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Thousands of mourners in Islamabad attend funeral for Pakistani cleric gunned down in broad daylight

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:56:39 GMT

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Thousands of mourners attended a funeral Saturday for a Pakistani Sunni Muslim cleric gunned down in broad daylight on the outskirts of the capital, Islamabad, police and and a spokesman for the cleric’s organization said.The funeral of Masoodur Rehman Usmani was held a day after unidentified gunmen shot and killed him and wounded his driver in the neighborhood of Ghauri town, according to a statement issued by the Islamabad police.No one claimed responsibility for the attack, which is a rare occurrence near Islamabad. Police said they were using closed-circuit TV footage to track down the attackers, and vowed that they would be arrested and brought to justice.Authorities in Islamabad have stepped up security by deploying additional police and some embassies were advising their nationals to avoid visiting the area where the funeral for Usmani was to be held.Usmani was a deputy secretary at his Sunni Ulema Council, which emerged after Pakistan outlawed the Sipa...

Anthony Joshua to fight MMA star Francis Ngannou in Saudi Arabia

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:56:39 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Former heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua’s next fight will be against MMA star Francis Ngannou in Saudi Arabia, promotors have announced.Ngannou has only boxed once professionally, when he knocked down Tyson Fury before losing in a split-decision to the reigning WBC heavyweight champion in late October.A date for the Riyadh fight wasn’t announced but it looks likely to take place in March.Fury and Oleksandr Usyk are scheduled to fight in Riyadh on Feb. 17 to unify all of the major heavyweight boxing titles. Usyk holds the WBA, IBF and WBO belts.The 34-year-old Joshua looked sharp before Christmas when he stopped Otto Wallin with a fifth-round technical knockout. On the same card, Deontay Wilder lost to Joseph Parker, which scuppered talk of a March bout between Wilder and Joshua.Eddie Hearn, who is Joshua’s promoter, announced Friday night that the Ngannou fight is a “ done deal ” and that a press conference will be held in London on Jan. 15.The 37-...

South Korea says North Korea has conducted a new round of firing drills near the rivals’ disputed sea boundary

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:56:39 GMT

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea says North Korea has conducted a new round of firing drills near the rivals’ disputed sea boundary.Source

South Dakota State seeking FCS title repeat, Montana in first championship game since ’09

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:56:39 GMT

FRISCO, Texas (AP) — Jimmy Rogers never dreamed of playing at South Dakota State, and certainly never anticipated becoming coach of the Jackrabbits. The kid from Arizona who was a standout linebacker and captain of their first playoff team in 2009, then defensive coordinator for their first national title last season, is now the first-year head coach as the top-seeded Jackrabbits (14-0) try to repeat in the Football Championship Subdivision. They take a 28-game winning streak into Sunday’s game against No. 2 seed Montana (13-1).“My reality becoming a dream means I wanted to do it at the highest level, and we’ve taken South Dakota State to the highest level,” Rogers said. “To be the head coach of it, I never envisioned that 18 years ago. … But I did envision winning national championships here.”Less than two weeks after the Jackrabbits beat Missouri Valley Conference rival North Dakota State last January to become champions in John Stiegelmeier’s 26th season as head...

Top-seeded Sabalenka beats Azarenka to set up a Brisbane final against Rybakina

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:56:39 GMT

BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — Aryna Sabalenka overpowered two-time champion Victoria Azarenka in a 6-2, 6-4 win Saturday that earned her a spot in the Brisbane International final against Elena Rybakina, a rematch of last year’s Australian Open championship decider.The win extended top-seeded Sabalenka’s streak to 15 on Australian soil, including a title run in Adelaide to start 2023 before her Grand Slam breakthrough at Melbourne Park and has given her momentum for the year’s first major.Her 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 win in the Australian Open final last January was the highlight of Sabalenka’s five wins over Rybakina in their seven career meetings.Sabalenka fired 10 aces and hit 35 winners against Azarenka, who won back-to-back Australian Open titles in 2012 and ’13 and is also a two-time champion in Brisbane.She broke her 34-year-old compatriot’s serve three times and saved all three break points she faced.Azarenka appeared to hurt her right knee in her last service game, but ...

Montgomery Co. schools encourage more students to opt for dual enrollment

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:56:39 GMT

Students at Montgomery County’s high schools in Maryland can get a jump start on their college education by opting into the dual enrollment program.The partnership between Montgomery County Public Schools and Montgomery College means high school students can take any of the more than 575 courses offered — from molecular biology to Maryland contract law — and receive college credit.On Friday, Montgomery County school superintendent Monifa McKnight visited Seneca Valley High School to talk about ways to encourage more students to opt into the program. Among the advantages, said McKnight, “They are able to, in many cases, earn an associate degree before they graduate from high school!”Genevieve Floyd, supervisor of the career and postsecondary partnerships at MCPS, explained that the credits students earn are widely accepted.“They all transfer to any public institution in the state of Maryland,” Floyd said, adding that while out-of-state schools have diffe...

Dos tormentas invernales consecutivas azotarán Estados Unidos. Este es el pronóstico

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:56:39 GMT

(CNN) — Una tormenta invernal va en curso de colisión con el Atlántico Medio y el Noreste de Estados Unidos el sábado, y hay otra más fuerte pisándole los talones.La primera tormenta arrojará hasta 30 cm de nieve y hielo significativo hasta el domingo y podría causar interrupciones en los viajes de millones de personas que actualmente están bajo alertas de tormenta invernal.Las cuadrillas de transporte empezaron a preparar las carreteras de la región el viernes.En las zonas central y norte de Pensilvania, donde se pronostican nevadas de hasta 15 cm, los equipos de transporte trataron las carreteras y se comprometieron a “mantener las carreteras transitables, no completamente libres de hielo y nieve”, según un comunicado del Departamento de Transporte de Pensilvania.Algunas partes de Pensilvania sufrirán lo peor de la tormenta, junto con partes de los Apalaches y el interior del noreste y Nueva Inglaterra, incluyendo justo al oeste de Boston.Es menos probable que ha...

Hezbollah fires rockets at Israel in response to killing of Hamas leader

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:56:39 GMT

Lebanese militant group Hezbollah fired dozens of rockets at Israel on Saturday in retaliation for the targeted killing of a Hamas leader in Beirut this week amid mounting fears of a larger regional war, according to media reports. Hezbollah said in a statement Saturday that it targeted an Israeli air surveillance base in northern Israel with 62 missiles as an “initial response” to the suspected Israeli strike on January 2 that killed senior Hamas official Saleh al-Arouri in a Hezbollah stronghold in Beirut. The Israeli military said around 40 rockets were fired from Lebanon at its territory. Hasan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group, said earlier this week that the killing of al-Arouri will “not go unpunished.” The escalation comes as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has embarked on his fourth diplomatic tour of the Middle East as the Israel-Hamas war reaches its three-month mark and amid growing internation...

Four Patriots players who deserve a longer look in season finale

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:56:39 GMT

Patriots head coach Bill Belichick already said this week that he won’t be using Week 18 to gather information on players for the 2024 season.“We’re going to get ready to play the guys that deserve to play against the Jets,” Belichick said Wednesday. “I think they all want to play.”But with so many injuries across the roster, there will almost certainly be some players taking on significant roles who weren’t part of the team’s plans in Week 1.Here are four players who deserve a longer look in Week 18 against the Jets in what could also be Belichick’s last game as Patriots head coach.Related ArticlesNew England Patriots | Patriots-Jets preview: What to watch for in Belichick’s possible last NE game New England Patriots | NFL notes: How Matthew Slater’s passionate speeches helped keep the Patriots together New England Patriots | Patriots-Jets injury report: Hunter Henry out, 12...

Patriots-Jets preview: What to watch for in Belichick’s possible last NE game

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:56:39 GMT

It’s come down to this.Bill Belichick’s Patriots against the hated Jets.Playoff hopes for both teams dissipated around Thanksgiving, leaving only pride and rivalry at stake. That will be enough Sunday, when speculation will swirl – along with snow – that Belichick may be coaching his last game in New England.Whether or not Belichick returns next season, here’s what to watch for in the Patriots’ 2023 season finale:When the Patriots runThat steady-eddy run game feels like a memory from long ago.Thanks to opponents’ stacked boxes and injuries up front, Pats running back Ezekiel Elliott has rushed for 25, 27 and 39 yards the last three weeks. He’s averaged fewer than three yards per carry in all of those games and scored one rushing touchdown. The offense’s best runs have been Bailey Zappe scrambles, unscheduled scampers that catch a defense off-guard.Few opponents have caught the Jets off-guard on the ground this season, where their...