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Five things to watch in preseason opener

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 16:49:35 GMT

The Patriots open their three-game preseason slate at Gillette Stadium on Thursday night at 7 p.m., against the Houston Texans.We’ve seen the Patriots practice against themselves for two weeks of training camp. Here’s what to watch in their first game of the summer.Who’s playing quarterback?Patriots head coach Bill Belichick wasn’t explicitly clear in Tuesday morning’s press conference when asked about quarterback playing time in Thursday’s preseason opener, but reading the tea leaves, it seems unlikely that Mac Jones will play much, if at all.Belichick was asked if the Patriots’ lesser experienced players would start and play the majority of the game, and the head coach said, “Just like all the NFL [opening] games, yep.”When asked about his plan for quarterback snap counts, Belichick said, “Yeah, we’re still working on that, but the players who are least experienced will get the most playing time. I can tell you that.”Finally, Belichick was asked flat out if starter Mac Jones would...

Wildfire devastates Hawaii’s historic Lahaina Town, a former capital of the kingdom

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 16:49:35 GMT

KAHULUI, Hawaii (AP) — Dissipating smoke and ash revealed the sheer devastation that a wildfire left behind in Lahaina Town, one of Hawaii’s most historic cities and onetime capital of the former kingdom.At least 36 people were killed and hundreds of structures were damaged or destroyed in the blaze that sparked Tuesday and quickly spread throughout the western Maui community of less than 13,000 residents.It’s feared that the fire consumed much of historic Front Street, home to restaurants, bars, stores and what is believed to be the United States’ largest banyan — a fig tree with roots that grow out of branches and eventually reach the soil, becoming more trunklike features that expand the size of the tree — as well as other parts of Lahaina.Richard Olsten, a helicopter pilot with tour operator Air Maui, said he and other pilots and mechanics flew over the scene Wednesday before work to take stock.“All the places that are tourist areas, that are Hawaiian history, are gone, an...

Safety standards weren’t met before fire killed 11 at French home for disabled, prosecutor says

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 16:49:35 GMT

PARIS (AP) — Required safety standards weren’t met at a vacation home for adults with disabilities where a heavy fire left 11 dead in eastern France, a deputy prosecutor said Thursday. A day earlier, the fire killed 10 adults with slight intellectual disabilities and one person accompanying them. Nathalie Kielwasser, the deputy prosecutor of Colmar, said the first phase of the investigation shows that a mandatory safety inspection for such private accommodation facility had not been done.Speaking on French news broadcaster BFM TV, she said the fire started from the upper floor, but its cause has not been determined. The building in the Alsacian town of Wintzenheim was equipped to receive 28 people, including 12 on the ground floor and 16 on the upper floor, she added. It was equipped with smoke detectors, she added. The disabled adults were on a vacation sponsored by two specialized associations. They were staying in the building, whose ground floor was made of stone and the u...

Hawaii wildfires burn through a historic town on Maui and kill at least 36 people

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 16:49:35 GMT

WAILUKU, Hawaii (AP) — Thousands of Hawaii residents raced to escape homes on Maui as blazes swept across the island, destroying parts of a centuries-old town and killing at least 36 people in one of the deadliest U.S. wildfires in recent years.The fire took the island by surprise, leaving behind burned-out cars on once busy streets and smoking piles of rubble where historic buildings had stood in Lahaina Town, which dates to the 1700s and has long been a favorite destination for tourists. Crews battled blazes in several places on the island Wednesday, and the flames forced some adults and children to flee into the ocean.At least 36 people have died, according to a statement from Maui County late Wednesday that said no other details were available on the deaths. Officials said earlier that 271 structures were damaged or destroyed and dozens of people injured.Lahaina residents Kamuela Kawaakoa and Iiulia Yasso described a harrowing escape under smoke-filled skies Tuesday afternoon. T...

Norwegians prepare for more flooding and destruction after days of heavy rain

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 16:49:35 GMT

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — People in Norway prepared Thursday for more flooding and destruction Thursday as rivers swollen by days of heavy rain carried large amounts of water through the country’s mountainous southeast, where vast areas were either inundated or hit by landslides. Thousands of people living near waterways were evacuated, their houses emptied and cars moved to higher ground.There had been fears that a train bridge over the Lågen River would collapse because of the large volume of water, but railway officials said Thursday that it was now stable. All traffic across the bridge was halted Monday.On Wednesday, a nearby dam partially burst after Norway’s largest river spilled over and broke through the structure. Downstream communities had been evacuated and no casualties were reported. Police said the situation at the dam was being continuously assessed.Residents of the town of Hønefossen, through which the Begna River runs, were evacuated as large amounts of water...

China accuses US of trying to block its development and demands that technology curbs be repealed

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 16:49:35 GMT

BEIJING (AP) — China accused Washington on Thursday of trying to block its development after President Joe Biden stepped up a feud over technology and security by tightening controls on U.S. investments that might help Beijing develop its military.The Foreign Ministry accused the Biden administration of pursuing “technology hegemony” and demanded Washington “immediately revoke its erroneous decision.” It warned that the latest restrictions in a spreading conflict over Beijing’s industrial development would hurt global supply chains.An order signed by Biden on Wednesday targets advanced computer chips, micro electronics, quantum information technologies and artificial intelligence. The order says it wants to limit U.S. investment in industries that might help develop the ruling Communist Party’s military wing.The order adds to restrictions that limit Chinese access to U.S. processor chips used in smartphones, artificial intelligence and other technology on security grounds. Dozens of...

2 more arrested in Alabama riverfront brawl that drew national attention

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 16:49:35 GMT

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Police in Alabama on Wednesday arrested two more boaters on misdemeanor assault charges in connection with a riverside brawl that drew national attention. Major Saba Coleman of the Montgomery Police Department said the two men turned themselves in on Wednesday to be arrested. A total of three men are charged in connection with an attack on a riverboat captain and another dock worker that sparked a riverside brawl in Alabama’s capital city. One man turned himself in earlier in the week. The melee, where sides broke down along racial lines, began Saturday evening when a moored pontoon boat blocked the Harriott II riverboat from docking in its designated space along the city’s riverfront. The riverboat co-captain took another vessel to shore to attempt to move the pontoon boat and was attacked by several white people from the private boat, police said. Video showed him being punched and shoved. Crew members and others later confronted the pontoon boat part...

British man among at least 5 people killed in a week of violent protests in Cape Town

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 16:49:35 GMT

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — A British man was killed amid violent protests in the South African city of Cape Town after the vehicle he was riding in drove into the midst of some of the unrest.The 40-year-old man was sitting in the passenger seat of the vehicle when he was shot in the head, South African police said. Two other passengers and an infant were also in the vehicle. The passengers were taken to a hospital for medical treatment, police said.South African police said they opened a murder case over the shooting, which happened last week in the Nyanga township near the Cape Town International Airport and was confirmed by police on Thursday.At least five people have been killed in a week of protests in South Africa ‘s second-largest city and most popular tourist destination. The protests were sparked by a dispute between minibus taxi drivers and city authorities.At least 120 people have been arrested, Police Minister Bheki Cele said, after several shootings, armed robb...

Man suffers life-threatening injuries due to house fire in North York

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 16:49:35 GMT

A man was rescued from a two-alarm house fire and sent to hospital with severe life-threatening injuries in North York on Thursday morning.Toronto fire crews responded to a call at approximately 2:30 a.m. and arrived at a home on Candlewood Crescent near Jane Street and Finch Avenue West to heavy smoke showing.Crews rescued a man from the second floor of the home and emergency services transported him to hospital.The fire is out but a firewatch remains and there is no word on the cause of the fire.

Malaysia makes owning an LGBTQ+ Swatch punishable by up to 3 years in jail

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 16:49:35 GMT

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Malaysia’s government said Thursday that all Swatch products that contain lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer elements — including watches, wrappers and boxes — were banned, warning that anyone found with one could be jailed for up to three years.The ban has been published in the Federal Gazette — which makes it official — as part of a printing law that includes distribution and possession, citing concerns that such products were detrimental to the nation’s morality.Malaysia, which is predominantly Muslim, already criminalizes same-sex relationships, with punishments ranging from caning under Islamic laws to 20 years in prison for sodomy under colonial-era civil laws.In May, authorities raided Swatch stores and confiscated more than 160 watches from its Pride Collection. Some of the watches have rainbow colors while others are in a choice of six single colors that correlate to the gay pride flag, with two rainbow loops on their stra...