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5 takeaways from the Chicago Bulls’ 103-97 loss to the Orlando Magic, dropping them to 0-2 in the In-Season Tournament

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:23:12 GMT

The Chicago Bulls staged another rally from yet another substantial halftime deficit Friday but again fell short in a 103-97 loss to the Orlando Magic at the United Center.It was the Bulls’ second consecutive defeat to the Magic, third straight overall and seventh in nine games, dropping them to 4-9. It also was their second loss in as many games in the NBA In-Season Tournament.Here are five takeaways from the loss.1. Alex Caruso starts strong before a midgame exit.Caruso replaced Torrey Craig in the starting lineup as coach Billy Donovan tinkers with rotations to try to snap the Bulls out of their early-season slump.Caruso offered an immediate antidote to the Bulls’ recent pattern of slow starts, draining his first three 3-pointers and recording a block and steal in the opening six minutes.The Bulls pulled ahead 9-4, but the Magic answered with a 19-7 run to close the first quarter with the guard off the court. Caruso was one of three players to finish with a positive p...

Israeli drone fires missiles at aluminum plant in south Lebanon

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:23:12 GMT

BEIRUT (AP) — An Israeli drone fired two missiles at an aluminum plant outside the southern Lebanese market town of Nabatiyeh early Saturday, causing a fire and widespread damage, National News Agency said. There was no word on casualties.The Israeli strike near the village of Toul is the first to hit the area since the 34-day war in 2006 between Israel and Lebanon’s militant Hezbollah group, and far from the border.NNA said firefighters and ambulances rushed to the area, but it did not mention casualties of the strike that occurred around dawn.Journalists who tried to reach the factory were prevented by Hezbollah members.There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military on the strike at the factory but it did say that the Israeli army is currently striking Hezbollah targets. It said further details will follow.A day after the Oct. 7, attack by the Palestinian militant Hamas group on southern Israel that killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, Hezbollah started carrying ...

A French senator is accused of drugging another lawmaker to rape or sexually assault her

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:23:12 GMT

PARIS (AP) — A French senator has been handed preliminary charges for drugging another lawmaker with the aim of rape or sexual assault, according to the Paris prosecutor’s office, and has been suspended from his party.Joel Guerriau, a 66-year-old representing the Loire-Atlantique region in western France, was detained for 48 hours and given preliminary charges Friday, the prosecutor’s office said in a statement.He is suspected of putting ecstasy in a glass of Champagne he served parliament member Sandrine Josso, who left after she started feeling sick, according to French media reports. The incident occurred Tuesday evening in the senator’s apartment.His lawyer said Guerriau didn’t intend to drug Josso to abuse her and has apologized to her. In a statement, lawyer Remi-Pierre Drai said ‘’it was a handling error’’ that caused the lawmaker to fall ill. He did not elaborate.‘’Joel Guerriau is not a predator,’’ the lawyer said. “He is an honest, respected and respectable man who will re...

Moldova’s first dog nips Austrian president on the hand during official visit

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:23:12 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — Austrian President Alexander van der Bellen had an unusual encounter during an official visit to Moldova when the country’s first dog, a rescue belonging to Moldovan President Maia Sandu, bit him on the hand.Video footage from Moldovan media showed van der Bellen standing with Sandu and Codrut, her rescue dog, during his visit to the Moldovan capital, Chisinau, on Friday. When the Austrian president leaned down to pet Codrut, the dog snapped and briefly bit his hand.“It was a small wound that was treated with a bandage,” van der Bellen’s office told the German news agency dpa, adding that the Austrian president “is doing well.”Van der Bellen was meeting with Sandu and Slovenian President Natasa Pirc Musar to discuss Moldova’s bid to join the European Union.The Austrian president posted about the incident on his Instagram page later Friday, acknowledging it “caused a bit of a stir.”“Everyone who knows me knows that I’m a big dog lover and can understand his excitement,”...

Australia says its navy divers were likely injured by the Chinese navy’s ‘unsafe’ use of sonar

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:23:12 GMT

BEIJING (AP) — Australia on Saturday accused the Chinese navy of likely causing minor injuries to Australian naval divers by operating its sonar while they were trying to clear fishing nets from their ship’s propellers.The Australian government has expressed its serious concerns to the Chinese government over what it called the unsafe and unprofessional conduct earlier this week, Defense Minister Richard Marles said in a statement on his official website.There was no immediate comment from the Chinese side. The U.S., Canadian and Australian militaries have complained multiple times about what they say have been dangerous actions by the Chinese navy and air force in the western Pacific. Analysts fear a collision or other accident could spark an international incident and escalate into conflict.The HMAS Toowoomba stopped in international waters on Tuesday in Japan’s exclusive economic zone after fishing nets became entangled in its propellers, the defense minister’s ...

Shifa Hospital patients, staff and displaced leave the compound as Israel strikes targets in south

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:23:12 GMT

KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip (AP) — Patients, staff and displaced people left Gaza’s largest hospital Saturday, health officials said, leaving behind only a skeleton crew to care for those too sick to move and Israeli forces who had taken over the facility earlier in the week. The exodus from Shifa Hospital in Gaza City came the same day internet and phone service was restored to the Gaza Strip, ending a telecommunications blackout that forced the United Nations to shut down critical humanitarian aid deliveries because it was unable to coordinate its convoys.In the south, an Israeli airstrike hit a residential building on the outskirts of the town of Khan Younis, killing at least 26 Palestinians, according to a doctor at the hospital where the bodies were taken. Israel’s military has been searching Shifa Hospital for traces of a Hamas command center that it alleges was located under the building — a claim Hamas and the hospital staff deny – and urging the several thousa...

Word Game: Nov. 18, 2023

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:23:12 GMT

TODAY’S WORD — COLISEUM (COLISEUM: kahl-uh-SEE-um: A large stadium for public entertainments.)Average mark 35 wordsTime limit 45 minutesCan you find 46 or more words in COLISEUM? The list will be published Monday.YESTERDAY’S WORD — MENACING mace magi magic main mane mange manic mean meaning mega mica mice mien mince mine enigma name naming nice nine acing acme acne amen anemic anime cage came cane canine caning cinema iceman image inane gain game gamin genicTo purchase the Word Game book, visit WordGameBooks.com. Order it now for just $5 while supplies last!RULES OF THE GAME:1. Words must be of four or more letters.2. Words that acquire four letters by the addition of “s,” such as “bats” or “dies,” are not allowed.3. Additional words made by adding a “d” or an “s” may not be used. For example, if “bake” is used, “baked” or “bakes” are not allowed, but “bake” and “baking” are admissible.4. Proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit words are not...

Bridge: Nov. 18, 2023

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:23:12 GMT

Simple Saturday columns focus on basic technique and logical thinking.Some players view partners as a necessary evil and aren’t mindful of their partner’s problems. Their approach seems to be, “Let partner guess. That’s what partners are for.” That is a poor basis for an effective partnership.In today’s deal, West led a low club against 3NT. (South’s jump to 3NT would typically be based on long, strong diamonds and no interest in a heart contract.) East took the king and returned the deuce: ten, jack.FOURTH CLUBMentally patting himself on the back for finding a good lead, West cashed the ace, dropping declarer’s queen, and led a fourth club. Unfortunately, after East won with the eight, he led a spade … and South claimed the rest, scoring game.West was numb to the fact that his partner might have a problem when he won the fourth club. West would lose nothing by taking the ace of hearts before leading the fourth club. East, I susp...

Ask Amy: I’m hurt that my friends didn’t realize I needed their help

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:23:12 GMT

Dear Amy: My mother died recently, after a brief illness.Related ArticlesAdvice | Ask Amy: We rushed home from our trip, and then we learned what our friend’s ’emergency’ was Advice | Ask Amy: Am I wrong to think my son should put aside his trauma for our family’s sake? Advice | Ask Amy: I found out why I was behaving badly, but my wife won’t come back Advice | Ask Amy: The bride and I aren’t speaking because of her non-negotiable demand Advice | Ask Amy: I misled my host about why I wanted to stay in a hotel It was heartbreaking for me. My father died 10 years ago, and now they’re both gone.I sent a text to my close friends letting them know about her death and telling them that there would not be a service. My mom had requested to be cremated and to have a gathering for family only.My friends all responded with sympathy to my text telling them that my mother had died...

Harriette Cole: I felt like a loser so I quit my job after a week. Now things are even worse.

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:23:12 GMT

DEAR HARRIETTE: I’m a perfectionist, and it’s causing me a lot of stress.Related ArticlesAdvice | Harriette Cole: My mom is putting up a huge fight about my college decision, but it’s my life Advice | Harriette Cole: I’m a college student now, so I can’t relate to my family Advice | Harriette Cole: I’m arguing more and more, and I need a strategy Advice | Harriette Cole: How can I break the hold of wine and binge-watching? Advice | Harriette Cole: I don’t have rich parents, and I’m scared about graduating I recently accepted a job that proved to be overwhelming to me. I thought I would be good at it, but I had to stretch a lot, and it just seemed like I was not doing anything right. I ended up quitting after one week. I felt like such a failure.My boss didn’t say that I was doing a bad job, but she kept pointing out things that I needed to work on. I ...