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Bridge: Dec. 1, 2023

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:11:26 GMT

“My uncle collects blunt pencils. I’m afraid his hobby strikes me as pointless.” — graffitiToday’s West led a diamond against four hearts. East took the K-A, South played the seven and queen. East then led a spade, and declarer won. He led the king of trumps to West’s ace, won the club return, drew trumps and claimed. Making four.What about the defense?East’s spade shift was pointless: If West had the king (or ace), he would always get it. East must focus on how the defense can win four tricks in all. His only real chance is to find West with the ace of trumps.THIRD TRUMPAt Trick Three, East must lead a third diamond, attacking South’s trump holding. If South ruffs in his hand and starts the trumps, West ducks twice. Then if South leads a third trump, West can win and lead a fourth diamond, forcing out dummy’s last trump.If instead South doesn’t lead a third trump and cashes his side-suit winners, West scores a ruff with hi...

Top world leaders talk of climate crisis at UN summit. They say they must act on fossil fuels, war

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:11:26 GMT

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — International climate talks turned to a power game on Friday as dozens of world leaders took turns bemoaning the pain of an overheating planet, but two of the world’s most powerful men — President Joe Biden of the U.S. and China’s President Xi Jinping — were glaringly absent.Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman of Saudi Arabia, a top oil producer, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India, whose biggest cities are regularly choked under poor air, as well as Presidents Emmanuel Macron of France, Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa, Abdel Fattah el-Sissi of Egypt and Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey were among more than 170 world leaders set to address the United Nations climate conference in Dubai over the next two days. The idea is to try to keep the planet from heating too much because of humankind’s actions.In a fire-and-brimstone kicking off of Friday’s parade of VIPs, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, fresh from melting gla...

Live updates | Israel and Hamas trade blame for cease-fire’s end as combat resumes

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:11:26 GMT

Israel resumed fighting in Gaza minutes after a temporary cease-fire deal ended, and accused Hamas of having violated the truce. Hamas blames Israel, saying it declined offers to free more hostages. Mediator Qatar said Friday that efforts are ongoing to renew an Israel-Hamas cease-fire and expressed “deep regret” over the resumption of Israeli bombardments.Over 100 hostages were freed during the seven-day truce, most of whom appear physically well but shaken. Israel says around 125 men are still held hostage. The 240 Palestinians released under the cease-fire were mostly teenagers accused of throwing stones and firebombs during confrontations with Israeli forces. The deal that began Nov. 24 ended after a week and multiple extensions, despite international pressure for the truce to continue as long as possible. Weeks of Israeli bombardment and a ground campaign have left more than three-quarters of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents uprooted, leading to a humanitarian crisis. More th...

Bank of Montreal: Fiscal Q4 Earnings Snapshot

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:11:26 GMT

TORONTO (AP) — TORONTO (AP) — Bank Of Montreal (BMO) on Friday reported fiscal fourth-quarter profit of $1.19 billion.The bank, based in Toronto, said it had earnings of $1.52 per share. Earnings, adjusted for non-recurring costs, were $2.07 per share.The results met Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of three analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was also for earnings of $2.07 per share.The bank posted revenue of $14 billion in the period. Its revenue net of interest expense was $6.16 billion, which topped Street forecasts.For the year, the company reported profit of $3.24 billion, or $4.21 per share. Revenue was reported as $23.13 billion.Bank of Montreal shares have decreased 9% since the beginning of the year. The stock has declined 16% in the last 12 months._____This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on BMO at https://www.zacks.com/ap/BMOSource

Presto’s Picks: Conference championship edition

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:11:26 GMT

College football, despite consistently delivering one of the best regular seasons in sports, never fails to let us down when it comes to the postseason process. And even though the playoff that yields four spots from five major conferences will expand next season, we get one more December Sunday of arguments and anguish.There are easily eight schools that could make their case for inclusion at this point, and that doesn’t include non-Power Five teams with gaudy records. Next year, they’ll triple the field to a dozen (I thought eight would be enough, but when four extra games of $$$ can be added why not?) and I hope the small conferences get some representation as opposed to a three-loss club that stuffed its schedule with FCS and non-Power Fives.Meanwhile, the coaching carousel has claimed James Madison’s Curt Cignetti. Good luck at Indiana, who even in the post-divisional world still faces a slew of programs who care a lot more about football than the Hoosiers eve...

Italy and Croatia are tough options as lower-seeded teams in Euro 2024 tournament draw

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:11:26 GMT

Defending champion Italy and World Cup semifinalist Croatia are among the lower-seeded teams in Saturday’s draw for next year’s European Championship, a quirk created by the way UEFA decides the seedings for the tournament. While FIFA relies on its world rankings to help ensure no powerhouse team comes out of the lowest-ranked pot 4 in its World Cup draws, UEFA is basing its seedings for Euro 2024 solely on the teams’ results and points earned in qualifying for the tournament.So Italy — which finished second in its qualifying group and dropped plenty of points along the way — is in pot 4 alongside three playoff winners yet to be determined. Croatia and the Netherlands are both in pot 3 together with teams like Scotland and Slovenia, who rarely reach major tournaments. Host Germany and group winners are in pot 1 for the 24-team draw in Hamburg, which is held in a ceremony that starts at 6 p.m. local time (1700 GMT) on Saturday.The draw will have placeholders in pot ...

Warplanes hit targets in Gaza as Israel resumes its offensive and warns of attacks to come in south

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:11:26 GMT

Palestinians line up for food in Rafah, Gaza Strip, Thursday, Nov. 30, 2023, during a temporary ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. (AP Photo/Hatem Ali)(AP/Hatem Ali) Palestinians line up for food in Rafah, Gaza Strip, Thursday, Nov. 30, 2023, during a temporary ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. (AP Photo/Hatem Ali)(AP/Hatem Ali) DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli fighter jets hit targets in the Gaza Strip minutes after a weeklong truce expired on Friday, as the war with Hamas resumed in full force. Black smoke billowed from the besieged territory, and Israel dropped leaflets over parts of southern Gaza urging people to leave their homes, suggesting it was preparing to widen its offensive.In Israel, sirens...

Could the mighty SEC possibly miss the College Football Playoff for the first time?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:11:26 GMT

ATLANTA (AP) — The Southeastern Conference is the only league to claim a spot — sometimes two spots — in every College Football Playoff. And the SEC hasn’t just participated. It has dominated.But some are wondering if the conference that has captured six of nine national titles under the current four-team format might get shut out of the postseason if No. 8 Alabama knocks off No. 1 Georgia in the SEC championship game Saturday.Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban said Thursday “it would be a disrespect to the SEC” to be left out of the playoff — no matter who wins the conference title.He wasted no time making a case that his team would certainly be playoff worthy with a victory in Atlanta over the two-time defending national champions.“I think that the SEC is one of the best conferences in the country. I think Georgia is one of the best teams in the country. I think they’re one of the best four teams in the country,” Saban said. “I think if we beat them, we’d be one of the best four ...

Analysis: Aaron Rodgers’ remarkable recovery sets standard for players who tear an Achilles tendon

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:11:26 GMT

On Football analyzes the biggest topics in the NFL from week to week. For more On Football analysis, head here.___Aaron Rodgers defied conventional medicine by returning to practice just 77 days after surgery for a torn Achilles tendon.How he did it should be the No. 1 question instead of questioning his motivation.Even if Rodgers doesn’t play again for the New York Jets (4-7) this season because it wouldn’t make sense if they’re eliminated from the playoff race, his remarkable recovery sets a standard. Every player who tears an Achilles tendon should call Rodgers and ask him about his surgical procedure, how he rehabilitated, what he ate and drank. No question is a stupid one.Rodgers had a “speed bridge” procedure that’s designed to expedite the recovery process. He said Thursday that he attributes his progress to working hard in rehab and a strict diet: “High levels of curcumin, high levels of collagen and drinking freakin’ bone broth every single day.”The soon-to-be 40-year-old R...

Shane Pinto’s half-season suspension from the NHL shines a light on gambling education in hockey

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:11:26 GMT

Glenn Healy still remembers longtime NHL director of security Frank Torpey walking into a locker room in the 1980s to warn players about the pitfalls of illegal sports wagering.Back then, a warning like that conjured images of shady bookies asking for injury information and taking cash. Now, gambling is legal across the U.S. and Canada and with that reality comes a different kind of danger.Ottawa Senators player Shane Pinto was suspended earlier this season for 41 games for violating the league’s gambling policy. No details were released, though the investigation found no evidence Pinto bet on NHL games. The situation prompted calls for better education on the subject.“The education has always been there: I guess it has to be put onto speed dial and be more enforced today because gambling is more prevalent than it was in the ’80s with the guy on the corner in a trench coat,” said Healy, a retired goaltender who is now executive director of the NHL Alumni Association. “The leag...