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South Africa selects Pollard to start in Rugby World Cup final and goes with high-risk 7-1 bench

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:46:07 GMT

PARIS (AP) — South Africa selected Handre Pollard on Thursday to start at flyhalf in the Rugby World Cup final against New Zealand and packed its bench with forwards in a high-risk 7-1 split.Pollard was promoted from the reserves along with scrumhalf Faf de Klerk – the same halves combination that started in the Springboks’ victory in the final four years ago.The big surprise from Springboks management Rassie Erasmus and Jacques Nienaber was the bench split, with lock Jean Kleyn and No. 8 Jasper Wiese added for an extended “bomb squad” of seven reserve forwards to face the resurgent All Blacks in the first World Cup final between the two fierce rivals since 1995.South Africa experimented with a then-unprecedented 7-1 split in a warmup game against New Zealand ahead of the Rugby World Cup and won by a record 35-7 against a 14-man All Blacks.Hooker Bongi Mbonambi was named in the starting lineup and cleared to play after World Rugby said there was insufficient evidence to ...

Springboks hooker Bongi Mbonambi cleared to play in Rugby World Cup final

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:46:07 GMT

PARIS (AP) — Springboks hooker Bongi Mbonambi will be available to play in the Rugby World Cup final after the sport’s governing body said it found no evidence that he racially abused a rival player. Mbonambi was selected for Saturday’s orld Cup final against New Zealand but his participation could have been jeopardized if he’d been found guilty of misconduct. The case started after England flanker Tom Curry complained of being subject to a racial slur during the Rugby World Cup semifinal against South Africa at the Stade de France last weekend. “Any allegation of discrimination is taken extremely seriously by World Rugby, warranting a thorough investigation,” World Rugby said in a statement Thursday.“Having considered all the available evidence, including match footage, audio and evidence from both teams, the governing body has determined that there is insufficient evidence at this time to proceed with charges. Therefore, the matter is deemed closed unless additio...

Thailand’s Suwannapura takes a first-round lead in the LPGA tournament in Malaysia

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:46:07 GMT

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Jasmine Suwannapura of Thailand had seven birdies and an eagle for a 9-under 63 on Thursday to take the first-round lead at the LPGA’s Maybank Championship at Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club.Australian Hannah Green, the 2019 PGA Championship winner, was a stroke behind after a 64. Australian Grace Kim and Americans Rose Zhang and Gina Kim were among the players two strokes behind and tied for third after 65s.Norway’s Emily Kristine Pedersen and Mexico’s Gaby Lopez were among those with 66s, three strokes behind in the tournament being held for the first time in Malaysia.Play was suspended late in the day due to storms. About 25 players, none of them threatening to take the lead, had to halt their rounds.It is the third of four LPGA events on the tour’s Asian swing. Australian Minjee Lee won last week’s South Korea stop in a playoff and the final tournament is next week’s Toto Classic in Japan. Lee is not playing th...

Fiscales dicen que se necesita una orden de silencio de Trump en el caso de interferencia electoral de 2020 porque está apuntando nuevamente a testigos potenciales

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:46:07 GMT

(CNN) — Fiscales del equipo del fiscal especial Jack Smith instaron a un juez federal este miércoles a restablecer la orden de silencio que emitió sobre Donald Trump en el caso penal de interferencia electoral de 2020 del expresidente, citando sus publicaciones en las redes sociales contra un posible testigo del juicio: el ex secretario general de la Casa Blanca de Trump.La jueza de distrito estadounidense Tanya Chutkan, que supervisa el caso, emitió una orden de silencio limitada contra el expresidente la semana pasada, restringiendo la capacidad de Trump de atacar públicamente al personal del tribunal, a posibles testigos, al fiscal especial y a su personal.Trump apeló la orden y Chutkan emitió una breve suspensión administrativa mientras el equipo de Smith y los abogados de Trump litigan si la orden debe suspenderse indefinidamente mientras se desarrolla el proceso de apelación.En una presentación de este miércoles por la noche, los fiscales pidieron a Chutkan que pusiera f...

Armenia on verge of signing peace deal with Azerbaijan, PM says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:46:07 GMT

Armenia could agree terms on a comprehensive peace agreement with neighboring Azerbaijan, ending a bitter regional rivalry after three decades of hostilities, the South Caucasus country’s prime minister said Thursday.Speaking at a conference in Georgia, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said that his government could sign “an agreement on peace and the establishment of relationships” with its neighbor “in the coming months.”At the same time, he unveiled a “Crossroads of Peace” project designed to reopen road and railway links that have been blocked for decades amid the simmering conflict with Azerbaijan and its close ally, Turkey.The announcement comes just weeks after Azerbaijan launched a lightning offensive to take control of the region of Nagorno-Karabakh, which has been fought over by the two sides since the fall of the USSR. An estimated 100,000 ethnic Armenians living in the mountainous territory were forced to flee their homes ...

‘Who’s Mike Johnson?’: Diplomats scratch their heads at new US speaker

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:46:07 GMT

As the votes for Rep. Mike Johnson to become House speaker piled up, diplomats who work closely with Washington were left scratching their heads … and Googling. And Googling some more.“Mike Johnson?” replied one member of the British shadow Cabinet, blankly, before a long pause. “Who’s Mike Johnson?”Johnson’s election as House speaker Wednesday afternoon put him on the track to becoming a household name in Washington. And the new position is guaranteed to bolster the Louisiana Republican’s international profile — though it will likely take time.Another U.K. diplomat, who works on U.S. policy, was slightly more informed or at least, well, diplomatic. The individual said they were “aware” of Johnson, “but let’s say he certainly wasn’t an obvious candidate a week ago.”Since entering Congress in 2016, Johnson has been relatively quiet on foreign policy issues. Still, he’s a member of the House Armed Services Committee and took a strong stance on Ukraine by voting against sending Kyiv a ...

Elections: leaving regions behind puts European project at risk

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:46:07 GMT

In less than eight months the European elections will be held. They will be the first ones after the United Kingdom left the EU, which showed that support for the European project cannot be taken for granted. While the outcomes are still uncertain, scholars already agree on one fact: these European elections will be the most contentious in the history of the Union.Trends show that Euroskepticism is on the rise in the European Union because of disengagement and discontent among citizens.The results could see the highest polls ever for Euroskeptic parties. Trends show that Euroskepticism is on the rise in the European Union because of disengagement and discontent among citizens. Cohesion policy could be the antidote to this worrying trend as it proves how the Union contributes every day to improve the economic and social conditions of its citizens.Recent research has shown that citizens from regions that are in the so-called ‘development trap’ (regions unable to retain their economic ...

Maine hospitals call in staff, close campuses to non-hospital personnel after mass shootings

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:46:07 GMT

Lewiston, MAINE (WHDH) — Maine Medical Center and other MaineHealth hospitals have closed their campuses to non-hospital personnel and non-patients until further notice after dozens of patients were sent to area hospitals following two mass shootings. “Maine Medical Center has alerted on-call staff and created critical care and operating room capacity in anticipation of potential patient transports coming from the Lewiston shooting this evening,” the hospital said in a statement. “At this time, MMC can confirm it will receive one patient transport from Central Maine Medical Center. Other MaineHealth facilities are also standing by and preparing to provide care.”At Central Maine Hospital, heavily armed officers could be seen guarding the entrances as gunshot victims were being treated inside. Around 11 p.m. Wednesday, officers could be seen clearing the hospital’s garage before returning to the building.The hospital is located near the bowling alle...

American man indicted on murder charges over an attack on 2 US tourists near a German castle

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:46:07 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — An American man has been charged with murder and other offenses for attacking two women from the U.S. near Neuschwanstein castle in Germany in June and pushing them into a ravine, fatally injuring one of them, prosecutors said Thursday.The indictment against the 31-year-old suspect, whose name hasn’t been released in line with German privacy rules, was filed at the state court in Kempten, which will have to decide whether and when to send the case to trial. He faces charges of murder, rape with fatal consequences, attempted murder and possession of child pornography. Murder charges carry a maximum sentence of life in prison in Germany.The attack took place on June 14 near the Marienbruecke, a bridge over a gorge close to the castle that offers a famous view of Neuschwanstein, one of Germany’s most famous tourist attractions.Prosecutors say the suspect met the two female tourists, ages 21 and 22, by chance on a hiking path and lured them off the trail. They ...

Australian police charge 7 with laundering hundreds of millions for Chinese crime syndicate

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:46:07 GMT

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Australian authorities have charged seven people with helping launder hundreds of millions of dollars for a Chinese crime syndicate. Police said Thursday the arrests came after a 14-month investigation that involved multiple Australian agencies and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. They said it was the most complex money laundering investigation in the nation’s history.Police said a money remittance chain in Australia with a dozen outlets, the Changjiang Currency Exchange, was being secretly run by the Long River money laundering syndicate. They said the chain legitimately transferred billions of dollars from regular customers, but hidden among those transactions were illegal transfers of 229 million Australian dollars ($144 million) in crime proceeds over the past three years. They said they became suspicious about the company during COVID-19 lockdowns in Sydney. “While most of Sydney was a ghost town, alarm bells went off among our money l...