South Africa’s du Plessis retains middleweight UFC title
PERTH, Australia (AP) — South African Dricus du Plessis took a flurry of body hits across four rounds before defeating Israel Adesanya by submission to retain his middleweight championship at UFC 305. After scoring some early takedowns, du Plessis (22-2) had to withstand a flurry of body strikes from Adesanya through the middle rounds which appeared to be taking a toll on the 30-year-old South African as the fight progressed. But a left hook followed by three rights helped bring Adesanya down in the fourth round which gave du Plessis the opening he wanted as he swiftly got the choke hold which forced the Nigerian-born New Zealander to tap out.
Trump again decries two gold medalist Olympic athletes, falsely labeling the female boxers as men
WASHINGTON (AP) — Former President Donald Trump has again decried two gold medalist Olympic athletes, falsely labeling the female boxers as men. Trump made the comments while speaking at a campaign rally Saturday in Pennsylvania. Pledging to “keep men out of women’s sports,” he turned his attention to the recently concluded Olympic Games and the case of two athletes who became the subject of international scrutiny regarding misconceptions about their gender. Trump has long criticized transgender people as part of his rallies and focused specifically on transgender athletes, using language about gender identity that LGBTQ+ advocates say is wrong and harmful.
At least 23 injured when fire breaks out on a Ferris wheel in eastern Germany
BERLIN (AP) — Two gondolas on a Ferris wheel caught fire at a music festival near Leipzig in eastern Germany, injuring at least 23 people. News agency dpa reported Sunday that the fire started on one gondola and then spread to a second one on Saturday night. Four people suffered burn injuries and one suffered injuries from a fall. The others, including first responders and at least four police officers, were examined in the hospital for possible smoke inhalation. The accident took place at the Highfield Festival at Stoermthaler Lake near Leipzig. On Sunday morning, police were still investigating what caused the fire. They were not able to provide any concrete information about the condition of those injured or the exact number of casualties.
Keith Urban plays free pop-up concert outside a Buc-ee’s store in Alabama
ATHENS, Ala. (AP) — Country singer Keith Urban gave just a few hours’ notice before performing a free concert in the parking lot of a convenience store and gas station in north Alabama. Hundreds of people turned out for the show Friday night in Athens, about 100 miles south of Nashville. It was outside a Buc-ee’s, a chain of roadside stores known for barbecue. Urban says he was at the store about a month ago and thought it would be fun to do a show there. A video showed Urban working behind the store’s food counter, pouring barbecue sauce on brisket.
Indiana Jones’ iconic felt fedora fetches $630,000 at auction
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The brown felt fedora worn by actor Harrison Ford in the second installment of the Indiana Jones movies has sold for $630,000 at auction. Film memorabilia company Propstore announced the winning bids Friday. The hat featured in 1984’s “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” had been expected to fetch between $250,000 and $500,000. It comes from the personal collection of the late stunt performer Dean Ferrandini. The Herbert Johnson Hat Company in London made the fedora of sable-colored rabbit felt. It was an ongoing challenge keeping the fedora in place while filming.
Powerful earthquake hits off far east coast of Russia, though no early reports of damage
PETROPAVOVSK-KAMCHATSKY, Russia (AP) — A powerful magnitude-7.0 earthquake has struck in the Pacific off the far eastern coast of Russia near a major naval base, but there are no early reports of damage or injuries. The quake early Sunday prompted a tsunami warning that was later lifted. The U.S. Geological Survey says the earthquake occurred 18 miles below the surface and its epictern was about 63 miles east of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. That port city of more than 181,000 people is surrounded by volcanoes and sits across a bay from an important Russian submarine base. The U.S. National Weather Service’s Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Honolulu initially warned that hazardous tsunami waves were possible for coasts within 300 miles of the earthquake epicenter, but later announced the threat had ended.
Maurice Williams, writer and lead singer of ‘Stay,’ dead at 86
NEW YORK (AP) — Maurice Williams, a rhythm and blues singer and composer who with his backing group the Zodiacs became one of rock’s great one-shot acts with the classic ballad “Stay,” has died at 86. Barely over 1 minute, 30 seconds, the song well outlasted the Zodiacs. It was covered by the Hollies and the Four Seasons early on, and by Jackson Browne in a live track that was a highlight of his 1977 “Running On Empty” album. “Stay” also appeared on the multimillion-selling “Dirty Dancing” soundtrack from 1987.
‘Shoot me up with a big one’: A timeline of the last days of Matthew Perry
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The arrest of five people in the overdose death of Matthew Perry has revealed key details about the final days of the “Friends” star, most of them spent in the throes of an addiction to the surgical anesthetic ketamine. According to court documents, about a month before his death Perry met with a doctor who began providing him with an illegal supply of ketamine. As the weeks passed Perry’s assistant bought increasing amounts for the actor from the doctor and later a street dealer. On Oct. 28, after telling his assistant to shoot him up with a “big one,” Perry died from an overdose at age 54.
Madonna will fund a youth art project to celebrate her 66th birthday
ROME (AP) — Madonna has celebrated her 66th birthday with a private evening tour of the famed Italian archaeological site at Pompeii. There, she announced she will fund for a year an artistic project involving youths from the nearby areas. The American pop star was guided through the archeological park by its director on Friday. She also met a group of teenagers involved in the project “Dream of Flying,” in which hundreds of young artists perform re-adapted classic comedies by Aristophanes. The project is in its fourth year and has an annual budget of 250,000 euros. It started from Pompeii’s amphitheater Teatro Grande and then toured other Italian theaters.
Michael Brown’s death transformed a nation and sparked a decade of American reckoning on race
Michael Brown has been dead for a decade. The Black teenager’s death in Ferguson, Missouri, prompted an eruption of protests in the suburban city and gave a boost to a then-nascent Black Lives Matter movement. It wasn’t just BLM, though, It was also Indigenous people defending water and land, Latino people opposing draconian immigration detention and deportation practices that ripped apart families, and Asian American activists pushing back on xenophobia. These movements have changed America democracy and culture and inspired multiracial activism. But a decade later, the wins, losses and potential future of racial justice in the U.S. are still in question.
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