Category: News
Un banco de esperma para guepardos podría salvar algún día al animal terrestre más rápido del mundo
Por GERALD IMRAY
CIUDAD DEL CABO, Sudáfrica (AP) — Durante 35 años, la zoóloga estadounidense Laurie Marker ha estado recolectando y almacenando muestras de esperma de guepardo en Namibia con la esperanza de que los conservacionistas nunca tengan que usarlas.
Le preocupa que el animal terrestre más rápido del mundo pueda estar algún día al borde de la extinción y se llegue a necesitar de reproducción artificial para salvar la especie.
Marker asegura que el banco de esperma en el Cheetah Conservation Fund, el organismo que fundó en esta nación del sur de África, es un “zoológico congelado” de guepardos, el cual ha estado construyendo desde 1990. Las muestras que contiene se utilizarían en el peor de los casos para estos felinos, cuyas cifras han disminuido alarmantemente en estado silvestre durante los últimos 50 años.
“No haces nada con esto a menos que sea necesario”, dijo Marker, una de las principales expertas en guepardos, desde su centro de investigación cerca de la ciudad de Otjiwarongo, Namibia. “Y no queremos llegar a ese punto nunca”.
Los conservacionistas conmemoran el jueves el Día Mundial del Guepardo con menos de 7.000 ejemplares en estado silvestre, cifras similares a las del rinoceronte negro en peligro crítico. Hay únicamente alrededor de 33 poblaciones de guepardos distribuidas en distintos puntos a lo largo de África, la mayoría de ellas con menos de 100 animales, dijo Marker.
Como tantas especies, los elegantes felinos que pueden alcanzar hasta 112 km/h (70 mph) están en peligro de extinción por la pérdida de su hábitat, el conflicto entre el ser humano y la vida silvestre y el comercio ilegal de animales. Sus grupos, cada vez más pequeños y aislados, significan que su reserva genética también se está reduciendo a medida que las pequeñas poblaciones se reproducen continuamente entre sí, con repercusiones en sus tasas de reproducción.
A nivel mundial, el número de guepardos en la naturaleza ha disminuido en un 80% en el último medio siglo y esta especie ha sido expulsada del 90% de su hábitat histórico.
Los científicos creen que los guepardos evitaron por poco su extinción al final de la última era glacial, hace unos 10.000 o 12.000 años, el primer factor que redujo su reserva genética.
Marker señaló que la falta de diversidad genética –junto con el hecho de que los guepardos tienen un 70-80% de esperma anormal– significa que podrían necesitar ayuda en el futuro.
“Por lo mismo, un banco de esperma tiene mucho sentido, ¿verdad?”, dijo Marker.
Una táctica común en los esfuerzo de conservación
Almacenar esperma no es un esfuerzo exclusivo para los guepardos en el mundo de la vida silvestre. Es una táctica que los conservacionistas han desarrollado para otras especies, como elefantes, rinocerontes, aves, antílopes y otros grandes felinos.
El valor de la investigación de la reproducción animal, destacó Marker, queda al descubierto en la desesperada batalla por salvar al rinoceronte blanco del norte de la extinción.
Sólo quedan dos rinocerontes blancos del norte, ambos hembras, lo que hace que la especie esté funcionalmente extinta al no tener posibilidad de reproducirse naturalmente. Su única esperanza radica en la reproducción artificial con esperma de la especie recolectado y congelado hace varios años.
Como las dos rinocerontes restantes —una madre y una hija— no pueden quedar gestantes, los científicos han intentado implantar embriones de rinoceronte blanco del norte en sustitutas de rinoceronte blanco del sur. Las sustitutas no han logrado llevar ninguno de los embarazos a término, pero el equipo de conservación sigue comprometido a tratar de salvar a los rinocerontes blancos del norte contra todo pronóstico.
Otros esfuerzos de reproducción artificial han tenido éxito, incluido un proyecto que crió hurones de patas negras después de que la especie quedó reducida a una sola población en estado natural en Wyoming, Estados Unidos.
Último recurso
Marker no persigue a los guepardos para recolectar su esperma, sino que aprovecha cualquier oportunidad para tomar muestras. En Namibia, el principal riesgo para los guepardos son los agricultores que los ven como una amenaza para su ganado, lo que significa que el equipo de Marker se presenta cuando algún ejemplar ha resultado herido o fue capturado y recolectan muestras mientras los atienden para liberarlos posteriormente.
También pueden recolectar muestras de esperma de guepardos muertos. “Cada guepardo es, en realidad, una mezcla única de un número muy pequeño de genes. Intentaremos almacenar cada animal que podamos”, declaró Marker.
Las muestras de aproximadamente 400 guepardos, y contando, se encuentran almacenadas actualmente a temperaturas ultrabajas en tanques de nitrógeno líquido en el laboratorio del Cheetah Conservation Fund. La investigación de Marker no involucra ninguna inseminación artificial, debido a que la cría de animales salvajes en cautiverio está prohibida en Namibia.
Si los guepardos estuvieran amenazados nuevamente con la extinción, el primer respaldo serían los aproximadamente 1.800 felinos que viven en zoológicos y otros entornos en cautiverio. Pero, los guepardos no se reproducen bien en cautiverio y el banco de esperma podría ser, como en el caso de los rinocerontes blancos del norte, el último recurso, puntualizó.
Sin él, “no vamos a tener muchas posibilidades”, subrayó.
___ Esta historia fue traducida del inglés por un editor de AP con la ayuda de una herramienta de inteligencia artificial generativa.
Porter anota 33 puntos y conduce a Nets hacia victoria 113-103 sobre Bulls, su 2do triunfo seguido
CHICAGO (AP) — Michael Porter Jr. anotó 33 puntos y consiguió diez rebotes por los Nets de Brooklyn, quienes hilvanaron victorias por primera vez en la campaña, al vencer el miércoles 113-103 a los Bulls de Chicago.
Noah Clowney anotó 18 de sus 20 puntos en la segunda mitad para ayudar a que los Nets mejoraran su récord a 5-16. Nic Claxton sumó 14 puntos, nueve asistencias y ocho rebotes.
Josh Giddey registró 28 puntos, 11 rebotes y 11 asistencias para su quinto triple-doble de la temporada por Chicago. Los Bulls cayeron a 9-12 tras sufrir su quinta derrota consecutiva.
Chicago careció de siete jugadores lesionados, incluido el novato Noa Essengue, la 12ª selección general en el draft de la NBA, quien se someterá a una cirugía en el hombro izquierdo y se perderá el resto de la temporada.
Porter había brillado el lunes con 35 puntos, su número más alto de la temporada, en una victoria como local por 116-103 sobre Charlotte. Contra Chicago, Porter encestó cuatro de sus cinco triples en la segunda mitad.
Brooklyn se recuperó así, después de que Chicago redujo la ventaja de los Nets a tan sólo cinco puntos.
_____
Deportes AP: https://apnews.com/hub/deportes
Kornet bloquea la bandeja de último segundo de Wagner y Spurs vencen 114-112 a Magic
ORLANDO, Florida, EE.UU. (AP) — Luke Kornet bloqueó la bandeja de último segundo de Franz Wagner, De’Aaron Fox anotó 31 puntos y los Spurs de San Antonio vencieron 114-112 al Magic de Orlando la noche del miércoles.
Fox anotó los últimos diez puntos de los Spurs, los últimos en dos tiros libres con 1,4 segundos restantes después de una falta de Jonathan Isaac de Orlando. Orlando pasó el balón a Wagner bajo el aro, pero Kornet lo desvió fuera de los límites cuando sonó la bocina, su tercer tiro bloqueado del juego.
San Antonio ha ganado siete de nueve con Victor Wembanyama fuera por una distensión en la pantorrilla izquierda.
Wagner lideró a Orlando con 25 unidades. Jalen Suggs agregó 24 tantos y tres robos antes de salir por faltas con 25,6 segundos restantes. Desmond Bane, que venía de dos juegos consecutivos de 37 puntos, terminó con 14 y seis asistencias después de encestar dos tiros importantes en el tramo final.
Fue la tercera derrota del Magic en diez juegos desde que perdieron a Paolo Bancherro por una distensión en la ingle.
Dylan Harper salió de la banca de San Antonio con 16 puntos, cinco rebotes y cinco asistencias, y Devin Vassell tuvo 15 unidades y seis rebotes.
Fox tuvo siete de las 19 pérdidas de balón de los Spurs.
___
Deportes en español AP: https://apnews.com/hub/deportes
How Obama Paved The Way For Trump’s Venezuelan Killings
How Obama Paved The Way For Trump’s Venezuelan Killings
The Trump administration’s killings of scores of Venezuelans are justifiably provoking outrage. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth recently proclaimed, “We have only just begun to kill narco-terrorists.” Donald Trump and Hegseth are cashing a blank check for carnage that was written years earlier by President Barack Obama.
In his 2017 farewell address, Obama boasted, “We have taken out tens of thousands of terrorists.” Drone strikes increased tenfold under Obama, helping fuel anti-US backlashes in several nations.
As he campaigned for the presidency in 2007, then-Senator Barack Obama declared, “We will again set an example for the world that the law is not subject to the whims of stubborn rulers.” Many Americans who voted for Obama in 2008 expected a seachange in Washington. However, from his first weeks in office, Obama authorized widespread secret attacks against foreign suspects, some of which spurred headlines when drones slaughtered wedding parties or other innocents.
On February 3, 2010, Obama’s Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair stunned Washington by announcing that the administration was also targeting Americans for killing. Blair revealed to a congressional committee the new standard for extrajudicial killings:
“Whether that American is involved in a group that is trying to attack us, whether that American has—is a threat to other Americans. We don’t target people for free speech. We target them for taking action that threatens Americans.”
But “involved” is a vague standard—as is “action that threatens Americans.” Blair stated that “if we think that direct action will involve killing an American, we get specific permission to do that.” Permission from who?
Obama’s first high-profile American target was Anwar Awlaki, a cleric born in New Mexico. After the 9/11 attacks, Awlaki was showcased as a model moderate Muslim. The New York Times noted that Awlaki “gave interviews to the national news media, preached at the Capitol in Washington and attended a breakfast with Pentagon officials.” He became more radical after he concluded that the Geoge W. Bush administration’s Global War on Terror was actually a war on Islam. After the FBI sought to squeeze him into becoming an informant against other Muslims, Awlaki fled the country. He arrived in Yemen and was arrested and reportedly tortured at the behest of the U.S. government. After he was released from prison eighteen months later, his attitude had worsened and his sermons became more bloodthirsty.
After the Obama administration announced plans to kill Awlaki, his father hired a lawyer to file a challenge in federal court. The ACLU joined the lawsuit, seeking to compel the government “to disclose the legal standard it uses to place U.S. citizens on government kill lists.” The Obama administration labeled the entire case a “State Secret.” This meant that the administration did not even have to explain why federal law no longer constrained its killings. The administration could have indicted Awlaki on numerous charges but it did not want to provide him any traction in federal court.
In September 2010, The New York Times reported that “there is widespread agreement among the administration’s legal team that it is lawful for President Obama to authorize the killing of someone like Mr. Awlaki.” It was comforting to know that top political appointees concurred that Obama could justifiably kill Americans. But that was the same “legal standard” the Bush team used to justify torture.
The Obama administration asserted a right to kill U.S. citizens without trial, without notice, and without any chance for the marked men to legally object. In November 2010, Justice Department attorney Douglas Letter announced in federal court that no judge had legal authority to be “looking over the shoulder” of Obama’s targeted killing. Letter declared that the program involves “the very core powers of the president as commander in chief.”
The following month, federal judge John Bates dismissed the ACLU’s lawsuit because “there are circumstances in which the Executive’s unilateral decision to kill a U.S. citizen overseas” is “judicially unreviewable.” Bates declared that targeted killing was a “political question” outside the court’s jurisdiction. His deference was stunning: no judge had ever presumed that killing Americans was simply another “political question.” The Obama administration’s position “would allow the executive unreviewable authority to target and kill any U.S. citizen it deems a suspect of terrorism anywhere,” according to Center for Constitutional Rights attorney Pardiss Kebriae.
On September 30, 2011, a U.S. drone attack killed Awlaki along with another American citizen, Samir Khan, who was editing an online Al Qaeda magazine. Obama bragged about the lethal operation at a military base later that day. A few days later, administration officials gave a New York Times reporter extracts a peek at the fifty-page secret Justice Department memo. The Times noted, “The secret document provided the justification for [killing Awlaki] despite an executive order banning assassinations, a federal law against murder, protections in the Bill of Rights and various strictures of the international laws of war, according to people familiar with the analysis.” The legal case for killing Awlaki was so airtight that it did not even need to be disclosed to the American public.
Two weeks after killing Awlaki, Obama authorized a drone attack that killed his son and six other people as they sat at an outdoor café in Yemen. Anonymous administration officials quickly assured the media that Abdulrahman Awlaki was a 21-year-old Al Qaeda fighter and thus fair game. Four days later, The Washington Post published a birth certificate proving that Awlaki’s son was only 16-years old and had been born in Denver. Nor did the boy have any connection with Al Qaeda or any other terrorist group. Robert Gibbs, Obama’s former White House press secretary and a top advisor for Obama’s reelection campaign, later shrugged that the 16-year-old should have had “a far more responsible father.”
Regardless of that boy’s killing, the media often portrayed Obama and his drones as infallible. A Washington Post poll a few months later revealed that 83% of Americans approved of Obama’s drone killing policy. It made almost no difference whether the suspected terrorists were American citizens; 79% of respondents approved of preemptively killing their fellow countrymen, no judicial niceties required. The Post noted that “77 percent of liberal Democrats endorse the use of drones, meaning that Obama is unlikely to suffer any political consequences as a result of his policy in this election year.” The poll results were largely an echo of official propaganda. Most folks “knew” only what the government wanted them to hear regarding drones. Thanks to pervasive secrecy, top government officials could kill who they chose and say what they pleased. The fact that the federal government had failed to substantiate more than 90% of its terrorist accusations since 9/11 was irrelevant since the president was omniscient.
On March 6, 2012, Attorney General Eric Holder, in a speech on targeted killings to a college audience, declared, “Due process and judicial process are not one and the same, particularly when it comes to national security. The Constitution guarantees due process, it does not guarantee judicial process.” TV comedian Stephen Colbert mocked Holder, quipping “Trial by jury, trial by fire, rock, paper scissors, who cares? Due process just means that there is a process that you do.” One purpose of due process is to allow evidence to be critically examined. But there was no opportunity to debunk statements from anonymous White House officials. For the Obama administration, “due process” meant little more than reciting certain phrases in secret memos prior to executions.
Holder declared that the drone attacks “are not [assassinations], and the use of that loaded term is misplaced; assassinations are unlawful killings. Here, for the reasons I have given, the U.S. government’s use of lethal force in self-defense.” Any termination secretly approved by the president or his top advisers was automatically a “lawful killing.” Holder reassured Americans that Congress was overseeing the targeted killing program. But no one on Capitol Hill demanded a hearing or investigation after U.S. drones killed American citizens in Yemen. The prevailing attitude was exemplified by House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Peter King (R-NY):
“Drones aren’t evil, people are evil. We are a force of good and we are using those drones to carry out the policy of righteousness and goodness.”
Obama told White House aides that it “turns out I’m really good at killing people. Didn’t know that was gonna be a strong suit of mine.” In April 2012, The New York Times was granted access for a laudatory inside look at “Terror Tuesday” meetings in the White House:
“Every week or so, more than 100 members of the government’s sprawling national security apparatus gather, by secure video teleconference, to pore over terrorist suspects’ biographies and recommend to the president who should be the next to die.”
It was a PowerPoint death parade. The Times stressed that Obama personally selected who to kill next:
“The control he exercises also appears to reflect Mr. Obama’s striking self-confidence: he believes, according to several people who have worked closely with him, that his own judgment should be brought to bear on strikes.”
Commenting on the Times’ revelations, author Tom Engelhardt observed, “We are surely at a new stage in the history of the imperial presidency when a president (or his election team) assembles his aides, advisors and associates to foster a story that’s meant to broadcast the group’s collective pride in the new position of assassin-in-chief.”
This is how Obama’s Press Secretary Robert Gibbs responded to questioning on the murder of the 16 year old US citizen Abdulrahman al-Awlaki in a drone strike ordered by Obama: “I ‘d suggest that you should have had a far more responsible father”. pic.twitter.com/Hp408VX08P
— Louis Allday (@Louis_Allday) June 21, 2018
On May 23, 2013, Obama, in a speech on his targeted killing program at the National Defense University in Washington, told his fellow Americans that “we know a price must be paid for freedom”—such as permitting the president untrammeled authority to kill threats to freedom. The president declared that “before any strike is taken, there must be near-certainty that no civilians will be killed or injured—the highest standard we can set.”
Since almost all the data on victims was confidential, it was tricky to prove otherwise. But NBC News acquired classified documents revealing that the CIA was often clueless about who it was killing. NBC noted, “Even while admitting that the identities of many killed by drones were not known, the CIA documents asserted that all those dead were enemy combatants. The logic is twisted: If we kill you, then you were an enemy combatant.” Killings are also exonerated by counting “all military-age males in a strike zone as combatants…unless there is explicit intelligence posthumously proving them innocent.” And U.S. bureaucrats have no incentive to track down evidence exposing their fatal errors. The New York Times revealed that U.S. “counterterrorism officials insist…people in an area of known terrorist activity…are probably up to no good.” The “probably up to no good” standard absolved almost any drone killing within thousands of square miles in Pakistan, Yemen, and Somalia. Daniel Hale, a former Air Force intelligence analyst, leaked information revealing that nearly 90% of people who were killed in drone strikes were not the intended targets. Joe Biden’s Justice Department responded by coercing Hale into pleading guilty to “retention and transmission of national security information,” and he was sent to prison in 2021.
Sovereign immunity entitles presidents to kill with impunity. Or at least that is what presidents have presumed for most of the past century. If the Trump administration can establish a prerogative to preemptively kill anyone suspected of transporting illicit narcotics, millions of Americans could be in the federal cross-hairs. But the Trump administration is already having trouble preserving total secrecy thanks to controversies over who ordered alleged war crimes. Will Trump’s anti-drug carnage end up torpedoing his beloved Secretary of War Hegseth and his own credibility with Congress, the judiciary, and hundreds of millions of Americans who do not view White House statements as divine revelations handed down from Mt. Sinai?
Tyler Durden
Wed, 12/03/2025 – 23:25
https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/how-obama-paved-way-trumps-venezuelan-killings
Cowboys-Chiefs Thanksgiving matchup on CBS is the most-watched regular-season NFL game ever
The Dallas Cowboys’ 31-28 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs on Thanksgiving Day averaged 57.23 million viewers on CBS, making it the most-watched regular-season game in NFL history.
The early game between Green Bay and Detroit — won by the Packers 31-24 — averaged 47.7 million, making it the second most-watched in league history and the most-watched regular-season game since Fox began carrying the NFL in 1994.
The three games, including the Thanksgiving night matchup between the Cincinnati Bengals and Baltimore Ravens, averaged 44.7 million. That surpasses the previous high of 34.5 million set last season and is the fourth consecutive year the league has set a viewership record on the holiday.
“It’s probably a bigger number than we projected, but again, I think we’re now measuring an audience that wasn’t measured before, which is obviously helpful,” Commissioner Roger Goodell said in an interview with The Associated Press. “We also had great matchups and great games all the way through the weekend. We’re going to have a weekend that will be the most-viewed weekend in the history of the NFL. So we’re thrilled by that.”
Some of the increase can be attributed to a change in the way viewers are counted. Nielsen began using its Big Data + Panel methodology for all events on Sept. 1.
Earlier this year, Nielsen began measuring out-of-home viewers for all states but Hawaii and Alaska, along with including data from smart TVs along with cable and satellite set-top boxes.
Nielsen previously measured just the top 44 media markets, which covered 65% of the country.
“I think some of the work that Nielsen’s did with their initial out-of-home rollout, we saw a big step forward and this next step of capturing the entire country was the next step in that evolution that we think gets to the most accurate view of what our audiences are,” said Hans Schroeder, the NFL’s executive vice president of media distribution. “We still think there’s more opportunity once the big data element gets captured by Nielsen appropriately and captured in a way to reflect our audiences.”
Schroeder also said on a conference call Wednesday that overall ratings are up 6% through the first 12 weeks of the season.
The Cowboys-Chiefs game shattered by 36% the previous league record, which was 42.06 million for the New York Giants-Cowboys game on Fox in 2022. It was also a 47% increase over last year’s late afternoon Thanksgiving game between the Giants and Cowboys (38.84 million).
The audience peaked at 61.36 million for the game’s conclusion.
The previous regular-season mark on CBS was 41.76 million for the 2023 Thanksgiving game between the Washington Commanders and the Cowboys.
“It’s typically the most-viewed time slot every year and we decided to go big. Credit to Hans here for pushing,” CBS Sports President and CEO David Berson said. “It’s the biggest brands the game has now with the Chiefs and the Cowboys. It so happens they were both coming off last-second, come-from-behind victories and they’re fighting for their playoff lives. It was a close game down to the wire. It was a perfect recipe for record-breaking viewership.”
The audience for the Green Bay-Detroit game peaked at 57.96 million. Fox will have next year’s Dallas game, which could set up an interesting decision on which opponent the league and network both choose. The handicapping on that will begin when the teams know their home and away opponents at the conclusion of the regular season.
“I think it was entirely strategically correct to really go for it this year and try to get the biggest number. I think next year we’re going to have to think about how aggressive we want to be, because at some level it is a little bit zero sum,” said Mike Mulvihill, Fox Sports president, insight and analytics. “There will have to be some thought given to not necessarily going with the biggest game available, but going with something that’s going to drive a lot of viewership and drive revenue.”
The Bengals’ 32-14 win over the Ravens also set a mark for the most-watched Thanksgiving night game. Joe Burrow’s return to the Bengals lineup averaged 28.4 million on NBC. The previous record was 27.8 million when Chicago faced Green Bay in 2015 when Brett Favre’s jersey was retired at halftime.
“Football’s had a phenomenal season, so it’s not just a one-day exercise where we see these record ratings. We are in our 20th season of ‘Sunday Night Football’ and this is the highest season we’ve ever had. We’re up 10% on last year, and so the NFL has never been stronger,” NBC Sports President Rick Cordella said.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/03/cowboys-chiefs-cbs-thanksgiving-game-ratings/
Football and local scores for the Southland, Aurora, Elgin, Naperville and Lake County
High school and local college results and highlights from the Southland, Aurora, Elgin, Naperville and Lake County coverage areas.
Email Daily Southtown results to southtownsports@gmail.com, Beacon-News, Courier-News and Naperville Sun results to tribwestsports@gmail.com and News-Sun results to newssunsports@gmail.com.
SATURDAY’S EVENT
LOCAL COLLEGES
FOOTBALL
NCAA DIVISION III PLAYOFFS
Third Round
Wisconsin La Crosse (9-2) at North Central College (11-0), noon.
WEDNESDAY’S RESULTS
HIGH SCHOOLS
FOOTBALL
STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS
At Huskie Stadium, DeKalb
CLASS 8A
No. 1 Mount Carmel 20, No. 11 Oswego 3
CLASS 7A
No. 6 Brother Rice 16, No. 25 St. Rita 0
BOYS BASKETBALL
Burlington Central 46, Prairie Ridge 18
Crystal Lake Central 40, Dundee-Crown 20
Evergreen Park 56, U-High 16
Evergreen (4-1): Lenear Bolden 17 points.
Jacobs 59, Hampshire 50
Jacobs (4-0, 1-0 Fox Valley): Carson Goehring 15 points. Elijah Bell 14 points.
Hampshire (0-4, 0-1): Sean Roth 14 points.
Lake Park 57, Larkin 43
Libertyville 64, Lake Forest 59
Libertyville (2-2, 1-0 North Suburban): Ben Kristopher 20 points. Nick Baker 12 points.
Niles West 38, Mundelein 28
North Chicago 70, North Shore 52
Plano 55, Newark 44
Reed-Custer 54, Somonauk 47
Somonauk (1-4): Tristan Reed 10 points.
St. Laurence 69, Comer 24
Stagg 52, Shepard 45
Stagg (5-0): Mo Farhan 19 points, 5 rebounds. Omar Barakat 12 points.
Shepard (2-3): Aaron Arrambide 12 points.
Warren 88, Rockford Auburn 76
Warren (2-0): Jaxson Davis 32 points. Braylon Walker 24 points.
Waukegan 81, West Aurora 53
Waukegan (4-1): Simereon Carter 32 points. Adrian Serrano 15 points.
AURORA CHRISTIAN BURNEY WILKIE CLASSIC
Joliet Catholic 71, IMSA 52
JCA (1-1): Jayden Armstrong 18 points.
IMSA (2-2): Lota Owamezee 22 points.
LAKES TOURNAMENT
Lake Forest Academy 58, Oak Forest 42
Oak Forest (3-1): Donavon Williams 13 points.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Batavia 52, Glenbard North 29
Batavia (2-4, 1-0 DuKane): Payton Haslett 16 points. Sammie Donahue 10 points.
Benet 65, St. Viator 45
Brooks 40, Ag. Science 26
Carmel 51, Marian Catholic 12
Clifton Central 55, Beecher 39
Beecher (2-4, 1-1 River Valley): Gianna Bonomo 14 points.
Crystal Lake Central 36, Lakes 34
Lakes (2-4): Ryan Horvath 15 points.
DePaul Prep 63, Antioch 52
Antioch (1-5): Heidi Rathmann 31 points.
Homewood-Flossmoor 60, Andrew 35
Kankakee 45, Lincoln-Way West 38
Latin 52, Evergreen Park 49
Neuqua Valley 55, Sycamore 46
Wauconda 36, Marian Central Catholic 27
Wauconda (4-0): Sarah Palmer 11 points.
TUESDAY’S RESULTS
HIGH SCHOOLS
FOOTBALL
STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS
At Hancock Stadium, Normal
CLASS 6A
No. 11 Fenwick 38, No. 8 East St. Louis 28
CLASS 5A
No. 9 Wheaton St. Francis 39, No. 5 Providence 35
HIGH SCHOOLS
BOYS BASKETBALL
Ag. Science 80, Eisenhower 77
Ag. Science (1-4): Kris Bell 19 points. Gavyn Reilly 19 points.
Eisenhower (2-2): Logan Tasciotti 23 points.
Andrew 59, Argo 28
Andrew (3-2): Ryan Dinnon 26 points, 10 rebounds.
Antioch 57, Zion-Benton 55
Antioch (1-4): Mark Render 27 points. Miles Marabella 14 points.
Aurora Central Catholic 59, Chesterton Academy 29
ACC (3-1): Nick Czerak 20 points.
Beecher 52, Grant Park 21
Benet 51, Joliet Catholic 27
Brother Rice 55, De La Salle 48
Buffalo Grove 66, Grayslake Central 55
Grayslake Central (2-3): Alex Granville 15 points. Carson Woods 12 points.
Deerfield 63, Vernon Hills 40
Deerfield (5-0): Jacob Pollack 26 points. Evan Nagler 16 points.
Vernon Hills (4-1): Brady Larsen 19 points. Daniel Odhiambo 12 points.
Geneva 50, Bartlett 34
Glenbard East 78, St. Charles North 63
Grayslake North 66, Westlake Christian 28
Grayslake North (3-1): Will Foley 17 points.
Hinckley-Big Rock 71, Amboy 43
Hinckley-Big Rock (1-1): Marshall Ledbetter 24 points, 7 rebounds. Luke Badal 22 points.
Kaneland 91, Mendota 50
Kaneland (2-0): Marshawn Cocroft 14 points.
Lake Zurich 41, Prospect 36
Lakes 58, Fenton 45
Lakes (2-2): Ben Newcomb 23 points. Carter Martin 14 points.
Leo 42, Brooks 35
Leo (5-0): Brian Kizer 14 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists.
Leyden 69, Streamwood 37
Lincoln-Way West 56, Oak Lawn 54
Lincoln-Way West (4-1): Ryan Hegji 21 points; GW basket with :06 left. Eiden Kubilius 13 points.
Little Village 90, St. Rita 71
St. Rita (2-3): Mason Hall 17 points.
Lockport 61, Thornridge 44
Lockport (5-0): Nedas Venckus 22 points. Nojus Venckus 13 points, 5 rebounds. Trace Schaaf 10 points, 8 rebounds.
Marian Catholic 63, Unity Christian 62
Marian (2-2): Noah Clay 18 points. London Mays 13 points, 6 rebounds.
Morgan Park 68, North Lawndale 62
Morgan Park (3-1): Jacque Lewis 19 points. Daniel Wallace 17 points.
Naperville North 63, Shepard 36
Niles North 95, Yorkville Christian 82
Yorkville Christian (2-2): Jayden Riley 41 points.
Oswego 73, Plainfield Central 45
Oswego (3-1, 1-0 Southwest Prairie West): Ethan Vahl 31 points, 17 rebounds, 5 steals, 4 assists.
Oswego East 60, Plainfield East 58
Oswego East (4-0, 1-0 Southwest Prairie West): DShaun Bolden 29 points.
Ottawa 58, Sandwich 46
Sandwich (0-4): E.J. Treptow 13 points, 7 rebounds, 3 blocks.
Rich Township 79, Bogan 51
Rich Township (3-0): Kavon Ammons 22 points, 5 rebounds, 5 steals, 4 assists. Jeremiah Weatherford 14 points, 5 rebounds, 3 steals.
Round Lake 62, Richmond-Burton 60
Southland Prep 59, Chicago Christian 46
Stagg 65, Reavis 32
Stagg (4-0): Omar Barakat 25 points, 4 assists. Mohammad Farhan 21 points, 9 rebounds.
Thornwood 59, Englewood STEM 28
Tri-Point 56, Illinois Lutheran 20
Woodstock 74, Grant 64
Yorkville 55, Joliet West 44
Yorkville (3-0, 1-0 Southwest Prairie West): Braydon Porter 16 points. Gabe Sanders 12 points.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Chicago Christian 42, Westmont 35
Dundee-Crown 49, Crystal Lake Central 33
Dwight 54, Somonauk 41
Glenbard East 48, Bartlett 21
Glenbrook South 53, Deerfield 23
Grayslake Central 47, Zion-Benton 10
Hampshire 54, Jacobs 38
Hampshire (2-3, 1-0 Fox Valley): Mikala Amegasse 18 points.
Jacobs (1-4, 0-1): Bri Ramsey 13 points.
Highland Park 57, Niles North 27
Hillcrest 69, Thornwood 24
Homewood-Flossmoor 60, Lincoln-Way East 57
Joliet Catholic 56, Coal City 23
Lake Zurich 52, Warren 24
Libertyville 69, Lake Forest 35
Libertyville (4-1, 1-0 North Suburban): Lily Fisher 27 points. Charlotte Harrison 15 points.
Lincoln-Way West 75, Bradley-Bourbonnais 39
Lincoln-Way West (5-1, 1-0 SWSC): Mackenzie Roesner 24 points. Molly Finn 14 points.
Lockport 54, Andrew 46
Lockport (3-2, 1-0 SWSC): Evelyn Ingram 17 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists. Rowan McCarter 12 points.
Loyola 64, Providence 39
Marian Catholic 61, Unity Christian 31
Marian (4-2): Nyila Williams 11 points. Ty Jackson 10 points.
Marist 68, St. Laurence 61
Marist (6-0): Lily Porter 22 points. Caroline Flynn 15 points. Lucy Cosme 14 points.
Mother McAuley 53, Trinity 39
Mundelein 46, Waukegan 45
Mundelein (6-0, 1-0 North Suburban): Casey Vyverman 18 points, 5 rebounds. Anahya Castro 13 points, 8 rebounds.
Naperville North 49, Geneva 41
Naperville North (5-0): Ava Podkasik 15 points. Mia Podkasik 13 points.
Nazareth 62, Metea Valley 17
Newark 41, Earlville 38
Newark (1-4, 1-0 Little Ten): Jade Mitchell 16 points.
Oak Forest 42, Eisenhower 27
Oswego 44, Plainfield Central 14
Oswego East 72, Plainfield East 19
Oswego East (2-3, 1-0 Southwest Prairie West): Aubrey Lamberti 23 points.
Phillips 69, Lake Forest Academy 62
Plano 67, Sandwich 37
Plano (3-2, 1-0 Kishwaukee River): Jadyn Long 14 points, 9 rebounds, 4 steals. Chloe Rowe 12 points, 5 rebounds, 3 steals.
Rich Township 37, Thornton 32
Round Lake 59, Wheeling 23
St. Bede 52, Yorkville Christian 32
St. Charles North 63, Wheaton North 39
Stillman Valley 54, St. Edward 51
South Elgin 59, East Aurora 28
T.F. North 64, King 36
T.F. North (5-0): Kamariyah McClinton 15 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists.
Vernon Hills 68, Maine East 25
Vernon Hills (5-1, 1-0 Central Suburban North): Emma Jocson 12 points. Keira Thomas 11 points.
Waubonsie Valley 82, St. Charles East 56
West Aurora 38, Elgin 33
Wheaton Academy 55, Harvest-Westminster 37
Willows 64, Rochelle Zell 35
Yorkville 57, Joliet West 20
Yorkville (4-1, 1-0 Southwest Prairie West): Macie Jones 19 points, 4 assists. Adi Phillips 12 points.
Compiled by Josh Krockey.
Towns y Brunson llevan a Knicks a victoria 119-104 sobre Hornets
NUEVA YORK (AP) — Karl-Anthony Towns totalizó 35 puntos, 18 rebotes y cinco asistencias, Jalen Brunson anotó 26 unidades y los Knicks de Nueva York derrotaron el miércoles 119-104 a los Hornets de Charlotte.
Mikal Bridges totalizó 16 puntos, Deuce McBride anotó 15 y Josh Hart aportó 15 unidades, ocho asistencias y ocho rebotes. Nueva York (14-7) mejoró a una foja de 11-1 en el Madison Square Garden esta temporada.
LaMelo Ball firmó 34 puntos, nueve asistencias y ocho rebotes, en tanto que Tidjane Salaun y Kon Knueppel anotaron 13 unidades cada uno. Charlotte (6-16) cayó a 1-10 como visitante a y perdió su noveno partido consecutivo fuera de casa.
Jugar por segunda noche consecutiva y sin el pívot Mitchell Robinson (manejo de lesión en el tobillo izquierdo) no pareció afectar a los Knicks, principalmente gracias a Towns. El astro dominicano acertó 13 de 23 disparos de campo y casi logró su 16º doble-doble de la temporada en la primera mitad.
Contabilizó 19 puntos y nueve rebotes al descanso.
Después de un comienzo lento en el tiro, Brunson cerró la primera mitad con un triple sobre la bocina. El capitán de los Knicks anotó 18 puntos en los últimos 24 minutos, incluyendo su triple para cerrar la primera mitad.
Impulsados por Brunson, Nueva York superó a Charlotte 42-24 en un lapso de más de 13 minutos en la segunda mitad.
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Deportes AP: https://apnews.com/hub/deportes
Deni Avdija anota 27 puntos y los Trail Blazers vencen a los Cavaliers 122-110
CLEVELAND (AP) — Deni Avdija anotó 27 puntos, Caleb Love y Shaedon Sharpe añadieron 20 cada uno desde la banca y los Trail Blazers de Portland rompieron una racha de tres derrotas consecutivas, venciendo a los Cavaliers de Cleveland 122-110 el miércoles por la noche.
Donovan Mitchell lideró a Cleveland con 33 unidades, y Evan Mobley tuvo 23 tantos y diez rebotes. Los Cavaliers han perdido cuatro de cinco y esta fue su primera derrota esta temporada contra un equipo con un récord perdedor.
Los Trail Blazers tuvieron seis jugadores con cifras de doble dígito mientras acertaron 34 de 39 desde la línea de tiros libres. Avdija fue 16 de 17.
Portland lideró por diez al medio tiempo y dos minutos en el cuarto período antes de realizar una racha de 14-6 que incluyó diez puntos consecutivos de Toumani Camara. El alero de tercer año ha acertado nueve de 15 desde más allá del arco en los últimos tres juegos.
Los Trail Blazers acertaron seis de diez en triples en el tercer cuarto.
Cleveland, que tuvo una ventaja de ocho puntos en el primer cuarto, realizó una racha de 13-4 en el cuarto cuarto cuando el triple de Mobley acercó a los Cavaliers a 113-108 con 2:37 restantes. Avdija respondió con un tiro en suspensión de 12 pies en la pintura y Mobley falló desde el perímetro, acabando con cualquier esperanza de remontada.
Los Cavaliers, con varias bajas, no contaron con Jarrett Allen (distensión en el dedo), Larry Nance Jr. (distensión en la pantorrilla) y Sam Merrill (esguince en la mano).
Fue el 13er juego de 30 puntos para Mitchell, cuyo promedio de 30,7 puntos por juego lo coloca cuarto en la liga en anotación.
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Deportes en español AP: https://apnews.com/hub/deportes
Japan’s Sanae Takaichi Seeks To Ease Deepening Row With China, Reaffirms Taiwan Status Quo
Japan’s Sanae Takaichi Seeks To Ease Deepening Row With China, Reaffirms Taiwan Status Quo
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi finally appears to be backing down amid recent escalating punitive measures imposed on Tokyo by China in the areas of trade, diplomacy, and tourism. Beijing has been dialing up the pressure for weeks, after the new prime minister nearly a month ago told Japanese parliament an attack on Taiwan by the People’s Liberation Army could pose a “survival-threatening situation” for which Tokyo would be justified in intervening militarily.
Feeling immense pressure and blowback from the provocative prior comments, Takaichi on Wednesday while again addressing parliament reverted back to providing clarity that Japan’s official position on the self-ruled island remains unchanged. “The Japanese government’s basic position regarding Taiwan remains as stated in the 1972 Japan-China Joint Communique, and there has been no change to this position,” Takaichi said.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, pool image/NY Times
The historic 1972 communique spells out that “the government of the People’s Republic of China reiterates that Taiwan is an inalienable part of the territory of the People’s Republic of China” before affirming that the Japanese government “fully understands and respects this stand.”
The communique further states that Japan “firmly maintains its stand under Article 8 of the Potsdam Declaration.” China also often cites the Cairo Declaration of November 1943 as having the legal status of a binding treaty. The Cairo Declaration requires that Japan return any territory seized from China during war. The two documents formed the basis of the 20th century post-war WW2 era normalization of ties between the two historic enemies and rivals.
Since last month, China’s Foreign Ministry has been insisting on a full retraction and apology from PM Takaichi over her ‘defend Taiwan’ remarks – which drew a sharp rebuke from ministry spokesperson Mao Ning. “Stop crossing the line and playing with fire, retract the wrongful remarks and deeds and honor its commitments to China with real action,” Ning said at the time.
On Monday ministry spokesperson Lin Jian repeated the demand, urging Japan to “learn the lessons of history, do soul searching, take seriously what it has heard from the Chinese side, simply retract the erroneous remarks as it should and take practical steps to honor its political commitments to China.” Takaichi’s fresh remarks recognizing the status quo on Taiwan, which was spurred by questions from lawmakers, could soften the crisis – yet Beijing is likely to still keep up the pressure given her words stopped short of a formal retraction and apology.
“President Xi is trying to stir up trouble wherever he can and intimidate countries like Japan,” Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) told ZeroHedge on Wednesday, calling Japan an important US ally. He described that he views the US stance of Strategic Ambiguity on Taiwan as “not necessarily a bad thing” because “we want President Xi to think not just once or not just twice but many times before he pulls the trigger which unfortunately I think is preparing to do.”
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) also responded on the question of allowing China to believe that it owns Taiwan. “We shouldn’t do that,” he told us. “Taiwan has a right to be independent, they are a free and independent nation, they should remain that way. Whether we given them security guarantees if a different question.”
“We should tell them ‘you don’t have any right to conquer them’. It plays into China’s hands to treat the Taiwanese as if they’re owned by China,” Hawley emphasized, declaring further that “we ought to be clear about it.“
China of course remains Japan’s biggest trading partner, and has already taken harsh retaliatory measures including the curbing of Japanese seafood imports, the cancellation of films and concerts – as well as cultural exchange programs, as well as the drastic move of urging Chinese citizens to avoid all travel to Japan.
In addition to Japan’s vital seafood industry being impacted, the restaurant scene is also feeling the fallout:
Diners once had to book weeks in advance to secure a table at Toya, a popular Japanese restaurant in Beijing.
But business has taken a sharp turn, with more than 60 reservations cancelled since mid-November, said owner Kazuyuki Tanioka, who has served omakase menus in the Chinese capital for over a decade.
And the film industry, per the same report:
The spat has also led to the postponement of Japanese film releases in China, the abrupt cancellation of concerts by Japanese musicians and the suspension of official exchanges.
A frequent traveller to Japan, Yan Jun, faced a dilemma when China advised its citizens to avoid visiting Japan. Chinese airlines proceeded to cut hundreds of Japan-bound flights this month.
China’s PLA Navy and Coast Guard have also increased their presence near Taiwan and in and near disputed islands and waters. The latest incident involving Japanese and Chinese vessels happened near a group of geopolitically sensitive islands in the East China Sea on Tuesday, as we documented previously.
Chinese state media is also meanwhile highlighting that Takaichi faces backlash from within Japan as well. “Several Japanese lawmakers and prominent scholars gathered Tuesday evening at the Members’ Office Building of the House of Councillors to urge Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to retract her recent erroneous remarks on Taiwan,” Xinhua writes Wednesday.
“The meeting was held under the theme of demanding Takaichi withdraw her remarks linking a ‘survival-threatening situation’ for Japan to the Taiwan question and return to the starting point of the normalization of Japan-China relations,” the report notes. If Takaichi does in the end back down, offering the requested retraction and apology, it will be seen in the region as a huge diplomatic ‘win’ for China after flexing considerable economic might.
Liam Cosgrove contributed to this report.
Tyler Durden
Wed, 12/03/2025 – 23:00
Funcionarios dicen que el Tropicana Field estará listo para el debut de los Rays el 6 de abril
Por KRISTIE ACKERT
ST. PETERSBURG, Florida, EE.UU. (AP) — Los funcionarios de la ciudad de Saint Petersburg mostraron el miércoles el domo recién cerrado en el Tropicana Field y expresaron su confianza en que el estadio estará listo para el juego inaugural de la campaña en casa de los Rays de Tampa Bay, previsto para el 6 de abril contra los Cachorros de Chicago, tras el arduo trabajo a fin de reparar los daños causados por el huracán Milton.
“No tenemos preocupación alguna sobre estar abiertos o listos para el día inaugural. Esperamos mantenerlo así”, dijo Beth Herendeen, directora general de la Administración de Desarrollo de la Ciudad.
Quedan algunos trabajos de costura pendientes en los paneles finales para cerrar pequeños huecos en la parte superior y las reparaciones interiores están bien avanzadas.
El Tropicana Field registró daños extensos el nueve de octubre de 2024. Los fuertes vientos arrancaron secciones del techo original, permitiendo que la lluvia cayera en el interior del estadio durante meses. El agua causó moho y daños en los sistemas eléctricos, de sonido y de transmisión.
La ciudad contrató a ETS, AECOM Hunt y Hennessy Construction para liderar las reparaciones, y trajo de vuelta a Geiger Engineering, el diseñador original de la cúpula, para ayudar a rediseñar el techo. Las membranas sintéticas de politetrafluoroetileno (PTFE) son más gruesas y están construidas según los códigos actuales de carga de viento.
“El techo que se reemplazó tuvo que ser diseñado según los códigos actuales”, explicó el arquitecto de la ciudad, Raúl Quintana. “Es un material mucho más fuerte que hace 35 años, y va a durar”.
Los Rays jugaron sus encuentros en casa de 2025 al otro lado de la bahía, en el Steinbrenner Field de Tampa, el campo de entrenamiento de pretemporada de los Yankees de Nueva York.
La instalación del nuevo techo comenzó en agosto, y el panel final se colocó el 21 de noviembre. Algunos paneles triangulares aún muestran variaciones de color, con piezas más nuevas en beige y las anteriores ya blanqueadas, pero Quintana dijo que eventualmente se igualarán.
“Llevó alrededor de tres meses blanquear los que se instalaron primero”, señaló.
El sistema de aire acondicionado ha sido reactivado, y los contratistas están enfocados en el trabajo eléctrico, los asientos y el equipo de sonido. El equipo está mejorando las suites de lujo y el tablero de video del estadio.
“Se están colgando los paneles verticales, se están pintando los asientos y se está instalando el sistema de electricidad de la pasarela”, mencionó Herendeen. “El nuevo sistema de sonido del estadio se instalará este mes y se probará en enero”.
Se espera que el nuevo césped artificial llegue a mediados de enero. Otras actualizaciones finales incluyen nuevos asientos detrás del home, alfombras y casilleros en el clubhouse, y nuevo piso en la cubierta del jardín.
Tampa Bay comienza la temporada con una gira de nueve juegos por San Luis, Milwaukee y Minnesota.
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Deportes AP: https://apnews.com/hub/deportes
