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Less than a year after Ronaldo career seemed in crisis, Portugal on the brink of reaching Euro 2024

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:53 GMT

MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Cristiano Ronaldo is on the brink of leading Portugal to another major soccer tournament less than a year after his international career appeared to be over.It wasn’t clear what the future held for the five-time Champions League winner when he walked away from Manchester United last November and was then dropped by his country as it made an early exit from the World Cup in Qatar.His move to Saudi Arabia wasn’t exactly a guarantee of success, but Ronaldo has proven he is far from done. On Friday, Portugal can secure its place at next year’s European Championship in Germany.It will be a personal triumph for Ronaldo, who insisted his career wasn’t over after leaving European club soccer behind to join Al-Nassr last December.Not only has he been the catalyst for a slew of soccer’s biggest names, such as Neymar and Karim Benzema, following him to the Saudi league, but he has helped Portugal to its best-ever performance in a Europea...

Sri Lanka elects to bat against Pakistan; England targets big total against Bangladesh at World Cup

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:53 GMT

DHARAMSALA, India (AP) — Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka won the toss and elected to bat against Pakistan on Tuesday in the second game for both teams at the Cricket World Cup.The teams are coming off contrasting results in their opening games: Pakistan thumped Netherlands by 81 runs at the same venue in Hyderabad, while Sri Lanka had a 102-run loss to South Africa. The South Africans posted a World Cup record total of 428-5 at Delhi.Sri Lanka, which has never won a World Cup game against Pakistan in seven attempts, strengthened its spin department as a result, recalling Maheesh Theekshanagot at the expense of fast bowler Kasun Rajitha.Despite losing heavily to South Africa, Sri Lanka batters showed plenty of spark before getting bowled out for 326. Kusal Mendis, who smashed eight sixes in his blistering knock of 76 off 42 balls, Charith Asalanka and Shanaka all scored half centuries before falling against South Africa pace.Pakistan benched its out-of-form opener Fakhar Zaman, who h...

Comedian George Wallace, the ‘real George Costanza,’ cracks up the DC Improv

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:53 GMT

toggle audio on and off change volume download audio WTOP's Jason Fraley previews George Wallace at the DC Improv (Part 1) $(function () { $('.wtop-audio-container .fa-play').on('click', function(){ var audio_filename = $('div.wtop-audio-file').data("mp3-url"); ga('send', 'event', 'Audio', 'play', audio_filename); }); }); Legendary comedian George Wallace cracks up the D.C. Improv twice next week on Oct. 20 and Oct. 21.However, he wants to make sure that folks don’t confuse him with the former 1960s governor of Alabama.“I say laughter today, laughter tomorrow, laughter forever!” Wallace told WTOP, spoofin...

Wetter Weather On The Way

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:53 GMT

Stalled front today begins lifting North and we will eventually be tapping into deeper tropical moisture after a tropical wave passes to our South. Therefore, scattered showers possible on Tuesday, but the highest rain chances appear to be Wednesday and Thursday. By late week (Friday and Saturday morning), drier air will filter in, but it won’t be totally dry.Next apparent front seems to cross through Sunday and if models are right, this one could bring potentially some cooling.Today in the Tropics: Watching 2 areasLow in Gulf has low chance to form before merging with front in the Western Gulf of Mexico.Low pressure in the far Eastern Tropical Atlantic has a high chance to form. Most models keep it in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.Have a wonderful day South Florida and make it a safe one! Vivian GonzalezMeteorologist, AMS Certified WSVN Channel 7

U2 pays tribute to those killed in Israel music festival attack

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:53 GMT

(CNN) — U2 paid tribute in song on Sunday to those killed by Gaza militants at a music festival in Southern Israel over the weekend.During their performance at The Sphere in Las Vegas, Nevada, Bono dedicated their song “Pride (In the Name of Love)” to the hundreds killed in the attack at the Nova Festival held outside Re’im.“In the light of what’s happened in Israel and Gaza, a song about non-violence seems somewhat ridiculous, even laughable, but our prayers have always been for peace and for non-violence,” Bono told the Las Vegas audience. “But our hearts and our anger, you know where that’s pointed. So sing with us… and those beautiful kids at that music festival.”Israeli officials counted at least 260 bodies near the site of the festival, where earlier footage showed carefree partygoers from Israel and overseas dancing in the desert soon after sunrise on Saturday.Some survivors are among more than 100 hostages that the militant group Hamas claims to be holding in Gaza,...

Macron: ‘It’s likely’ Iran helped Hamas execute Israel terror attack

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:53 GMT

Emmanuel Macron said Tuesday “it’s likely” that Iran helped Hamas in carrying out its deadly terror attack on Israel, though Western allies have no definitive proof yet.The French president’s remarks come after a trickle of news reports pointing to Tehran’s active involvement in launching the murderous incursion into Israeli territory, during which Palestinian militants killed hundreds of civilians. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Tuesday denied reports of Iranian involvement in Hamas’ deadly terror attack on Israel.Khamenei praised the Palestinian terrorists, but added that “those who say that the recent saga is the work of non-Palestinians” are wrong, according to a transcript on Iranian state news agency IRNA. On Sunday, the Wall Street Journal reported that Iranian officials had helped Hamas carry out Saturday’s attack, in which 900 Israelis were killed and 2,400 wounded. Israel’s retaliation measures across the Gaza Strip,...

Global economy still only limping, IMF says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:53 GMT

MARRAKECH, Morocco — The world’s economy is slowing down but fears of a painful contraction and mass unemployment have subsided, the International Monetary Fund said Tuesday.Global growth remains dampened by supply chain disruptions linked to the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s war in Ukraine, persistently high inflation, and spiraling borrowing costs. But on the bright side, historically high employment levels and a steady decline in prices have reduced the chances of a “hard landing” scenario, which in April the IMF had flagged as likely.“Projections are increasingly consistent with a ‘soft landing’ scenario, bringing inflation down without a major downturn in activity,” Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas, the IMF chief economist, said in Marrakech, where the IMF and the World Bank are hosting their annual meetings despite a devastating earthquake that hit the country in September.Following 3.5 percent global growth in 2022, the IMF now expects world GDP to come in at 3 percent this year an...

Spotty Showers, Seasonable

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:53 GMT

Some classic October air has settled in over the last couple of days and will continue over the next several days. With the seasonable air today, we’ll see a mix of clouds and some sun, and a few spotty showers. Not all towns get wet, and showers that do pop up are generally brief. Temps are a bit higher tomorrow and Thursday with highs in the mid to upper 60s. While Friday ends the workweek dry, we’ll likely start to see wet weather move back in some time over the weekend. The highest chance for rain looks to be late Saturday, through Sunday, with a chilly ocean breeze kicking in, holding temps in the 50s.

Biden’s second try at student loan cancellation moves forward with debate over the plan’s details

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:53 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden’s second attempt at student loan cancellation is moving forward with a round of hearings beginning Tuesday to negotiate the details of a new plan.In a process known as negotiated rulemaking, 14 people chosen by the Biden administration will meet for the first of three hearings on student loan relief. Their goal is to guide the Education Department toward a proposal after the Supreme Court rejected Biden’s first plan in June.The negotiators all come from outside the federal government and represent a range of viewpoints on student loans. The panel includes students and officials from a range of colleges, along with loan servicers, state officials and advocates including the NAACP.Biden directed the Education Department to find another path to loan relief after the conservative court ruled that he couldn’t cancel loans using a 2003 law called the HEROES Act.The latest attempt will rest on a sweeping law known as the H...

Bruins rookie Poitras plays his way onto roster. Now he needs to find a place to live

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:53 GMT

BOSTON (AP) — Brad Marchand put a nasty move on 19-year-old Matthew Poitras in a 2-on-2 drill in practice on Monday, leaving the Bruins rookie to pick himself up off the ice.“A little ‘welcome to the league’ moment out there,” Marchand said with a chuckle. “But, you know, he gives it to guys every day, too. So it’s fun to see out there.”Marchand followed up his ankle-breaker by skating over to Poitras (pronounced POT’-rah) for a little stick tap on the shinguard — the new, mature version of the “Little Ball of Hate” that was promised when he ascended to the captaincy this summer. Afterward, there was more encouragement for the Canadian juniors product who led the team with three goals this preseason and played himself onto the Bruins roster.“I really like him. He’s a really good kid,” Marchand said. “He’s just seems like he’s never under pressure. The game doesn’t move too fast for him. … He has all the attributes to be a great player in this league, and we’ll see how it p...