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Shane van Gisbergen wins his NASCAR Cup Series debut in memorable finish to series’ 1st street race

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:03:25 GMT

CHICAGO (AP) — When Shane van Gisbergen got the call from Justin Marks, it reignited his interest in the NASCAR Cup Series. He studied the races, the drivers and the cars.Turns out he is a pretty good student.Van Gisbergen won his Cup Series debut on a rainy Sunday in downtown Chicago, chasing down Justin Haley and Chase Elliott in a memorable finish to the series’ first street race.After passing Elliott, van Gisbergen dueled with Haley in the final laps before the three-time Supercars champion moved in front for good. Haley held on for second, and Elliott was third.“The racing, the battles were really fun,” van Gisbergen said. The 34-year-old van Gisbergen, a New Zealand native, became the first driver to win his Cup Series debut since Johnny Rutherford in the second qualifying race at Daytona in 1963.“This was so cool,” van Gisbergen said. “This is what you dream of.”Van Gisbergen got a chance to drive the No. 91 Chevrolet in Chicago as part of Trackhouse Racing’s Proj...

What to stream this week: Taylor Swift, a new animated ‘Superman,’ ‘Biosphere’ and ‘Wham!’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:03:25 GMT

Taylor Swift’s rerecording of her “Speak Now” and survivalist Bear Grylls taking Bradley Cooper and Rita Ora into the wild are among the new television, movies, music and games headed to a device near you.Among the offerings worth your time as selected by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists are the sci-fi comedy ”Biosphere” starring Sterling K. Brown and Mark Duplass, and a new spin-off series starring Luann de Lesseps and Sonja Morgan from “The Real Housewives of New York City.”NEW MOVIES TO STREAM— Sterling K. Brown and Mark Duplass are the last two men on Earth in the not-too-distant-future sci-fi comedy ”Biosphere,” available in theaters and on demand on Friday, July 7 from IFC. John DeFore in The Hollywood Reporter wrote that it’s “a mysterious and hilarious pic that really can’t be discussed much without saying things a prospective viewer would be better off not hearing.” “Biosphere” is the directorial debut of Mel Elsyn, who co-wrote the script with Duplass....

Today in History: July 3, Union wins pivotal Civil War Battle of Gettysburg

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:03:25 GMT

Today in History Today is Monday, July 3, the 184th day of 2023. There are 181 days left in the year. Today’s Highlight in History: On July 3, 1976, Israel launched its daring mission to rescue 106 passengers and Air France crew members being held at Entebbe (en-TEH’-bee) Airport in Uganda (yoo-GAHN’-dah) by pro-Palestinian hijackers; the commandos succeeded in rescuing all but four of the hostages. On this date: In 1775, Gen. George Washington took command of the Continental Army at Cambridge, Massachusetts. In 1863, the pivotal three-day Civil War Battle of Gettysburg in Pennsylvania ended in a major victory for the North as Confederate troops failed to breach Union positions during an assault known as Pickett’s Charge. In 1944, during World War II, Soviet forces recaptured Minsk from the Germans. In 1950, the first carrier strikes of the Korean War took place as the USS Valley Forge and the HMS Triumph sent fighter planes against North Korean targets. In 1971, singer Jim Morrison...

Maîtrise en transparence pour le nouveau patron du Syntec Conseil

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:03:25 GMT

Notre newsletter quotidienne sur les enjeux de lobbying et de transparence en France.Par OCÉANE HERREROAvec ALEXANDRE LÉCHENET et PAUL DE VILLEPINInfos, tuyaux et mini-drames à partager à @Heroceane, @DevillepinPaul, @alphoenix ou [email protected] | Voir dans votre navigateurLE MENU DU JOUR— Le nouveau patron du Syntec Conseil baisse (un peu) sa cape d’invisibilité. — Le gouvernement abat ses cartes énergétiques. — L’Adan s’imagine un avenir européen. Bonjour à tous nos lecteurs qui découvrent Paris Influence à l’occasion d’une semaine un peu particulière, puisqu’elle se terminera par trois éditions spéciales consacrées aux Rencontres économiques d’Aix-en-Provence (dont POLITICO est partenaire média). Paul de Villepin, Elisa Braun et moi-même y serons à pied d’œuvre pour vous en raconter les temps forts et coulisses. Si vous en êtes, n’hésitez pas à nous écrire pour prendre un café (ou une limonade bien fraîche) sur les pel...

The Irish are jostling for Europe’s top jobs and it could get dirty

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:03:25 GMT

BRUSSELS — Nothing sums up the layers of intrigue, the petty infighting, the dubious deal-making, and the dirty political one-upmanship in the race for Europe’s top jobs than what is about to be unleashed in Ireland.As elections loom — for the EU next June and in Ireland probably a few months later — Irish politicians are already jostling for roles even though very few of them have a realistic chance of winning, and potential appointments hinge on so many other things falling into place it’s almost too complicated to write about.With the next changing of the guard a year away, when governments get to nominate a new commissioner in the wake of the EU-wide vote, this article is based on interviews with a string of officials with knowledge of the European and Irish political scene. They were granted anonymity to give them freedom to discuss the wheeling and dealing that’s already getting under way.The two Irish politicians who already hold senior jobs in Brussels are the most in ...

3 Palestinians killed as Israel stages large-scale raid in West Bank militant stronghold

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:03:25 GMT

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli drones struck targets in a stronghold of militants in the occupied West Bank early Monday and hundreds of troops were deployed in the area, an incursion that resembled the wide-scale military operations carried out during the second Palestinian uprising two decades ago. Palestinian health officials said at least three Palestinians were killed.Troops remained inside the Jenin refugee camp early Monday, pushing ahead with what appeared to be the largest operation in the area during more than a year of fighting. It came at a time of growing domestic pressure for a tough response to a series of attacks on Israeli settlers – including a shooting attack last week that killed four people.According to Palestinian media reports, the operation disrupted life for local residents, with electricity cut off in some parts and a military bulldozer seen driving through narrow streets – another reminder of Israel’s incursions during the last uprising.Lt. Col. Rich...

The wait for US passports is creating travel purgatory and snarling summer plans

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:03:25 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Seeking a valid U.S. passport for that 2023 trip? Buckle up, wishful traveler, for a very different journey before you step anywhere near an airport.A much-feared backup of U.S passport applications has smashed into a wall of government bureaucracy as worldwide travel rebounds toward record pre-pandemic levels — with too few humans to handle the load. The result, say aspiring travelers in the U.S. and around the world, is a maddening pre-travel purgatory defined, at best, by costly uncertainty.With family dreams and big money on the line, passport seekers describe a slow-motion agony of waiting, worrying, holding the line, refreshing the screen, complaining to Congress, paying extra fees and following incorrect directions. Some applicants are buying additional plane tickets to snag in-process passports where they sit — in other cities — in time to make the flights they booked in the first place.So grim is the outlook that U.S. officials aren’t even denying th...

Stock market today: Asian shares rise on optimism over Wall Street rally

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:03:25 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares were mostly higher Monday after a rally on Wall Street driven by reports that showed inflation abating, assuaging fears over the threat of a recession. Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 rose nearly 1.7% to 33,738.80 in morning trading. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 added 0.5% to 7,239.80. South Korea’s Kospi jumped 1.4% to 2,601.00. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng surged 1.7% to 19,243.80, while the Shanghai Composite gained 1.3% to 3,243.24. “Asia gets the new half kicked off amid a growing sense of optimism, with low volatility buoying markets on the back of a surprisingly strong run of U.S. economic data, wiping the slate clean of recession concerns,” Stephen Innes, managing partner at SPI Asset Management, said in a report. The quarterly “tankan report” of business sentiment compiled by the Bank of Japan showed an improvement for the fifth consecutive quarter, from June last year, with the main indicator number rising by 3 points to plus 23. Wall...

Putin will speak with leaders of China and India in his first summit since the Wagner insurrection

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:03:25 GMT

NEW DELHI (AP) — President Vladimir Putin will participate this week in his first multilateral summit since an armed rebellion rattled Russia, as part of a rare international grouping in which his country still enjoys support.Leaders will convene virtually on Tuesday for a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, a security grouping founded by Russia and China to counter Western alliances from East Asia to the Indian Ocean.This year’s event is hosted by India, which became a member in 2017. It’s the latest avenue for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to showcase the country’s growing global clout. The group so far has focused on deepening security and economic cooperation, fighting terrorism and drug trafficking, tackling climate change and the situation in Afghanistan after the Taliban took over in 2021. When the foreign ministers met in India last month, Russia’s war on Ukraine barely featured in their public remarks but the fallout for developing countries on food ...

Ukraine conducts disaster response drills near Zaporizhzhia nuclear station

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:03:25 GMT

Ukraine conducted nuclear disaster response drills on Thursday (29 June) in the vicinity of the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station, regional officials said.Kyiv accused Russia this month of planning a "terrorist" attack at the southern plant involving the release of radiation. Moscow denied the accusation.Russia's UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said on Thursday that he wrote to the U.N. Security Council and Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to state: "We do not intend to blow up this NPP (nuclear power plant), we have no intention of doing so."Yuriy Malashko, governor of the Zaporizhzhia region that includes the plant, said the drills in Zaporizhzhia city and the district around it were intended to coordinate the response of all services to an "emergency situation" at the plant.Reuters television footage showed rescuers in yellow and white protective gear and gas masks, using dosimeters to check passenger cars and trucks for radiation levels and then cleaning wheel...