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Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka says she won’t discuss the Ukraine war while at Wimbledon

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:12:41 GMT

WIMBLEDON, England (AP) — Before Aryna Sabalenka heard any questions from reporters at her pre-Wimbledon media session Saturday, she announced that she was willing to talk only about her sport — and not the war in Ukraine that became a contentious topic for the Belarusian during the last Grand Slam event.“I would like to say I’m not going to talk about politics. I’m here to talk about tennis only. Please respect that,” Sabalenka told reporters. “If you have any kind of political questions, you can ask the WTA or the tournament. They can send you the transcript of my answers from the previous tournaments.”Sabalenka is seeded No. 2 at the All England Club and considered among the main contenders for the title. She won the Australian Open in January, then reached the semifinals at the French Open in June — when she skipped two news conferences after saying queries about the war and Belarus’ role in helping Russia attack Ukraine made her uncomfortable.When she was asked Saturday whether...

NYC school officials say yeshivas run by Hasidic community fail to teach students in core subjects

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:12:41 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Eighteen private Jewish schools run by New York City’s politically powerful Hasidic community deprived thousands of students the required secular education in English, math, science and social studies that they need to function successfully outside their religious enclaves, according to findings from an eight-year investigation by New York City school officials.The eight-year investigation — which critics say was long delayed because of politics — concluded that many of the religious schools, or yeshivas, were not providing “substantially equivalent instruction” in core subjects as do public schools — as mandated by state law.In a letter to at least one school, NYC schools Chancellor David Banks expressed concern that students were not being instructed in key subjects “sufficient to prepare them for their futures.”A review of more than two dozen yeshivas, which receive hundreds of millions public funding, determined that only seven of those schools were in comp...

NASCAR Cup Series drivers praise setup for 1st street race in downtown Chicago

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:12:41 GMT

CHICAGO (AP) — Before NASCAR raced in the Los Angeles Coliseum in 2022, Kevin Harvick thought it was going to be a disaster. It didn’t take very long for the event to win him over.Heading into the Cup Series’ first street race, Harvick is keeping an open mind.“Going through all these new types of events kind of changes your mindset to how you approach it,” he said, “because you see the enthusiasm, right, like you can feel it, you can see it.”After months of hype and curiosity, the NASCAR Cup Series hits the streets of downtown Chicago on Sunday at the end of a big weekend for the sport that includes concerts and other entertainment.The 12-turn, 2.2-mile course includes seven 90-degree turns. There are lots of ways to get into trouble, including manhole covers, and transitions from concrete to asphalt and back. Getting in and out of pit road in front of Buckingham Fountain could become an issue, and restarts also could be an adventure.“It’s obviously narrow in secti...

Smog, air quality alerts in place across much of Quebec as wildfires continue to burn

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:12:41 GMT

MONTREAL — Environment Canada has issued a smog warning for a large part of Quebec as forest fires continue to burn in the provinces northwest.The federal department says smog can be expected in the northwestern Abitibi-Témiscamingue region, as well as in a large area stretching from Gatineau, Que., near Ottawa, to the province’s eastern border with the state of Maine.That area includes Montreal, which has experienced several smog days this week, and Quebec City.Environment Canada has issued an air quality alert for other areas further north, including parts of the province’s far north. Quebec’s wildfire prevention agency says there are 96 fires currently burning in the province, including one new fire reported on Friday, though only three are considered out of control.All Quebec residents who had been forced from their homes by the blazes have been allowed to return, though an evacuation order remains in place for a rural area with 60 cottages in the city of Senne...

Pope appoints bishop from his native Argentina to lead Vatican office that enforces church doctrine

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:12:41 GMT

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis on Saturday chose a bishop who is a trusted theological advisor from his native Argentina for one of the Vatican’s most powerful positions — head of the watchdog office that ensures doctrinal orthodoxy. Francis named Monsignor Victor Manuel Fernández, the archbishop of La Plata, Argentina, as the prefect, or chief, of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith. Fernández has been nicknamed the “pope’s theologian″ since he is widely believed to have helped author some of Francis’ most important documents. The Dicastery, or department, enforces orthodoxy of church teaching and disciplines theologians deemed to have strayed from Catholic doctrine in their lectures or publications. But it has taken on considerably more importance to rank-and-file faithful as the stain of pedophile priests spread across the globe in recent decades. Among the department’s duties are evaluating and processing sex abuse allegations against clergy.Fernández is widely b...

Hundreds of young men say goodbye to French teen killed by police

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:12:41 GMT

NANTERRE, France (AP) — A sea of young men walked from the mosque up the hill and into the hush of the cemetery. By the hundreds, they had come to say goodbye to the teenager whose killing by a police officer has set much of France on edge.It was a warm Saturday afternoon, far from the nights of violence in the streets that have left windows smashed and vehicles charred. Many of the men were Arab or Black and had come to mourn a boy who could have been them.France and the rest of the world know 17-year-old Nahel by his first name only, along with the barest details about his life, including that his family has roots in Algeria. But on Saturday, many in the crowd either knew him, or identified with him.After four days of chaos, there was nearly silence. Here and there, someone wore a “Justice for Nahel” shirt. As the crowd pressed through the cemetery gate, the police were nowhere to be seen. For all the significance of the day, only a few people were seen filming with mobile phones....

An anti-Trump video shared by the DeSantis campaign is ‘homophobic,’ says a conservative LGBT group

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:12:41 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — A prominent group that represents LGBT conservatives says a video shared by Ron DeSantis ′ presidential campaign that slams rival Donald Trump for his past support of gay and transgender people “ventured into homophobic territory.”The “DeSantis War Room” Twitter account shared the video on Friday — the last day of June’s LGBTQ+ Pride Month — that features footage of Trump at the Republican National Convention in 2016 saying he would “do everything in my power to protect our LGBTQ citizens.” Trump had been pledging protection from terrorist attacks weeks after the shootings at the Pulse Nightclub, a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, that was the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history at that time.The video also highlights “LGBTQ for Trump” T-shirts sold by the former president’s campaign and his past comments saying he would comfortable with Caitlyn Jenner, the former Olympic decathlete who came out as a transgender woman in 2015, using...

Chicago Sky coach James Wade steps down to take assistant spot with Toronto Raptors

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:12:41 GMT

CHICAGO (AP) — Chicago Sky coach and general manager James Wade is stepping down to take an assistant coaching job with the Toronto Raptors.Wade helped lead the team to its first WNBA championship in 2021 and had an 81-59 record with the team since taking over as head coach in 2019. Previously, he was an assistant with the San Antonio Stars and Minnesota Lynx.“We are thrilled that James can fulfill a lifelong dream to join the NBA, and we send him our warmest congratulations and best wishes,” Sky Principal Owner Michael Alter said. “We thank James for establishing a winning, team-oriented culture in Chicago and leading the Sky to our first ever WNBA Championship in 2021.”The Sky announced Emre Vatansever as the interim GM and head coach. Chicago is 7-9 on the season after Friday night's 86-78 win over Los Angeles.Chicago lost four starters from the championship team over the last two years, except for Kahleah Copper.

Teamsters say strike still on the table at UPS

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:12:41 GMT

The International Brotherhood of Teamsters said Saturday that a strike of UPS delivery drivers is still possible after the union said it was negotiating on Friday.UPS provided a counteroffer to the Teamsters’ demands Friday, hours before the union pledged to go on strike without a new contract. The union said it had agreed not to strike as negotiations continued into the weekend. The union’s current contract expires on July 31 and any new contract must be agreed by July 5 to be ratified before the end of the month. If no contract is reached by July 5, workers will strike when the contract ends, Teamsters president Sean O’Brien said.“Our administration has made it clear. We will not be working beyond the expiration date without the contract our members have demanded, and more importantly without the contract our members deserve,” O’Brien said at a press conference Saturday.Negotiations are focused on the “economic” portion of the five-year labor deal. Teamster demands include increas...

American pride still at near-record low, poll suggests

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:12:41 GMT

(NewsNation) — Fourth of July weekend is upon us, but a new Gallup poll shows the number of U.S. adults who say they're proud to be an American has stayed low.While the number is low compared to previous decades, it's actually a slight uptick from last year, with 67% of adults saying they are extremely or very proud to be American, as compared to 65% in 2022.Back in 2001, around 90% of Americans said they were proud to be from this country, with the poll coming not long after 9/11. In 2003, the number dropped to 87%, and by the start of the pandemic, it had dipped to 63%. Will USPS, Amazon deliver on July 4? The results fall along party lines, with 60% of Republicans saying they are extremely proud to be American, while only 29% of Democrats say the same. Age is another factor, with older adults having more pride, particularly Americans over 55. NewsNation spoke with Shannon Shakir, who served in the Army. Her husband also served in the Marine Corps. Shakir made the decision to e...