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Conservative party poised to win Spain’s election but have less stellar victory than predicted

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:33:29 GMT

By CIARÁN GILES and JOSEPH WILSON (Associated Press)MADRID (AP) — Spain’s conservative Popular Party was set to narrowly win the country’s national election Sunday but without the majority needed to topple the coalition government of Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez.With 90% of votes counted, PP was is on course to secure 136 of the 350 seats in the Congress of Deputies, the lower house of the Spanish parliament. Sánchez’s Spanish Socialist Workers Party was poised to take 122 seats, two more it had the outgoing legislature. Although the Socialists can likely call on the predicted 31 seats of the left-wing Sumar (Joining Forces) alliance and several smaller parties to assemble more than the sum of Spain’s right-wing parties, there was a real possibility that neither side would be able to secure a majority. Pre-election polls had predicted a bigger victory for the PP and the possibility for it to form a coalition with the far-right V...

PHOTOS: Colorado Dragon Boat Festival 2023

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:33:29 GMT

The 23rd annual Colorado Dragon Boat Festival took place at Sloan’s Lake in Denver on July 23, 2023.The event features two styles of dragon boats: The flag-catcher boat and the Hong Kong-style boat. In the boats paddlers sit in twos side-by-side, and each athlete has a single-bladed paddle. All boats have a drummer and a steerer or sternsman, and athletes paddle to the rhythm of the drum.The flag catcher boats have a flag catcher. At the end of the race, the flag catcher lies on top of the dragon head and pulls a flag, which stops the clock. Races were 400 meters and 200 meters over two days. Forty teams competed in this years races.As well, more than 180 performers, 170,000 attendees over the two-day weekend and 400 volunteers helped bring the festival to the lake this year. Along with the races the event included dance and martial arts performances, bands, Asian food, comedians, and a variety of cultural events.Subscribe to our weekly newsletter, In The Know, to get entertainment ...

3 suitcases with human remains found

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:33:29 GMT

Police in Delray Beach, Florida are investigating after a woman's remains were found in three suitcases seen floating in the water Friday in Delray Beach, Florida. Police were called about a strange item seen floating along the Intracostal Waterway, north of Boca Raton on the state's east coast, local outlet WPTV reported.Three suitcases were found in the waterway, all containing human remains, Delray Police said.According to local reporting, authorities believe the remains belong to one woman, who has not yet been identified. The remains were sent to a medical examiner to be identified. Is traffic speed really still enforced by aircraft? Delray Police said the woman is white or Hispanic with brown hair. She is believed to be middle-aged, 5'4" tall, and may have tattooed eyebrows. The woman was wearing a floral tank top, a black undershirt, and black mid-thigh shorts. A day earlier, workers on a Texas ranch found human remains in a piece of luggage. Bexar County Sheriff Javier Sal...

Pocono Raceway boasts its largest NASCAR crowd in more than a decade for Denny Hamlin’s win

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:33:29 GMT

LONG POND, Pa. (AP) — Denny Hamlin slid out of his winning Toyota and was instantly booed by a packed Pocono crowd unhappy with how the driver shoved Kyle Larson’s car into the wall over the final laps.The boos were so loud because the crowd was so large — Pocono sold out the NASCAR race and boasted its largest crowd since 2010.The increase was attributed in large part to the track losing one race weekend and a series of fan-friendly upgrades to a track that hosted its first NASCAR race in 1974.NASCAR tracks do not usually release attendance numbers.Pocono President Ben May said the track sold around 50,000 grandstand tickets and 3,300 camping spots.“We can’t fit another car, another RV, another person in here today,” May said.Pocono tore down the old victory tower — made out of a parking garage — and added new viewing decks, food trucks, increased fan access for driver introductions and a new victory lane. The decks were packed with fans standing shoulder-to-shoulder with a t...

Novak Djokovic withdraws from Toronto tournament, opts for more rest after loss in Wimbledon final

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:33:29 GMT

TORONTO (AP) — Novak Djokovic withdrew Sunday from the National Bank Open, opting for additional rest after his loss to Carlos Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final.Tennis Canada announced that Djokovic pulled out of the only Canadian stop on the ATP Tour schedule due to fatigue. The 36-year-old, 23-time Grand Slam champion was set to begin his hard-court preparations for the U.S. Open after falling to the top-ranked Alcaraz last Sunday in a five-set final at Wimbledon. “I have always enjoyed my time in Canada but after speaking with my team, we believe this is the right decision to take,” said Djokovic, who has won the National Bank Open four times.“I would like to thank Karl Hale, the tournament director, for understanding this decision. I really hope I can return to Canada and Toronto in the coming years to play in front of great fans there.”American Christopher Eubanks will gain automatic entry into the main draw as Djokovic’s replacement. Eubanks is fresh off a surprising quarterfinal...

DC man fatally stabbed in Southeast

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:33:29 GMT

D.C. police are investigating a stabbing homicide that took place early Saturday morning in Southeast.In a news release, police said that at approximately 6:46 am, officers responded to a report of a man down in the 2300 block of L’Enfant Square near Twining Square Park. On the scene, officers found a man who had been fatally stabbed.The victim has been identified as 43-year-old Antoine Ealey of Southeast D.C.As of Friday, the number of homicides in the District sat at 134, which is a 15% increase from the yearly tally on the same day last year. That same day, newly sworn acting police chief Pamela Smith told WTOP she was taking an “all community approach” to fighting crime, and that the department is “poised to really have some impactful engagement when it comes to homicides.”“It bothers me, and it certainly upsets me. My job as the chief of police is to make sure that we drive down crime, and I won’t be satisfied until we do that,” Smith said in...

Miami Beach lifts precautionary boil water advisory for wide swath of city

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:33:29 GMT

Miami Beach has lifted a precautionary boil water notice it had issued for a large swath of the city after a water main break in South Beach caused pressure to drop.City officials on Sunday confirmed drinking water test results were satisfactory for two days in a row.The boil water advisory was issued Thursday after a private contractor hit a water main along Sixth Street, near Alton Road.Officials advise residents, businesses and visitors to allow the water to run for five minutes at each tap to flush the lines and to remember to include drinking fountains, ice makers and soda machines when flushing the lines.

Sánchez’s tricky road to victory after shock Spanish election result

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:33:29 GMT

MADRID — If you thought the political drama in Spain would conclude with Sunday’s national election, think again.The inconclusive national vote resulted in a split parliament with no clear governing majority. The center-right Popular Party secured the most votes, but it doesn’t have nearly enough seats to form a government on its own or even with the far-right Vox party, its preferred coalition partner.On Sunday night, conservative leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo said he would attempt to form a minority government and demanded “no one be tempted to blockade Spain.”Feijóo argued the country has always been governed by the leader who secures the most votes, and insisted the future government needed to be “in accordance with the electoral victory.”But in parliamentary democracies like Spain, the head of government isn’t necessarily the person who wins the most votes in the election, but rather the one who can secure the support of the greatest shar...

State police rescue 4 after boat takes on water off Peddocks Island in Boston Harbor

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:33:29 GMT

The Massachusetts State Police Marine Unit rescued four people after a pleasure boat took on water off the north side of Peddocks Island in Boston Harbor on Sunday.Marine Unit vessel Marine 26, crewed by Troopers Benjamin Zahner and Brendan Heath, responded to mayday broadcast around 4:50 p.m. and found four people putting on life jackets and abandoning ship, according to state police.The four boaters, two men and two women, were taken to Charlestown marina, where they were evaluated by paramedics.The cause of the boat taking on water remains under investigation. The vessel was recovered by Towboat US.

Jeff McNeil and Pete Alonso see signs of turnaround

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:33:29 GMT

BOSTON — Jeff McNeil and Pete Alonso are two of the Mets’ most important bats. So it’s no surprise that their own struggles have correlated with the team’s struggles this season.However, the club’s homegrown duo has been looking more and more like their old selves over the last week.McNeil, the 2022 NL batting title winner, is 6-for-24 with two doubles, four runs and four RBI. In Boston alone this weekend, McNeil has gone 3-for-9 with two RBI, both courtesy of the little league home run from Saturday night in the second game of a twin bill against the Red Sox.“I don’t hit a lot of regular homers,” McNeil joked Saturday night at Fenway Park. “I don’t think I’ve had a little league home run since little league.”Alonso has gone 5-for-12 with two doubles, a triple, an RBI and three runs over his last three games.“Pete is playing more to the level that he’s spoiled us with,” said manager Buck Showal...