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Hansi Flick out as Germany coach after 4-1 loss to Japan ahead of hosting European Championship

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:12:32 GMT

WOLFSBURG, Germany (AP) — Germany removed Hansi Flick as coach of the men’s national soccer team on Sunday, one day after a 4-1 loss to Japan deepened the gloom around the squad ahead of hosting next year’s European Championship.The German soccer federation, known as the DFB, said team director Rudi Völler would be one of three coaches taking joint charge of the next game, a friendly against France on Tuesday in Dortmund. Germany hasn’t won any of its last five games and was eliminated in the group stage at last year’s World Cup. The home crowd jeered the team in Saturday’s loss in Wolfsburg.The 58-year-old Flick said after the loss to Japan that he wanted to stay as coach. Sunday’s announcement came hours after he led the team in a public training session attended by fans.Flick won the Champions League with Bayern Munich in 2020 and swapped the club for the German national team the following year. He started by winning all of his first eight game...

Germany wins Basketball World Cup for 1st time, holds off Serbia 83-77 for gold medal

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:12:32 GMT

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Have a summer, Germany. Dirk Nowitzki went into the Basketball Hall of Fame, and now his homeland stands atop the men’s international basketball world.Dennis Schroder scored 28 points, Franz Wagner added 19 and Germany capped off an unbeaten run through the World Cup by holding off Serbia 83-77 in the final on Sunday night. It was Germany’s first World Cup title; before now, its top showing in the event was a bronze at Indianapolis in 2002.Germany went 8-0 in the tournament, becoming the fifth consecutive champion to go unbeaten.Aleksa Avramovic scored 21 and Bogdan Bogdanovic added 17 for Serbia (6-2), which lost the title game for the second time in the last three tournaments. It was routed by the U.S. 129-92 in the 2014 gold-medal game, and little was expected of the team this summer — merely because its best player, Nikola Jokic of the NBA champion Denver Nuggets, decided not to play and instead opted to rest for the coming season.But Serbia went on a ...

11 people are hurt when a walkway collapses during Maine’s annual lighthouse event

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:12:32 GMT

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Eleven lighthouse enthusiasts were hurt when a walkway collapsed, sending people tumbling into mudflats below during an annual event that encourages tours of Maine’s beloved beacons.The wooden walkway collapsed at Doubling Point Lighthouse in Arrowsic on Saturday afternoon. The lighthouse was open to the public as part of Maine Open Lighthouse Day, which is a day when the state’s scenic lighthouses are open to the public.Five of the 11 injured people were taken to hospitals, said Bath Fire Department Deputy Chief Chris Cummings. The collapse of the bridge happened at low tide and caused some of the victims to fall eight to ten feet, and they landed in a somewhat rocky mudflat below, Cummings said. He said numerous public safety safety departments responded to the scene.“It was a team effort,” said Cummings, whose department is in a small city a few miles away.Karen McLean, a member of the Friends of Doubling Point Light, said the group intends to r...

Inmigrantes indocumentados en Minnesota podrán solicitar licencias de conducir en octubre

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:12:32 GMT

(CNN) — Alrededor de 81.000 inmigrantes indocumentados en Minnesota podrán comenzar a solicitar una licencia de conducir el próximo mes, según el Departamento de Seguridad Pública del estado.El programa Licencia de conducir para todos de Minnesota se lanzará el 1 de octubre, anunció el departamento en una conferencia de prensa el jueves.“Podremos comenzar a aceptar solicitudes de licencias de conducir para todos los habitantes de Minnesota, incluidos aquellos que no tienen presencia legal en Estados Unidos”, dijo Pong Xiong, director del Departamento de Seguridad Pública de Servicios para Conductores y Vehículos de Minnesota.El estado “ya no requerirá prueba de presencia legal” a partir de octubre, dijo el Departamento de Seguridad Pública de Minnesota en un comunicado de prensa el martes.Xiong dijo el jueves que comprende “lo importante que es tener una licencia de conducir y lo que eso significa para poder acceder a todos los recursos de Minnesota, desde el emple...

Rugby World Cup promises to improve access to Marseille stadium after fans stuck outside

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:12:32 GMT

PARIS (AP) — Rugby World Cup organizers will take steps to improve access to Marseille’s Stade Velodrome after numerous fans missed the start of England’s match against Argentina on Saturday night.All 63,118 ticket-holders eventually reached their seats after many were stuck in long queues when the game kicked off at 9 p.m.Ireland fans were also reportedly held up by a lack of public transport in Bordeaux on Saturday when they headed to the game against Romania. Many were still waiting outside when the national anthems started.“Fan experience is paramount to everyone involved in the staging of the tournament,” RWC organizers said in a statement on Sunday. “France 2023 are deploying more service volunteers to welcome fans (to Stade Velodrome) and direct ticket-holders to the appropriate entry points.”Marseille is to host four more games, including South Africa-Scotland on Sunday, France-Namibia on Sept. 21, South Africa-Tonga on Oct. 1, and two quarterfinals.French author...

Brexiters rage after crowd waves EU flags at Royal Albert Hall

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:12:32 GMT

Prominent Brexiteers are outraged after seeing thousands of EU flags waving during a rendition of “Rule, Britannia!” at a televised concert in London.Last Night of the Proms — the BBC’s annual celebration of classical music — became an ideological battleground for Leave and Remain supporters when it kicked off on on Saturday evening after people started waving the blue-and-yellow flags of the EU, which appeared to outnumber Union Jacks in the crowd. Do not let anybody make you believe this country is anti-European. The UK has the strongest pro-EU voice in Europe. #lastnightoftheproms pic.twitter.com/Qr8V2NTjg9— Jason (@jasonsuresh) September 9, 2023Former Conservative MP Harvey Proctor even called for an investigation to get to the bottom of how the “disgraceful and misguided BBC” let such an “utterly vulgar and wrong” spectacle happen. “Rule Britannia, not Rule EU!” Proctor said in on social media, adding a Union Jack to h...

Off-duty Seekonk officer killed in double fatal motorcycle crash in Somerset

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:12:32 GMT

An off-duty Seekonk police officer was killed in a motorcycle and vehicle collision in Somerset early Saturday morning, police confirmed.The crash took place in the Route 103 rotary, where the driver of the motorcycle was pronounced dead when officials arrived around 1:15 a.m. Patrolwoman Kourtny DeForitis, believed to be a passenger on the motorcycle, was transported to the hospital where she was pronounced dead. The motorcycle entered the rotary heading the wrong way and collided with the vehicle, Somerset police said their initial investigation showed. The driver of the vehicle was transported to the hospital as well and is expected to survive.DeForitis was with the Seekonk police force for just under three years as a patrol and community outreach officer. The investigation into the crash is ongoing, officials said.

Islamist factions in a troubled Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon say they will honor a cease-fire

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:12:32 GMT

SIDON, Lebanon (AP) — Islamist factions in Lebanon’s largest Palestinian refugee camp said Sunday they will abide by a cease-fire after three days of clashes killed at least five people and left hundreds of families displaced.Fighting between Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah movement and Islamist groups has rocked southern Lebanon’s Ein el-Hilweh refugee camp since Friday. Fatah and other factions in the camp had intended to crack down on suspects accused of killing one of their military generals in late July. Besides the five killed, 52 others were wounded, Dr. Riad Abu Al-Einen, who heads the Al-Hamshari Hospital in Sidon that has received the casualties, told The Associated Press.Ein el-Hilweh, home to some 55,000 people according to the United Nations, is notorious for its lawlessness and violence is not uncommon in the camp. It was established in 1948 to house Palestinians who were displaced when Israel was established.Lebanese officials, security agencies and t...

Israeli delegation attends UN heritage conference in Saudi Arabia in first public visit by officials

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:12:32 GMT

JERUSALEM (AP) — An Israeli delegation arrived in Saudi Arabia on Sunday to attend a U.N. conference on world heritage sites, in the first public visit by government officials to the kingdom, an Israeli official said.The delegation is led by the head of Israel’s Antiquities Authority, Eli Escusido, and includes diplomats, the official said. It is not a bilateral visit, and it was unclear whether they would meet with Saudi officials. The official was not authorized to discuss the matter with media and spoke on condition of anonymity. The official noted that Israel took part in a video game competition in Saudi Arabia earlier this year.The visit comes as Washington is pushing to broker normalization of relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia, which are believed to have quietly cultivated ties in recent years over their shared suspicion of Iran. A formal agreement would be a historic step toward integrating Israel into the wider region, but it faces major challenges.The Saudis ...

Biden says Vietnam deal is about global stability, not containing China.

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:12:32 GMT

HANOI (AP) — President Joe Biden insisted Sunday that he is not trying to start a “cold war” with China as he made his first visit to Vietnam, saying his goal is to provide stability around the world by building U.S. ties with Vietnam and other Asian countries.“We have an opportunity to strengthen alliances around the world to maintain stability. That’s what this trip is all about,” Biden said at a news conference. “It’s not about containing China. It’s about having a stable base.”The U.S. president came to Hanoi as Vietnam is elevating the United States to its highest diplomatic status as a comprehensive strategic partner, evidence of how far the relationship has evolved from what Biden referred to as the “bitter past” of the Vietnam War.The expanded partnership reflected a broader effort across Asia to counter China’s influence as Biden has said Vietnam wants to show its independence and U.S. companies want an alternative to Chinese factories. But Biden is pursuing the...