Abortions are up in the US: A complicated picture as women turn to pills, travel
Jeremy Clarkson backpedals on previous claim he bought farm for tax reasons
Ohio State Athletic Director Declines Comment on Postgame Brawl76ers center Joel Embiid sidelined due to swelling in his left knee and will miss two games PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Philadelphia 76ers say center Joel Embiid is managing swelling in his left knee and will miss a second consecutive game Sunday. The Sixers issued a statement on the condition of the 2023 NBA MVP at halftime of Friday’s NBA Cup game against the Brooklyn Nets, saying the decision to sideline Embiid was made along with the team’s medical staff. Embiid was ruled out prior to Friday’s game against the Nets due to what the team described as left knee injury maintenance. The Sixers host the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday. Giants release quarterback Daniel Jones just days after benching him EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — The Daniel Jones era in New York is over. The Giants quarterback was granted his release by the team just days after the franchise said it was benching him in favor of third-stringer Tommy DeVito. New York president John Mara said Jones approached the team about releasing him and the club obliged. Mara added he was “disappointed” at the quick dissolution of a once-promising relationship between Jones and the team. Giants coach Brian Daboll benched Jones in favor of DeVito following a loss to the Panthers in Germany that dropped New York's record to 2-8. Austin Hays, Kyle Finnegan, Brendan Rodgers and Jordan Romano among 62 new free agents NEW YORK (AP) — Outfielder Austin Hays, right-hander Kyle Finnegan and second baseman Brendan Rodgers were among 62 players who became free agents when their teams failed to offer 2025 contracts. Right-hander Jordan Romano, left-hander Patrick Sandoval and outfielders Michael Tauchman and Ramón Laureano also were among the players cut loose, many of whom would have been eligible for salary arbitration. Washington cut right-hander Tanner Rainey, its last remaining player from the 2019 World Series champions. Finnegan and Hays are former All-Stars. Conor McGregor must pay $250K to woman who says he raped her, civil jury rules LONDON (AP) — A civil jury in Ireland has awarded more than $250,000 to a woman who says she was raped by mixed martial arts fighter Conor McGregor in a Dublin hotel penthouse after a night of heavy partying. The jury on Friday awarded Nikita Hand in her lawsuit that claimed McGregor “brutally raped and battered” her in 2018. The lawsuit says the assault left her heavily bruised and suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. McGregor testified that he never forced her to do anything and that Hand fabricated her allegations after the two had consensual sex. McGregor says he will appeal the verdict. Russell puts Mercedes on pole at Las Vegas and Verstappen nips Norris in championship battle LAS VEGAS (AP) — George Russell put Mercedes on the pole for the Las Vegas Grand Prix in an upset over teammate Lewis Hamilton. Hamilton was fastest in the first two practice sessions with Russell fastest in Friday night’s third and final session. But come qualifying, Hamilton made two mistakes in the final group and wound up a distant 10th. Carlos Sainz Jr. and Charles Leclerc seemed to sweep the front row until Russell’s late lap pushed Sainz to second. Pierre Gasly slid into third, and Leclerc wound up fourth. Championship leader Max Verstappen of Red Bull qualified fifth for Saturday night's race. Verstappen needs only to score three points more than challenger Lando Norris to win his fourth straight world championship. Week 16 game between Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Chargers flexed to Thursday night spot The Los Angeles Chargers have played their way into another prime time appearance. Justin Herbert and company have had their Dec. 22 game against the Denver Broncos flexed to Thursday night, Dec. 19. Friday’s announcement makes this the first time a game has been flexed to the Thursday night spot. The league amended its policy last season where Thursday night games in Weeks 13 through 17 could be flexed with at least 28 days notice prior to the game. The matchup of AFC West division rivals bumps the game between the Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals to Sunday afternoon. Chase Elliott named NASCAR's most popular driver for 7th straight season CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Chase Elliott has been named NASCAR's most popular driver for the seventh straight year. He was announced Friday at NASCAR's annual season-ending awards ceremony. It's the only major NASCAR award determined solely by the vote of race fans. Elliott beat out Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kyle Larson and Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney, per results released by the National Motorsports Press Association. Bill Elliott, Chase's father who is nicknamed “Awesome Bill from Dawsonville,” was named NASCAR’s most popular driver a record 16 times before removing his name from the ballot. Either an Elliott or Earnhardt has won NASCAR’s most popular driver award for 34 consecutive years. NBA memo to players urges increased vigilance regarding home security following break-ins MIAMI (AP) — The NBA is urging its players to take additional precautions to secure their homes following reports of recent high-profile burglaries of dwellings owned by Milwaukee Bucks forward Bobby Portis and Kansas City Chiefs teammates Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce. In a memo sent to team officials, a copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press, the NBA revealed that the FBI has connected some burglaries to “transnational South American Theft Groups” that are “reportedly well-organized, sophisticated rings that incorporate advanced techniques and technologies, including pre-surveillance, drones, and signal jamming devices.” Brock Purdy will miss Sunday's game for the 49ers with a shoulder injury SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy will miss Sunday’s game against the Green Bay Packers with a sore throwing shoulder. Purdy injured his right shoulder in last Sunday’s loss to the Seattle Seahawks. Purdy underwent an MRI that showed no structural damage but the shoulder didn’t improve during the week and Purdy was ruled out for the game. Coach Kyle Shanahan said star defensive end Nick Bosa also will miss the game with injuries to his left hip and oblique. Left tackle Trent Williams is questionable with an ankle injury and will be a game-time decision. Lawyer says ex-Temple basketball standout Hysier Miller met with NCAA for hours amid gambling probe PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A lawyer for former Temple basketball standout Hysier Miller says the 22-year-old sat for a long interview with the NCAA amid an investigation into unusual gambling activity. But neither the lawyer nor federal law enforcement officials on Friday would confirm reports that a federal probe is now under way. Lawyer Jason Bologna says Miller cooperated because he hopes to play again. Miller was released last month after transferring to Virginia Tech. Temple President John Fry says the Philadelphia school has not been asked for any information from federal law enforcement officials.
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Fifteen of Ukraine's civilian airports have been damaged since Russia invaded the country in February 2022, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal has been quoted as saying by local media. or signup to continue reading Ukraine, which the state aviation service says has 20 civilian airports, has been exploring avenues to partially open its airspace. It has been completely closed since the start of the war. Ukrainians who want to fly abroad currently have to go via road or rail to neighbouring countries to catch flights. For those living in the east, the journey out of Ukraine can take a day in itself. "We conducted a risk assessment and determined the needs of the air defence forces to partially open the airspace," local news agency Ukrinform quoted Shmyhal as saying at a transportation conference. "Security issues and the military situation remain key to this decision," he said. Shmyhal added that Russia had attacked Ukraine's port infrastructure nearly 60 times in the last three months, damaging or destroying nearly 300 facilities and 22 civilian vessels. A senior partner at insurance broker Marsh McLennan told Reuters earlier this month that Ukraine could reopen the airport in the western city of Lviv in 2025 if regulators deem it safe and a political decision is made. The Ukrainian military on Saturday reported heavy fighting along the front lines in the eastern Donbas region as Russia continued to launch attacks. Fierce clashes were reported in the key areas of Pokrovsk and Kurakhove, which are the focal point of the Russian advance in eastern Ukraine. A breakthrough would pave the way for the Russian forces to advance towards the strategic cities of Dnipro and Zaporizhzhia. However, Ukrainian military experts say the front in the Donbas region has stabilised after Ukraine deployed reinforcements to the area. In total, the General Staff in Kyiv recorded 153 engagements along the front lines. with DPA DAILY Today's top stories curated by our news team. WEEKDAYS Grab a quick bite of today's latest news from around the region and the nation. WEEKLY The latest news, results & expert analysis. WEEKDAYS Catch up on the news of the day and unwind with great reading for your evening. WEEKLY Get the editor's insights: what's happening & why it matters. WEEKLY Love footy? We've got all the action covered. WEEKLY Every Saturday and Tuesday, explore destinations deals, tips & travel writing to transport you around the globe. WEEKLY Going out or staying in? Find out what's on. WEEKDAYS Sharp. Close to the ground. Digging deep. Your weekday morning newsletter on national affairs, politics and more. TWICE WEEKLY Your essential national news digest: all the big issues on Wednesday and great reading every Saturday. WEEKLY Get news, reviews and expert insights every Thursday from CarExpert, ACM's exclusive motoring partner. TWICE WEEKLY Get real, Australia! Let the ACM network's editors and journalists bring you news and views from all over. AS IT HAPPENS Be the first to know when news breaks. DAILY Your digital replica of Today's Paper. Ready to read from 5am! DAILY Test your skills with interactive crosswords, sudoku & trivia. Fresh daily! Advertisement Advertisement
You may have encountered the term “ bird flu” increasingly online and in the media. It refers to a highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) A, classified as H5N1. Wild birds carry and transmit this flu, though most do not get sick from it. However, it has been detected in birds and mammals at farms such as poultry and dairy cows and has the potential to cause disease in people. Given this, is there a danger the virus will end up in the milk that we buy at the store? Fortunately, recent testing of pasteurized dairy products has been negative for viable HPAI H5N1, suggesting that risk in such cases is exceedingly small, if any at all. Let’s look at the situation for what it is and perhaps with an eye toward what it could become. There are numerous types of avian flu viruses. The letters and numbers represent how they are classified, with the first two symbols describing one type of protein and the second two symbols describing another type of protein. Influenza viruses are crafty: They are constantly changing to avoid recognition by the immune system of their hosts. Such changes, referred to as antigenic shift and drift, make them a moving target for our immune system and for vaccines. The H5N1 avian flu’s recent transmission pattern concerns epidemiologists and public health officials. The virus has been transmitted from poultry and dairy cows to farm workers and others in close contact and proximity with these birds and animals. As of Monday, 55 people have tested positive for H5N1, with all but one infection, which remains unresolved in Missouri, traced to contact with farm-infected poultry or dairy cows. The majority of these cases have been in California, Colorado and Washington state. By comparison, H5N1 has been detected in more than 10,000 wild birds, nearly 110 million poultry in 49 states and more than 600 dairy herds in 15 states. The H5N1 virus recently infected dairy cows for the first time, raising concerns about the bird flu's potential implications for humans. The good news is that all these infections have been mostly benign, with each person fully recovered. However, with only around 50 cases reported in the United States since April, such a small sample cannot tease out what sectors of the population would be at highest risk of severe disease. Of course, it is certain that many more infections have gone undetected, given the results of antibody testing among dairy farm workers. This is concerning, since more infections increase the possibility of mutations that may lead to widespread transmission and more severe disease. On the other hand, this has almost certainly not occurred, or at least not yet, since almost all infections to date have been related to farm bird and animal exposure with mild symptoms, appearing to pose little, if any, risk to the broader population. The one exception is in Canada, where its first H5N1 case is in a teenager who is now hospitalized. Officials believe that the person was exposed either to an infected bird or animal. Such a case raises concerns that H5N1 has the potential to create severe disease. What is most concerning about H5N1 is the uncertainty surrounding its spread. If the virus began widespread transmission between people, then the number of cases could jump. Creating vaccines that would protect against H5N1 is possible. Given the usual six-month lead time required, using traditional egg-based technology, efforts are underway to shorten this window. An initiative to develop an mRNA H5N1 vaccine has also been launched, which would speed up vaccine availability. Of course, as this situation continues to evolve next year, it is unclear what the U.S. response will be, particularly given the health policy role that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. may assume in the new federal administration. Some may be thinking that this season’s flu vaccine may provide some protection against the H5N1 avian flu virus. It contains three antigen components, including influenza A H1N1 and influenza A H3N2, but not H5N1, which means that it will provide no protection against H5N1. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention continues to monitor the situation. As new cases are detected and confirmed, more information can be gathered to assess if the virus has become more prone to human-to-human transmission and produce more severe disease. The biggest challenge the CDC faces is effective, broad and timely surveillance that will detect escalation of infections in the population, an indicator that human transmission is occurring. Let’s not forget that the risks posed by seasonal flu are far greater than the risks posed by H5N1 at this time. This warrants people getting their seasonal flu shot as soon as possible, as we fast approach the holiday season with people gathering to celebrate and enjoy the festivities. Sheldon H. Jacobson, Ph.D., is a professor in computer science who teaches in the Carle Illinois College of Medicine at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Dr. Janet A. Jokela, MPH, is an infectious disease and public health physician and a dean in the Carle Illinois College of Medicine. Catch the latest in Opinion Get opinion pieces, letters and editorials sent directly to your inbox weekly!
Russell on pole in Qatar after stewards demote Verstappen