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3 New Zealand political leaders say they’ve reached agreement to form next government

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:24:46 GMT

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Three New Zealand political leaders on Thursday said they have reached an agreement to form the next government, pending a final signoff from their parties which they expected within hours.The three party leaders said they expected to hold a formal signing ceremony at Parliament on Friday. The announcement brought to an end nearly six weeks of negotiations since New Zealand held a general election on Oct. 14. What has never been in question is that former businessman Christopher Luxon will be the next prime minister, after his conservative National Party won 38% of the vote, the largest proportion of any party. What has been at play is what policies the three parties can agree upon to jointly govern, and what positions various lawmakers will hold. The parties went into the election campaign with different policies on tax, race relations and economic management. Luxon said they would release details of their agreement on Friday.“I’m really proud o...

Rescue of 41 workers trapped in a tunnel in India is hindered again in final stretch of digging

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:24:46 GMT

NEW DELHI (AP) — The rescue of 41 construction workers trapped nearly two weeks in a collapsed tunnel in northern India has been hindered again in the final stretch of digging, officials said Thursday.Some blades of the drilling machine were damaged by a metal object in the debris.Special cutters have been arranged from New Delhi and Dehradun, the capital of Uttarakhand state, and efforts were being made to remove the metal obstruction to resume drilling, said Kirti Panwar, a state government spokesman.The drilling machine is being repaired and will be realigned to resume drilling, said Devendra Patwal, a disaster management official.The drill as of late Wednesday night had made it through 44 meters (144 feet) out of approximately the 57 needed, Harpal Singh, a manager of another tunnel project who is helping with the rescue, told the Press Trust of India news agency.Once they finish excavating the additional 13 meters (43 feet) of dirt and debris, the rescuers can insert and weld t...

Small Kentucky town urged to evacuate after train derails, spilling chemical

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:24:46 GMT

MOUNT VERNON, Ky. (AP) — A train derailed and spilled a chemical in a remote part of eastern Kentucky on Wednesday, prompting officials to encourage residents of a small town to evacuate amid concerns about air quality. Gov. Andy Beshear said in a statement that local officials in Rockcastle County were encouraging residents of Livingston, with a population of about 200, to evacuate. News outlets reported that a shelter was opened at a local middle school. The derailment involving at least 16 cars happened around 2:30 p.m., according to Bryan Tucker, a spokesperson for railroad operator CSX. Two of the derailed cars were carrying molten sulfur, which caught fire after the cars were breached, Tucker said in an emailed statement. The company was still working to extinguish the fire as of late Wednesday, he said.It’s believed that the fire is releasing sulfur dioxide, but the amount won’t be confirmed until measurements are taken from air monitoring equipment that was being...

Jace Frederick: Credit to the Timberwolves for playing their players every night

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:24:46 GMT

Joel Embiid missed Wednesday’s highly-anticipated 76ers-Timberwolves bout Wednesday at Target Center.It was another bummer, of which there are many throughout the NBA season. You circle games when the schedule comes out in August, and Philadelphia making its lone trip to Minneapolis on Thanksgiving eve was a big one. Pair that with the hot starts of both teams, and it was a must-see contest.But the lack of Embiid’s availability took a little shine off the showdown. Part of the fun of Philadelphia and Minnesota squaring off is watching Embiid duel with Minnesota’s twin towers of Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns.Instead, it was Marcus Morris Sr., Paul Reed and Nic Batum battling with Minnesota’s premier centers. A credit to the 76ers (10-5), everyone sans Embiid did go Friday. They simply couldn’t keep up with the Wolves, who delivered another business-like performance in a 112-99 victory in which the Wolves led from the first bucket on and it never fel...

Blue Team bests Red Team at 36th annual Guns 'N Hoses

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:24:46 GMT

ST. LOUIS – First responders from the St. Louis area rallied in the ring at Enterprise Center the night before Thanksgiving, throwing down at the 36th annual Guns ‘N Hoses, the charity fight event benefiting The BackStoppers.Participants and organizers say the event shows how much the connection between the community, law enforcement, and firefighters has grown over the years.“This is our 36th year, and it remains all about the cause,” David Stokes, president of the Guns ‘N Hoses Boxing Association, said. “That cause is to raise the necessary funds to support the survivor families of fallen first responders.”Since the first Guns ‘N Hoses event in 1987, they’ve raised more than $11 million for families of first responders who have died or been seriously injured while in the line of duty. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Daily News ...

Fairview Heights man, 19, sets new world record for pull-ups

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:24:46 GMT

FAIRVIEW HEIGHTS, Ill. – Personal trainer Brandon Garrett is always looking for a challenge.The Fairview Heights man grew up playing several sports and was a serious runner; at one point, he ran 10 miles every morning. A few months after becoming a personal trainer at Club Fitness in O’Fallon, Illinois, Garrett set a new goal."It started off as nothing," he said.Garrett wanted to break the current world record for the most pull-ups in 24 hours. The current record is 8,600."If there was anybody that I knew could do it, it was him," Delano Harris-Samuels, Brandon’s friend, said.To break it down, Garrett would do 10 pull-ups a minute to get to 5,000 before switching his rep pace."Once I'm committed to something, I'm going to get it," Garrett said. Another St. Louis resident loses property via Recorder of Deeds Office He spent eight months training while juggling clients at the gym. Over the course of eight months, he spent 25 hours a week doing pull-ups, completing 70,000 every seven...

CU Buffs notes: Still unknown if Shedeur Sanders will play at Utah

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:24:46 GMT

Three days before kickoff against Utah in the final game of the season, Colorado head coach Deion Sanders doesn’t know who will quarterback his team.During his weekly radio show on Wednesday, Sanders said the status of starting quarterback Shedeur Sanders is still up in the air.“We don’t know what Shedeur is going to do right now,” coach Sanders said. “He’s a little banged up, truly.”CU (4-7, 1-7 Pac-12) will face the Utes (7-4, 4-4) in Salt Lake City on Saturday (1 p.m., Pac-12 Network).Related Articles RB Sy’veon Wilkerson believes more commitment to run would have helped CU Buffs Keeler: Deion Sanders says CU Buffs won’t “buy” superstar recruits? Then Coach Prime better buy a superstar offensive line coach. Now. CU Buffs QB Shedeur Sanders “day-to-day” to play in Utah game, Deion Sanders says CU football notes: Third down defense a struggle for Buffs Keeler: Jay Norvell’s...

Women’s basketball: No. 3 CU Buffs ready for challenge at Paradise Jam

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:24:46 GMT

There are a lot of reasons why the Colorado women’s basketball team moved up to No. 3 in the national rankings this week.This is a program that has been developing for years and currently has a veteran roster that plays dynamic offense to go with a stellar defense.The Buffs (4-0) are well aware, however, that one of the main reasons they are ranked so high is because a lot of really good teams have lost. As they prepare for the challenge of the Paradise Jam in the U.S. Virgin Islands this week, they’ve got that knowledge in the back of their minds.“It’s a great reminder that anyone can lose,” CU head coach JR Payne said. “We talked before the SMU game (last Saturday) about the ranking doesn’t necessarily mean a lot to us, but it does mean a lot to everyone that plays against you. It doesn’t make them all of a sudden superhuman from the 3-point line, but it heightens their focus, it heightens their intensity, it heightens their desire to win every possession, so we have to be aware t...

CSU men improve to 5-0 with win over Boston College

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:24:46 GMT

Colorado State kept its perfect start to the season intact with an 86-74 victory over Boston College on Wednesday at the Hall of Fame Classic in Kansas City.Five Rams scored in double figures as CSU improved to 5-0 to start the season for the third straight year.Isaiah Stevens led CSU with 18 points to go along with eight assists. Josiah Strong had 15 points, Joel Scott and Nique Clifford 14 each and Patrick Cartier had 10. Scott led the Rams in rebounds with seven.CSU advanced to face No. 8 Creighton in the championship game on Thursday.“Really gritty effort by our guys today,” CSU head coach Niko Medved said. “I thought we showed a lot of toughness from beginning to end.”The Rams came out hot, hitting over 60% of their shots for much of the first half. They finished the opening 20 minutes shooting 57% and had a 47-38 lead at halftime.Their largest lead of the first half was 14 points, at 30-16, after a three-point play by Strong with 9 minutes, 47 seconds l...

RB Sy’veon Wilkerson believes more commitment to run would have helped CU Buffs

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:24:46 GMT

Statistically, the Colorado Buffaloes have one of the worst rushing teams in the country.It didn’t have to be that way, though, according to one of the Buffs’ veteran running backs.CU (4-7, 1-7 Pac-12) will visit Utah (7-4, 4-4) in the finale on Saturday (1 p.m., Pac-12 Network) and it’ll go into Salt Lake City ranking 132nd nationally with 71.8 rushing yards per game. Only Hawaii is worse, at 69.8. Much of that is due to CU’s high total of quarterback sacks, which take away from the overall rushing total.Related Articles CU Buffs notes: Still unknown if Shedeur Sanders will play at Utah Keeler: Deion Sanders says CU Buffs won’t “buy” superstar recruits? Then Coach Prime better buy a superstar offensive line coach. Now. CU Buffs QB Shedeur Sanders “day-to-day” to play in Utah game, Deion Sanders says CU football notes: Third down defense a struggle for Buffs Keeler: Jay Norv...