italian counterpart on the other side of the Matterhorn, Cervinia — with several changes of cable car.An adult return trip on the “Matterhorn Alpine Crossing” between Zermatt and Cervinia, also known as Breuil-Cervinia, will cost 240 Swiss francs ($267) through the end of August and 218 francs ...

Biden will host Sweden’s prime minister at the White House as the Nordic nation seeks to join NATO

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:04:46 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden will host Sweden’s prime minister at the White House on Wednesday in a show of solidarity as the United States presses for the Nordic nation’s entry into NATO, a bid stalled by objections from two members of the Western military alliance. Biden and Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson plan to “review our growing security cooperation and reaffirm their view that Sweden should join NATO as soon as possible,” the White House said a statement Saturday. The leaders also will discuss the war in Ukraine and China.Sweden and neighbor Finland dropped their long-standing military neutrality after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022 and applied for NATO membership, seeking protection under the organization’s security umbrella. Finland, which shares an 832-mile (1,340 kilometer) border with Russia, joined NATO in April. Sweden, which has avoided military alliances for more than 200 years, has seen its ascension delayed by Turkey and Hungary;...