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Focus on coalition horse-trading as Greek election looks unlikely to deliver a strong winner

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:49:23 GMT

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Sunday’s Greek parliamentary election looks likely to be a dress rehearsal for a new round of voting in the busy summer tourist season — barring a surprise coalition deal by dissonant opposition parties.Opinion polls indicate that Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ center-right New Democracy could rake in about 35%, some 6 percentage points ahead of leftwing former prime minister Alexis Tsipras’ Syriza party.But ND still wouldn’t have enough to govern alone, and sharp divisions between the two main contenders and the four smaller parties forecast to enter parliament all but preclude a functioning coalition under either ND or Syriza.A second election on July 2 seems likely. It would be held under a new electoral law giving the winner a boost of up to 50 of Parliament’s 300 seats, which the current system doesn’t. With the economy rebounding after the 2009-2018 financial crisis, military tensions with neighboring Turkey — whic...

Giants host the Marlins on 4-game home win streak

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:49:23 GMT

Miami Marlins (23-22, second in the NL East) vs. San Francisco Giants (21-23, third in the NL West)San Francisco; Saturday, 4:05 p.m. EDTPITCHING PROBABLES: Marlins: Braxton Garrett (1-2, 5.40 ERA, 1.53 WHIP, 36 strikeouts); Giants: Logan Webb (3-5, 3.66 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 58 strikeouts)FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK MLB LINE: Giants -167, Marlins +142; over/under is 7 1/2 runsBOTTOM LINE: The San Francisco Giants host the Miami Marlins trying to continue a four-game home winning streak.San Francisco has a 21-23 record overall and a 14-10 record at home. The Giants have the 10th-ranked team on-base percentage in the NL at .319.Miami has a 9-11 record on the road and a 23-22 record overall. Marlins hitters are batting a collective .249, which ranks eighth in the NL.Saturday’s game is the fifth meeting between these teams this season. The season series is tied 2-2.TOP PERFORMERS: Michael Conforto leads San Francisco with eight home runs while slugging .410. Casey Schmitt is 16-for-40 with two ...

Pittsburgh Pirates and Arizona Diamondbacks meet in game 2 of series

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:49:23 GMT

Arizona Diamondbacks (25-20, second in the NL West) vs. Pittsburgh Pirates (24-20, second in the NL Central)Pittsburgh; Saturday, 4:05 p.m. EDTPITCHING PROBABLES: Diamondbacks: Brandon Pfaadt (0-1, 8.59 ERA, 1.57 WHIP, 11 strikeouts); Pirates: Mitch Keller (5-1, 2.38 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, 69 strikeouts)FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK MLB LINE: Pirates -137, Diamondbacks +116; over/under is 8 1/2 runsBOTTOM LINE: The Pittsburgh Pirates lead 1-0 in a three-game series with the Arizona Diamondbacks.Pittsburgh has a 24-20 record overall and an 11-9 record in home games. The Pirates have a 15-7 record in games when they did not allow a home run.Arizona has an 11-10 record on the road and a 25-20 record overall. Diamondbacks hitters have a collective .332 on-base percentage, the third-ranked percentage in the NL.The matchup Saturday is the second meeting between these teams this season.TOP PERFORMERS: Jack Suwinski leads the Pirates with seven home runs while slugging .482. Andrew McCutchen is 11-for-34 wit...

St. Louis Cardinals face the Los Angeles Dodgers Saturday

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:49:23 GMT

Los Angeles Dodgers (29-17, first in the NL West) vs. St. Louis Cardinals (19-27, fifth in the NL Central)St. Louis; Saturday, 7:15 p.m. EDTPITCHING PROBABLES: Dodgers: Noah Syndergaard (1-3, 5.94 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, 26 strikeouts); Cardinals: Miles Mikolas (2-1, 4.91 ERA, 1.57 WHIP, 41 strikeouts)FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK MLB LINE: Cardinals -110, Dodgers -110; over/under is 9 1/2 runsBOTTOM LINE: The St. Louis Cardinals host the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday.St. Louis has gone 9-15 in home games and 19-27 overall. The Cardinals are 16-6 in games when they have more hits than their opponents.Los Angeles has a 29-17 record overall and a 12-10 record on the road. Dodgers hitters have a collective .450 slugging percentage to rank second in the NL.Saturday’s game is the sixth time these teams square off this season. The Dodgers are up 4-1 in the season series.TOP PERFORMERS: Paul Goldschmidt has a .301 batting average to lead the Cardinals, and has 16 doubles and seven home runs. Nolan Ar...

Phillies aim to break losing streak in game against the Cubs

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:49:23 GMT

Chicago Cubs (20-24, third in the NL Central) vs. Philadelphia Phillies (20-24, fourth in the NL East)Philadelphia; Saturday, 4:05 p.m. EDTPITCHING PROBABLES: Cubs: Jameson Taillon (0-2, 6.29 ERA, 1.52 WHIP, 26 strikeouts); Phillies: Aaron Nola (3-3, 4.53 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 43 strikeouts)FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK MLB LINE: Phillies -169, Cubs +144; over/under is 9 runsBOTTOM LINE: The Philadelphia Phillies play the Chicago Cubs after losing five games in a row.Philadelphia has an 11-8 record in home games and a 20-24 record overall. The Phillies have hit 45 total home runs to rank 10th in the NL.Chicago is 9-13 in road games and 20-24 overall. The Cubs have the fourth-ranked team ERA in the NL at 3.98.The matchup Saturday is the second time these teams square off this season.TOP PERFORMERS: Nicholas Castellanos has 14 doubles, five home runs and 26 RBI while hitting .300 for the Phillies. J.T. Realmuto is 13-for-34 with six doubles over the last 10 games.Nico Hoerner has eight doubles, a trip...

Cumbre del G7: Zelenskyy llega a Hiroshima mientras líderes sancionan a Rusia

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:49:23 GMT

HIROSHIMA, Japón — El presidente de Ucrania, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, aterrizó el sábado en Hiroshima para mantener conversaciones diplomáticas con los líderes de las democracias más poderosas del mundo que han endurecido las sanciones para castigar a Moscú y cambiar el curso de su invasión de 15 meses a Ucrania.Japón dice que la decisión de Zelenskyy de visitar Hiroshima se deriva de su “fuerte deseo” de participar en conversaciones que influirán en la defensa de su nación contra Rusia.Un funcionario de la UE, que habló bajo condición de anonimato para informar a los periodistas sobre las deliberaciones, dijo que Zelenskyy participará en dos sesiones separadas el domingo. La primera sesión será solo con miembros del G7 y se centrará en la guerra en Ucrania. La segunda sesión incluirá al G7, así como a las demás naciones invitadas a participar en la cumbre, y se centrará en “la paz y la estabilidad”.El asesor de seguridad nacional de Estados Unidos, Jake Sullivan...

French minister warns of resumption of ‘Islamist terrorist’ threat in Europe

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:49:23 GMT

There’s a risk of a “resumption” of the “Islamist terrorist” threat in Europe, France’s Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin said during a visit to the U.S. Stressing the importance of anti-terrorism collaboration between intelligence services from both sides of the Atlantic, Darmanin said in an interview with Agence France-Presse that “for Europeans and for France the primary risk is Sunni Islamist terrorism.” While pointing to concerns facing the U.S., including shootings and white supremacism, Darmanin said Americans mustn’t forget “what appears to us to be the primary threat in Europe,” which the minister said was Sunni terrorism. Darmanin also highlighted the risk of people carrying out a “Bataclan-type attack,” referring to the Paris attacks in 2015 that saw 130 people killed, including 90 at the Bataclan theater. France has seen several terrorist incidents in recent years, including the stabbing of a police officer in 2021, which led President Emmanuel...

Target practice: How a job in retail ignited Orioles reliever Bryan Baker’s fire

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:49:23 GMT

In two seasons with the Orioles, right-handed reliever Bryan Baker hasn’t hesitated to show his emotions when pitching. He has let out yells, pounded his chest, and, of late, backpedaled off the mound after the occasional inning-ending strikeout.He got his passion from Target.During 2020′s canceled minor league season, the Toronto Blue Jays invited Baker to their alternate training site, a hub for players who were not on the major league roster but could be called upon during the shortened campaign. But with more than a month left on the schedule, the Blue Jays sent Baker home, ending his season as it continued for others. He went home to Florida and worked in retail with his sister, Chelsea, pushing carts around Target to fill out mobile orders in hopes of saving money for offseason training.“It told me everything I needed to know: I needed to be better,” Baker said. “It was something I knew I needed at that time to support myself, but I knew it was so...

Horoscopes May 20, 2023: Cher, focus and proceed

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:49:23 GMT

CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Daya Vaidya, 43; Matt Czuchry, 46; Tony Goldwyn, 63; Cher, 77.Happy Birthday: Simplify your life. Consider your objective and the best way to achieve your goal. Use your charm to drum up support, suggestions and hands-on help. Stop pondering over the past and start living life your way. Let go of what’s holding you back and replace it with fresh ideas and renewed faith in yourself and your ability to get things done. Focus and proceed. Your numbers are 5, 13, 26, 32, 34, 41, 43.ARIES (March 21-April 19): Don’t share too much information. If you keep others guessing, you’ll stand a better chance of getting what you want. Focus on what you can do to improve your situation, and help others follow suit. Set a good example and see what happens. 4 starsTAURUS (April 20-May 20): Get in the conversation, let your voice resonate and make a difference. Offer an upbeat rendition of what’s possible and how you can use your skills to get a po...

Ask Amy: The wedding invitation has an aggressive edge I don’t like

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:49:23 GMT

Dear Amy: I’m asking about an aggressive version of a familiar issue.I am in my mid-20s and at the age where I am being invited to weddings of friends. Some are close friends, others not so much.I work in local media, and, as you may know, make a measly wage. We in local media work on short-term contracts and tend to move frequently.One of my friends in the field, who often shares my financial woes, is likely getting married early next year. We do not live in the same part of the country.This friend has made it clear that they do not want to hear anything about guests not being able to attend their wedding due to living too far away, or not having enough money.This friend quite literally (and aggressively) stated this over a text message.This person has been OK as a friend, but is not my closest.I am really turned off by this approach.I have a feeling they will sever both personal and professional ties with me if I don’t attend this wedding.Our line of work does not give the time of...