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Saudi astronauts, including nation’s 1st woman, catch private flight to space station

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:50 GMT

By MARCIA DUNN (AP Aerospace Writer)CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Saudi Arabia’s first astronauts in decades rocketed toward the International Space Station on a chartered multimillion-dollar flight Sunday.SpaceX launched the ticket-holding crew, led by a retired NASA astronaut now working for the company that arranged the trip. Also on board: a U.S. businessman who now owns a sports car racing team.The four should reach the space station in their capsule Monday morning; they’ll spend just over a week there before returning home with a splashdown off the Florida coast.Sponsored by the Saudi Arabian government, Rayyanah Barnawi, a stem cell researcher, became the first woman from the kingdom to go to space. She was joined by Ali al-Qarni, a fighter pilot with the Royal Saudi Air Force.They’re the first from their country to ride a rocket since a Saudi prince launched aboard shuttle Discovery in 1985. In a quirk of timing, they’ll be greeted at the station ...

Orioles complete first sweep of Blue Jays in Toronto since 2005 with 8-3 win in 11 innings

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:50 GMT

As the road team in extra innings, scoring one run is often not enough. Saturday’s win was the exception thanks to the heroics of Félix Bautista.Playing in extras again Sunday, the Orioles in the 10th scored just one — the automatic runner placed at second — and the Toronto Blue Jays did the same. Terrin Vavra wouldn’t let that happen again.After Austin Hays’ RBI single gave Baltimore another one-run lead, Brandon Hyde called on Vavra to pinch-hit, and he rewarded his manager with a two-run single amid the Orioles’ five-run 11th inning to beat the Blue Jays, 8-3.Vavra jumped on the first pitch he saw from Yimi García and lined the 95 mph fastball to center field to score Adam Frazier and Hays. Cedric Mullins, whose RBI single in the 10th was the reason the Orioles had another chance in the 11th, then put a cherry on top of the win with a two-run double to right-center field to score Vavra and Gunnar Henderson. Mullins went 5-for-6 with t...

Starling Marte bails out Mets after bullpen blowup

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:50 GMT

The Mets have suddenly found an extra gear when they need it most.After the bullpen blew a three-run lead in the top of the eighth, turning a 3-0 advantage into a 4-3 debacle, Starling Marte immediately answered with a go-ahead two-run homer in the bottom of the inning, helping the Mets along to a 5-4 defeat of the Guardians Sunday afternoon in the first game of a split-doubleheader.Marte has struggled this season — .620 OPS on the season — however, his clutch 3-for-4 performance gave his club its fourth straight come-from-behind victory.Adam Ottavino gets most of the credit for making the Mets’ afternoon that much more difficult as he took the ball in the eighth with a three-run cushion. The right-hander allowed two runs on an RBI groundout by Myles Straw and an RBI single by Amed Rosario in which Buck Showalter immediately called for David Robertson with the score 3-2 and the Guardians’ biggest threat in the form of Jose Ramirez stepping to the plate.Ramire...

G7 ends with Ukraine in focus, Zelenskyy meets world leaders

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:50 GMT

HIROSHIMA, Japan — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy huddled with some of his biggest backers as the Group of Seven summit closed in Hiroshima on Sunday, building momentum for his country’s war effort even as Russia claimed a battlefield victory that was quickly disputed by Ukraine.The Ukrainian leader’s in-person appearance in his trademark olive drab underscored the centrality of the war for the G7 bloc of rich democracies. It also stole much of the limelight from other priorities, including security challenges in Asia and outreach to the developing world, that the leaders focused on at the three-day gathering.Hosting Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said the group was committed to “strong backing for Ukraine from every possible dimension.”Zelenskyy held two major rounds of meetings Sunday, one with G7 leaders and a second with them and a host of invited guests including India and South Korea. He also spoke one-on-one with several leaders.Hanging...

Warner CEO booed at Boston University as supporters of writers’ strike picket outside

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:50 GMT

BOSTON (AP) — Scores of Boston University students turned their backs on the head of one of Hollywood’s biggest studios, and some shouted “pay your writers,” as he gave the school’s commencement address Sunday in a stadium where protesters supporting the Hollywood writers’ strike picketed outside.About 100 protesters chanted “No wages, no pages,” waved signs and were accompanied by an inflatable rat outside Nickerson Field as David Zaslav, president and CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery, gave his address inside the stadium. Thousands of graduating students, family members and educators attending the graduation ceremony had to walk by the protesters to enter the stadium.Above the stadium, a small plane flew a banner that read, “David Zaslav — pay your writers.”Kim Caramele, a writer and producer from North Stonington, Connecticut, said she hoped the protesters’ presence at the graduation ceremony helped give students a different perspective on what they should val...

Minneapolis to pay $700,000 settlement with family members detained while police killed their father

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:50 GMT

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The city of Minneapolis has agreed to a $700,000 settlement with family members who were locked inside two squad cars when police killed their father after officers refused their offers to try and help calm him down.A federal judge ruled that officers were justified in shooting 52-year-old Chiasher Vue after he pointed a rifle at them on Dec. 15, 2019. The settlement will resolve a lawsuit his family filed arguing that police had illegally and unconstitutionally detained them that night.Chamee Vue and her brothers Hailee and Nou Vue tried to intervene but weren’t allowed out of the police cars. And after the shooting, they spent hours detained in interrogation rooms while police questioned them.“I couldn’t get out of the car, couldn’t give him reassurance that everything would be OK,” Chamee said.A language barrier contributed to the incident because Chiasher Vue spoke little English and few officers there that night spoke Hmong. Hailee Vue said he wants the Hmong...

Chicago man charged after attempted kidnapping in Evanston

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:50 GMT

EVANSTON, Ill. — Evanston police said a man is in custody after he attempted to push a woman into his car Saturday morning.Around 9:45 a.m., an Evanston Police Department officer was flagged down by the woman in the 600 block of University Place. The woman told police a man just tried to push her into his car, police said. Friends create allergen-free food company in Chicago According to a news release from police, the woman is an Evanston resident and isn't affiliated with Northwestern University.The woman said she was walking when the man tried to push her into his car and she was able to get away, police said in the release. The man was eventually taken into custody after a "low-speed chase." Evanston hosts first farmer’s market of the spring The man, 28, of Chicago, is the only person police were looking for, according to the release.On Sunday, Evanston police said the man, James Saye was charged with attempting kidnapping, aggravated fleeing and eluding and several traffic ...

Dane Mizutani: Legendary Vikings coach Bud Grant was so much more than that for Minnesotans

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:50 GMT

Mike Grant joked that his late dad, the legendary Bud Grant, would have scolded the thousands of fans who showed up at U.S. Bank Stadium on Sunday afternoon. Frankly, if the longtime Vikings coach was still here, an indoor football field is about the last place he would have been on beautiful spring day in Minnesota.Maybe he would have been hunting for ducks up in International Falls. Maybe he would have been fishing for walleye in Brainerd. Maybe he would have been preparing for his annual garage sale in Bloomington.Never once did Bud Grant stray from the person he was at his core, and that authenticity is why so many people showed up Sunday when the Vikings hosted a celebration of his life inside a football palace that never would have been possible without the father of the franchise.The biggest thing that drew people to Bud Grant throughout his life was that he was so much more than a football coach for the Vikings. He was a man of the people, as Mike Grant pointed out in the op...

Mercado has 5 RBIs to lead Cardinals over Dodgers 10-5

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:50 GMT

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Oscar Mercado drove in five runs and Paul DeJong hit a three-run homer as the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 10-5 on Sunday.St. Louis has won 11 of 14 after a 10-24 start to the season.Los Angles dropped three of four games in the series and lost its first set since dropping two of three to Pittsburgh on April 24-26.Mercado, who made his St. Louis debut Wednesday, went 3 for 4 and tied a career high with the five RBIs.The Cardinals touched Los Angeles pitcher Clayton Kershaw (6-4) for three runs in the second inning. Mercado capped off the outburst with a two-run double that pushed the lead to 3-0. Kershaw allowed four runs on five hits over 3 2/3 innings. He surrendered three doubles in the second inning for the first time in his career.Mercado also added a two-run single in the fifth.DeJong pushed the lead to 10-3 with his seventh homer of the season in the seventh.St. Louis third baseman Nolan Arenado had three hits to extend his hitting streak ...

Rangers complete sweep of Rockies with third consecutive blowout victory

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:50 GMT

Everything is bigger in Texas.Including, it seems, the Colorado Rockies’ road woes.A May to remember turned into a Texas trip to forget this weekend at Globe Life Field in Arlington, culminating with Sunday afternoon’s 13-3 loss to Rangers that completed a three-game series sweep.The AL West-leading Rangers outscored Colorado 31-10 over three blowout wins, putting a decisive end to a run of recent Rockies success that saw them win four of their previous six series.Colorado is now 10-8 in May, with a seven-game homestand against Miami and the New York Mets up next.“This was a tough series against a good team,” manager Bud Black told reporters after the game. “It’s one series. Our guys will be ready to play tomorrow (against Miami).”The loss Sunday followed themes familiar to those well acquainted with the Rockies’ issues away from Coors Field in recent seasons.Problems finding the timely hit? The Rockies stranded eight runners, scoring ...