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Miami’s motivational Larrañaga leads another Final Four run

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:28 GMT

HOUSTON (AP) — Begin with the end in mind.A devotee of Franklin Covey’s “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People,” Jim Larrañaga chose Habit 2 to describe Miami’s first trip to the Final Four.“You’ve got to have a vision of where you’re going,” Larrañaga said. “It’s like putting in your GPS, your destination, and I think we put in Houston as our destination. That was going to be our road map.”Larrañaga has been down this road before.With Larrañaga at the helm, George Mason had one of the greatest mid-major runs in NCAA Tournament history, pulling off one upset after another — and a nation of underdog fans with them — all the way to the 2006 Final Four.“He was a teacher, he was a mentor, a wizard,” said Tony Skinn, a guard on the 2006 George Mason team who was named head coach of his alma mater on Thursday. “When you have a chance to play for a guy like that, you get the results we ended up getting. It’s not surprising he’s in this position. It’s a new group, but sa...

NATO chief: ‘My aim’ is for Sweden to join alliance by July

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:28 GMT

Sweden could still become a NATO member by summer, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg told POLITICO on Thursday as Finland moved ahead on its own to join the military alliance. The two Nordic countries initially applied to join NATO together last year, but their fates diverged Thursday after Turkey ratified Finland’s bid while leaving Sweden behind — the product of a lingering dispute over the country’s support for Kurdish groups and limitations on arms exports.Stoltenberg insisted in an interview that Sweden could still get its own green light after Turkey’s May elections. Turkey’s relationship with Sweden has grown especially contentious ahead of the elections, following a Quran-burning protest in Stockholm earlier this year.“My aim remains that after the Turkish elections, but before the Vilnius summit, we can also have the ratification of Sweden,” the secretary-general said from NATO headquarters in Brussels, referencing the alliance’s annual gathering on July 11.He did not say, h...

Finland cleared to join NATO following Turkish vote

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:28 GMT

The Turkish parliament on Thursday unanimously ratified Finland’s accession to NATO, effectively allowing Helsinki to join the military alliance but leaving Sweden out in the cold.Finland could now become a formal member of NATO within days. “All 30 NATO members have now ratified Finland’s membership,” Finnish President Sauli Niinistö tweeted. “I want to thank every one of them for their trust and support. Finland will be a strong and capable Ally, committed to the security of the Alliance,” he said. His country, the president added, “is now ready to join NATO.” The Turkish vote, occurring minutes before midnight in Ankara, comes after months of delays. Finland and Sweden initially applied for membership last May, prompted by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. And while the two countries were formally invited to join the alliance last summer, both Turkey and Hungary have been stalling on ratifying their memberships.  Ankara has raised concerns about the coun...

Biden to mark Good Friday peace deal in 5-day Irish trip

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:28 GMT

DUBLIN — U.S. President Joe Biden will pay a five-day visit to both parts of Ireland next month to mark the 25th anniversary of the U.S.-brokered Good Friday peace accord, according to a provisional Irish government itinerary seen by POLITICO.The plans, still being finalized with the White House, have the president arriving in Northern Ireland on April 11. That’s one day after the official quarter-century mark for the Good Friday Agreement, the peace deal designed to end decades of conflict that claimed more than 3,600 lives.With Irish roots on both sides of his family tree, Biden has long taken an interest in brokering and maintaining peace in Northern Ireland. He has welcomed the recent U.K.-EU agreement on making post-Brexit trade rules work in the region — a breakthrough that has yet to revive local power-sharing at the heart of the 1998 accord.According to two Irish government officials involved in planning the Biden visit itinerary, the president will start his stay overnigh...

Donald Trump indicted by Manhattan grand jury

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:28 GMT

(CNN) — Donald Trump has been indicted by a Manhattan grand jury, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter — the first time in American history that a current or former president has faced criminal charges.The indictment has been filed under seal and will be announced in the coming days. The charges are not publicly known at this time, one source told CNN.Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office will reach out to Trump’s attorneys to discuss his surrender to face an arraignment.CNN has reached out to Trump’s attorneys for comment.The DA’s office has been investigating the former president in connection with his alleged role in a hush money payment scheme and cover-up involving adult film star Stormy Daniels that dates to the 2016 presidential election.The decision is sure to send shockwaves across the country, pushing the American political system — which has never seen one of its ex-leaders confront...

Cambridge man charged with rape of 13-year-old girl in 2000 

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:28 GMT

A 41-year-old man has been charged in connection with the sexual assault of a 13-year-old girl in Cambridge more than 22 years ago, the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office announced on Thursday. Officials said the man snuck into the child’s room in the middle of the night in October of 2000, covering her mouth with his hand and sexually assaulting her. Officials said the man then ran out of the house. The DA’s office said police gathered evidence at the scene including a fingerprint later linked to the suspect in this case. The DA’s office said authorities also attempted to construct a DNA profile using DNA found on boxer shorts left behind at the sceneDecades later, the DA’s office said new DNA testing on the boxer shorts helped lead to a break in the caseReddick was arraigned on Thursday on three charges of rape of a child with force. He did not show his face in court.  Investigators said the man lived in the girl’s neighborhood, with his home just a half...

Mets Notebook: Jose Quintana going through rehab ‘One step at a time’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:28 GMT

MIAMI — Jose Quintana had never felt pain like the one he felt March 6 in Jupiter. The 34-year-old Mets lefty had felt great every day leading up to his second Grapefruit League start and he was looking forward to getting on the mound, putting in some work and departing for the World Baseball Classic.But there was a strange pain in his chest when he was warming up for his spring start against the St. Louis Cardinals. After making it through one inning, he went back to the dugout and had trouble breathing. He was worried it could be a problem with his heart.“I started my warmup and I felt way better than my first outing in spring training,” Quintana said Thursday at LoanDepot Park before the Mets’ season opener against the Miami Marlins. “My pitch was really good, it was great. But that pain in my chest, I was scared. As soon as I got back to the bench, I couldn’t breathe really good and I couldn’t move my arm like I usually do.”We now ...

Adley Rutschman makes history with homer, 5-for-5 day in Orioles’ season-opening 10-9 win over Red Sox

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:28 GMT

Much of the discussion surrounding the roster the Orioles put together for the 2023 season focused on who wasn’t on it. They didn’t sign a marquee free agent. They didn’t swing a big trade. Top-ranked prospects Grayson Rodriguez, DL Hall and Jordan Westburg will open the season in the minors.But any qualm one might take with Baltimore’s opening day roster could be negated by this: It includes Adley Rutschman.The Orioles’ star catcher shined in his first opening day game Thursday, homering in his first at-bat and reaching base five more times to lead Baltimore to a 10-9 victory against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. Rutschman became the first player since 1937 to go 5-for-5 or better with a home run on opening day. He is the first catcher with five hits on opening day since at least 1900, according to ESPN Stats and Info.He was positioned to break camp with the Orioles in 2022, but a right tricep strain delayed his debut until May. Despite his late a...

Auction of signed Zelenskyy painting to help Ukraine

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:28 GMT

An original painting of Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed by the Ukrainian president is being sold at auction, and proceeds from the sale will be used to benefit the nation’s people suffering during its war with Russia.Bidding on the 40-by-24-inch painting by American artist Oleg Jones starts at $50,000, and the goal is to sell it for at least $100,000, Bobby Livingston, executive vice president of auctioneer RR Auction in Boston, said Thursday.The painting features an image of Zelenskyy against the background of Ukraine’s blue and yellow flag. Several raised stars in the upper left of the piece form a heart around the gold trident from the nation’s coat of arms.The acrylic paints are coated in resin sprinkled with glass dust, giving it a sparkling effect.It is signed, in English, “Zelenskyy, Glory to Ukraine.” It’s also signed by the artist.The auction, which concludes April 12, includes photos of the president signing it in his office.The proceeds of t...

Trump indicted by grand jury in Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg’s ‘hush money’ probe

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:28 GMT

Donald Trump was indicted Thursday by a Manhattan grand jury in the Stormy Daniels hush money probe, an unprecedented legal move that marks the first criminal charges in U.S. history brought against a former president, the Daily News has learned.Trump lawyer Joe Tacopina confirmed he had been indicted to The News. He did not immediately confirm the specific charges filed by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.A court source told The News a grand jury foreman was in the process of handing up an indictment at about 5:30 p.m.The grand jury had been investigating hush money payments made to porn star Daniels on the eve of Trump’s 2016 election as president, how Trump classified payback checks to his then-fixer Michael Cohen, and how he hid the transaction to conceal its purpose of influencing the election.Logistics of Trump’s surrender at Manhattan Supreme Court, where he must enter a plea to the charges, were unclear.The hush money deal has long been public knowledge. Cohen detaile...