Alcaraz and Medvedev advance to semifinals at China Open. Swiatek wins on debut in Beijing

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:54:42 GMT

Alcaraz and Medvedev advance to semifinals at China Open. Swiatek wins on debut in Beijing BEIJING (AP) — Second-ranked Carlos Alcaraz eased to his 12th semifinal appearance of the season with a 6-4, 6-2 win over seventh-seeded Casper Ruud at the China Open on Monday.The top-seeded Spaniard recovered from falling a break behind in the first set before he overpowered Ruud with 30 winners and four breaks of serve to advance.“To be able to beat a player like Casper in straight sets is really good,” Alcaraz said. “It means you are playing well. It is really tough, big rallies at the beginning of the match, but I am really happy with the level. “Being able to find solutions after the start of the first set. These kind of matches give you extra confidence.”Alcaraz will meet sixth-seeded Jannik Sinner in Tuesday’s semifinals after the Italian downed Grigor Dimitrov 6-4, 3-6, 6-2.Third-ranked Daniil Medvedev overcame a second-set stumble to beat Frenchman Ugo Humbert 6-4, 3-6, 6-1. The Russian struggled to find his usual fluid game in the first two sets bu...

Help on the way: Jags getting LT Cam Robinson back from 4-game suspension for performance-enhancers

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:54:42 GMT

Help on the way: Jags getting LT Cam Robinson back from 4-game suspension for performance-enhancers The Jacksonville Jaguars have help on the way for their stalled ground game and short-yardage woes.Veteran left tackle Cam Robinson will return to practice Wednesday following a four-game suspension for violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancers. Since it will be Robinson’s first on-field work in nearly six weeks, the Jaguars would prefer to ease him back into the starting lineup.But given the team’s offensive struggles — Jacksonville ranks 29th in the league in third down efficiency and 26th in yards per carry — coach Doug Pederson surely will be tempted to get Robinson on the field when the Jaguars (2-2) play their second consecutive game in London on Sunday.Jacksonville beat Atlanta 23-7 in a “home” game at Wembley Stadium on Sunday, then packed up and moved across town to prepare to be the visiting team against Buffalo (3-1) at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.The Jaguars got league approval for Robinson to travel overseas before he was moved off the reserve/suspended list Mon...

Can the Broncos save the season after a victory in Chicago?

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:54:42 GMT

Can the Broncos save the season after a victory in Chicago? DENVER (KDVR) - The first win is always the toughest. Just ask the Denver Broncos.Sunday’s 31-28 victory over the Chicago Bears was a long time coming. How long? The Broncos last won a game in the United States on Nov. 7, 2021, a 30-16 upset of the Dallas Cowboys. Take away the London victory against the Jacksonville Jaguars last season and the Broncos have gone winless in 12 games.That streak of futility came to an end Sunday.“I’m encouraged that we fought back into that game, but man, let’s not finish today when we’re done watching this tape and feel like we’re content at all with how we played,” said Broncos Head Coach Sean Payton on his Monday morning Zoom audio call. Denver ranked as one of the most foodie-friendly cities in US Payton credits quarterback Russell Wilson for guiding the team to their first victory. “(We’re) down 21 points and that momentum can swing very quickly," Payton said. "He was certainly feeling that confidence that, ‘Hey just get us the ball and here we...

US to send more aid to Ukraine ‘soon’ amid funding concerns, White House says

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:54:42 GMT

US to send more aid to Ukraine ‘soon’ amid funding concerns, White House says The U.S. will be sending another aid package to Ukraine “soon,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Monday, in an effort to assuage concerns about diminishing support for the embattled country.“There is [a] strong, very strong international coalition behind Ukraine. And if [Russian President Vladimir] Putin thinks he can outlast us, he’s wrong. He’s wrong. And so we will have another package of aid for Ukraine soon to signal our continued support for the brave people of Ukraine,” Jean-Pierre said during a White House press briefing. The latest aid package will come later this week, according to a U.S. official.The announcement comes two days after Congress passed an 11th hour government funding bill that did not include aid for Ukraine, an omission that was a blow for both Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and President Joe Biden, who has made support for Ukraine one of his priorities as he seeks reelection in 2024.Zelenskyy met with congressional leadership in...

Ruth Bader Ginsburg honored on new postage stamp

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:54:42 GMT

Ruth Bader Ginsburg honored on new postage stamp (CNN) — The United States Postal Service on Monday released its postage stamp honoring the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a feminist icon who served for years as the senior-most member of the court’s liberal wing.The USPS announced last year that it would feature an oil painting of the justice on a “Forever” stamp, which currently costs 66 cents. The painting shows the justice in a black judicial robe and a white collar, which became an iconic part of her wardrobe. Ginsburg died in 2020 at the age of 87.Ginsburg’s granddaughter Clara Spera told CNN that the honor “would have been beyond her wildest dreams.”“She worked as hard as she could for as long as she could, and did the very best that she could,” Spera told CNN’s Poppy Harlow in an interview that aired Monday on “This Morning.”Spera said her grandmother “would be absolutely delighted” that a record four women are serving on the highest court’s bench.“As sh...

Concord, NH police investigate report of man attempting to lure child into vehicle

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:54:42 GMT

Concord, NH police investigate report of man attempting to lure child into vehicle Police in Concord, New Hampshire, are asking the public for help after receiving a report of a man attempting to lure a 9-year-old girl into his vehicle.The Concord Police Department said its investigation was launched after officers were first called in on Thursday, Sept. 28 around 4:15 p.m.According to a news release, responding officers learned from the girl and her father that the 9 year old had been riding a bike on Fisherville Road when a male suspect approached and tried enticing her into entering his car.Police were also provided a license plate of the suspected vehicle and, according to the department, were able to locate and interview a possible suspect.As of Monday, Oct. 2, though, Concord PD said no arrests had been made in the case, and that the investigation was ongoing.Anyone with information on the incident, which occurred near a Cumberland Farms at 47 Fisherville Rd., is asked to contact Detective Steve Hemming from the Concord Police Department Criminal Investigati...

Disney sued over ‘severe’ injuries allegedly caused by ‘wedgie’ from water slide

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:54:42 GMT

Disney sued over ‘severe’ injuries allegedly caused by ‘wedgie’ from water slide (CNN) — Walt Disney Parks and Resorts is facing a lawsuit related to an “injurious wedgie” that court documents allege resulted from riding a 214-foot water slide in the resort’s Typhoon Lagoon water park in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.The suit pertains to an incident that took place on October 14, 2019, on the Humunga Kowabunga water slide during a two-week visit to Walt Disney World by plaintiffs Emma and Edward McGuinness and their family. The family visited the resort in part to celebrate Emma McGuinness’ 30th birthday.The slide, which Disney bills on its website as a “near-vertical, 5-story drop — in the dark,” descends 214 feet and plunges riders into a pool of water to end the ride.The suit, which was filed last week in the Circuit Court for Orange County, Florida, alleges that Disney knew, or should have known, of the risk of painful “wedgies,” particularly for women.“Specifically, when a rider of The Slide reached the bottom of the ride and traveled into the pool of wate...

Mayo Clinic Minute: The importance of supplemental screenings for dense breasts

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:54:42 GMT

Mayo Clinic Minute: The importance of supplemental screenings for dense breasts Sonya Goins | (TNS) Mayo Clinic News NetworkYou might need supplemental screenings if you’ve been diagnosed with dense breast tissue. Women with dense breast tissue have less fat and more glandular and connective tissue. They are also at a higher risk of developing cancer.Dense breast tissue refers to the way breast tissue appears on a mammogram. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 50% of women have this type of breast tissue.Dr. Kristin Robinson, a Mayo Clinic breast radiologist, encourages women with dense breast tissue to have additional screenings.What are some additional screenings?Supplemental screenings are a good idea if your mammogram shows you have dense breast tissue.“The dense tissue on a mammogram looks white, and cancer looks white,” says Dr. Robinson.She says these exams can assist in identifying cancer. Diagnostic tools, like MRI, use powerful magnets and radio waves to create cross-sectional images of the breasts.R...

What to expect for the flu, RSV and COVID-19 respiratory season

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:54:42 GMT

What to expect for the flu, RSV and COVID-19 respiratory season Deb Balzer | (TNS) Mayo Clinic News NetworkInfluenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and COVID-19 are all part of the seasonal respiratory virus lineup. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the upcoming fall and winter are expected to have a similar number of hospitalizations for respiratory diseases as last year. However, they say it’s important to note that these hospitalization numbers are higher than before the COVID-19 pandemic when the leading causes were the flu and RSV.Matthew Binnicker, Ph.D., director of the Clinical Virology Laboratory at Mayo Clinic, says researchers in the Northern Hemisphere look to the trends in the Southern Hemisphere, where winter is ending, to help forecast the upcoming respiratory season.“We saw in Australia that they had a typical to, in some areas, more severe influenza season. And that’s what I expect this year is more of what we saw pre-pandemic,” says Dr. Binnicker.“Whether it...

Lies, echo chambers and polarization: Misinformation and disinformation reaching new peaks as 2024 approaches

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:54:42 GMT

Lies, echo chambers and polarization: Misinformation and disinformation reaching new peaks as 2024 approaches With the 2024 presidential election still more than one year away, voters have been flooded with misinformation and disinformation at a pace never seen before.The disinformation has led to increasing political polarization in the country as former President Donald Trump faces four criminal indictments and current President Joe Biden faces an impeachment inquiry by House Republicans.The most prominent example of disinformation, observers said, is that Trump maintains that he won the 2020 presidential election, something repeated by his supporters for more than two years. That misinformation helped cause the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection that led to more than 1,000 rioters being arrested for storming the U.S. Capitol and trying to stop the Electoral College votes that eventually confirmed Biden as president.The ongoing clash has led to a nationwide battle on the facts that has not cooled.“This is totally on the increase,” said Scott McLean, a longtime political science professor at Quinni...