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What next for Messi? A look at the options if he leaves PSG

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:18:43 GMT

PARIS (AP) — When Lionel Messi was jeered by Paris Saint-Germain fans during last Sunday’s home defeat to Lyon, their relationship looked like it had reached a breaking point.Messi joined PSG on a two-year deal after leaving Barcelona against his will in 2021, with an option for an extra year if both parties agreed. But talks have reportedly broken down and Messi’s departure this summer looks increasingly inevitable.There were high hopes he could lead PSG to an elusive Champions League title, but instead the Qatari-backed club went out in the round of 16 in consecutive seasons.He was among the players jeered last season after PSG was knocked out by Real Madrid, and although Messi’s form was outstanding in the first half of this campaign, it dipped significantly after he led Argentina to the World Cup title in Qatar.PSG coach Christophe Galtier defended Messi by saying it was others who should raise their game.“You can’t expect Leo to do everything,” Galtier s...

Battle of Waterlooville: How arch-Brexiteer Suella Braverman won a tricky selection contest

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:18:43 GMT

LONDON — Suella Braverman has triumphed in the Battle of Waterlooville: the tough selection battle against a fellow Tory to remain an MP. The arch-Brexiteer MP and home secretary was pitted against backbencher Flick Drummond to win selection for the newly created Fareham and Waterlooville constituency in Hampshire, following changes to the U.K.’s parliamentary boundary system. The showdown had been dubbed “the battle of Waterlooville” by locals. As part of those changes, Braverman’s Fareham constituency is absorbing the nearby seat of Meon Valley, currently held by Drummond, leading to a straight fight between the two.The clash exposed a fault line in the Conservative Party. Braverman is a Brexit-backing, culture war-fighting darling of the party’s right-wing and one of Rishi Sunak’s most senior ministers. As the party attempts to reverse its dire standing in the polls, Braverman as home secretary has been in the spotlight spearheading tough new e...

Officers arrest another suspect found on Boston PD’s ‘Most Wanted List’

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:18:43 GMT

Boston police arrested another suspect listed on their department’s “Most Wanted List.”According to Boston PD’s website, Brian Howell, 52, was arrested around 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday in the area of 101 Highland Avenue in Somerville.Authorities said Howell had been wanted on an outstanding warrant sought out of Boston Municipal Court on charges of breaking and entering and larceny.His arrest came at approximately the same time police arrested another member of the department’s wanted list, according to officials – 62-year-old Richard Morse, who was arrested in Boston for charges of breaking and entering, malicious destruction of property, and larceny.Both were to be arraigned in Boston Municipal Court.

Dump truck hits tunnel in Boston

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:18:43 GMT

A dump truck struck the top of a tunnel in Boston Wednesday, drawing an emergency response and prompting a brief ramp closure, according to the Massachusetts State Police. Police said a call came in reporting the crash just after 1 p.m. after police said the truck hit the tunnel entrance on the Purchase Street ramp toward the westbound lanes of the Mass Pike and I-93 South. Officials reopened the ramp after a brief closure.State police said no structural damage was found after this crash, adding that the truck driver was cited in connection with the incident.

Red Sox notebook: Corey Kluber’s redemption start not enough to prevent sweep

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:18:43 GMT

On Wednesday afternoon, Corey Kluber took the mound for his second start of the season, looking to bounce back from a rough Opening Day in which he’d allowed five earned runs in just 3 ⅓ innings.Bounce back he did, though without a crumb of run support.It’s a puzzling phenomenon in Boston: when Red Sox pitchers dominate, the bats go silent, and vice versa. It happened with Chris Sale for years before the injuries took hold. Eduardo Rodriguez typically received avalanches of run support (a 15-2 victory over the White Sox comes to mind). Just last week, Kluber and Sale gave up a combined 12 earned runs in less than seven innings combined between their respective season debuts, and the lineup scored 18 runs over their first two games.The first time through the rotation had gone poorly, confoundingly so. Starting from the top with Kluber felt like a chance to hit the reset button for everyone.Over five innings, the two-time Cy Young Award-winner held the Pittsburgh Pirates to one run on...

Grayson Rodriguez impresses in MLB debut but Orioles lose series finale, 5-2, to Jacob deGrom, Rangers

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:18:43 GMT

Since Grayson Rodriguez was selected in the first round of the 2018 MLB draft, the right-handed pitcher, the organization and Baltimore fans have spent the past four and a half years envisioning what the 6-foot-5 hurler would look like in an Orioles uniform.His major league debut wasn’t supposed to take this long. He was primed for a call-up last season as he dominated Triple-A batters, but a lat muscle injury sidelined the consensus top 10 prospect for three months. Rodriguez was then expected to make the Orioles’ opening day roster, but the team chose instead to start him in Norfolk after his uneven spring training.Nevertheless, Rodriguez’s big league debut Wednesday was well worth the wait.The 23-year-old impressed in his first big league start against the Texas Rangers in the Orioles’ 5-2 loss. After struggling in the first inning and giving up two runs, Rodriguez pitched four scoreless frames and looked every bit worthy of the hype.Rodriguez, a Nacogdoch...

Massachusetts AP scores highest in the nation for second year

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:18:43 GMT

Massachusetts again led the nation with the highest percentage of 2022 graduating students who scored a 3 or higher on AP exams during high school, according to CollegeBoard reports released Wednesday.“I’m proud of the students and educators who worked hard to make sure Massachusetts remains a leader in student participation and success,” Governor Maura Healey said in a DESE release, expressing a commitment “to expanding access to AP courses for all students.”In the state, 30.5% of students who graduated in 2022 scored a 3 or higher on Advanced Placement exams during high school — generally considered a passing grade to obtain college credit in the course — far outpacing the national percentage, 21.6%.The continued upswing in AP scores comes even as 2022 MCAS across the board took a whopping pandemic-hit, plunging to their lowest levels in decades.Massachusetts previously held the top spot for AP scores in 2021, 2019 and 2017, and the percen...

FBI says Department of Defense agents detained the wrong person in a Boston hotel room

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:18:43 GMT

Department of Defense agents reportedly detained the wrong person in a Boston hotel room during a training exercise Tuesday night, according to FBI Boston.The local FBI division was assisting the Pentagon in a Department of Defense training exercise at the Revere Hotel to “simulate a situation their personnel might encounter in a deployed environment.”“Based on inaccurate information, they were mistakenly sent to the wrong room and detained an individual, not the intended role player,” the FBI Boston spokesperson added. “Thankfully nobody was injured. The Boston Police Department was called and responded to the scene to confirm that this was indeed a training exercise.”The person who was detained might be a Delta crew member.“Safety is always a priority of the FBI, and our law enforcement partners, and we take these incidents very seriously,” the FBI Boston spokesperson said. “The Boston Division is reviewing the incident with DO...

Pitch clock transforming Red Sox viewing experience

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:18:43 GMT

It’s long been the worst part about following the Red Sox. The games finish too darn late.For the past two decades the Red Sox have perennially averaged among the longest game times in baseball; in recent years, often well over three hours. Since 2003, the club has led the league in 10 of 20 seasons and never ranked lower than fourth.That’s meant games regularly stretching deep into the night, often well past 10 p.m., sometimes even until almost 11.For fans who have work or school the next day, or for parents of young children, that’s a lot to ask. Yet intractable as the problem seemed, MLB’s new pace-of-play rules appear to have finally provided a solution.Tuesday night, Red Sox fans got their first taste of what a difference the pitch clock could really make. After a couple of long games to open the season, the Red Sox and Pirates played a quick 2:36 affair, which moved along at a brisk pace and wrapped up at around 9:45 p.m.Wednesday afternoon’s series finale was even faster, wit...

Dave Hyde: Stop the clock! Marlins beat Twins and time as baseball finds answer to endless problem

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:18:43 GMT

Hello, and welcome to loanDepot park for the first pitch between — oh, there’s one out! — the Miami Marlins and Minnesota Twins on — that’s two outs! — Wednesday afternoon as we time baseball’s new rule change to … stop the clock!Three minutes, three outs!Fast and foremost, the top of the first inning Wednesday still felt like the top of the morning one week into a new baseball era. Who hasn’t fallen in love with the pitch clock?It’s safe to watch baseball again without packing an overnight bag. The seventh-inning stretch isn’t a wake-up call to various body parts.Take me out to the ball game.Take me out to the cro—Well, OK, there were 8,981 fans at Wednesday’s series-closer for the Marlins. Some things don’t change quickly. The disaster of Derek Jeter (he made people actually miss Jeffrey Loria) and the lack of Marlins payroll (the New York Mets pay more for their luxury tax) this opening, 3-4 homes...