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Alonso sees race for F1’s 2nd-best behind Red Bull heat up

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:41:30 GMT

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Beaten by a rival other than Red Bull for the first time this season at the Australian Grand Prix on Sunday, Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso believes Formula One is about to become far more competitive.The veteran finished on the podium for the third time in as many races when taking third behind Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton in Melbourne.The 41-year-old Spaniard had previously finished third behind Red Bull’s Verstappen and Sergio Perez as that pair exchanged victories in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, respectively, in March.While Hamilton said the podium finish was an unexpected bonus given Mercedes’ struggles in the first two races, Alonso was less surprised by the improvement.The Aston Martin driver cited his battle with Hamilton’s teammate George Russell in Jeddah as an indication that Mercedes would be competitive in Melbourne and coming races this year.After qualifying second in Melbourne, Russell briefly led the Australian GP before misfortune...

Northeastern University student injured in fall from second-floor window

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:41:30 GMT

A Northeastern University student was rushed to the hospital Saturday night after falling from a second-floor window in Boston.Officers responding to a 7:30 p.m. report of a woman who fell from a home at the intersection of Judge and Iroquois streets found the woman suffering from life-threatening injuries, according to Boston police.Neighbors say there was a party going on at the time of the incident.In a statement, a school spokeswoman said, “We can confirm that a Northeastern student was involved in what appears to be a tragic accident Saturday evening. We are awaiting confirmation from the hospital on the student’s current condition. Because this incident is the subject of a police investigation, we cannot comment further at this time.” No additional information was immediately available.This is a developing news story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest details.

Driver flees traffic stop, crashes on Route 24 in Braintree

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:41:30 GMT

A driver who fled a traffic stop early Sunday morning was hospitalized after crashing on Route 24 in Braintree, police said. A trooper who tried to stop a car for motor vehicle violations on Route 93 southbound in Braintree said the driver refused to stop and go onto Route 24 southbound, where they crash in the area of Exit 38. The driver, whose name was not released, suffered minor injuries and was taken to Boston Medical Center.He will be booked on several outstanding warrants after his release from the hospital, police said.No additional information was immediately available.

Patrick Williams still isn’t the rebounder the Chicago Bulls need him to become. How can that change?

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:41:30 GMT

Patrick Williams did not record a rebound Friday night.That’s a problem for the Chicago Bulls. It would be one thing if this were a fluke. But Williams’ lack of presence on the boards has been a pattern dogging an otherwise positive season of growth for the third-year forward.In the last 48 minutes Williams played, he had only one rebound. He hasn’t grabbed an offensive board in three games. In two of the last 13 games, Williams recorded only one rebound. In two others, he didn’t snag a single one.When faced with the question of whether his rebounding is living up to his expectations, Williams’ answer was immediate: “Definitely not.”“There’s another level that I can get to,” Williams told the Tribune. “Really it’s just a mindset thing.”With five games remaining in the regular season, the Bulls are in 10th place in the Eastern Conference, three ahead of the Washington Wizards for the last spot in the play-i...

Column: From the White Sox home opener to the NFL draft, April is shaping up to be an all-timer for Chicago sports fans

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:41:30 GMT

The spring of our discontent has arrived, and April figures to be an interesting month for followers of Chicago’s not-so Fab Five.Four of our professional teams— the Blackhawks, Bulls, Cubs and White Sox— are all in action, while the Bears are on the clock. Throw in a mayoral election and some inclement weather and you have the three staples of the Chicago food group — sports, politics and weather — intermingling. When all is said and done, it could be an April for the ages, a month of potential goodbyes and welcome backs, from Jonathan Toews and Nikola Vučević to Jason Heyward.April also marks the opening steps of the six-month slog for our two summer teams and very well could be the end of the line for our winter teams, the two occupiers of the United Center. Even for Chicago sports fans used to multitasking games, it’s everything everywhere all at once.The re-rebuild of the Hawks, not to be confused with the Stan Bowman-led rebuild of...

Pakistan denies Israel trade after businessman’s export

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:41:30 GMT

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan on Sunday denied rumors of trade with Israel following a Jewish businessman’s tweet about successfully exporting food samples to Jerusalem and Haifa.Fishel Benkhald, a Pakistani-Jew based in the southern port city of Karachi, went viral for tweeting about his first kosher food shipment to Israel. The two countries do not have diplomatic ties.“Congratulations to me as a Pakistani. I exported the first batch of Pakistan food products to Israel market,” he said last week.Benkhald shared a video clip showing his visit to an Israeli market. He walks past stalls with containers of dates, dried fruit and spices with product tags in Hebrew.Pakistan denied having any diplomatic or trade relations with Israel. “There is no change in the policy,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch told media in response to queries about bilateral trade.Pakistan officially backs a two-state solution to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict and has a longstanding position of n...

Harris finds new connections in Africa as historic figure

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:41:30 GMT

LUSAKA, Zambia (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris may have traveled halfway around the world to reach this corner of Africa, but she was welcomed as a “daughter of our own country” when she sat down with Zambia’s leader.The visit, President Hakainde Hichilema said, was “like a homecoming.” It was a reference to a childhood trip to Zambia when Harris’ grandfather worked here, but she heard a similar refrain throughout her weeklong trip to Africa that ended Saturday. In Ghana, President Nana Akufo-Addo told Harris “you’re welcome home.” In Tanzania, a sign in Swahili told Harris to “feel at home.” The greetings were a reflection of the enduring connections between the African diaspora in the United States and Africans themselves, something that America’s first Black vice president fostered during her trip. Although her historic status has led to extreme scrutiny and extraordinary expectations in Washington, it was a source of excitement over the past week. “She is t...

States aim to boost school safety after Tennessee shooting

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:41:30 GMT

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — In the wake of an elementary school shooting in Tennessee earlier this week that left three 9-year-olds and three adults dead, state legislatures across the country are moving forward with bills aiming to improve school safety.The bills have been introduced in blue and red states alike and would require schools to install technology ranging from panic buttons, video surveillance and emergency communications systems. Most have bipartisan support, with lawmakers seeing them as a way to boost school security while avoiding political gridlock on the hot-button issue of gun control. But some experts say teacher safety training is more effective and less expensive than the new technologies, which also can require upgrades or ongoing maintenance that may not be funded.That hasn’t stopped states from Oregon to Missouri to Tennessee from pursuing the systems.“I was asked by a colleague if our schools will have to become fortresses to keep our kids safe. And I told...

Poland marches defend John Paul II from abuse cover-up claim

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:41:30 GMT

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Thousands of Poles joined marches Sunday in defense of the late pope, St. John Paul II, following a TV documentary that alleged he covered up child sex abuse involving clergy in his native Poland before his election as pontiff.The marches, which took place in Warsaw and other cities on the 18th anniversary of John Paul’s death, were organized by an anti-abortion group under the slogan: “You awakened us, we will defend you.”Participants prayed before marching behind religious relics in the capital. Some marchers carried photos of John Paul. Since the anniversary fell on Palm Sunday, they also carried pussy willows and other tree branches, which is a Roman Catholic tradition on the Sunday before Easter.The investigative documentary was aired last month by TVN, an independent broadcaster often critical of Poland’s conservative government. Many Polish Catholics saw it as an attack on the legacy of a man revered in Poland as one of the greatest figures in the nation...

Activists’ network in Mexico helps U.S. women get abortions

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:41:30 GMT

CHIHUAHUA, Mexico (AP) — Marcela Castro’s office in Chihuahua is more than 100 miles from the U.S.-Mexico border, yet the distance doesn’t prevent her from assisting women in the United States in circumventing recently imposed bans on abortion.From the headquarters of Marea Verde Chihuahua, an organization that has supported reproductive rights in northern Mexico since 2018, Castro and her colleagues provide virtual guidance, as well as shipments of abortion pills for women who want to terminate a pregnancy on their own. This abortion model, in which no travel, clinics or prescriptions are needed, sparked interest in the U.S. — and a surge of requests for help — as the Supreme Court moved to eliminate the constitutional right to abortion last year. But the model was developed by Mexican activists through decades of facing abortion bans and restrictions in most of Mexico’s 32 states.“We don’t offer medical attention because we are not doctors,” Castro said. “Part of our work, though,...