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Australia stays in the Rugby World Cup after holding off Portugal

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:55:50 GMT

SAINT-ETIENNE, France (AP) — Australia smothered a ferocious comeback by Portugal to win their gripping first matchup 34-14 in the Rugby World Cup on Sunday.The bonus-point victory kept alive the Wallabies’ faint quarterfinal hopes.Their final Pool C match moved them into second place and the second quarterfinal spot, and they will have to stay in France for another week without another game guaranteed to wait to see if Fiji overtakes them.Fiji is one point behind, and needs to take only one point against Portugal next Sunday in Toulouse to advance and send Australia home.Portugal couldn’t put Australia out of its misery on Sunday but it warmed the hearts in a packed Stade Geoffroy-Guichard with its daring and style.Os Lobos scored two tries and had two others ruled out. But, crucially, when Australia was reduced to 14 and 13 men after an hour, the Portuguese couldn’t finish numerous chances.The Wallabies’ scramble defense stopped a lineout maul and forced tw...

Lawrence, Ridley and defense help Jaguars beat Falcons 23-7 in London

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:55:50 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Calvin Ridley is making the most of his second chance, in more ways than one.The wide receiver held on to a touchdown pass — after a couple of key drops last week — to help the Jacksonville Jaguars beat the Atlanta Falcons 23-7 on Sunday at Wembley Stadium.Besides defeating his old team, Ridley is also catching up on lost time. He was suspended for the entire 2022 season for violations of the league’s gambling policy.“I’m so proud of Calvin, what’s he’s been through in his life. He’s put a lot of things behind him. He’s focused on the future,” Jags coach Doug Pederson said. “Obviously his testimony, it’s one that can be spread to a lot of professional and younger-generation athletes. He’s doing things right. We love having him on the football team.”Josh Allen had three sacks and Darious Williams returned an interception for a 61-yard score to help the Jags (2-2) halt a two-game skid with a series of big plays as the team celebrated playing for the 10th time in Lo...

Buck Showalter says he will not return as New York Mets manager

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:55:50 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Buck Showalter said Sunday he will not return for a third season as New York Mets manager after a disappointing season in which baseball’s highest-spending team tumbled from contention by midsummer.The 67-year-old Showalter made the announcement before Sunday’s game against Philadelphia. The Mets entered 74-86, 29 1/2 games behind NL East champion Atlanta.Showalter took over as manager before the 2022 season and led the Mets to a 101-61 record last year, when he was named NL Manager of the Year.New York is expected to hire David Stearns as president of baseball operations above general manager Billy Eppler, and Showalter’s departure clears the way for Stearns to make his manager pick.___AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLBSource

AP Top 25: Georgia’s hold on No. 1 loosens, but top seven unchanged. Kentucky, Louisville enter poll

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:55:50 GMT

Georgia’s hold on No. 1 in The Associated Press college football poll loosened Sunday as the Bulldogs received a season-low 35 first-place votes out of possible 62 while extending their streak atop the rankings to 16 straight weeks.The Bulldogs needed a late touchdown to escape with a win at Auburn on Saturday and that sent many in the media panel looking for a new No. 1 team. Georgia had 55 first-place votes and 1,562 points last week but was down to 1,501 points in this week’s AP Top 25.No. 2 Michigan got 12 first-place votes and 1,436 points but nearly was passed by No. 3 Texas, which received 10 first-place votes and 1,426 points. Both the Wolverines and Longhorns won big on Saturday.Ohio State kept its spot at No. 4 and received one first-place vote. No. 5 Florida State received four first-place votes. Neither the Buckeyes nor Seminoles played this weekend.No. 6 Penn State and No. 7 Washington also held their spots. Oregon moved up a place to No. 8 and Southern Cali...

POLL ALERT: Georgia’s hold on No. 1 loosens, but top seven teams are unchanged; Kentucky, Louisville enter AP Top 25

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:55:50 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — POLL ALERT: Georgia’s hold on No. 1 loosens, but top seven teams are unchanged; Kentucky, Louisville enter AP Top 25.Source

Grifo helps Freiburg snap 3-game winless run in Bundesliga with 2-0 victory over Augsburg

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:55:50 GMT

FREIBURG, Germany (AP) — Vincenzo Grifo scored early and set up the other goal for Freiburg to beat Augsburg 2-0 and snap its run of three Bundesliga games without a win on Sunday.Freiburg, which finished fifth last season, opened its league campaign with wins over Hoffenheim and Werder Bremen, then lost to Stuttgart and Borussia Dortmund before drawing with Eintracht Frankfurt.Grifo opened the scoring against Augsburg from the penalty spot in the fifth minute after Brazilian defender Iago fouled Roland Sallai.Phillip Tietz had a good chance to equalize shortly afterward but otherwise there were few opportunities for either side.There was a brief holdup in play early in the second half because of pyrotechnics in the Augsburg fans’ block. They arguably hurt their own team’s chances more as it delayed Ruben Vargas’ free kick from a promising position.Grifo then sent in a corner that Philipp Lienhart headed in at the near post for 2-0 in 56th.Sven Michel thought he’d equalized but the ...

CNBC: Inician los pagos de préstamos estudiantiles por primera vez desde 2020

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:55:50 GMT

Ha llegado octubre y, con él, la reiniciación de los pagos de préstamos estudiantiles.Este mes, se espera que los prestatarios realicen sus primeros pagos obligatorios de sus préstamos en más de tres años desde que el expresidente Donald Trump promulgó por primera vez la indulgencia en los pagos e intereses en respuesta a la pandemia de COVID-19. Los intereses comenzaron a acumularse de nuevo en los préstamos el 1 de septiembre.La fecha exacta de vencimiento depende del administrador de su préstamo. Se le notificará la cantidad que debe y el día en que debe pagar al menos 21 días antes de la fecha de vencimiento. Si te has graduado recientemente, es posible que tengas que pagar más tarde, pero de todos modos deberás consultarlo con el administrador de tu préstamo.Ingresa al sitio web de Ayuda Federal para Estudiantes para encontrar a tu administrador si no estás seguro de quién es. Muchos prestatarios han cambiado de administrador de préstamos desde la última vez que efectuaron pago...

Ticker: South Coast rail expansion delayed; Feds sue Chipotle    

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:55:50 GMT

Passenger service on a commuter rail expansion to southern Massachusetts is not expected to begin until next summer, about half a year later than prior forecasts, MBTA officials said late last week.During a wide-ranging presentation about the status of the highly anticipated South Coast Rail project, MBTA Chief Operating Officer Ryan Coholan told the agency’s board that “revenue service is expected to begin [in] summer of 2024.” A range of safety and certification steps need to be “satisfactorily and successfully completed” first, he said.At a ribbon-cutting for the expansion in December, former MBTA General Manager Steve Poftak said riders should be able to begin riding South Coast Rail by the end of 2023.Feds sue ChipotleA federal agency has sued the restaurant chain Chipotle, accusing it of religious harassment and retaliation after a manager at a Kansas location forcibly removed an employee’s hijab, a headscarf worn by some Muslim women.In a l...

Domino Sugar’s sign will light only ‘O’ and ‘S’ to cheer on Orioles in postseason

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:55:50 GMT

Go O’s!That’s what Domino Sugar’s sign will signal starting Sunday through the Orioles’ postseason run.As the city gears up for the first game of the Orioles postseason on Saturday at Camden Yards, the iconic sign will light only its sets of “O” and “S” to celebrate.The Orioles won the AL East division Thursday, earning them a bye during the wild-card series and home-field advantage. Baltimore will begin postseason play — its first since 2016 — in Game 1 of the AL Division Series. The sign’s cheer will remain lit every night of the Orioles postseason.“Our team of more than 500 employees is pulling for the Orioles,” Peter O’Malley, vice president of corporate relations of ASR Group, which owns the refinery, said in a statement. “We couldn’t think of a bigger or better way to show our appreciation and support for the O’s.” ()

Disney, DeSantis escalate battle 

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:55:50 GMT

ORLANDO, Fla. — The legal fights between Disney and Gov. Ron DeSantis ratcheted up in recent days.The Florida governor asked that the company’s First Amendment lawsuit against him be tossed from federal court, and Disney demanded emails, texts and other communications from the governor’s office in a separate state court lawsuit originally brought by DeSantis appointees of Walt Disney World’s governing district.The legal filings marked an escalation in the battle between the entertainment giant and DeSantis, a candidate for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination. The confrontation started last year when Disney publicly opposed a state law banning classroom lessons on sexual orientation and gender identity in early grades, and DeSantis retaliated by taking over the governing district that provides municipal services for the 25,000-acre Disney World theme park resort in Florida.Disney has sued DeSantis in federal court, claiming the governor violated its free speech rig...