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Cubs square off against the Pirates in series rubber match

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 11:57:04 GMT

Pittsburgh Pirates (71-81, fourth in the NL Central) vs. Chicago Cubs (79-73, second in the NL Central)Chicago; Thursday, 7:40 p.m. EDTPITCHING PROBABLES: Pirates: Johan Oviedo (8-14, 4.27 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, 147 strikeouts); Cubs: Kyle Hendricks (6-7, 3.91 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 86 strikeouts)FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK MLB LINE: Cubs -169, Pirates +142; over/under is 8 1/2 runsBOTTOM LINE: The Chicago Cubs and Pittsburgh Pirates play on Thursday with the three-game series tied 1-1.Chicago has a 79-73 record overall and a 42-35 record at home. Cubs hitters have a collective .329 on-base percentage, the sixth-best percentage in MLB play.Pittsburgh is 71-81 overall and 33-41 on the road. The Pirates have a 53-6 record in games when they have more hits than their opponents.Thursday’s game is the 13th time these teams meet this season. The Cubs are up 10-2 in the season series.TOP PERFORMERS: Cody Bellinger has 27 doubles, a triple and 26 home runs for the Cubs. Dansby Swanson is 13-for-45 with thre...

Nationals begin 4-game series at home against the Braves

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 11:57:04 GMT

Atlanta Braves (97-55, first in the NL East) vs. Washington Nationals (68-85, fifth in the NL East)Washington; Thursday, 7:05 p.m. EDTPITCHING PROBABLES: Braves: Max Fried (7-1, 2.64 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 73 strikeouts); Nationals: Jake Irvin (3-6, 4.41 ERA, 1.37 WHIP, 98 strikeouts)FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK MLB LINE: Braves -265, Nationals +215; over/under is 9 runsBOTTOM LINE: The Washington Nationals host the Atlanta Braves on Thursday to begin a four-game series.Washington has a 68-85 record overall and a 33-44 record at home. The Nationals are 25-14 in games when they hit at least two home runs.Atlanta is 49-28 on the road and 97-55 overall. The Braves have gone 77-18 in games when they scored at least five runs.The teams match up Thursday for the seventh time this season. The Braves are up 4-2 in the season series.TOP PERFORMERS: Lane Thomas has 34 doubles, three triples and 26 home runs for the Nationals. Dominic Smith is 8-for-36 with two doubles, four home runs and six RBI over the past...

Thousands of DC renters spend more than half their income on rent, report finds

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 11:57:04 GMT

Over 50% of renters in D.C. use more than half their paychecks on rent and utilities, according to a new analysis from United Planning Organization, a nonprofit community development group that said it helps D.C. residents lift themselves out of poverty.The report found more than 44,000 renter households were spending their income this way in 2022, compared to 36,000 in 2010.Many of the homes that allocate a significant portion of their incomes toward housing make less than $50,000 annually, the report said.“There is such a high number and an increasing number of people who are paying over half of their income to housing,” said Andrea Thomas, UPO’s president and CEO, adding that this then leads to disparities in terms of food access, health needs and education.Broadly, the report suggests D.C. isn’t doing enough to create affordable housing for people suffering the most from expensive rents across the city.For one, Thomas said the city isn’t spending en...

The secret, slipshod evidence the EU uses to sanction Russian oligarchs

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 11:57:04 GMT

Hastily compiled dossiers leave the bloc vulnerable to legal challenges.By LEONIE KIJEWSKIIllustration by Anson Chan for POLITICOIT WAS AN UNUSUAL APOLOGY: from the office of the president of the European Council to a sanctioned Russian oligarch.In a confidential evidence packet used by the European Union to justify freezing his assets, Viatsheslav Moshe Kantor’s nationality had been listed as “Jewish/Russian.” A 70-year-old billionaire who once headed the Russian fertilizer giant Acron, Kantor stepped down as president of the European Jewish Congress after being sanctioned by the EU and the United Kingdom in April 2022. He holds Russian, U.K. and Israeli citizenship.The designation “Jewish/Russian” could be a mistaken reference to a Soviet-era ethnic classification, but several scholars commissioned by Kantor’s lawyers found it to be an antisemitic description that should not have been included in an official document.“We sincerely regret the error,” reads a July 2022 letter s...

Orioles’ Adley Rutschman hugs it out with pitchers like no one else in the game. That’s a good thing.

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 11:57:04 GMT

Sometimes it’s fairly quick, an arm thrown over the pitcher’s shoulder or one of those bro-to-bro pats on the back after the final pitch of a winning game.Others are more extended, with the catcher rocking side to side as he runs up to the mound before he gives the pitcher a two-handed, thumbs-up fist bump before the main event: an all-encompassing embrace.It’s the Adley Hug, and, yes, say pitchers who have been on the receiving end, it feels as good as it looks.It’s the grace note that ends many an Orioles victory during this league-leading season. Somehow, everything youthful and enthusiastic about this Orioles team is encapsulated in Adley Rutschman’s bountiful hug of the pitcher who has secured the final out.“He puts his whole body into it. He’s tall enough to really embrace a lot of the other person’s body,” Tiffany Field, an actual expert on hugging, said.“He does it very joyfully,” she said. “He’s e...

Wednesday’s high school scores and roundup

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 11:57:04 GMT

ROUNDUPGOLFMatt Costello (34 points) and Nathaniel Mello (35 points) shot one-over par 37 each for Bishop Stang (4-0) in a 217-162 Catholic Central League win over Bishop Feehan.Brian Campbell and Ben Madden scored an even par 36 apiece for Wellesley in a 118-84 Bay State Conference win over Milton.JD Flynn shot an even par 34, and Drew Golden shot a one over par 35 as Hingham defeated Plymouth North 223-252 in a Patriot League matchup.Timmy Adams shot a 36, while Jack Carstensen finished with a 37 as St. John Paul II (6-0) bested Upper Cape 236-253 in a nonleague contest.FIELD HOCKEYKate Harrison finished with a hat trick to go with a pair of assists, helping to power Chelmsford during a 7-0 shutout of Lowell in the Merrimack Valley Conference.Chloe Essam netted a hat trick, while Emily Carney chipped in with two goals and three assists as Franklin (4-0) rolled to a 13-0 Hockomock League win over Sharon.Angie Bogucki scored twice to lead Pentucket to a 2-0 victory over Triton in Ca...

Shooting in Oshawa leaves one person dead

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 11:57:04 GMT

One person is dead following a shooting in Oshawa.Durham Regional Police say officers were called to a home on Albert Street for reports of a shooting.Police say a male was pronounced dead at the scene.This is a developing story. More to come.Police responded to an address on Albert Street in Oshawa for reports for a shooting. One male has been pronounced deceased at the scene. Further information to follow….. pic.twitter.com/GmvabYtgam— Durham Regional Police (@DRPS) September 21, 2023 

Myanmar state media say 12 people are missing after a boat capsized and sank in a northwest river

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 11:57:04 GMT

BANGKOK (AP) — Twelve people, including three members of the security forces, are missing after a boat capsized and sank in a river in the Sagaing region of northwestern Myanmar, state-run media reported Thursday.A report in the state-run Myanma Alinn Daily said six civilians, three workers and the security force personnel were missing after the vessel was caught Tuesday morning in strong currents in the Chindwin River near Panset village in Kale district.The report said the vessel was part of a goods-carrying convoy that came from further north, and that rescue operations were ongoing.A village elder from Panset told The Associated Press that a group of 11 vessels guarded by security forces had docked there on Monday night, and that the missing included three university students and two other people from his village. He said he did not know how many people had been aboard. He spoke on the condition of anonymity because he feared arrest by the military.Sagaing is a stronghold of arm...

South Africa to host US trade forum as diplomatic tensions subside

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 11:57:04 GMT

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — South Africa will host a meeting in November of nations participating in the U.S. Africa Growth and Opportunity Act despite earlier calls to exclude the country from the forum due to its ties to Russia and the docking of a sanctioned Russian vessel near Cape Town last year. AGOA is U.S. legislation that allows sub-Saharan African countries duty-free access to the U.S. market provided they meet certain conditions, including that they “must eliminate barriers to U.S. trade and investment, enact policies to reduce poverty, combat corruption, and protect human rights.” Earlier this year, some American lawmakers from both the Republican and Democratic parties urged Secretary of State Antony Blinken to move the meeting of the forum elsewhere following allegations that South Africa supplied arms to Russia for its war in Ukraine.They said moving the meeting to a different country would send a message that the United States would not accept its trading partners aiding Rus...

Sweden’s central bank hikes key interest rate, saying inflation is still too high

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 11:57:04 GMT

STOCKHOLM (AP) — Sweden’s central bank raised its key interest rate Thursday, saying that “inflationary pressures in the Swedish economy are still too high,” although there were signs that inflation had begun to fall.The Riksbank raised its policy rate by a quarter of a percentage point to 4% and said its forecast indicated that it could be raised further.”Inflation is also falling in Sweden. The rate of increase in energy and food prices has slowed significantly, which is positive,” the Riksbank said in a statement.But the bank added that “inflation pressures are still too high,” noting that service prices are still rising rapidly and Sweden’s currency, the krona, is “unjustifiably weak.”The Swedish currency has plunged to its lowest level ever against the euro and the U.S. dollar. Sweden has been struggling with high inflation — it was 7.5% in August, down from 9.3% in July, but far from the 2% target set by Sweden’s central bank.“To ensure that inflation continues dow...