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Perez holds off Verstappen’s charge to win Saudi Arabian GP

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:28:28 GMT

JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Sergio Perez won the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix and Max Verstappen drove from 15th to second to give Red Bull a 1-2 finish Sunday in what is shaping up to be a runaway season for the reigning Formula One champions.And there have only been two races so far. But it’s been two Red Bull wins, two 1-2 finishes, and an air of desperation from everyone else on the grid.Fernando Alonso finished third for the second consecutive race for what would have been his 100th career podium. But he was later handed a 10-second penalty for incorrectly serving an early penalty and that dropped him to fourth. But even as the Spaniard enjoys a renaissance with his new Aston Martin team, Alonso has acknowledged he had little chance at beating Red Bull.Verstappen won a record 15 races last season and a second consecutive F1 title, and Perez added another two victories as the 17 total wins in 23 races easily gave Red Bull the constructors title. There have been no signs of an offsea...

PSG loses at home in French league for 1st time this season

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:28:28 GMT

PARIS (AP) — Arnaud Kalimuendo scored against his boyhood club as leader Paris Saint-Germain was beaten 2-0 by Rennes in its first home loss in the French league this season on Sunday.The win ended PSG’s 35-match unbeaten run in the league at the Parc des Princes.The 21-year-old Kalimuendo joined PSG’s youth system when he was 9 years old and signed with Rennes last summer looking for more playing time away from the armada of PSG stars. Kalimuendo was under contract with PSG until 2024 but spent the last two seasons on loan at Lens.Rennes, which had already prevailed in the corresponding fixture in Brittany two months ago, made the most of PSG’s passivity and relied on goalkeeper Steve Mandanda’s decisive saves to produce a clean sheet. Karl Toko Ekambi scored Rennes’ first goal. PSG looked slow and lethargic, relying in vain on the skills of Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi. Mbappe had two good chances to break the deadlock in the first half but the France sta...

Hill wins Xfinity race in Atlanta to continue dominant start

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:28:28 GMT

HAMPTON, Ga. (AP) — Austin Hill continued his dominant start to the NASCAR Xfinity season, holding off Daniel Hemric at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Saturday night for his third win in five races.Hill overcome a record-setting day of cautions in doubleheader Xfinity and truck series races. There were 11 cautions, the most for an Xfinity race in Atlanta, knocking out 12 drivers. Hill previously collected Xfinity wins at Daytona on Feb. 18 to open the season and at Las Vegas on March 4. Hill, a native of Winston, Georgia, added a home-track win to his strong start for the Richard Childress Racing team.The final caution came with eight laps remaining and Hill holding a slim lead over Parker Kligerman in a battle of Chevrolets. The race resumed with two laps remaining and Hill held on as Kligerman wrecked before the finish line and finished fourth. Ryan Truex was third.“I knew I had it when I came across the line,” Hill said. “Before that I had no idea.”The chaos near the finish line threa...

Japan’s Sasaki likely to be coveted when available for MLB

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:28:28 GMT

MIAMI (AP) — If Rōki Sasaki knows the perfect time for him to switch to the major leagues, he’s good at keeping a secret. The 21-year-old right-hander pitches in a U.S. ballpark for the first time Monday night, when he’ll start for Japan in a World Baseball Classic semifinal against Mexico. He became a sensation in his second season with the Pacific League’s Chiba Lotte Marines, pitching the 16th perfect game in Japanese history while striking out 19 against the Orix Buffaloes 6-0 on April 10. Seven days later, Sasaki was pulled after eight perfect innings against Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters to limit his pitch count.“He’s going to be a tremendous star in the big leagues whenever he gets here,” Mexico manager Benji Gil said Sunday. “He would be great at the big-league level right now.”Looking larger than his 6-foot-2 frame, Sasaki worked out with his Japanese teammates at LoanDepot Park, home of the Miami Marlins. His only previous time in a U.S. ballpark had been ...

Banking giant UBS is acquiring smaller rival Credit Suisse

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:28:28 GMT

BERN, Switzerland (AP) — Banking giant UBS is buying its smaller rival Credit Suisse in an effort to avoid further market-shaking turmoil in global banking, Swiss President Alain Berset announced on Sunday night. Swiss president Alain Berset, who did not specify a value of the deal, called the announcement “one of great breadth for the stability of international finance. An uncontrolled collapse of Credit Suisse would lead to incalculable consequences for the country and the international financial system.”Credit Suisse is designated by the Financial Stability Board, an international body that monitors the global financial system, as one of the world’s globally systemic important banks. This means regulators believe its uncontrolled failure would lead to ripples throughout the financial system not unlike the collapse of Lehman Brothers 15 years ago.Sunday’s news conference follows the collapse of two large U.S. banks last week that spurred a frantic, broad response from the U....

Swiss president announces plan for Swiss bank UBS to take over troubled rival Credit Suisse

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:28:28 GMT

BERN, Switzerland (AP) — Swiss president announces plan for Swiss bank UBS to take over troubled rival Credit Suisse.Source

Xavier beats Pitt 84-73, reaches 1st Sweet 16 since 2017

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:28:28 GMT

GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) — Jack Nunge scored 18 points, Adam Kunkel added 15 on five first-half 3-pointers, and No. 3 seed Xavier beat 11th-seeded Pittsburgh 84-73 on Sunday to reach its first Sweet 16 since 2017.Colby Jones had 10 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists, and Souley Boum and Jerome Hunter each chipped in with 14 points as all five Xavier starters scored in double digits.Xavier distributed the ball well, particularly early on with 17 assists on 19 baskets in the first half to build a 48-34 lead at the break. The Musketeers finished with 22 assists.Xavier (27-9) moves on to play No. 2 seed Texas on Friday in the Midwest Region semifinals in Kansas City, Missouri.Blake Hinson scored 18 points and Jamarius Burton had 16 for Pitt (24-12).Nunge set the tone early, dominating the paint with eight points in the first 10 minutes while Jones knocked down two 3s as the Musketeers built a 28-18 lead.The Musketeers then blew the game open with a 12-2 run behind Kunkel, who made two 3...

2 Fulham players, coach sent off in chaos at Man United

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:28:28 GMT

MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Fulham had two players and manager Marco Silva sent off in a frantic five minutes against Manchester United as their FA Cup dreams collapsed on Sunday. Leading 1-0 in the quarterfinal match at Old Trafford, the game was turned round after United was awarded a penalty when Willian handled Jadon Sancho’s goalbound shot.Aleksandar Mitrovic had put the visitors ahead in the 50th minute. Sancho looked set to even the score until Willian blocked on the line. VAR asked referee Chris Kavanagh to review the incident on the monitor on the side of the field, which clearly showed Willian used his arm to divert the shot. Silva was shown a red for remonstrating on the touchline and Willian was then sent off for the handball, which was a professional foul. Mitrovic was shown another red for his angry reaction. Bruno Fernandes scored from the spot in the 75th minute and Marcel Sabitzer put United 2-1 ahead in the 77th. United won the game 3-1.___More AP soccer: http...

Hepburn and Wisconsin knock off Liberty 75-71 in NIT

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:28:28 GMT

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Chucky Hepburn led Wisconsin with 27 points and Max Klesmit secured the victory with a layup with 42 seconds left as the Badgers knocked off Liberty 75-71 on Sunday in the NIT.Hepburn shot 9 for 20 (0 for 6 from 3-point range) and 9 of 11 from the free-throw line for the Badgers (19-14). Tyler Wahl added 16 points while shooting 5 of 6 from the field and 6 for 7 from the line, and he also had six rebounds. Steven Crowl had 14 points and went 7 of 9 from the field.The Flames (27-9) were led by Darius McGhee, who recorded 31 points, six rebounds and four assists in his final collegiate game. The 5-foot-9 McGhee, who has scored at least 30 points in five games this season, is the program’s all-time leading scorer with 2,685 career points. Liberty also got 16 points from Kyle Rode. In addition, Shiloh Robinson finished with nine points.Wahl scored a team-high 14 points for Wisconsin in the second half.___The Associated Press created this story using technology...

Real Sociedad stays 4th with win at Elche in Spanish league

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:28:28 GMT

MADRID (AP) — Takefusa Kubo scored as Real Sociedad beat last-place Elche 2-0 to end its winless streak and regain sole possession of fourth place in the Spanish league on Sunday.Ander Barrenetxea also scored in the second half for Sociedad, which hadn’t won in six games in all competitions, including four straight in the league. It was coming off elimination against Roma in the Europa League on Thursday.The win gave the Basque Country club a three-point gap over fifth-place Real Betis in the fight for the Champions League places.Playmaker David Silva led Sociedad over Elche, which has won only two of its last 11 league games. It sits 14 points from safety.Sociedad’s last league win had been at Espanyol in February.Betis ended its four-game winless streak in all competitions with Borja Iglesias scoring a second-half goal in a 1-0 victory over midtable Mallorca at home. Betis had been eliminated by Manchester United in the Europa League.Villarreal, another Spanish club that failed to...