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Record-equaling Bayer Leverkusen returns top of the Bundesliga with 4-0 rout of Union Berlin

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:21:57 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — Xabi Alonso did it as a player. Now he’s done it again as a coach.Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen routed Union Berlin 4-0 to return to the top of the Bundesliga after matching the league’s best-ever start on Sunday with 10 wins and a draw.As a classy midfielder, Alonso was also part of the Bayern Munich team that only dropped two points in the first 11 rounds under coach Pep Guardiola in 2015-16.“We don’t want to talk too much about the record,” Alonso said. “We want to keep going, we want to look forward. It’s going to be difficult before the winter break.”Spanish compatriot Álex Grimaldo – a defender – scored again and set up another goal Sunday.Grimaldo, who joined Leverkusen in the offseason from Benfica, took his league tally to six goals by scoring for the second consecutive game.Leverkusen capitalized on some lackluster defending from Union when the 28-year-old Grimaldo was set up by Florian Wirtz to open the scoring in the 23rd minute.The home team missed...

The Week … Rishi Sunak has a Suella Braverman conundrum

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:21:57 GMT

Listen on Spotify Apple Music Amazon Music Sky News In this episode, they look ahead to what could be the biggest week of Rishi Sunak’s premiership so far. The prime minister is set to resolve a conundrum about the future of his home secretary, Suella Braverman, which could potentially trigger a cabinet reshuffle.Plus, the Supreme Court is set to announce its judgment of the legality of the government’s Rwanda policy – not to mention monthly inflation figures and Liz Truss.Email with your thoughts and rate how their predictions play out: [email protected] or [email protected]

Syriza’s bad Sunday: Greece’s main opposition cracks up

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:21:57 GMT

Crushed by the outright election win of conservative Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in June, which sparked the resignation of its charismatic leader Alexis Tsipras, Greece’s main opposition party Syriza is now cracking up, with an exodus of dozens of members over the weekend.The radical left-wing party gained Europe-wide notoriety at the peak of the financial crisis in 2015 when it looked as if Tsipras and his Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis were about to lead Athens out of the eurozone in a game of high-stakes brinkmanship with German-led debt hawks in the EU. Eight years on, the party now appears to be on its last legs. The unlikely election of ex-Goldman Sachs banker Stefanos Kasselakis as Syriza leader has infuriated a large segment of the party core, which sees him as out of touch with Greece and its left. His meteoric rise from obscurity; his lack of a political agenda; the media tittle-tattle around his American nurse husband; the couple’s Cartier rings; a...

Barbie’s Ken left out again: Cabbage Patch Kids and Fisher-Price Corn Popper make Toy Hall of Fame

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:21:57 GMT

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Fans have pushed the Fisher-Price Corn Popper into the National Toy Hall of Fame, elevating it from perpetual finalist to 2023 inductee, alongside baseball cards, Cabbage Patch Kids and NERF foam toys, the hall announced.But Barbie’s kind-of boyfriend, Ken?He was left out, despite having a huge year and a hit song due to his portrayal by Ryan Gosling in the summer blockbuster “Barbie.”The Fisher-Price popper, a push toy that encourages babies to walk, was chosen by fans who were invited to celebrate the Toy Hall of Fame’s 25th anniversary by voting for one of five toys that had made it to the finals more than once but were passed over. The rest of the so-called“Forgotten Five” included the pogo stick, My Little Pony, PEZ dispensers and Transformers.Baseball cards, Cabbage Patch Kids and NERF toys were voted in in the usual way from among a field of 12 finalists, with input from a panel of experts.“These four deserving induc...

Callahan: It’s time for the Mac Jones era to end in New England

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:21:57 GMT

FRANKFURT, Germany —  You don’t bench a quarterback you believe in.You hand him the keys at the end of the game, and trust him to drive to victory.Instead, Bill Belichick ripped them away from Mac Jones and tossed them to Bailey Zappe.Forget what Zappe did in the ensuing moments or what Belichick said later. That moment spoke loudest about Jones’ future in New England: the Patriots coaching staff has no faith in him.Judging by players’ post-game comments, and whispers over the last month, the locker room would be open to a long-term change. So if they don’t believe in Jones, why should you?Jones turns the ball over. He makes poor decisions before and after the snap. His strengths — quick processing and decision-making — have rapidly deteriorated into weaknesses this season.This should be clear as day.Instead, the Jones conversation has been convoluted by bad framing; fans and media alike dealing in false binaries that complicate what should ...

‘The Marvels’ melts down at the box office 

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:21:57 GMT

NEW YORK — Since 2008’s “Iron Man,” the Marvel machine has been one of the most unstoppable forces in box-office history. Now, though, that aura of invincibility is showing signs of wear and tear. The superhero factory hit a new low with the weekend launch of “The Marvels,” which opened with just $47 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.The 33rd installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, a sequel to the 2019 Brie Larson-led “Captain Marvel,” managed less than a third of the $153.4 million its predecessor launched with before ultimately taking in $1.13 billion worldwide.Sequels, especially in Marvel Land, aren’t supposed to fall off a cliff. Yet “The Marvels” debuted with more than $100 million less than “Captain Marvel” opened with — something no sequel before has ever done. David A. Gross, who runs the movie consulting firm Franchise Research Entertainment, called it “an unprecedented Marvel b...

Ravens CB Marlon Humphrey, RB Keaton Mitchell active vs Browns; RT Morgan Moses inactive

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:21:57 GMT

Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey, who was limited in practice this week with a hamstring injury and listed as questionable for Sunday’s game against the Browns, is active for the AFC North tilt.The 27-year-old for All-Pro and three-time Pro Bowl selection went through an extensive warm-up routine that lasted about 10 minutes at M&T Bank Stadium and had no obvious issues. He also isn’t the only Ravens player who was listed as questionable but will be active.Running back Keaton Mitchell, who had 138 yards and a touchdown on nine carries in last week’s win over the Seattle Seahawks, is as well. The undrafted rookie out of East Carolina was a full participant at practice Friday after being limited with a hamstring injury earlier in the week and had been listed as questionable.However, Baltimore (7-2) will be without right tackle Morgan Moses (shoulder), who practiced all week but was listed as questionable and on Sunday made inactive.Four others are also inactive ...

Sweet 16: Xaverian’s breakthrough

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:21:57 GMT

The reaction of Xaverian players in the final seconds Friday night told the entire story.Having seen Springfield Central destroy them in back-to-back postseasons as well as a regular season loss in September, the Hawks finally got their moment. They made just enough plays on both sides of the ball to escape with a hard-fought 21-20 win and a berth in the Div. 1 state semifinals.“I think there was a combination of getting some revenge and some relief,” Xaverian coach Al Fornaro said of his team’s postgame exuberation. “They really felt cheated that they lost the first game (44-41), they felt like they didn’t do enough to win the game.”Successful seasons at Xaverian are not measured by win and losses as much as Super Bowl titles. Even with the annual lofty expectations, Fornaro felt he had a returning group fully capable of embracing those goals.“We really have a group of very mature young men,” Fornaro said. “At the end of last season, they realized that they didn’t...

Ticker: Biden, Xi to meet Wednesday; Judge allows Daily Mail lawsuit to go to trial 

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:21:57 GMT

President Joe Biden and China’s Xi Jinping’s have no shortage of difficult issues to discuss when they meet Wednesday in the San Francisco area.It will be the first conversation in a year between the leaders of the world’s biggest economies. Expectations are low for major breakthroughs. Still, both leaders are looking to bring a greater measure of stability to the relationship that’s being defined by differences over export controls, tensions over Taiwan, the wars in the Middle East and Europe, and more.“The United States has no desire to decouple from China. A full separation of our economies would be economically disastrous for both our countries, and for the world,” Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen told Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng when they met this past week. “We seek a healthy economic relationship with China that benefits both countries over time.”Judge allows Daily Mail lawsuit to go to trialA lawsuit by Prince Harry, Elton John and five other public figures acc...

Bill Belichick addresses job security after Patriots’ 10-6 loss to Colts

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:21:57 GMT

FRANKFURT, Germany — The Patriots boarded their plane home to New England without owner Robert Kraft making any rash decisions about the team’s future.Head coach Bill Belichick was asked by a foreign reporter after Sunday’s loss if the talk about his job security bothers him. There have been recent reports that Belichick and Kraft could mutually part ways after the season. There’s also been speculation that the Patriots could fire or trade Belichick this offseason.Related ArticlesNew England Patriots | Bailey Zappe blows another opportunity with Patriots starting QB job on the line New England Patriots | Bill Belichick not committing to Patriots QB Mac Jones after third benching New England Patriots | Mac Jones benched again for Bailey Zappe in 10-6 loss to Colts in Germany New England Patriots | Patriots owner Robert Kraft broke his silence on the Patriots’ ‘disappointing’ season ...