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Robert Wickens on cusp of winning a championship 5 years after he was paralyzed in IndyCar crash

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:08 GMT

Robert Wickens was determined from the very first days after his life-changing 2018 IndyCar accident not to let it define — or end — his racing career.The Canadian was 29 years old at the time, engaged to be married, and a breakout rookie star in a United States-based racing series after a successful career in Europe. Wickens nearly won his IndyCar debut, scored four podiums, and was sixth in the championship race when he sailed into the fence at Pocono Raceway with three races remaining in the season.He was paralyzed from the waist down.Wickens moved to a rehabilitation facility in Colorado, at first as an in-patient, before he moved into an extended stay motel to continue the work. Six hours a day, six days a week.“In the months and years that I spent rehabbing my body, trying to get the best quality of life possible for myself and for my family, always in the back of my mind I was wanting to return to racing,” Wickens told The Associated Press. “I wanted my own closure on m...

Thai and Filipino workers filling labor gap in Israel get caught up in war between Israel and Hamas

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:08 GMT

BANGKOK (AP) — The first group of Thai workers evacuated from Israel after the past few days’ bloody events in southern Israel and Gaza arrived Thursday in the Thai capital of Bangkok, greeted by anxious relatives and senior officials.Hamas militants stormed through a border fence Saturday and killed hundreds of Israelis in their homes, on the streets and at an outdoor music festival. The Israelis have responded with punishing airstrikes and preparations for a possible ground invasion. The conflict has claimed at least 2,600 lives on both sides, including some Southeast Asian workers living in Israel.The 41 Thais who returned home on a commercial flight of the Israeli airline El Al included two men wounded in the violence who had to use wheelchairs to exit the aircraft.Farm laborers from Thailand seek work in more developed countries where there is a shortage of semi-skilled labor — at wages considerably higher than they can earn at home.Tens of thousands of workers in Israel from n...

La ONU reporta la muerte de varios de sus funcionarios en Gaza y pide ayuda de emergencia tras ataques de Israel

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:08 GMT

(CNN) — Al menos 11 empleados de la Organización de Naciones Unidas han muerto en los ataques aéreos de Israel sobre Gaza desde el fin de semana, informó la ONU este miércoles. Además, hizo un llamado a ayuda económica de emergencia para continuar el trabajo humanitario en el asediado enclave palestino.El secretario general Antonio Guterres declaró que los funcionarios de la ONU que perdieron la vida pagaron “el precio máximo” en una breve declaración a la prensa.Entre los fallecidos se encuentran cinco profesores, una ginecóloga, un ingeniero, un consejero psicológico y tres miembros del personal de apoyo, según Jenifer Austin, directora adjunta de la Agencia de Naciones Unidas para la Población Refugiada de Palestina en Oriente Próximo (UNRWA, por sus siglas en inglés) en Gaza, quien añadió que algunos fueron “asesinados en sus hogares con sus familias”.La organización también informó que treinta estudiantes de escuelas de la ONU perdieron la vida.Gaz...

A Japanese court rules it’s unconstitutional to require surgery for a change of gender on documents

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:08 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — A court in central Japan ruled Thursday that it is unconstitutional to require a transgender person to undergo surgery to remove their current reproductive organs in order for them to receive documentation under their new gender.The verdict in Shizuoka family court upholds a transgender plaintiff’s request to change their gender from female to male without having surgery, a decision that was hailed as a landmark by LGBTQ+ advocates. The verdict sets only a limited precedent, but a similar case before Japan’s Supreme Court could set legal precedent nationally.Gen Suzuki, 48, filed a lawsuit in 2021, seeking a court decision to allow a change of his biologically assigned gender of female to male to match his self-identity without an operation. He said the requirement to undergo surgery was inhuman and unconstitutional.On Thursday, the Shizuoka family court upheld his request, saying that surgery to remove sexual organs would cause an irreversible loss of reproductive func...

Denver Nuggets 2023-24 full game schedule released

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:08 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — The Denver Nuggets are back in action. Preseason is underway, and the team's first regular season game starts in late October.Some key games include the home opener against the Los Angeles Lakers at Ball Arena. On Oct. 24, the Nuggets will raise the championship banner.The Nuggets will also play at home on Christmas against the Golden State Warriors. Nuggets 2023 preseason schedule released Look out for the game on Feb. 8 against the Lakers. While the Nuggets will be at Crypto.com Arena, a special Kobe Bryant statue will be unveiled at the game. Here is the entire schedule including the date, team, stadium and time.Denver Nuggets 2023-24 scheduleTuesday, Oct. 24 vs. Los Angeles Lakers, Ball Arena, 5:30 p.m.Friday, Oct. 27 @ Memphis Grizzlies, FedExForum, 5:00 p.m.Sunday, Oct. 29 @ Oklahoma City Thunder, Paycom Center, 1:30 p.m.Monday, Oct. 30 vs. Utah Jazz, Ball Arena, 7:00 p.m.Wednesday, Nov. 1 @ Minnesota Timberwolves, Target Center, 6:00 p.m.Friday, Nov. 3 vs. D...

Hidden 19th-century wooden boat unearthed in downtown St. Augustine

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:08 GMT

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. (WSVN) — Construction crews working on a downtown drainage project in St. Augustine stumbled upon a remarkable discovery. Florida Department of Transportation engineers uncovered a well-preserved 20-foot-long wooden boat, dating back to the 19th century.The unexpected find has experts and officials eager to learn more about the boat’s history. Careful excavation is currently underway to ensure the preservation of this intriguing piece of the past.“We assume that it was used by some sort of individual or maybe a small family, that’s a little hard to tell,” stated archaeologist Dr. Ian Pawn. “We do have some artifacts found with it. We’ve got some shoes, some leather shoes. The other thing is that I believe there are some coins from the 1860s and 1880s.”As they uncover more details about this historical vessel, officials are now on a quest to find its original owner, shedding light on an exciting chapter of St. August...

Beyoncé showing up for Taylor Swift’s movie premiere was a ‘fairytale’

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:08 GMT

(CNN) — Forget about Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce, she and Beyoncé are the true power pair of the year.On Wednesday night it was the era of two queens when Beyoncé attended the premiere for Swift’s “Eras Tour” concert film in Los Angeles.Naturally, the internet went bananas.Both women have reigned supreme this year with powerhouse concert tours that they are capitalizing on by bringing them to the big screen.First up is Swift’s, which “due to unprecedented demand” opened with early access shows on Thursday and will have additional showings over the weekend.Queen Bey, who recently wrapped her “Renaissance Tour” in Kansas City, has announced that her “Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé” will hit theaters on December 1.The women have been longtime admirers of each other and, early Thursday, Swift posted a video of the two of them together in a theater with Beyoncé tossing popcorn.Swift wrote in the caption, “I’m so glad I’ll never know what my life would’ve been like without @beyonce’s in...

Richard Branson’s Virgin wins a lawsuit against Florida’s Brightline over rebranding

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:08 GMT

LONDON (AP) — A British judge ruled in favor of Richard Branson’s Virgin group on Thursday in its lawsuit against a U.S. train company that terminated a licensing agreement and claimed the Virgin brand was no longer one of “high repute.”Judge Mark Pelling ruled in favor of Virgin Enterprises, which had sued Florida passenger train operator Brightline Holdings for breaching an agreement to rebrand as Virgin Trains USA. Brightline said it was disappointed with the ruling and planned to appeal.The lawsuit was over a deal the two companies struck in 2018 and Brightline pulled out of two years later. It came shortly after the Virgin Atlantic airline filed for bankruptcy protection in the U.S. and Virgin lost the U.K. train franchise it had held for two decades.Brightline argued that Virgin had “ceased to constitute a brand of international high repute, largely because of matters related to the pandemic.” Virgin Atlantic fought financial support from the British government after COV...

German gas deal with Qatar under renewed scrutiny

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:08 GMT

BERLIN — A high-level state visit by Qatar’s emir to Germany has raised fresh criticism of Berlin’s deal to import natural gas with the gulf state, which is seen as a major sponsor of the Palestinian militant group Hamas.Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani met with Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock as well as President Frank-Walter Steinmeier in the German capital on Thursday. None of the meetings were followed by appearances in front of the press, a fact that underscores the political sensitivity of the visit.Coinciding with the visit, some members of Scholz’s ruring coalition sharply criticized plans to import more liquified natural gas, or LNG, from Qatar.“Future energy partnerships should only take place with partners who recognize Israel’s right to exist and do not fight it,” said Michael Kruse, the energy policy spokesperson of the liberal Free Democratic Party (FDP), which rules in a coalition with Scholz’s center-left Socia...

Finland says ‘state actor’ might be involved in gas pipeline damage

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:08 GMT

Finland’s intelligence services said Thursday that a “state actor” could have perpetrated the damage to a Baltic Sea gas pipeline that happened over the weekend.“Involvement of a state actor in this job cannot be ruled out,” Finnish Security Intelligence Service Director Antti Pelttari said during a press conference, Reuters reported. “Who is behind this is a matter for the preliminary investigation. We do not comment on it in more detail.” On Tuesday, Finland confirmed that a 77-kilometer-long Balticconnector pipeline that links NATO members Finland and Estonia under the Gulf of Finland suffered a leak after an “unusual” drop in pressure. At the same time, Finnish telecoms operator Elisa reported it had detected a malfunction on an undersea cable it uses to verify communication connections. Senior Finnish officials said the damage to both the gas pipeline and communication cable was likely to have been caused by “external activity,” raising concerns ove...