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Bridge: July 29, 2023

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:52:07 GMT

“Simple Saturday” columns focus on improving basic technique and logical thinking.An item in my local paper stated that a local political party was seeking promising candidates to run for office. Which moved me to wonder if there is any other kind.Against today’s 3NT, West led the queen of spades. South won with dummy’s king and counted seven fast tricks. He knew that a 3-2 break in clubs was much more promising than a 3-3 break in diamonds, so South took the A-K of clubs.FIVE TRICKSThe suit indeed broke evenly, and declarer conceded the third club. West threw a heart. East then returned a spade to force out declarer’s ace, and no matter how he continued, the defenders could manage five tricks.The club suit held false promise. Since South needed two extra tricks, he had to rely on the diamonds. After he wins the first spade, he should lead the A-K and a third diamond. He succeeds only a little more than a third of the time, but that is better than no ch...

Ilestedt scores twice as Sweden beats Italy 5-0 to reach knockout rounds at Women’s World Cup.

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:52:07 GMT

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — After leaving it to the last minute against South Africa, Sweden left nothing to chance Saturday in a 5-0 win over Italy which sealed its place in the knockout rounds of the Women’s World Cup.Sweden relied on Amanda Ilestedt’s 90th-minute winner to salvage a 2-1 win from a sub-par performance in its opener against South Africa.Ilestedt was Sweden’s first scorer Saturday, this time in the 39th, and her glancing header from a corner sparked a flood of four Swedish goals in 11 minutes on either side of halftime. Her second goal came in the 50th and was a mirror image of the first.Rebecka Blomqvist finished it off with Sweden’s fifth goal in stoppage time.The Swedish attack again looked hesitant in the first 20 minutes. Italy appeared more composed over the ball in that period and more threatening with Sofia Cantore particularly dangerous on the right. Cantore had the first shot on goal in the opening minute, finding the keeper at t...

Sweden 5, Italy 0

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:52:07 GMT

Italy00—0Sweden32—5First Half_1, Sweden, Ilestedt, (Andersson), 39th minute; 2, Sweden, Rolfo, 44th; 3, Sweden, Blackstenius, 45th+1.Second Half_4, Sweden, Ilestedt, (Andersson), 50th; 5, Sweden, Blomqvist, (Jakobsson), 90th+5.Goalies_Italy, Francesca Durante, Laura Giuliani, Rachele Baldi; Sweden, Zecira Musovic, Jennifer Falk, Tove Enblom.Yellow Cards_None.Referee_Cheryl Foster. Assistant Referees_Michelle O’Neill, Franca Overtoom, Pol van Boekel. 4th Official_Myriam Marcotte.___Source

High temperatures and humidity continue to scorch DC region during heat wave

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:52:07 GMT

Listen live for the latest weather updates on the 8s on WTOP. The sweltering three-day heat wave in the D.C. region will continue on Saturday, with temperatures expected to reach the upper 90s in the afternoon and humidity driving up the heat index to over 100 degrees.The region is under an Excessive Heat Warning from noon to 8 p.m. on Saturday, with residents urged by local leaders to stay cool and hydrated.A cold front should swing into the region on Saturday night, finally offering relief from the heat. WTOP meteorologist Steve Prinzivalli says that northwesterly winds will bring cooler and less humid weather for the second half of the weekend.“The weekend will start with more oppressive heat, humidity, and nasty thunderstorms before quieter and refreshing weather returns by Sunday,” Prinzivalli said.The National Weather Service said that cool weather should last into next week.Excessive Heat continues into Saturday afternoon, but a cool-down is in sight for Sunday in...

Spain election repeat more likely after expat vote leaves left-right tie in parliament

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:52:07 GMT

Spain’s already complicated electoral landscape just got a lot more complex.On Saturday, the count of the 233,688 ballots deposited by Spaniards living abroad — which are tallied five days after the in-person vote is held — led to the redistribution of seats in the Spanish parliament. As a result, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s Socialist Party lost one of the spots it was allocated in Madrid, which will now go to the center-right Popular Party.The Popular Party is now set to have 137 MPs in the next legislature; together with the far-right Vox party’s 33 MPs and the single MP belonging to the affiliated Navarrese People’s Union (UPN), the right-wing bloc is set to control at least 171 seats — the same number as Sánchez and his preferred partners. Should the Canarian Coalition revise its stated position, which is against backing any government that includes Vox, the conservative bloc could add another seat to its tally.Those numbers do not ...

Patriots extra points: Bill Belichick touts rookie WR, Matt Judon explains red sleeves

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:52:07 GMT

FOXBORO — According to Bill Belichick, Demario Douglas is like most of the other Patriots’ rookies.He’s hard-working, versatile and taking on new roles during training camp. Except, unlike any other rookie, Douglas has seen regular snaps with the starting offense in all three practices to date. The 5-foot-8, 192-pounder out of Liberty has impressed with his quickness, especially out of the slot He caught four passes during team drills Friday.Douglas has also tried his hand at returning, working as one of three kick returners to work in full-team kickoff drills in the Pats’ last practice.“Demario’s working at returns and offensively inside and outside, so it’s a big jump for him from a competition level in college, but he seems to be transitioning pretty well,” Belichick said. “He’s a smart kid. He picks things up well, learns quickly, so all things that work in his favor, but we’ll see how it goes when things get more competitive next week.&...

Triston Casas, Kutter Crawford lead Red Sox past Giants 3-2

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:52:07 GMT

Triston Casas went down in a heap. The big Red Sox first baseman had just fouled a pitch right off his shin, and while it undoubtedly hurt like crazy Casas was able to gather himself and step back into the box.Then he sent the next pitch he saw 435 feet into the center field bleachers.One of the hottest hitters in baseball since the All-Star break, Casas kept things going with another huge game to power the Red Sox to a 3-2 win over the San Francisco Giants to kick off their latest west coast trip. He went 2 for 4 with two RBI, crushing the solo home run along with a run-scoring ground rule double, and starting pitcher Kutter Crawford earned the win after delivering one of his best outings of the season.Casas started the scoring in the top of the second after Adam Duvall doubled down the left field line, bringing him in with a bomb to straightaway center that bounced off the warning track and into the outfield stands. He then homered his next time up to lead off the fifth, prompting...

Some 3,700 Metro grocery workers from Toronto to Brantford on strike

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:52:07 GMT

Grocery store workers at 27 Metro locations from Toronto to Brantford have hit the picket lines after rejecting a tentative deal reached last week.Some 3,700 full and part-time store clerks in all departments, including cashiers, department managers, pharmacy, and Starbucks staff at stores in Toronto, Brantford, Orangeville, Milton, Oakville, Brampton, North York, Islington, Willowdale, Mississauga, Etobicoke, Newmarket and Scarborough are affected by the strike.Metro Ontario Inc., a subsidiary of Metro Inc., said in a statement that it is “extremely disappointed” that employees voted 100 per cent in favour of strike action even though the union bargaining committee unanimously recommended it to its members.Metro Ontario said the following stores will be closed for the duration of the strike, but pharmacies will remain open.180 Sandalwood Pkw., Brampton, ON371 St. Paul Ave., Brantford, ON201 Lloyd Manor, Etobicoke, ON1500 Royal York Rd., Etobicoke, ON1050 Kennedy Circle,...

Indian opposition lawmakers visit violence-wracked state in bid to pressure Modi’s government

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:52:07 GMT

NEW DELHI (AP) — A group of Indian opposition lawmakers on Saturday visited a remote northeastern state where deadly ethnic clashes have killed at least 130 people, in a bid to pressure the government to take action against the violence which began in May. The delegation of 20 lawmakers from 15 political parties, who are part of a new opposition alliance called INDIA, arrived in Manipur state for a two-day visit to assess the situation on the ground as the ongoing violence and bloodshed have displaced tens of thousands in recent months. The conflict in Manipur has become a global issue due to the scale of violence, said Adhir Ranjan Choudhury, a lawmaker belonging to the opposition Congress party. “Our delegation is here to express solidarity with the people of Manipur in this time of distress. The top priority now is to restore normalcy as soon as possible,” he added.Tucked in the mountains on the border with Myanmar, Manipur is on the brink of a civil war. Mobs have rampaged throu...

A rebounding Pope Francis adds an overnight visit to France to his busy travel schedule

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:52:07 GMT

ROME (AP) — Pope Francis will make a two-day trip to Marseille, France, in late September, adding to a flurry of trips the 86-year-old pontiff will soon be making only weeks after leaving hospital following abdominal surgery. Early this year, Francis had said that he would go to the port city to participate in a meeting of Mediterranean-area Catholic bishops, but until the Vatican released his schedule on Saturday for the Sept. 22-23 pilgrimage, it wasn’t clear how long he would stay. On his second day in Marseille, Francis will meet with the bishops and in late afternoon preside at Mass in the city’s soccer stadium. Francis heads on Aug. 2 to Lisbon, Portugal, on a five-day trip centered around a Catholic youth jamboree. While in Portugal, he’ll make a helicopter trip to Fatima, site of a popular shrine to the Virgin Mary. Then on Aug. 31, he is scheduled to fly to Mongolia for the first-ever visit by a pontiff to that Asian country, which has a tiny Catholic community. Three...