American figure skater Levito lands first Grand Prix win in France

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 10:26:40 GMT

American figure skater Levito lands first Grand Prix win in France ANGERS, France (AP) — Isabeau Levito’s quest for a first Grand Prix victory is over.The 16-year-old American figure skater won the Grand Prix de France on Saturday with a total of 203.22 points for her two programs.Levito, who had built a big lead of more than five points after Friday’s short program, was less impressive in the free skate and had to be content with the third best total.Levito landed a triple lutz-triple toe and four other triple jumps but stumbled on her last spin.Her performance was still good enough to prevail as Anastasiia Gubanova of Georgia and Lee Hae-in of South Korea — who were second and third after the short program — also struggled in their free skate. Levito beat Nina Pinzarrone of Belgium by a comfortable margin of 4.42 points. Rion Sumiyoshi of Japan ended third.“I guess we’ll call this screwing up the second half of my spin a dramatic finish,” Levito said. “I’m just glad that I did the first half very nicely. I’m glad I got through t...

Watkins’ 4 TD day helps carry Villanova past New Hampshire 45-33

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 10:26:40 GMT

Watkins’ 4 TD day helps carry Villanova past New Hampshire 45-33 DURHAM, N.H. (AP) — Quarterback Connor Watkins accounted for four touchdowns and Jalen Jackson ran for 145 yards and two touchdowns and Villanova beat New Hampshire 45-33 on Saturday.Watkins threw an 18-yard touchdown to TD Ayo-Durojaiye for the game’s seventh lead change midway through the third quarter and Villanova (7-2, 5-1 Coastal Athletic Association) led for the remainder. The scoring play made it 31-27, and before the quarter ended, Watkins ran it in from the 6 for an 11-point advantage. The game’s scoring ended when Watkins threw a 68-yard touchdown to Rayjuon Pringle with 9:53 left.Dylan Laube ran for 132 yards on 19 carries for New Hampshire (4-5, 2-4) scoring on run of 75 and 2 yards. The latter brought New Hampshire within 38-33 to end a 14-play, 75-yard drive that took almost five minutes before Watkins sealed with the pass to Pringle.New Hampshire’s Max Brosmer threw for 259 yards and a touchdown but was intercepted three times. ___Get alerts on the ...

Martínez scores again in 2-1 win for Serie A leader Inter at Atalanta. AC Milan loses to Udinese

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 10:26:40 GMT

Martínez scores again in 2-1 win for Serie A leader Inter at Atalanta. AC Milan loses to Udinese MILAN (AP) — Inter Milan consolidated its position at the top of Serie A and Lautaro Martínez boosted his lead in the scoring charts as the Nerazzurri won 2-1 at Atalanta on Saturday.Martínez doubled Inter’s advantage in the 57th minute after Hakan Çalhanoğlu’s penalty had given the visitors the lead on a rainy evening in Bergamo. They were the first goals Atalanta had conceded at home this season.Gianluca Scamacca reduced the deficit for Atalanta shortly after Martínez’s stunning strike.It was Martínez’s 12th league goal this season, double that of his nearest challengers — AC Milan forward Olivier Giroud and Napoli’s Victor Osimhen. It was also the 33rd goal of the calendar year for Martínez, who has been in lethal form since winning the World Cup with Argentina in December.Inter moved five points clear of second-place Juventus, which visits Fiorentina on Sunday, and six above Milan after the Rossoneri’s problems increased with a humiliating 1-0 loss at home to l...

Arab leaders push for an Israel-Hamas cease-fire now. Blinken says that could be counterproductive

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 10:26:40 GMT

Arab leaders push for an Israel-Hamas cease-fire now. Blinken says that could be counterproductive AMMAN, Jordan (AP) — Arab leaders decrying the deaths of thousands of Palestinian civilians in the Israel-Hamas war pushed for an immediate cease-fire Saturday even as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned that such a move would be counterproductive and could encourage more violence by the militant group. After an afternoon of talks with Egyptian, Jordanian, Saudi, Qatari and Emirati diplomats and a senior Palestinian official, Blinken stood side by side at a line of podiums with his counterparts from Jordan and Egypt to discuss what he said was their shared desire to protect civilians in Gaza and improve aid flows to the besieged territory.The dissonance in the messages was evident. Nonetheless, the joint news conference between ministers from the Arab world and the top diplomat from Israel’s closest ally and numerous photo opportunities contrasted with Blinken’s time in Tel Aviv on Friday, when Blinken met alone with reporters after closed-door talks with Prime Minister Be...

Auburn FG and late defensive stand lift No. 7 Texas over No. 25 Kansas State 33-30 in OT

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 10:26:40 GMT

Auburn FG and late defensive stand lift No. 7 Texas over No. 25 Kansas State 33-30 in OT AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas was dominant for most of three quarters against Kansas State, building a comfortable 20-point lead behind a suffocating defense.Then the No. 7 Longhorns found themselves in overtime, clinging to a three point lead with just six yards between the No. 25 Wildcats, the end zone and a loss. “These are the moments you live for. Everybody wants to be the person to make that play,” Texas defensive back Jahdae Barron said. “Trust one another. And that’s what we did.”With a chance to win and all the momentum, Kansas State gained just two yards in three plays before Texas’ Barryn Sorrell pressured Will Howard into a desperate, off-balance pass that fell incomplete, as the Longhorns made Bert Auburn’s 42-yard field goal stand up for a 33-30 win that keeps them atop the Big 12. Texas (8-1, 5-1 Big 12, No. 7 CFP) matched last season’s win total and stayed on track for a possible berth in the Big 12 championship game. Texas hasn’t won the l...

Army’s swarming defense forces 6 turnovers in 23-3 win, deals No. 17 Air Force first loss of season

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 10:26:40 GMT

Army’s swarming defense forces 6 turnovers in 23-3 win, deals No. 17 Air Force first loss of season DENVER (AP) — Quarterback Bryson Daily ran for 170 yards and two touchdowns, Army’s swarming defense forced six turnovers and the Black Knights knocked No. 17 Air Force from the list of undefeated teams with a 23-3 win on Saturday.Daily and the Black Knights entered as an 18 1/2-point underdog, according to FanDuel Sportsbook. But they quickly set the tone with a dominant opening half in which they led 23-3. A stunned and staggered Falcons team never got on track in front of 52,401 fans at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver. The mistake-prone Falcons (8-1) had four fumbles, threw two interceptions, missed a 32-yard field goal and turned the ball over twice on downs as their best start since 1985 came to a halt. They entered the day as one of eight undefeated major college football teams.Army (3-6) snapped a five-game skid and moved into the driver’s seat to hoist the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy. The Black Knights need to beat Navy on Dec. 9 to claim the prize in the annual r...

No. 4 Florida State earns spot in ACC title game by pulling away from game Pitt 24-7

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 10:26:40 GMT

No. 4 Florida State earns spot in ACC title game by pulling away from game Pitt 24-7 PITTSBURGH (AP) — Jordan Travis ran for a touchdown and threw for another and No. 4 Florida State clinched a spot in the ACC Championship game with a 24-7 win over Pittsburgh on Saturday.The Seminoles (9-0, 7-0) are heading to Charlotte on the first Saturday in December for the first time in nine years, overcoming a shaky first half to pull away over the final two quarters.Travis hit tight end Markeston Douglas for a 22-yard touchdown midway through the third quarter to give Florida State a 10-point lead. Trey Benson sprinted 55 yards up the middle on the Seminoles’ next possession to put the Panthers (2-7, 1-4) away.Florida State, fourth in the initial College Football Playoff ranking, won its 15th straight game.It did not come easy on a day the Seminoles played without leading receivers Keon Coleman and Johnny Wilson. Wilson was ruled out well before the game due to injury, while Coleman did not take the field for warm-ups.Travis relied heavily on screens and dump-offs befor...

Protest marches from US to Berlin call for immediate halt to Israeli bombing of Gaza

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 10:26:40 GMT

Protest marches from US to Berlin call for immediate halt to Israeli bombing of Gaza WASHINGTON (AP) — From Washington to Milan to Paris, tens of thousands of pro-Palestinian demonstrators marched Saturday, calling for a halt to Israel’s bombardment of Gaza.The marches reflected growing disquiet about the mounting civilian casualty toll and suffering from the Israel-Hamas war. Protesters, particularly in countries with large Muslim populations, including the U.S., U.K. and France, expressed disillusionment with their governments for supporting Israel while its bombardments of hospitals and residential areas in the Gaza strip intensify.The Palestinian death toll in the Israel-Hamas war has reached 9,448, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza. In Israel, more than 1,400 people have been killed, most of them in the Oct. 7 Hamas attack that started the war.In the U.S., thousands converged on the nation’s capital to protest the Biden administration’s support of Israel and its continued military campaign in Gaza. “From the river to the sea, Palestine wi...

Cambridge native takes inclusive collection to NY fashion week

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 10:26:40 GMT

Cambridge native takes inclusive collection to NY fashion week A local designer made waves at New York Fashion Week this year with her adaptive swimwear line.Girls Chronically Rock is a brand that focuses on making clothing for people of all abilities.Keisha Greaves says she founded the brand after she was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy. Adaptive wear, she said, can be a gamechanger for people living with disabilities. The line she showed in New York was an adaptive swimwear with hooks that make it easy for people who do aquatic therapy sessions.Greaves said she would love to bring a Fashion Week to Cambridge.

‘Field of Honor’ on display in Stoneham ahead of Veterans Day

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 10:26:40 GMT

‘Field of Honor’ on display in Stoneham ahead of Veterans Day Stoneham has established its Veterans Day Field of Honor for the fourth year, a tribute that organizers say keeps growing. “Stoneham is unique in that we celebrate veterans week, not just Veterans Day,” said state Rep. Michael Day, who was on hand for a ceremony at the Field of Honor on Saturday. The salute to servicemembers features flags and the names of veterans.State Sen. Jason Lewis was also at the ceremony, and said world events have added extra meaning to honoring those who have made the ultimate sacrifice.“Conflicts in the Middle East Ukraine and elsewhere may seem distant but they affect many of our neighbors none more so than our military service members and their families who may receive orders to deploy at any time,” he said. “The men and women honored by each of these flags made the choice to serve others sometimes at great risk to themselves.”‘Anyone who would like to tour the display is invited to walk through it, it’s open 24...