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A Half-Century Ago, Another Major Intel Failure Saw Israel’s Leader Resign

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:00:52 GMT

A surprise attack catches the Israeli military — who thought it was a training exercise — off guard. A stunning intelligence failure with warnings going unheeded. Calls for the prime minister to resign.Exactly 50 years and a day before this past weekend’s surprise attack by Hamas on Israel, an eerily similar series of events played out on the world stage: the Yom Kippur War.In 1973, amid blistering tensions over Israel–Palestine, Arab coalition forces led by Egypt and Syria carried out a surprise attack, successfully pushing Israel, for a time, out of the occupied Golan Heights and the Sinai Peninsula. Israeli intelligence noticed the Egyptian military buildup but incorrectly assessed that they were simply military exercises — an error repeated by the Israeli intelligence this past week, according to a news report.Just before the Hamas attack on Friday, Israeli security chiefs took part in a high-level meeting to discuss whether Hamas’s irregular activity was the prelude to an...

American Angel Yin moves into a share of the third-round lead at the LPGA Shanghai tournament

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:00:52 GMT

SHANGHAI (AP) — American Solheim Cup player Angel Yin shot a 7-under 65 on Saturday to move into a share of the third-round lead at the LPGA Shanghai tournament.Yin was tied with Maja Stark, who had a one-stroke lead after two rounds.Yin and Stark, who shot 70, had 12-under totals of 204 on the Qizhong Garden Golf Club course in the LPGA’s first return to China since 2019 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.Pavarisa Yoktuan of Thailand bogeyed her final hole for a 69 and was a shot back in third place.Two-time defending champion Danielle Kang of the United States shot 73 and was four strokes behind the leaders.The event is the start of a four-tournament Asia swing, with later stops in South Korea, Malaysia and Japan.___AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golfSource

Colorado’s two-way star Travis Hunter scores two touchdowns in return from lacerated liverg

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:00:52 GMT

BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — Two-way standout Travis Hunter returned from a lacerated liver that sidelined him for three games and played the roles of both hero and goat in Colorado’s 46-43 collapse against Stanford on Friday night.Hunter led the Buffaloes with 13 catches for 140 yards and two touchdowns in his first game in nearly a month, and he collected five solo tackles on defense. But he also was burned by Cardinal star receiver Elic Ayomanor, whose school-record 294-yard performance was highlighted by a 30-yard touchdown catch in the first overtime. The stout sophomore corralled Ashton Daniels’ throw on the back of Hunter’s helmet, held on as their momentum took both into the end zone and lifted the ball over Hunter’s head just as he backpedaled in for the score.Coach Deion Sanders didn’t hold back on Hunter’s workload and when it was suggested that decision will be scrutinized in light of Ayomanor’s big day, Sanders retorted, “His condition...

Stewart, Liberty to host Wilson, Aces

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:00:52 GMT

Las Vegas Aces (34-6, 18-2 Western Conference) at New York Liberty (32-8, 16-4 Eastern Conference)New York; Sunday, 3 p.m. EDTFANDUEL SPORTSBOOK WNBA LINE: Aces -2.5; over/under is 171.5WNBA FINALS:BOTTOM LINE: The New York Liberty host the Las Vegas Aces.The Liberty are 15-5 on their home court. New York leads the Eastern Conference averaging 89.2 points and is shooting 46.0%.The Aces are 15-5 in road games. Las Vegas is the Western leader with 28.7 defensive rebounds per game led by A’ja Wilson averaging 7.7.TOP PERFORMERS: Breanna Stewart is averaging 23 points, 9.3 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.6 blocks for the Liberty. Jonquel Jones is averaging 16.0 points over the last 10 games for New York.Wilson is scoring 22.9 points per game and averaging 9.5 rebounds for the Aces. Kelsey Plum is averaging 3.0 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games for Las Vegas.LAST 10 GAMES: Liberty: 6-4, averaging 84.8 points, 36.0 rebounds, 20.4 assists, 5.4 steals and 5.6 blocks per g...

Christopher Luxon wins New Zealand election after incumbent Prime Minister Chris Hipkins concedes

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:00:52 GMT

AUCKLAND, New Zealand (AP) — Former businessman Christopher Luxon will be New Zealand’s next prime minister after winning a decisive election victory Saturday.People voted for change after six years of a liberal government led for most of that time by Jacinda Ardern.The exact makeup of Luxon’s conservative government is still to be determined as ballots continued to be counted. Prime Minister Chris Hipkins, who spent just nine months in the top job after taking over from Ardern in January, told supporters late Saturday he had called Luxon to concede.Hipkins said it wasn’t the result he wanted.“But I want you to be proud of what we achieved over the last six years,” he told supporters at an event in Wellington.Ardern unexpectedly stepped down as prime minister in January, saying she no longer had “enough in the tank” to do the job justice. She won the last election in a landslide, but her popularity waned as people got tired of COVID-19 restrictions and inflation threatened the econo...

An Australian referendum to create an Indigenous Voice to Parliament has failed

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:00:52 GMT

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Three leading advocates for constitutional change in Australia conceded defeat on Saturday in a referendum that would have created an Indigenous Voice to Parliament.Australian Broadcasting Corp. said based on early vote counting that the states of New South Wales, Queensland, Tasmania and South Australia have rejected the amendment that would have created an Indigenous committee to advise Parliament and the government on issues that affect Australia’s most disadvantaged ethnic minority.The Voice needs majorities in each of at least four of the six states as well as a national majority for the referendum to pass.THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Polling closed in all but one Australian state Saturday with the “no” vote dominating early counting in the country’s first referendum in a generation, deciding whether to tackle Indigenous disadvantages by enshrining in the constitution a new advocacy ...

UN will repatriate 9 South African peacekeepers in Congo accused of sexual assault

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:00:52 GMT

LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) — The United Nations said it will repatriate nine peacekeepers from a South African contingent in eastern Congo who were accused of sexual assault and other abuse.The U.N. decided to immediately repatriate the peacekeepers and a senior officer of the South African army “due to the seriousness of the allegations against them,” the organization said in a statement on Friday. The senior officer allegedly tried to hinder a probe into the allegations and threatened other peacekeepers. Two other indicted senior officers will also be replaced, the U.N. said. More than 12,000 U.N. peacekeepers are deployed in eastern Congo, where more than 100 armed groups are active. The U.N. said its preliminary assessment found that the nine peacekeepers were “fraternizing after curfew hours” in prohibited bars where prostitution takes place. The soldiers were also alleged to have assaulted staff of the peacekeeping mission and the military police who were trying to arrest them, the s...

Palestinians stream south in Gaza as Israel urges mass evacuation and stages brief ground incursions

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:00:52 GMT

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Palestinians scrambled to flee northern Gaza on Saturday after the Israeli military ordered nearly half the population to evacuate south and carried out limited ground forays ahead of an expected land offensive a week after Hamas’ bloody, wide-ranging attack into Israel.Israel renewed calls on social media and in leaflets dropped from the air for some 1 million Gaza residents to move south, while Hamas urged people to stay in their homes. The U.N. and aid groups have said such a rapid exodus would cause untold human suffering, with hospital patients and others unable to relocate. Families in cars, trucks and donkey carts packed with possessions crowded a main road heading away from Gaza City as Israeli airstrikes continued to hammer the small, besieged territory. Palestinian witnesses said Israel struck cars rushing south, and Hamas said the strikes killed more than 70 people. The Israeli military, which has not commented on the strikes, posted...

Iran’s foreign minister warns Israel from Beirut it could suffer ‘a huge earthquake’

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:00:52 GMT

BEIRUT (AP) — Iran’s foreign minister on Saturday called on Israel to stop its attacks on Gaza, warning that the war might expand to other parts of the Middle East if Hezbollah joins the battle, and that would make Israel suffer “a huge earthquake.”Hossein Amirabdollahian told reporters in Beirut that Lebanon’s Hezbollah group has taken all the scenarios of a war into consideration and Israel should stop its attacks on Gaza as soon as possible.Israel considers Hezbollah its most serious immediate threat, estimating it has some 150,000 rockets and missiles, including precision-guided missiles that can hit anywhere in Israel. The group, which has thousands of battle-hardened fighters who participated in Syria’s 12-year conflict, also has different types of military drones.Hezbollah fighters have been on full alert along Lebanon’s borders with Israel following last Saturday’s attack by the militant Palestinian group Hamas that left hundreds of Israeli civilians and soldiers dead.On Sat...

Bridge: Oct. 14, 2023

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:00:52 GMT

“Simple Saturday” columns focus on basic technique and logical thinking.Counting on defense is essential. Defenders must count declarer’s points and distribution and (to determine whether to play an “active” or “passive” defense) his playing tricks. To begin, defenders must count their own sure tricks and think about where more may come from.Today’s West leads his singleton spade against four hearts. When East’s ace wins, he knows that West led a singleton and can ruff a spade return.Where can the defenders find two more tricks?OVERTRICKThey will get no clubs or trumps, so they need two diamonds. If South has the ace, he is destined to make an overtrick. But if South has the king, East must shift to the queen of diamonds. South will cover, and West wins and returns a diamond to the jack. Then East gives West his spade ruff.If in the actual deal East returns a spade at Trick Two, West ruffs, but he can only cash his ace of diamond...