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Sports minister: Djokovic must abstain from political messages at French Open

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:59:30 GMT

PARIS (AP) — French Sports minister Amelie Oudea-Castera said Wednesday that Novak Djokovic’s political message about Kosovo was “not appropriate” and warned the former top-ranked Serb player that he should not do it again.Speaking on TV station France 2, Oudea-Castera said French Open director Amelie Mauresmo spoke with Djokovic and his entourage to insist on the principle of “neutrality” on the field of play. “When it comes to defending human rights and bringing people together around universal values, a sportsperson is free to do so,” she said. But Oudea-Castera added that Djokovic’s message was “militant, very political” and “must not be repeated.” Djokovic has drawn criticism from Kosovo’s tennis federation after offering his thoughts on clashes in northern Kosovo between ethnic Serbs and police and NATO peacekeepers.After a first-round victory in Paris on Monday, Djokovic wrote in Serbian on the lens of a courtside TV camera: “Kosovo is the heart of Serbia. S...

Revitalized Alonso gives Spaniards hope of ending winning drought at home in F1

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:59:30 GMT

It’s been nearly a decade since there was this much hype surrounding the Spanish Grand Prix.The last time the Formula One crowd in Spain had such high hopes of celebrating a victory by Fernando Alonso — the country’s biggest racing idol — was back in 2013, when the two-time champion was driving for Ferrari.Alonso went on to win that race in Barcelona, but since then has never been in a realistic position to make it to the top step of the podium again at home. That was his last win in F1 anywhere, and the last by any Spaniard in the local race.The 41-year-old Alonso arrives revitalized with an Aston Martin team that is one of the surprises of the season and has been running near the top from the start. Alonso has five podium finishes in six races so far, and is coming off a season-best second-place finish in Monaco last weekend.“One step higher than any other podium this year, but we’re still aiming for one step (higher) hopefully in the future races,” Alonso said. “Barcelona i...

Corea del Norte dice que el lanzamiento de un satélite fracasó y planea intentarlo de nuevo

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:59:30 GMT

Seúl (CNN) — El intento de Corea del Norte de poner en el espacio un satélite militar de reconocimiento fracasó este miércoles al averiarse la segunda etapa del cohete, informó la estatal Agencia Central de Noticias de Corea (KCNA), que añadió que Pyongyang planeaba realizar un segundo lanzamiento lo antes posible.“El nuevo cohete vehículo de satélite, Chollima-1, se estrelló en el Mar Occidental al perder la propulsión debido a un arranque anormal del motor de la 2ª etapa después de que la 1ª etapa se separara durante el vuelo normal”, dijo KCNA.Según el informe, “la fiabilidad y estabilidad del nuevo sistema de motores” era “baja” y el combustible utilizado “inestable”, lo que provocó el fracaso de la misión.La Agencia Nacional de Desarrollo Espacial de Corea del Norte dijo que investigaría el fallo “urgentemente” y llevaría a cabo otro lanzamiento tras nuevas pruebas, informó KCNA.Corea del Norte asegura que está l...

Aitana Bonmatí aims for 2nd Women’s Champions League title with Barcelona

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:59:30 GMT

SANT JOAN DESPÍ, Spain (AP) — When Barcelona midfielder Aitana Bonmatí was the only girl playing on her village’s soccer team, she quickly learned that she would have to fight for the game she loved.That character-forging experience has helped the 25-year-old Bonmatí lead her team to a fourth Women’s Champions League final in five years. On Saturday, the Spanish club will face German team Wolfsburg in Eindhoven for the title.Back in her younger days, her opponents weren’t the source of trouble. It was her own teammates.“I was the only girl and I remember having lots of fights. The boys had a hard time accepting that a girl could play soccer,” Bonmatí told The Associated Press recently in an interview at the stadium where Barcelona’s women play most of their games. “It was like ‘I can’t step on a girl,’ or ‘How can a girl play ahead of me?’“But I don’t blame those boys, it was an issue of education and society as a whole,” she said about her childhood in Sant Pere d...

Virginia comedians compete in contest to find America’s Funniest Veterans & Military Spouses

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:59:30 GMT

Velena Metcalfe of Dumfries, Virginia will compete in the semi-finals of the America's Funniest Veterans & Military Spouses Competition on June 4 in Tacoma, Washington. (Courtesy HEAL*ARIOUS) Velena Metcalfe of Dumfries, Virginia will compete in the semi-finals of the America's Funniest Veterans & Military Spouses Competition on June 4 in Tacoma, Washington. (Courtesy HEAL*ARIOUS) toggle audio on and off change volume download audio ...

San Diego Padres and Miami Marlins meet in game 2 of series

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:59:30 GMT

San Diego Padres (25-29, fourth in the NL West) vs. Miami Marlins (28-27, second in the NL East)Miami; Wednesday, 6:40 p.m. EDTPITCHING PROBABLES: Padres: Blake Snell (1-6, 5.22 ERA, 1.56 WHIP, 54 strikeouts); Marlins: Braxton Garrett (1-2, 4.50 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, 47 strikeouts)FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK MLB LINE: Padres -121, Marlins +102; over/under is 8 1/2 runsBOTTOM LINE: The San Diego Padres lead 1-0 in a three-game series with the Miami Marlins.Miami has a 14-12 record at home and a 28-27 record overall. The Marlins have a 20-7 record in games when they out-hit their opponents.San Diego has a 13-14 record in road games and a 25-29 record overall. The Padres have hit 63 total home runs to rank eighth in the NL.The matchup Wednesday is the second time these teams meet this season.TOP PERFORMERS: Jorge Soler has 10 doubles and 17 home runs while hitting .250 for the Marlins. Bryan De La Cruz is 13-for-39 with two home runs over the last 10 games.Juan Soto leads the Padres with 10 home runs...

Giants and Pirates meet with series tied 1-1

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:59:30 GMT

Pittsburgh Pirates (27-27, second in the NL Central) vs. San Francisco Giants (28-27, third in the NL West)San Francisco; Wednesday, 3:45 p.m. EDTPITCHING PROBABLES: Pirates: Mitch Keller (6-1, 3.01 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, 85 strikeouts); Giants: Alex Wood (1-0, 3.51 ERA, 1.44 WHIP, 26 strikeouts)FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK MLB LINE: Giants -125, Pirates +105; over/under is 7 1/2 runsBOTTOM LINE: The San Francisco Giants and Pittsburgh Pirates play on Wednesday with the three-game series tied 1-1.San Francisco is 28-27 overall and 16-12 at home. The Giants are 16-4 in games when they out-hit their opponents.Pittsburgh is 27-27 overall and 15-14 in road games. The Pirates have gone 17-2 in games when they scored five or more runs.Wednesday’s game is the third time these teams square off this season.TOP PERFORMERS:Bryan Reynolds has seven home runs, 16 walks and 33 RBI while hitting .284 for the Pirates. Ji-Hwan Bae is 13-for-37 with four doubles and an RBI over the past 10 games.LAST 10 GAMES: ...

Freeman leads Dodgers against the Nationals after 4-hit outing

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:59:30 GMT

Washington Nationals (23-32, fifth in the NL East) vs. Los Angeles Dodgers (34-22, first in the NL West)Los Angeles; Wednesday, 4:10 p.m. EDTPITCHING PROBABLES: Nationals: Patrick Corbin (4-5, 4.88 ERA, 1.42 WHIP, 40 strikeouts); Dodgers: Noah Syndergaard (1-4, 6.27 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, 33 strikeouts)FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK MLB LINE: Dodgers -247, Nationals +202; over/under is 9 1/2 runsBOTTOM LINE: The Los Angeles Dodgers play the Washington Nationals after Freddie Freeman’s four-hit game on Tuesday.Los Angeles has a 19-7 record in home games and a 34-22 record overall. The Dodgers have a 16-3 record in games when they did not allow a home run.Washington is 23-32 overall and 12-15 on the road. Nationals hitters have a collective .328 on-base percentage, the ninth-best percentage in MLB play.The matchup Wednesday is the third time these teams meet this season.TOP PERFORMERS: Max Muncy has four doubles and 17 home runs for the Dodgers. J.D. Martinez is 16-for-42 with two doubles and seve...

EU chief unveils new Western Balkans support plan

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:59:30 GMT

BRATISLAVA — European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday announced a new plan to bring the Western Balkans closer to the EU. Speaking at the GLOBSEC Bratislava Forum, the EU’s top executive said the bloc needs to do more to reach out to aspiring members in the region, unveiling a four-point blueprint to boost local growth. The Western Balkans has long been a potential expansion area for the EU, but accession efforts have become drawn out and stalled in many cases.“We finally realize that it is not enough to just wait for our friends outside the Union to move closer to us,” von der Leyen told a crowd of officials and think tankers from across the Continent. “We must also take responsibility to bring the aspiring members of our Union much closer to us.” The plan, according to von der Leyen, would include efforts to further align the Western Balkans with the EU’s single market, deepen regional economic integration, accelerate judicial ...

‘Very militant’: France slams Novak Djokovic over Kosovo comment

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:59:30 GMT

Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic’s controversial message at the French Open, in which he said Kosovo was the “heart of Serbia,” is “clearly not appropriate,” France’s Sports Minister Amélie Oudéa-Castéra said Wednesday.“It’s a very militant message, very political,” Oudéa-Castéra said in an interview with French public broadcaster France 2.“We really shouldn’t go down that road, especially given the circumstances,” the minister added, referring to recent clashes.One of the most successful athletes in tennis history with 22 Grand Slam titles, Djokovic caused an outcry on Monday after his first-round win at Roland-Garros. “Kosovo is the heart of Serbia. Stop the violence,” Djokovic wrote in Serbian on a TV camera screen. Long-standing tensions between Serbia and Kosovo — which declared its independence in 2008 but is not recognized by Belgrade — have resurfaced in recent days, after clashes between p...