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Former NFL player Chris Smith dead at 31

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:00 GMT

Chris Smith, a former NFL defensive lineman who played for five teams across an eight-year career, died Monday. He was 31.Smith’s death was announced Tuesday by his agent and one of his former teams, the Cleveland Browns. His cause of death was not released.“Chris was one of the kindest people, teammates and friends we’ve had in our organization,” the Browns said in a statement. “Our thoughts and prayers are with his family during this difficult time.”Smith last played in the NFL in 2021. In March 2023, he joined the XFL and signed with the Seattle Sea Dragons. He most recently appeared in a Sea Dragons game on April 9.“Rest in Peace Chris,” said his agent, Drew Rosenhaus. “Condolences to all his family, friends and loved ones. We will miss you.”Smith played in college at Arkansas from 2010-2013, performing well enough for the Jacksonville Jaguars to select him in the fifth round of the 2014 NFL Draft.Across three seasons w...

Knicks Game 1 hero Josh Hart upgraded to questionable for Game 2 vs. Cavs

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:00 GMT

CLEVELAND — Josh Hart is trending in the right direction.The Knicks reserve guard, who suffered a sprained ankle during his heroic performance in Saturday’s Game 1 victory, was upgraded from ‘doubtful’ to ‘questionable’ for Tuesday’s Game 2 against the Cavaliers.Hart was listed as ‘doubtful’ on Monday after going through limited portions of practice. Following Tuesday morning’s shootaround, however, the Knicks gave a more optimistic update.“[He looked] fine. Fine,” center Isaiah Hartenstein said. “We’ll see what happens.”If Hart doesn’t play, there’s more of a burden on Quentin Grimes and RJ Barrett to pick up the slack. It could also mean Miles McBride re-emerges in the rotation.But now there’s a better chance he’ll play. Hart hasn’t missed a game since joining the Knicks before the trade deadline. The team is 18-8 since acquiring him from the Blazers.“He...

Bruins notebook: Pavel Zacha proving himself in high pressure situation

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:00 GMT

The news Tuesday on Patrice Bergeron was not all that promising for Game 2 against the Florida Panthers.Coach Jim Montgomery said Bergeron was “feeling better” but termed him as “questionable.” Bergeron did not participate in the team’s optional practice and hasn’t skated since leaving game No. 82 with an upper body injury.The good news? The captain’s replacement demonstrated that he was capable of doing the job – and doing it against one of the best two-way centermen in the league.Pavel Zacha stepped into Bergeron’s usual spot between Jake DeBrusk and Brad Marchand and drew the assignment of facing Sasha Barkov’s line. Zacha made key plays throughout the game. With the B’s clinging to a 2-1 lead late in the second period, he bumped Barkov off a loose puck behind the Florida net, setting off the wild scramble that resulted in DeBrusk’s goal that gave the B’s some much needed breathing room and allowed them to clamp down in the third pe...

Police say several injured in western German city gym attack

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:00 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — German police say several people have been injured in an attack at a gym in the western city of Duisburg.Tuesday evening’s attack occurred in the old city of Duisburg and police asked residents to avoid the area.“According to current information, one person has injured other people with an object” at a gym, Duisburg police tweeted. “The situation is currently still confusing.”Police said a large number of officers were at the scene.German news agency dpa reported that several people were severely injured.It was not immediately clear how many people were injured and the attacker appeared to still be on the loose, dpa reported. Further details were not immediately available.The Associated Press

Italy’s contested bid to crack down on migrants sparks flap

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:00 GMT

ROME (AP) — Bogged down by leftist opposition amendments, Italy’s Senate on Tuesday delayed the start of a debate on the right-wing government’s contested immigration crackdown, while a minister’s warning to Italians about “ethnic substitution” triggered anger.Agriculture and Food Sovereignty Minister Francesco Lollobrigida, made the controversial comment in a speech at a labor union gathering, Lollobrigida, who hails from Premier Giorgia Meloni’s Brothers of Italy, a party with neo-fascist roots, warned Italians against surrendering to the idea that they “have fewer children and substitute themselves with someone else.”Lollobrigida’s words are “disgusting,″ said lawmaker Elly Schlein who leads the Democratic Party, Parliament’s largest opposition force. She said the comments evoke the notion of “white supremacy” and hark back to the 1930s, when Benito Mussolini’s Fascist regime rewarded Italians who had large families.Meloni campaigned for election as ...

21 die in Beijing hospital fire, others escape from windows

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:00 GMT

BEIJING (AP) — A fire killed at least 21 people at a hospital in Beijing on Tuesday and forced dozens of people to evacuate, Chinese state media reported. As clouds of black smoke billowed into the sky, people trapped in the multistory building apparently tied bedsheets into makeshift ropes and escaped by climbing out windows, as seen in videos circulating on social media. Others took refuge by perching on air conditioning units just outside.Emergency crews have since extinguished the fire, which broke out in the east wing of the inpatient department of Beijing Changfeng Hospital, state media including CGTN reported, and at least 71 patients were rescued. The cause of the fire is under investigation.Most of the hospital building appeared to be without power late Tuesday, with only a few windows illuminated by the flickering flashlights of workers inside. The exterior of the building was blackened and charred in places, and police cars could be seen parked at the north entrance.There...

B.C. inquest hears initial 911 call related to man who died after police beating

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:00 GMT

BURNABY, B.C. — A coroner’s inquest has heard from a man whose 911 call set off the police response that led to the beating death of another man by several officers. Myles Gray, who was 33, died in Burnaby, B.C., in August 2015 within an hour of the beating by Vancouver police officers that left him with injuries including a fractured eye socket, nose and rib, a crushed voice box and a ruptured testicle.Muhammed Reza says he called police because he was scared for his safety and that of people in his neighbourhood after Gray wandered into the area, swore at his mother and sprayed her with a nearby garden hose.Reza told the inquest he ran outside after hearing his mother’s screams and saw Gray, who was shirtless and appeared to be intoxicated or having a “breakdown.”He says he called police and kept an eye on Gray, who was walking in circles, yelling and at one point ran onto the street and was almost hit by several cars.The inquest began Monday, more than sev...

Ministerial mandate letter fight about accountable government, CBC lawyer tells court

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:00 GMT

OTTAWA — The CBC’s fight to see mandate letters for Ontario cabinet ministers goes to “the very core” of what freedom-of-information regimes are designed to foster, a lawyer for the public broadcaster told the country’s top court Tuesday.These elements are an informed public, accountable government and, ultimately, the democratic process, Justin Safayeni argued in the Supreme Court of Canada.The court heard oral arguments concerning Ontario’s attempt to block the release of 23 letters Premier Doug Ford wrote to cabinet ministers shortly after his Progressive Conservative government took office five years ago. The Ontario government contends the disclosure of mandate letters would reveal the substance of deliberations of the premier and his cabinet, breaching a key tenet of Westminster-style government. A seven-member panel of the Supreme Court reserved judgment in the case until a later date after hearing from the parties and several interveners.The dis...

‘Done and dusted’: Liberal’s controversial online streaming bill back before Senate

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:00 GMT

OTTAWA — The Liberal government’s controversial online-streaming bill was back in the upper chamber on Tuesday, with one senator who had earlier opposed it saying she expected it to pass.After more than a year of debate and revisions, Alberta Sen. Paula Simons said she would really like to see Bill C-11 “done and dusted” this week, and not because she wants to ram it through. “For all the cynicism about the Senate, I think the Senate showed its merits with this bill,” Simons said in a recent interview. “And I think we did a really good job of debating and discussing it.”Last month, the House of Commons adopted most of the Senate’s amendments, which included measures to highlight the promotion of Indigenous languages and Black content creators and a change that sought to “reaffirm” the independence and freedom of expression of creators. Senators also tweaked the bill to ensure that funds collected from tech giants would go t...

Diehard Leafs fan from Scotland preparing for late-night playoff games

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:00 GMT

It’s that time of year Maple Leafs fans love and dread. Playoff hockey starts Tuesday night with game one of the seven match-up ceremonies against the Tampa Bay Lightning at the Scotiabank Arena.Leafs fans know all too well about the nervousness, stress, high blood pressure and even some nausea watching playoff hockey. But what about adding in a 3 a.m. start time?Well, that’s what Victoria Stewart has to go through, a die-hard Maple Leafs fan who lives in Dundee, Scotland.Stewart said she stays up until five in the morning for every game since she first fell in love with the team.She stumbled upon the Leafs while taking in a local hockey game years ago and falling in love with the sport. So, there’s professional hockey over here and I just happened to go along with a friend one night and got really hooked up.”“I downloaded the NHL app… and it came up with a list of teams and there was just something about the Toronto Maple Leafs that stuck out. I ...