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Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton’s star on the rise after an impressive In-Season Tournament showing

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:06:17 GMT

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton just wants to win.He doesn’t care about his stats, he doesn’t want to be put in any conversations regarding All-Star teams, and he certainly isn’t interested in talks about being an MVP candidate.He just wants to win.And while it may not have happened Saturday night, when the Los Angeles Lakers beat Indiana 123-109 in the inaugural In-Season Tournament championship game, the rest of the league should be on notice about Haliburton and Pacers.“I think last year we snuck up on teams, teams didn’t really know what to expect,” said Haliburton, who had 20 points and 11 assists. “But I think now when you play the Pacers you know what to expect. … Obviously, people didn’t expect us to get here, the championship game, but I think teams are prepared for us.”Indiana gets back to the regular season Monday night with the league’s No. 1 offense, which is averaging 128.4 points, led by Haliburton who is averaging 26.9 points, 4.2 ...

Kucherov scores 2, lifts Lightning to 4-3 win over Kraken in OT

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:06:17 GMT

SEATTLE (AP) — Nikita Kucherov scored his second goal of the game 3:12 into overtime to give the Tampa Bay Lightning a 4-3 win against the reeling Seattle Kraken on Saturday night.Anthony Cirelli had a goal and an assist, and Nicholas Paul also scored for the Lightning, who have won three of four since a four-game skid. Andrei Vasilevskiy made 26 saves.Oliver Bjorkstrand, Jamie Oleksiak and Jared McCann scored for Seattle, and Jordan Eberle had two assists. which lost its seventh straight. Philipp Grubauer stopped 12 of 14 shots he faced before leaving after two periods due to a lower body injury. Joey Daccord had five saves the rest of the way.In overtime, Kucherov got a backhanded pass from Brandon Hagel and fired it past Daccord for his NHL-leading 19th of the season. He also had an assist to increase his scoring total to 47 points.The Kraken’s losing streak is tied for the second-longest in the franchise’s three-year history, trailing only a nine-game skid December 2...

Elias Pettersson breaks 3rd-period tie, Canucks hold off Hurricanes 4-3

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:06:17 GMT

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Elias Pettersson broke a tie 3:29 of the third period, Thatcher Demko stopped 21 shots and the Vancouver Canucks held on to beat the Carolina Hurricanes 4-3 on Saturday night.Pettersson also had two assists, Sam Lafferty and Ilya Mikheyev each had a goal and an assist and J.T. Miller also scored. The Canucks improved to 18-9-1 with their second straight victory.Jordan Martinook, Brady Skjei and Stefan Noesen scored for Carolina, and Antti Raanta made 20 saves. The Hurricanes have lost four in a row to fall to 14-12-1.On the deciding goal, Pettersson took a pass from Mikheyev and held off a defender to finish a wraparound.Carolina tied it at 2:10 of the third period when Jack Drury tipped a shot in front of the goal, with the puck hitting the crossbar before falling to an open Noesen.UP NEXTHurricanes: At Ottawa on Tuesday night.Canucks: Host Tampa Bay on Tuesday night.___AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhlSource

SeaWorld San Diego takes in cold-stunned sea turtle found stranded in Oregon waters

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:06:17 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- Sir Acha the sea turtle was rescued from the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Oregon and brought to southern California to warm up after his rescuers learned he was cold-stunned. The Oregon Coast Aquarium rescued the Olive ridley sea turtle on Nov. 19 after receiving calls about a stranded sea turtle at Beachside State Recreational Site near Waldport, Oregon.The sea turtle, named Sir Acha for his "spicy" personality, the aquarium noted, was cold-stunned from the cold waters he was found in. According to NOAA, cold-stunning is when sea turtles become weak and inactive and unable to swim from exposure to cold temperatures, typically when waters are below 50˚F. San Diego Zoo Safari Park works to protect heart of 51-year-old gorilla Sir Acha was getting round-the-clock care at the aquarium and was given warm baths to slowly raise his temperature without shocking his system. SeaWorld San Diego took the "little" guy in on Saturday from the nonprofit Turtles Fly Too, which h...

UN says the Taliban must embrace and uphold human rights obligations in Afghanistan

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:06:17 GMT

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The Taliban must embrace and uphold human rights obligations in Afghanistan, the U.N. mission in the country said Sunday on Human Rights Day and the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.Since seizing power in 2021, the Taliban have erased basic rights and freedoms, with women and girls deeply affected. They are excluded from most public spaces and daily life, and the restrictions have sparked global condemnation.The U.N. mission, highlighting the Taliban’s failures in upholding rights’ obligations, said it continues to document extrajudicial killings, torture and ill-treatment, corporal punishment, arbitrary arrest and detention, and other violations of detainees’ rights.People who speak out in defense of human rights face arbitrary arrest and detention, threats and censorship, the mission said.“We pay tribute to and express our solidarity with Afghan human rights defenders, many of whom are paying a heavy price for seeking to uphol...

Heavy fighting in south Gaza as Israel presses ahead with renewed US military and diplomatic support

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:06:17 GMT

RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Heavy fighting raged overnight and into Sunday in the southern Gaza town of Khan Younis, as Israel pressed ahead with its offensive after the U.S. blocked the latest international efforts to halt the fighting and rushed more munitions to its close ally.Israel has faced rising international outrage and calls for a cease-fire after the killing of thousands of Palestinian civilians and the displacement of nearly 85% of Gaza’s 2.3 million people within the besieged territory, where U.N. agencies say there is no safe place to flee.But the United States has lent vital support to the offensive once again in recent days, by vetoing United Nations Security Council efforts to end the fighting that enjoyed wide international support, and by pushing through an emergency sale of over $100 million worth of tank ammunition to Israel.The U.S. has pledged unwavering support for Israel’s goal of crushing Hamas’ military and governing abilities in order to pr...

Tibetans in exile accuse China of destroying their identity in Tibet under its rule

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:06:17 GMT

DHARAMSHALA, India (AP) — The president of the Tibetan government-in-exile on Sunday accused China of denying the most fundamental human rights to people in Tibet and vigorously carrying out the extermination of the Tibetan identity. Tenpa Tsering, in a statement marking Human Rights Day, also took exception to China last month releasing a “white paper” — or policy document — on Tibet.China claimed that its rule of Tibet marked “outstanding achievements in development, created on the roof of the world through the Chinese path to modernization.” The report extolled progress in economic development, social stability and environmental protection under Communist Party rule. China has built highways and high-speed railways through the mountainous region and promoted tourism as a way to boost incomes.Tsering said the Chinese Communist Party was “forging a strong sense of the Chinese national as one single community, promoting the Chinese language, the Sinicization of Tibetan B...

At DC roast, Joe Manchin jokes he could be the slightly younger president America needs

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:06:17 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Sen. Joe Manchin used a weekend Washington roast to tease a potential third-party run for the White House, joking that the nation could use someone slightly younger than the leading contenders.Speaking Saturday night during the Gridiron Club’s winter dinner, Manchin said the country could benefit from a younger leader than President Joe Biden or the 2024 GOP frontrunner, former President Donald Trump.“With all due respect, the president is 81 years old. Donald Trump is 77,” said Machin, a West Virginia Democrat who announced last month he would not run for reelection in 2024. “I truly believe the American people are ready to pass the torch to a new generation, somebody younger. I’d say maybe someone close to 76 that doesn’t look a day over 70.”The retiring lawmaker is 76.Manchin previously indicated he could potentially launch a run for the White House, saying in an NBC “Meet the Press” interview in November that he would “absolutely” consider a r...

SoCal school crossing guard loses leg after violent crash

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:06:17 GMT

Video captured the moment a school crossing guard was thrown into the air by a vehicle that jumped the curb and smashed into him in Lakewood.On Dec. 1, Eduardo Villalpando, 38, had just walked a group of children across the street when suddenly, a speeding driver slammed into him. As Villalpando was standing on the corner of Centralia and Pioneer Streets, a speeding Dodge Challenger slammed into a Honda Pilot SUV that was turning left at the intersection. The violent impact sent the Challenger barrelling into the street corner, through a cement shopping sign and directly into Villalpando who was propelled into the air by the nose of the vehicle.Villalpando’s left leg was completely severed and his right leg was severely injured. Although he survived the violent collision, he faces a long road to recovery ahead.Video captured the moment a school crossing guard was thrown into the air after a vehicle jumped the curb and smashed into him in Lakewood on Dec. 1, 2023. (SuperFin...

Ohtani cashes in as fans in Japan wait for him to deliver more goods and play in a World Series

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:06:17 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — Now that Shohei Ohtani has his money — a record $700 million, 10-year contact with the Los Angeles Dodgers — some fans in Japan are waiting for one more thing to complete the deal.“I want Ohtani to play in the World Series,” said Isshin Watanabe, a baseball fan speaking on Sunday near Tokyo’s famous Ginza shopping area, “That’s my hope,” he added.Baseball fans across Tokyo lined up on Sunday to buy special editions of the Yomiuri newspaper, announcing Ohtani’s move across town from the Los Angeles Angels to the Los Angeles Dodgers.This is perhaps the largest contract in sports history, topping highs believed to be set by soccer stars Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé.Ohtani is likely to only play this coming season as a designated hitter as he recovers from surgery that is expected to keep him from pitching.“I think Ohtani will return to the two-way role the year after next,” Watanabe, the fan, said. “I want him to be the home run king next ye...