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Saudi Arabia likely to host 2034 World Cup after Australia decides not to bid for soccer showcase

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:15 GMT

GENEVA (AP) — Saudi Arabia is all but certain to host the men’s 2034 World Cup after the Australian soccer federation decided not to enter the bidding contest, which had been widely seen as shaped by FIFA to suit the oil rich kingdom.FIFA had set Tuesday as the deadline to formally declare interest in hosting the tournament, but Australia’s decision not to enter the race leaves Saudi Arabia as the only declared candidate — to the dismay of many human rights activists. “We have explored the opportunity to bid to host the FIFA World Cup and — having taken all factors into consideration — we have reached the conclusion not to do so for the 2034 competition,” Football Australia said in a statement.FIFA still needs to rubber stamp Saudi Arabia as the host — a decision that is likely to be made next year — but that now seems a formality. It would be the culmination of Saudi Arabia’s ambitious drive to become a major player in global sports, having already spent massive amounts...

Police reportedly capture gunman who held staff member hostage in a Japanese post office for 8 hours

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:15 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — Japanese police have captured a gunman who holed up at a post office and have rescued a member of staff who was held hostage, NHK television reported Tuesday. It followed a more than eight-hour standoff with the man, who entered the post office with a gun in Warabi, north of Tokyo, an hour after a hospital shooting in which two people were wounded in the nearby city of Toda.Police said they were investigating the two cases together because of a possibility they are related. They are also looking into a fire that broke out in a building near the hospital around the time of the shooting.Hundreds of police had surrounded the building housing the post office. Television footage showed officers wearing helmets and bulletproof vests squatting behind the doors of a patrol vehicle parked outside. The video also showed the suspect — an older-looking man wearing a cap and holding a gun — when he showed up briefly at the entrance. Earlier Tuesday, Saitama Prefectural Police said t...

Analysis: The James Harden saga in Philly has ended, and it makes sense for everyone

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:15 GMT

The Philadelphia 76ers are perhaps an uncalled travel away from being 3-0. They’re playing at a high pace, they’re moving the ball, they’re defending well, and reigning NBA MVP Joel Embiid is off to a monster start.It’s a good beginning by just about any measure.And that showed it was time for James Harden to play elsewhere.The next step in the Harden saga came Tuesday, albeit with a slight deviation from what was believed to be the plan. The 76ers said he would be practicing with the team; instead, he was packing for Los Angeles, after getting traded to the Clippers for a slew of players and draft picks. Harden got what he wanted — a trade to the Clippers. The 76ers got what they needed — rid of a headache.Win-win.Somebody had to blink first to solve this Harden issue, and evidently, that was Daryl Morey. He didn’t get the player the 76ers were believed to be coveting most from the Clippers, guard Terance Mann, but made the deal anyway. Harden insisted that he wouldn’t ...

A continuing decline in sales of COVID-19 products clips revenue at Pfizer

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:15 GMT

Pfizer lost more than $2 billion in the third quarter as an expected COVID-19 product sales decline clipped revenue. Sales of the drugmaker’s COVID treatment Paxlovid and the vaccine Comirnaty slid 97% and 70%, respectively, as Pfizer, like its competitors, switched to selling on the commercial market instead of to governments. Both the company and analysts who follow it expected revenue from those key products to tumble this year before eventually rebounding as commercial sales take hold. But two weeks ago, Pfizer Inc. warned that sales of its COVID-19 drugs were weaker than it had expected, and it cut its annual revenue expectations by $9 billion. Falling sales of both Paxlovid and Comirnaty also trimmed sales in the second quarter, but Pfizer said in August that it expected a rebound in the second half of 2023. In the third quarter, the drugmaker booked a non-cash, $5.6 billion charge for inventory write-offs of the COVID products.Outside those products, the drugmaker said ...

Dabo Swinney angrily defends Clemson career to caller on radio show: ‘You can apply for the job’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:15 GMT

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — A frustrated Dabo Swinney defended his Clemson career to a radio caller who questioned his performance as one of college football’s highest-paid coaches.The exchange took place Monday night during Swinney’s weekly, in-season call-in show when someone identified only as “Tyler in Spartanburg” asked why Swinney is being paid so much to go 4-4 this season.“You’re part of the problem,” Swinney told him. “To be honest with you, because that is part of the problem, it’s people like you. … The appreciation, the expectation is greater than the appreciation and that’s the problem.”“Is this a bad year? Yeah, and it’s my responsibility. Take 100% responsibility for it,” Swinney continued. “But all this bull crap you’re thinking, all these narratives you read. Listen, man, you can have your opinion all you want, and you can apply for the job. And good luck to you.”Swinney, who turns 54 in November, is in the second year...

NHK television reports Japanese police have captured a gunman who holed up at a post office and rescued an employee

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:15 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — NHK television reports Japanese police have captured a gunman who holed up at a post office and rescued an employee.Source

Stock market today: Wall Street drifts in mixed trading following earnings reports

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:15 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street is drifting following mixed earnings reports from big companies. The S&P 500 was virtually flat Tuesday, a day after clawing back a big chunk of its loss for October. The Dow was down 95 points, and the Nasdaq composite was 0.1% lower. Caterpillar dropped, even though it joined the growing list of companies reporting stronger profit for the summer than expected. Treasury yields were mixed after data showed growth in workers’ wages and benefits slowed by less than expected during the summer. That could influence the Federal Reserve’s moves on interest rates to control inflation. Its next announcement will arrive Wednesday. THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.(AP) — Wall Street edged modestly higher early Tuesday as markets pored over more corporate earnings while awaiting the Federal Reserve’s decision on interest rates coming Wednesday. Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the S&P 500 each gained 0.3%...

Deion Sanders speaks after loss to UCLA, theft at Rose Bowl

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:15 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — The University of Colorado Buffaloes have lost two games in a row, but they are now looking for their fifth win of the season when they face Oregon State on Saturday.UCLA’s defense sacked Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders seven times and the 23rd-ranked Bruins claimed victory over the Buffs with a final score of 28-16. Jewelry stolen from CU Buffs players during game at Rose Bowl It is the third time this season Sanders has been sacked at least seven times in a game. The Buffs have allowed 42 this season, the most in the Football Bowl Subdivision according to Sportradar.Colorado coach Deion Sanders said his son received a pain-killing injection at halftime.Sanders and his Buffs are headed back to Boulder, hoping to beat the Beavers during homecoming. Coach Prime will be speaking at the University of Colorado Boulder during his weekly press conference on Tuesday. He is scheduled to speak between 10:30-11 a.m.Aside from discussing next week's game and the team's chance for ...

Don't throw out your pumpkins, do this instead

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:15 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — After the sunny fall weather left and the cold and snow moved in, the pumpkin on your front porch might not be doing so well. Before trash day comes, make sure you are properly disposing of your pumpkins.While you could just throw your pumpkin in the trash, there are plenty of sustainable ways to reuse a pumpkin like cooking or planting it. You can watch a thousand-pound pumpkin get carved on Halloween If you are fully ready to say goodbye to your fall pumpkin, follow these eco-friendly practices.How to throw out your pumpkinsDo'sCompostThe City of Fort Collins recommends composting the pumpkin in your backyard or through a local composting system. Some other cities provide composting systems. The City of Denver supplied residents with green bins earlier this summer.Donate them to ranchesLocal ranches will take pumpkins as animal feed. However, if there is paint or wax on the pumpkin, the ranches won't take it because it's toxic to the animals, according to Colora...

Man stranded on plane’s wing following crash in Everglades

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:15 GMT

SOUTHWEST BROWARD, Fla. (WSVN) — Authorities responded to the scene of a plane crash in the Everglades near Southwest Broward County, Tuesday. Around 10:30 a.m., live video footage showed a man with an apparent leg injury on the damaged wing of a Cessna single-engine plane submerged in the swampy terrain. The crash site appeared to be 17 miles Southwest of North Perry Airport. According to FlightAware.com, the plane departed from the Okeechobee County Airport at 3 a.m. and reportedly crash landed about an hour later.Air boats and emergency responders were dispatched to the man’s location to give the pilot medical attention. Please check back on WSVN.com and 7News for more details on this developing story.