A drone attack kills at least 43 in Sudan’s capital as rival troops battle, doctors say

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:05:02 GMT

A drone attack kills at least 43 in Sudan’s capital as rival troops battle, doctors say CAIRO (AP) — A drone attack Sunday on an open market south of Sudan’s capital, Khartoum, killed at least 43 people, activists and a medical group said, as the military and a powerful rival paramilitary group battle for control of the country.More than 55 others were wounded in the attack in Khartoum’s May neighborhood, where paramilitary forces battling the military were heavily deployed, the Sudan Doctors’ Union said in a statement. The causalities were taken to the Bashair University Hospital for treatment.The Resistance Committees, an activist group that helps organize humanitarian assistance, posted footage on social media showing bodies wrapped in white sheets in an open yard at the hospital. Sudan has been rocked by violence since mid-April, when tensions between the country’s military, led by Gen. Abdel Fattah Burhan, and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, commanded by Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, burst into open fighting.The RSF blamed the military’s air...

Las Vegas plays Phoenix after Wilson’s 30-point game

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:05:02 GMT

Las Vegas plays Phoenix after Wilson’s 30-point game Phoenix Mercury (9-30, 2-17 Western Conference) at Las Vegas Aces (33-6, 17-2 Western Conference)Las Vegas; Sunday, 3 p.m. EDTFANDUEL SPORTSBOOK WNBA LINE: Aces -21.5; over/under is 165.5BOTTOM LINE: Las Vegas hosts the Phoenix Mercury after A’ja Wilson scored 30 points in the Las Vegas Aces’ 94-73 win against the Phoenix Mercury.The Aces are 17-2 in conference games. Las Vegas has a 25-3 record in games decided by 10 or more points.The Mercury are 2-17 against Western Conference opponents. Phoenix gives up 84.5 points to opponents while being outscored by 8.1 points per game.The teams meet for the fourth time this season. In the last matchup on Sept. 9 the Aces won 94-73 led by 30 points from Wilson, while Sug Sutton scored 18 points for the Mercury.TOP PERFORMERS: Jackie Young is averaging 17.9 points and 3.8 assists for the Aces. Wilson is averaging 26.1 points over the last 10 games for Las Vegas.Moriah Jefferson is averaging 10.2 points and 3.5 assists for the Mercu...

Dallas visits Atlanta following Howard’s 21-point showing

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:05:02 GMT

Dallas visits Atlanta following Howard’s 21-point showing Dallas Wings (21-18, 11-9 Western Conference) at Atlanta Dream (19-20, 11-9 Eastern Conference)College Park, Georgia; Sunday, 1 p.m. EDTFANDUEL SPORTSBOOK WNBA LINE: Dream -1.5; over/under is 172.5BOTTOM LINE: Atlanta plays the Dallas Wings after Rhyne Howard scored 21 points in the Atlanta Dream’s 80-75 win over the Washington Mystics.The Dream have gone 11-8 in home games. Atlanta ranks sixth in the WNBA with 8.1 offensive rebounds per game led by Cheyenne Parker averaging 2.2 offensive boards.The Wings are 10-9 in road games. Dallas is the best team in the Western Conference scoring 13.3 fast break points per game.The teams play for the third time this season. The Wings won the last meeting 85-73 on June 21. Natasha Howard scored 23 points to help lead the Wings to the victory.TOP PERFORMERS: Rhyne Howard is averaging 17.4 points and 3.4 assists for the Dream. Parker is averaging 19.0 points over the last 10 games for Atlanta.Natasha Howard is averaging 16.5 points and eigh...

19-year-old who had colon surgery to treat life-threatening illness reunites with HCA Florida Westside Hospital team

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:05:02 GMT

19-year-old who had colon surgery to treat life-threatening illness reunites with HCA Florida Westside Hospital team A young woman paid a special visit to the frontline workers who treated her after she suffered a life-threatening illness.Katherine Nava on Saturday morning reunited with the medical team that saved her life.“Today’s a very special day because I’m coming back to the hospital where I was at for a week and where they did the surgery,” she said, “and I’m getting to come back as a visitor and get to see all the doctors that took care of me and all the staff.”Nava embarked on a family vacation to Dominican Republic in July. The joyful retreat went south when the 19-year-old began experiencing severe stomach pain.“I had a lot of pain in my stomach, but I thought it was normal ’cause, ever since I was little, I used to get like stomach pains,” she said, “but then they would go away once I would go to sleep and wake up. But this time it wouldn’t go away, and it was like constantly hurting, hurting and hurting.”Nav...

‘The Nun II’ conjures $32.6M to top box office

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:05:02 GMT

‘The Nun II’ conjures $32.6M to top box office Bad reviews didn’t scare off moviegoers from buying tickets for ” The Nun II.”The sequel to the 2018 hit, released in 3,728 theaters by Warner Bros., topped the box office in its first weekend in North American theaters earning an estimated $32.6 million, the studio said Sunday.The Herald’s James Verniere said in his review, “The Nun II” is “more like an amusement park ride you did not want to take than a movie.”  Audiences gave it a C+ CinemaScore. But it hardly matters: Horror is perhaps the most reliably critic-proof genre, at least when it comes to opening weekend.The Michael Graves-directed sequel starring Taissa Farmiga and Storm Reid fell far short of the debut for the first film ($53.8 million), but it’s still a solid launch.“The Nun” movies are part of the so-called Conjuring universe, which now has nine films, and $2.1 billion in box office, to its name. The sequel also played well internationally, picking u...

Stars of the Week

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:05:02 GMT

Stars of the Week WEEK 1 STARSDIV. 1• Denzil Pierre ran for 204 yards and a score on 24 carries as Xaverian defeated Everett, 32-21.• Mike Davide ran for 202 yards and four touchdowns as Franklin defeated Wachusett, 36-14.• Devin Carreiro caught eight passes for 142 yards and two scores and also picked off a pair of passes as Haverhill beat Beverly, 27-14.• Cam LaGrassa rushed for 187 yards and three touchdowns as St. John’s Prep built up a big early lead en route to a 41-20 win over Marshfield.• Tate Hoffmeister rushed for 178 yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries as Needham defeated Natick, 14-6.• Marshall Rice caught a pair of touchdown passes, a 98-yard kickoff return for a score and a game-saving interception as BC High beat LaSalle, 28-21.• Adrian Rivera ran for 175 yards and two touchdowns as Attleboro defeated Old Rochester, 20-13.• Jayden Abreu threw for 217 yards and three scores as Lawrence defeated Lynn English, 27-0. DIV. 2• Mikey Galligan threw for 250 yards and three touchd...

Red Sox notebook: James Paxton to miss rest of season with right knee inflammation

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:05:02 GMT

Red Sox notebook: James Paxton to miss rest of season with right knee inflammation James Paxton’s season is officially over, and his Red Sox career might be as well.The veteran left-hander was placed on the 15-day injured list Sunday with right knee inflammation, and Red Sox manager Alex Cora said he will not pitch again for the remainder of the season. The Red Sox originally hoped skipping Paxton’s spot in the rotation and giving him an extra five days rest would help, but in the end they decided it would be best to shut him down.“He’s been barking for a little bit, we tried to push him back to see if he can bounce back but I don’t think it makes sense to push him,” Cora said. “First things first, the player, he’s been through so much throughout his career that at this point with where we’re at it doesn’t make sense.”Nick Pivetta will fill Paxton’s spot in the starting rotation for the remainder of the season.The injury ends a roller coaster season that saw Paxton briefly re-emerge as one of ...

Federal railroad inspectors find alarming number of defects on Union Pacific this summer

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:05:02 GMT

Federal railroad inspectors find alarming number of defects on Union Pacific this summer OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Federal inspectors said they found an alarming number of defects in the locomotives and railcars Union Pacific was using at the world’s largest railyard in western Nebraska this summer, and the railroad was reluctant to fix the problems.Federal Railroad Administrator Amit Bose wrote a letter to UP’s top three executives Friday expressing his concern that the defects represent a “significant risk to rail safety ” on the Union Pacific railroad.Bose said the 19.93% defect rate on rail cars and the 72.69% rate for locomotives that inspectors found in July and August are both twice the national average. But the letter didn’t detail what kind of defects inspectors found in the Bailey Yard in North Platte, and there are a myriad of federal rules.“The compliance of the rolling stock (freight cars and locomotives) on the UP network is poor, and UP was unwilling or unable to take steps to improve the condition of their equipment,” Bose said in his le...

The death toll from floods in Greece has risen to 15 after 4 more bodies found, authorities say

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:05:02 GMT

The death toll from floods in Greece has risen to 15 after 4 more bodies found, authorities say ATHENS, Greece (AP) — The number of confirmed deaths from recent flooding in central Greece rose to 15 after the bodies of four people previously considered missing were found on Sunday, authorities said.Three of the bodies were located in villages near the city of Karditsa in western Thessaly. They are an 88-year-old woman and her 65-year-old son, who were found in their home, as well as a 58-year-old man whose body was found between two villages.The coast guard said Sunday that the body of a 42-year-old man, missing since Tuesday, was found floating in the sea near the city of Volos. He was last seen in his car unable to control it in raging waters.Greece’s fire service said that since flooding hit central Greece on Tuesday it has evacuated nearly 3,500 people. Rescue efforts continue.The flooding appears to have subsided, although the Pineios river, the major waterway in Thessaly, is rising at its mouth, Fire Service spokesman Yiannis Artopios said Sunday evening.The coast guard ...

Challenges and a to-do list: Five takeaways from the Conservative party convention

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:05:02 GMT

Challenges and a to-do list: Five takeaways from the Conservative party convention OTTAWA — Federal Conservatives left their party’s policy convention in Quebec City feeling a somewhat unfamiliar sensation: Celebration. Party members, MPs and insiders say the chance for a return to power feels within reach. Unity is also becoming more evident under Pierre Poilievre, elected leader a year ago.With a mood buoyed by rising poll numbers and a sense of momentum, the challenge ahead, some say, is how to sustain the feeling, given the next general election could be years away.The Canadian Press put that question to strategists, MPs and party supporters at the convention. Five takeaways on what Conservatives say they need to do next:Stick to the scriptKeeping the focus on affordability is the most important thing, insiders and caucus members say.Poilievre dedicated his more than hour-long convention speech to the issue, and there’s a feeling that after years of delivering a hard economic message, it has finally clicked.Conservatives believe it’s a core t...