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Rodrigues has 4-point night, Panthers hold off Stars 5-4

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:42:57 GMT

SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Evan Rodrigues tied a career-best with four points, Aleksander Barkov scored a goal off a crazy rebound to break a third-period tie and the Florida Panthers beat the Dallas Stars 5-4 on Wednesday night.Rodrigues had two goals and two assists, Sam Reinhart had a goal and two assists and Carter Verhaeghe also scored for Florida. Niko Mikkola had two assists and Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 30 shots for the Panthers, who snapped a three-game home losing streak.“We’ll talk about the four points,” Panthers coach Paul Maurice said of Rodrigues. “I just liked all the other stuff that he did. He was physical. He was on pucks. He defended real hard.”Mason Marchment and Evgenii Dadonov scored in a span of 3:36 early in the third period against their former team, pulling the Stars into a 3-3 tie. Radek Faksa and Thomas Harley also scored for Dallas, and Jake Oettinger stopped 26 shots.“At 3-1, it felt like points were right there,” Dadonov said. “Then they came back and ...

Martin has season-high 24 points and career-high 12 rebounds as Heat beat Raptors 112-103

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:42:57 GMT

TORONTO (AP) — Caleb Martin had a season-high 24 points and a career-best 12 rebounds, Duncan Robinson scored 21 points and the Miami Heat beat the Toronto Raptors 112-103 on Wednesday night.Jimmy Butler scored 19 points, Orlando Robinson had 15 points and 12 rebounds and Jaime Jaquez Jr. added 15 points as the Heat won for the second time in six games.Pascal Siakam scored 30 points for the fourth time this season and OG Anunoby had 23 for the Raptors, who had won the previous three meetings with Miami.Siakam went 11 for 11 at the free throw line but Toronto lost for the first time this season when the two-time All-Star scores 30 or more.Gary Trent Jr. had 15 points for Toronto and Scottie Barnes had 12 points and 11 rebounds.Barnes shot 5 for 17 while Toronto guard Dennis Schroder finished 4 for 18.All-Star center Bam Adebayo missed his second straight game for the Heat because of a bruised left hip. Adebayo left in the second quarter of Miami’s comeback win over Indiana on Thursda...

FBI: Crew member confesses to molesting multiple children aboard Celebrity Silhouette

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:42:57 GMT

A man was taken into custody in connection to multiple cases of molestation involving children on board a Celebrity Cruises ship.According to the FBI, Cris Castor, a crew member aboard the Celebrity Silhouette, confessed to molesting molesting multiple children.The confession comes after, FBI agents said, the parents of a 6-year-old girl came forward and alleged Castor fondled their daughter.Wednesday night, a spokesperson for Celebrity Cruises released a statement that reads, “We have zero tolerance for this behavior. We reported this to law enforcement and terminated the crew member, and we will continue to fully cooperate with authorities.”Castor, a Philippine national who worked in the ship’s youth center, remains behind bars in Broward County.

Dolphins, Miami Gardens councilman donate ‘gently used’ TVs to 6 Miami Gardens schools

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:42:57 GMT

The season of gift giving is upon us, and several Miami Garden schools received a huge gift from the Miami Dolphins. The Miami Dolphins, in collaboration with City of Miami Gardens Councilman Reggie Leon, donated 300 gently used TVs to six Miami Gardens schools, all in an effort to enrich learning experiences for students. “This shows that we are one,” said Leon. “We are in the same neighborhood and it shows the kids that once you make it, continue to give back”Christina McDermott, a student at Carol City Senior High School, expressed her gratitude about the generous donations.“Greatness recognizes greatness, and it’s a great day when the Chiefs and the Dolphins come together,” she said.The flat-screens were delivered to the sound of music and plenty of Dolphins spirit.“In the season that we’re in right now, the gift-giving season, we are very appreciative, said Kimaury Mcgregor, a student at Carol City Senior High School.One of ...

How Donald Tusk can get around Poland’s president

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:42:57 GMT

Mujtaba Rahman is the head of Eurasia Group’s Europe practice. He tweets at @Mij_Europe.Heading up a pro-European Union liberal government intent on re-establishing rule of law, former European Council President Donald Tusk’s return to power in Warsaw has been met with relief and enthusiasm in Brussels and most other EU capitals. But that’s where the good news ends.While Tusk’s government will inject positive momentum into relations between Warsaw, Brussels and other European capitals, the major political challenge that now awaits is whether Poland, under Tusk, will be able to access its roughly €59 billion tied up in the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) — the EU’s post-pandemic vehicle designed to facilitate economic recovery after COVID-19.Given Brussels’ concerns — largely over rule of law, and specifically over judicial independence — under the outgoing Conservative Law and Justice (PiS) government, the facility has yet to disburse any money to Poland at all.In theory...

The mystery of the untouched lawmaker at the heart of Qatargate

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:42:57 GMT

The mystery of the untouched lawmaker at the heart of QatargateBelgian police place Maria Arena at the heart of the corruption ring in the European Parliament — but have not questioned her.By EDDY WAXin BrusselsBRUSSELS — A few months before confessing to the biggest corruption scandal in the history of the European Parliament, Pier Antonio Panzeri had some advice for a friend.“Don’t put yourself out of the game,” Panzeri told the Belgian MEP Maria Arena in August 2022 during a meal at the now-defunct Salvarino pizzeria in Brussels. “Because if you are in the game, then I am going to amass more money.”Unbeknownst to the pair, Belgian spies were taping their conversation as part of an investigation into what would become known as Qatargate, according to a police summary of a declassified secret services report seen by POLITICO.Four months later, Panzeri, a former MEP, was arrested and accused of being at the center of a bribery ring pushing the interests of Morocco, Qatar and Maurita...

Macron takes on Orbán in bid to avoid disastrous Ukraine summit

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:42:57 GMT

The EU is in panic mode, a week before a key summit where it will discuss major decisions for the future of Ukraine. The reason is by now a familiar one: Viktor Orbán. The Hungarian prime minister has such an entrenched position on Ukraine — and a lot more besides — that EU diplomats and officials struggle to see what, or who, can change his mind. Enter French President Emmanuel Macron, never a man to shy from a diplomatic challenge.Macron hosts Orbán for dinner on Thursday evening and will attempt to forge a compromise ahead of next week’s summit in Brussels. There, EU leaders are set to make a historic decision on bringing Ukraine into the 27-nation club and seal a key budget deal that would throw a €50 billion lifeline to Kyiv’s flailing war economy.“We have no time for games at this moment,” German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said earlier this week. “If we are in a situation where peace in Europe is under attack, then we must do everything we can every day and e...

‘Wingless birds’: life aboard Britain’s controversial asylum barge

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:42:57 GMT

LONDON – “You can’t understand my state, I’m going crazy, nothing can calm me down.” That’s how life feels to one of the 50 asylum seekers who have spent the past three months living on a 222 room barge moored off Portland, Dorset in England while British authorities mull their fate.The Bibby Stockholm vessel was billed a symbol of the U.K.’s tough stance on asylum, as the governing Conservative Party seeks to show it’s got a grip on migration — with a slew of activity which this week included announcing a host of measures aimed at curbing visas and beefing up a deal to send people seeking refuge to Rwanda.Ministers argue the barge will cut the mounting cost of housing in expensive hotels asylum seekers who would otherwise be destitute while their claims are processed, and will deter people from making dangerous crossings to the U.K. in the first place.But its rollout has already been controversial — and some of those aboard say they feel stuck in limbo.In texts shown to POLITI...

Fantasy Fixer: Week 14

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:42:57 GMT

7’s Morey Hershgordon has the inside scoop on who to start and sit this week in Fantasy Fixer. Go set your lineups!

Solve It 7: Fine Fight

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:42:57 GMT

A Massachusetts family was seeing red! They received a letter saying their car was caught on camera running a red light in Illinois–but they had never been to the state, and neither had their car. They emailed Solve It 7, and we gave their case the green light.  Brandon Gunnoe has the story.Kendra drives around New England in her sporty station wagon.“My car really stays within New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Maine,” Kendra said. That’s why she and her husband were so surprised in August…“My husband went to the mail and opened a letter from Illinois, and it was a red-light violation with a $100 fine. My car’s never seen Illinois, nor have I,” Kendra said.  “And I’m like, this doesn’t sound right. This sounds like a scam, basically,” Marty said.  So Marty tossed it in the garbage.But a month later another letter arrived.“What is this? Maybe this is actually then true or something,̶...