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Review: ‘Heart of Stone’ is an impressively generic spy film

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 20:00:15 GMT

By Jake Coyle | Associated PressIt’s turning out to be quite a summer for superspies and supercomputers.A month after the action feast of “Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part I,” in which Tom Cruise faced off with an AI supervillain called “the Entity,” comes a very “MI”-like international espionage thriller with an equally fancy and powerful machine.“Heart of Stone” stars Gal Gadot as Rachel Stone, an agent for an elite and clandestine intelligence agency called the Charter. Like “Mission: Impossible,” “Heart of Stone” hits glamorous global destinations (the Italian Alps, Lisbon, Senegal, Iceland) and features lengthy actions sequence including a wingsuit skydive.Whereas “Dead Reckoning” pushed old-school filmmaking to extremes for a gripping theatrical experience, “Heart of Stone” revels in its digital wizardry, feels vaguely algorithm-y in its conception and was made for Ne...

Belarus’s Lukashenko says he wants to improve relations with Poland

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 20:00:15 GMT

Belarusian President Aleksander Lukashenko said he is seeking to improve relations with Poland, amid heightened tensions over border issues between the two countries. The Belarusian dictator said Minsk should avoid souring relations with Western countries, adding that Belarus “should not discard contacts with the high-tech West,” according to a report by Belarusian news agency Belta.“Now we make money mainly in the East: in Russia, in China. But we should not discard contacts with the high-tech West. They are close, the European Union is our neighbor. And we should maintain contact with them. We are ready to do that, but we have to give due consideration to our own interests,” he said on Friday, according to Belta.“We need to talk to the Poles. I told the prime minister to contact them. If they want, we can talk, mend our relations. We are neighbors, and this cannot be chosen, neighbors are given by God,” Lukashenko said.The Polish government is i...

Sale faces Cabrera for last time, jokes, ‘I helped you get to Hall of Fame.’

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 20:00:15 GMT

BOSTON (AP) — Chris Sale retired Miguel Cabrera on a groundout for the second out in the fifth inning, the 14th straight Tigers batter to go down quietly.Then the Red Sox starter said something to the 2012 AL Triple Crown winner and two-time MVP as Cabrera jogged back to the dugout.“Well, it wasn’t fun learning how to pitch in the big leagues as a starter during his Triple Crown and MVP years. I can tell you that,” Sale told reporters afterward. “But I knew that this was going to be the last time I faced him, and I just wanted to know that I have a lot of respect for him, and I obviously appreciated the competition throughout the years.”Cabrera came to the plate 70 times against Sale, batting .288 with four homers and 19 strikeouts.“You’re welcome, Miggie. I helped you get to the Hall of Fame,” Sale told reporters with a laugh. “You look at his career and what he’s done, I just wanted to say a little something to him and let them know that I appreciate what we’ve been through ...

Haverhill sinkhole displaces 20 people from multi-family home

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 20:00:15 GMT

A few neighbors in a Haverhill neighborhood have a sinking feeling after a massive sinkhole opened up near a multi-family home Tuesday. More than 20 people were forced to evacuate the home because of the sinkhole, which is 20 feet wide and 20 feet deep.The Haverhill mayor declared a state of emergency, and the city posted signs barring people from entering the home.Marcos Cruz lives next door but has been told his home is not in danger.“I’m not worried about it,” he said. “They say we’re ok. We’re safe but as soon as we see something strange I’ll get my family out of here! But we’re ok for now.”The hole opened up on Tuesday night and is big enough to swallow multiple cars. Officials said a sewer pipe was damaged in this week’s torrential rain.  “The pipe’s buried pretty deep and the  pipe I don’t know if it’s collapsed or blew out but when the pipe goes all the soil goes and kind of goes right down the pipe,” Haverhill Public Works Director Robert Ward said.Old ...

Students in Hull build 18-foot boat to honor late veteran

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 20:00:15 GMT

The SSG Emily M. Carroll took to the seas in Hull to honor the memory of a local veteran.“Because of your hard work and dedication today, Emily certainly shines on,” said Meaghan Carroll Rateau, Emily’s sister.The boat was built by students at Hull High School while partnering with the Hull Life Saving Museum. The students built the 18-foot power skiff in their woodshop class. “I was still very glad to be part of such an experience, and I was very honored to be part of something that was meant for a memorial,” a student said. “It’s something I won’t forget for the rest of my life.”The boat is named in honor of Staff Sergeant Emily Carroll, who lost her battle with PTSD and service-related injuries in January 2022. “My sole purpose throughout my educational career was to strengthen communities,” Hull High School Principal Michael Knybel said. “It’s awesome to see our students play a major role in that process.”The ...

Playoff push ‘refreshing’ for Chicago Cubs, who get a career-high 7 innings from Javier Assad in 6-2 road win

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 20:00:15 GMT

Right-hander Javier Assad has done it all for the Chicago Cubs this year.He’s served a multi-inning relief role, come into the game for leverage moments to give the offense a comeback opportunity, and now he’s back in the rotation getting a look as the Cubs push for the postseason. Assad threw a career-high seven innings in Friday night’s 6-2 win against the Toronto Blue Jays. The 26-year-old retired the last 10 batters he faced as he held Toronto to just one run and four hits.The offense spotted Assad a three-run lead before he threw a pitch behind home runs from Nico Hoerner (solo) and Cody Bellinger (two-run) off Blue Jays starter José Berríos. The Cubs (60-56) tacked on three more runs in the fourth. Seiya Suzuki connected for a two-run double and Mike Tauchman delivered an RBI single.“This isn’t just a guy filling in,” Hoerner said after the win. “This is a guy throwing 94 mph with command of five pitches and it’s a legi...

Patriots extra points: Rookie Keion White brings “pain” in preseason debut

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 20:00:15 GMT

FOXBORO — Patriots defensive end Keion White delivered in his NFL preseason debut Thursday night.When asked after the 2023 NFL Draft what White would bring to the Patriots as a second-round pick, one source told the Herald, “pain.” The rookie was inflicting plenty of it on Texans offensive players Thursday night with a QB hit, three tackles and a pseudo-forced fumble. White wasn’t credited with forcing a fumble, but he did prevent running back Dare Ogunbowale from recovering a muffed pitch midway through the second quarter by spearing the Texans ball carrier. He also drilled Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud in the ribs on his first-quarter QB hit.Related ArticlesNew England Patriots | How Patriots rookies Keion White, Malik Cunningham starred in the preseason opener and 39 more film takeaways New England Patriots | Demario Douglas nearly joined notable list of Patriots in preseason debut New England Patriots | Photo ga...

The death toll rises to 80 in Maui wildfires as survivors begin returning to communities in ruins

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 20:00:15 GMT

LAHAINA, Hawaii (AP) — Survivors witnessed a surreal landscape of flattened homes, blackened hulks of burned-out cars and ashy lots where buildings once stood as they took stock of their shattered lives in the aftermath of a fast-paced wildfire on the Hawaii island of Maui that authorities say killed at least 80 people.Anthony Garcia assessed the devastation as he stood under Lahaina’s iconic banyan tree, now charred, and swept twisted branches into neat piles next to another heap filled with dead animals: cats, roosters and other birds killed by the smoke and flames. Somehow it made sense in a world turned upside-down.“If I don’t do something, I’ll go nuts,” said Garcia, who lost everything he owned. “I’m losing my faith in God.”Garcia and other residents were faced with catastrophic destruction resulting from the wildfires that tore through parts of Maui this week and were still not fully contained Friday night.Maui County raised the number of confirmed deaths to 80 in a 9 p.m. st...

King of Jordan approves a bill to criminalize online speech. Human rights groups call it draconian

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 20:00:15 GMT

AMMAN (AP) — The King of Jordan approved a bill Saturday to punish online speech deemed harmful to national unity, according to the Jordanian state news agency, legislation that has drawn accusations from human rights groups of a crackdown on free expression in a country where censorship is on the rise.The measure makes certain online posts punishable with months of prison time and fines. These include comments “promoting, instigating, aiding, or inciting immorality,” demonstrating ”contempt for religion” or “undermining national unity.”It also punishes those who publish names or pictures of police officers online and outlaws certain methods of maintaining online anonymity.With the approval of King Abdullah II, the bill now becomes law — set to take effect one month after it is published in the state newspaper, Al-Rai. The newspaper is expected to publish the law tomorrow.After amending the bill to allow judges to choose between imposing prison time and fines, rather than ordering c...

A first-time senator from Baluchistan named caretaker prime minister to oversee Pakistan’s elections

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 20:00:15 GMT

ISLAMABAD (AP) — A first-time senator from Pakistan’s southwest will head the national caretaker government as the country moves towards parliamentary elections, the prime minister’s office said Saturday.Anwaar-ul-haq Kakar, from the southwest province of Baluchistan, will lead the government that oversees the elections. He was chosen following a second round of meetings between incumbent Prime Minister Shabaz Sharif and opposition leader Raja Riaz. Riaz told reporters that he was the one who suggested the name. Kakar’s nomination was later signed into effect by Pakistani President Arif Alvi.Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif dissolved the parliament last week as its five-year term came to an end. Usually, such a step is a formality and a general election would typically have to be held within 90 days.Kakar is comparatively new in the political field. He has represented the province in the senate since 2018 as an independent candidate and is currently a member of the Baluchistan Aw...