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76ers fire coach Doc Rivers after 3 seasons and 3 second-round exits from playoffs

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:14:43 GMT

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Doc Rivers’ penchant for playoff collapses and second-round exits cost him his coaching job with the Philadelphia 76ers.The 76ers fired Rivers on Tuesday following a third straight exit in the second round of the playoffs, and the second time over that span he lost a series lead and a Game 7.Rivers led the 76ers to their second straight 50-win season behind NBA MVP Joel Embiid but again failed to lead them to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2001. The Sixers have not won an NBA championship since 1983.“We’re grateful for all he did in his three seasons here and thank him for the important impact he made on our franchise,” team president Daryl Morey said in a statement. “After having the chance to reflect upon our season, we decided that certain changes are necessary to further our goals of competing for a championship.”Morey was scheduled to address the decision at a news conference Wednesday.The 76ers held a 3-2 semifinals serie...

Minister: 2 major gas companies keen on Israel-Cyprus plan for pipeline, gas processing facility

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:14:43 GMT

NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — Two major international oil and gas companies have so far expressed interest in Israeli-Cypriot plans to build a pipeline that would convey offshore natural gas from both countries to Cyprus where it would be liquefied for export by ship, a Cypriot official said Tuesday.Energy Minister Giorgos Papanastasiou told The Associated Press in an interview that the plan will be pitched on May 29 to energy companies involved in hydrocarbon exploration off Cyprus’ southern coast and other firms involved in pipeline and gas processing plant manufacture.Getting energy companies on board is essential to get the project off the ground, and Papanastasiou will also present it individually to each firm in order to secure their backing.Papanastasiou said the project’s key drawing card for energy companies is its low cost relative to other exporting methods, such as an idea for a 6-billion-euro (($6.5 billion), 1,900-kilometer (1,180-mile) pipeline connecting east Mediterranean ...

Man sentenced for BB gun attacks on California Planned Parenthood clinic

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:14:43 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A man who waged a year-long series of BB gun attacks on a Southern California Planned Parenthood clinic was sentenced to 2 1/2 years in federal prison.Richard Royden Chamberlin, 53, was sentenced Monday in Los Angeles federal court, the U.S. attorney’s office said in a statement.At least 11 attacks targeted a Planned Parenthood facility in Pasadena between June 2020 and May 2021. No one was hurt but a person waiting outside for a patient was nearly struck, staff was terrified and the building was damaged, prosecutors said.Pasadena police stopped Chamberlin after a May 7, 2021, attack and found he had eight BB guns and a backpack containing a loaded .22-caliber pistol.The U.S. attorney’s office said that Chamberlin, who was convicted in Arizona in 2012 of felony attempted transportation of a narcotic for sale, subsequently tried to sell or transfer ownership of other firearms. A search of his home found thousands of rounds of ammunition, gun powder, a d...

Flooding, rising river raise concerns over F1 race in Imola

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:14:43 GMT

IMOLA, Italy (AP) — Flooding and a rising river next to the track have raised concerns over the running of this weekend’s Formula One Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix.After torrential rains, parking and other areas for the Enzo and Dino Ferrari circuit are flooded and the press room was evacuated, the Gazzetta dello Sport reported Tuesday.More rain is in the forecast for the rest of the week, with practice due to start Friday, qualifying on Saturday and the race on Sunday.Teams had already started setting up their garages.The Santerno River runs right next to the track.A spokesman for the circuit did not immediately return a request for comment from The Associated Press.___AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing and https://twitter.com/AP_SportsSource

Tuition, fees at Georgia public universities to hold steady in fall 2023 despite budget worries

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:14:43 GMT

ATLANTA (AP) — The cost of attending Georgia’s public universities and colleges will remain mostly flat in the 2023-2024 academic year, despite concerns that declining enrollment and a legislative funding cut are stressing school budgets.Regents voted Tuesday to increase tuition or fees at only four of the system’s 26 schools — Middle Georgia State University, Georgia College and State University, the University of West Georgia and Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College.Regent Neal Pruitt Jr. of Atlanta said the system is “trying to balance affordability with quality of instruction” and is relying on lawmakers to restore $66 million that was cut from the teaching budget as a part of a hospital licensing dispute.The average Georgia school this year is charging in-state undergraduates $6,266 in tuition and mandatory fees, which will rise to $6,290 next year. Costs will range from $3,306 at Swainsboro-based East Georgia State College to $11,764 at Georgia Tech.Regents also ma...

Lawsuit filed against Twitter, Saudi Arabia; claims acts of transnational repression committed

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:14:43 GMT

A humanitarian aid worker who used an anonymous Twitter account to mock Saudi Arabia about its economy has filed a federal racketeering lawsuit against the social media platform, the kingdom and a number of individuals alleging an attempt to silence critics overseas. Abdulrahman al-Sadhan, was working for the Red Crescent in Riyadh in 2018 when plain-clothed security forces entered the office of the Red Crescent offices in Riyadh. He was taken away without any explanation.How the Saudi government linked al-Sadhan to the Twitter account remains a mystery. In April 2021, the anti-terrorism court where he was tried handed down a prison sentence of 20 years for al-Sadhan, followed by a 20-year travel ban. Al-Sadhan has appealed the ruling.In 2019, Ahmad Abouammo, a U.S. citizen and former media partnership manager for Twitter’s Middle East region, was charged with acting as an agent of Saudi Arabia without registering with the U.S. government. The complaint also alleged that Saudi citiz...

Crews work to put out house fire in Miramar

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:14:43 GMT

Miramar Fire Rescue responded to a house fire, Tuesday afternoon.7Skyforce hovered over the scene, located at 2420 SW 80th Terrace in Miramar, where heavy smoke and flames coming from the home were visible. According to officials, the house was occupied when the fire broke out, but everyone made it out safely. Please check back on WSVN.com and 7News for more details on this developing story.

Community donations help high school seniors pick out free prom attire in Miami boutique

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:14:43 GMT

From sparkles and feathers to tailored suits and shoes, these high school seniors have a lot of options to choose from for prom and it’s all free of charge for them.A Miami-Dade Schools Superintendent Jose Dotres held an event for these students to pick out their attire for prom.“You know that in our community how expensive it is becoming to live here and we have over 10,000 students that are experiencing unstable housing,” said Dotres. “In addition to that we have, thousands of students that are living under the poverty level and we have to do whatever we can to help them succeed.” Around 9 a.m., the prom-goers visited the Prom Boutique, located at Lindsey Hopkins Technical College, to pick out all their necessities to go to their homecoming in style.“At the beginning, I wasn’t going to go,” said Prince Petit. “They really help try to find stuff I want.”Ashley Alexander, a high school senior, was in the same predicament as...

DeSantis signs four bills tackling human trafficking

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:14:43 GMT

Florida Governor Ron Desantis was in town Tuesday morning as he signed four different bills that tackled human trafficking.Lawmakers, and even a survivor of trafficking, were in attendance at a church in Lighthouse Point as DeSantis spoke about the legislation and to raise awareness of the signs and impacts of human trafficking.“Off and on, between the ages of 11 and 26, I was trafficked, and I didn’t get help until I learned what human trafficking was,” said Savanah Parvu.The new laws would enhance penalties for traffickers and businesses, like strip clubs, that profit off victims. The bills also allow for civil action against traffickers and establish treatment programs and safe houses for child and adult survivors.“All in, human trafficking across this country is a $150 billion illegal enterprise and I’m here to say Florida wants to use every resource at our disposal to put human traffickers out of business and in jail,” said DeSantis.All this ...

Russian lawmaker calls for ban on Wagner Group mercenaries

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:14:43 GMT

A veteran Russian politician and former army commander called for a crackdown on the country’s notorious private military company, Wagner Group, as tensions rise over its role in the invasion of Ukraine.Viktor Sobolev, a former lieutenant general in the armed forces who now sits as a Communist Party MP, branded the mercenary outfit “an illegal armed formation” in a statement on Tuesday. “It is not clear where [the Wagner Group] is registered and what it does,” Sobolev said. He warned regular soldiers defecting into its ranks could face up to 15 years in prison.Moscow outsourced much of the fighting around the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut to Wagner in recent weeks. The group’s founder, oligarch Yevgeny Prigozhin, accused top generals of failing to supply his troops in a series of furious attacks on the top brass.The Washington Post reported on Monday leaked documents revealed Prigozhin may have offered to give information on Russian army positions to ...