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Fiji rugby player Api Ratuniyarawa charged with sexual assault ahead of Barbarians game in Cardiff

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:19:57 GMT

CARDIFF, Wales (AP) — Fiji international rugby player Api Ratuniyarawa appeared in court Saturday charged with sexual assault, hours before he was due to play for the Barbarians against Wales in Cardiff.The 37-year-old Ratuniyarawa was released on bail to appear at Cardiff Crown Court on Dec. 4, Britain’s Press Association reported.“As soon as we were contacted by South Wales Police, we co-operated fully, assisting them with their enquiries,” the Barbarians, an invitational team containing players from many countries, said in a statement. “On their advice, we can’t comment any further as the investigation is ongoing.”Ratuniyarawa, who was in the Fiji squad at the recently finished Rugby World Cup, had been selected on the bench for the Barbarians for the match at the Principality Stadium. Wales international Aaron Shingler was called up to replace him.Ratuniyarawa played for English club London Irish last season after signing from Northampton Saints.___AP rugby: https://...

Dovbyk leads Girona to 4-2 victory at Osasuna. Spain’s surprise side retakes lead with 10th win

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:19:57 GMT

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Ukraine striker Artem Dovbyk scored one goal and set up two more to lead Girona to a 4-2 victory at Osasuna and reclaim the lead in the Spanish league on Saturday.Girona continued to surpass expectations with its convincing win in Pamplona after roaring ahead in a game in which it trailed 2-1 in the second half. Michel Sánchez’s side has 10 wins in 12 rounds, and its only loss was against Real Madrid.Madrid is three points behind Girona before hosting Rayo Vallecano on Sunday.Girona went ahead in the 16th minute through Iván Martín after Dovbyk set him free to cap a counterattack.Osasuna striker Ante Budimir pulled the hosts level in the 25th before adding a second goal with a header in the 55th.Dovbyk then took charge, heading in to make it 2-2 in the 71st after finishing off a long team buildup. It was his sixth goal since joining Girona this season.Artem set up fellow countryman Viktor Tsygankov to help put Girona ahead in the 80th. Aleix García volleyed i...

Zelenskyy hosts EU official von der Leyen as Russian attacks wound at least 14 people in Ukraine

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:19:57 GMT

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian attacks in Ukraine wounded at least 14 civilians over the past day, officials said Saturday, as the president of the European Union’s executive arm returned to the Ukrainian capital to meet with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The governor of the Zaporizhzhia region, Yurii Malashko, said that nine people were wounded in a Russian rocket strike on the village of Zarichne. Overall, 26 cities and settlements in the region came under attack over the past day, he said.In the Kherson region, five people were wounded, said Gov. Oleksandr Prokudin. He said that attacks in the region came from artillery, mortars, drones, warplanes and tanks. Nikopol, a city of the opposite bank of the Dnieper River from the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, Europe’s largest, came under fire, but no injuries were immediately reported, according to Dnipropetrovsk regional Gov. Serhii Lysak.European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen arrived in Kyiv on Saturday mor...

South Africa look to end India’s winning run at majestic Eden Gardens in Cricket World Cup

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:19:57 GMT

KOLKATA, India (AP) — Every time India has played in the Cricket World Cup, the fans have come out in large numbers to support the home team. It is a natural phenomenon in any sport and across any tournament.Even so, a World Cup in India hits differently – especially when the Men in Blue walk out on the field.This tournament has been hampered by administrative red tape and at an organizational level, the host body BCCI has been criticized for not doing enough to fill the stadiums. It is seen most in the complicated ticketing process, which has reportedly hindered Indian and overseas fans attending venues for non-India games.Despite these shortcomings, India’s games have been a pure delight from a spectator’s point of view. A sea of blue has thronged the grounds – from Chennai, to Ahmedabad, to Delhi, to Mumbai, and everywhere else in between.The caravan now rolls into Kolkata, where the majestic Eden Gardens waits in anticipation. On Sunday, it will be packed to the brim as 70,000 f...

When does daylight saving time end in Colorado?

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:19:57 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- Get ready to change your clocks: Daylight saving time ends nationwide on Sunday, Nov. 4, and that, of course, includes the Centennial State.While the twice-a-year change is not the most popular -- with 62% of people wishing for the end of the tradition according to a YouGov poll -- it is still the way of the world, at least in 48 states.What to prepare forBecause the change happens at 2 a.m., most people will be fast asleep when the clocks on their phones and other devices automatically switch over.This means the first thing most people will likely notice is the earlier sunrise. Daylight saving time 2023: Why attempts to make observation permanent failed With the fallback to standard time, the sunrise in Denver goes from just after 7:30 a.m. on Saturday to 6:30 a.m. on Sunday.This is, of course, paired with the earlier sunset later in the day. Saturday will mark the last sunset of the year after 5 p.m. in the Front Range, with the sunset at 5:55 p.m. Just one day ...

Von der Leyen hints at opening EU door for Ukraine, but challenges remain

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:19:57 GMT

KYIV — In a surprise visit to Ukraine over the weekend, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen promised President Volodymyr Zelenskyy the EU will continue supporting Kyiv amid fears that the Israel-Hamas conflict is shifting attention away from the war in Ukraine. Von der Leyen’s visit to the Ukrainian capital came ahead of a key announcement on November 8, when Brussels is set to publish its report card on the progress of Ukraine and other aspiring EU candidates. Von der Leyen strongly hinted that Brussels will recommend that EU countries open accession negotiations with Ukraine. “I am confident that you can reach your ambitious goal: That is, for the historic decision to open the process of accession negotiations to be taken already this year,” von der Leyen said in a speech to Ukraine’s parliament on Saturday. Earlier in the day, she applauded Kyiv’s “excellent progress.”In order to start accession talks, Ukraine is legally required t...

Blinken’s Mideast tour to seek support for postwar Gaza

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:19:57 GMT

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is trying to build support among Israel’s Middle Eastern neighbors to plan a postwar future for Gaza, after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netayahu rejected the U.S.’s calls for a humanitarian pause.Blinken’s first stop was Lebanon, which hosts Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed Shiite Islamist militant group that has seen mounting tensions with Israel on the border with Lebanon, the Associated Press reported. Hezbollah’s leader on Friday threw his backing behind Palestinian militants in Gaza in his first major speech since the Hamas attacks.Blinken thanked Lebanon’s Prime Minister Najib Mikati for his leadership “in preventing Lebanon from being pulled into a war that the Lebanese people do not want,” the U.S. State Department said.After a meeting with the head of the U.N. agency in charge of assisting Palestinian refugees — which has seen about 70 staffers killed — Blinken thanked Phillipe Lazzarini for his group’s “extraordinar...

Howie Carr: The profound strangeness of Mitt Romney

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:19:57 GMT

We’ve always known Willard Mitt Romney was weird, but until now we never understood just how profoundly strange he really is.Here is just one quote from the new hagiography, er biography about Pierre Delecto’s alter ego:“I was accused of being inauthentic. But in reality that’s just who I am… I’m the authentic person who seems inauthentic.”You see what I mean about weird?The new book is entitled “Romney: A Reckoning.” It’s by McKay Coppins, like Mitt a Mormon who strangely works for one of state-run media’s furthest-left purveyors of fake news, The Atlantic.Like you, I haven’t read the book, have no intention of doing so. But I did check the index, to see if I made the cut. As expected, I didn’t, because Mitt’s gone national, and we’re all local yokels. I did, however, read the excerpts and the reviews, so you don’t have to.One lesson from the book that is clear, even if unmentioned: Romney’s rather sad political career proves again that the governorship of Massachusetts never turns...

Epigram Brew Co. opens in Tyngsboro, brings in crowds with craft beer and bar pizza

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:19:57 GMT

Sometimes the thing you need to get everything right is just time itself, though, according to the owner of the region’s newest brewery, a small bit of selfishness helps too.Nearly two years after they asked the town of Tyngsboro to give them license to do so, the owners and brewers of Epigram Brew Co. have finally opened the doors on their new restaurant and craft brewery.Located along Middlesex Street just south of the New Hampshire border, the independent brewery currently offers nine varieties of beer, all made in house, and brings South Shore-style bar pizza north of Boston and into the Merrimack Valley.Epigram owner Jeff White told the Herald that a few years ago he noticed a “hole in the market,” in that many of the breweries he visited had excellent beer or really good food or a great atmosphere, but never all three at the same time.Plus, none were anywhere near close enough to his house.“I was, selfishly, thinking I wanted a brewery in my neighborhood, and I noticed a lot o...

These San Diego spots are among 'top hidden gem cities for snowbirds'

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:19:57 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- It's that time of year again: the snowbirds are returning to coastal San Diego County, and for good reason.For those unfamiliar with the term, "snowbirds" refers to people who travel to warmer climates during the winter months. In order to escape the bone-chilling temperatures of places that go dark and white for several weeks, some look to sunnier spots to migrate instead of hibernate.As it turns out, there are three San Diego areas considered to be among the best hidden gem cities for those looking for a warm escape without the crowd. Pack your bags: Southwest Airlines is offering new nonstop flights from San Diego Architectural Digest, a magazine that focuses on interior design and landscaping, conducted a study to determine the hot-spots -- no pun intended -- for snowbirds in the U.S. Researchers with the magazine synthesized data from various sources to determine the best winter escape cities, while focusing on specific criteria that would appeal to snowbirds.For...