Associated Press stories, Page 1171

CLEVELAND — One by one the names of the NBA’s greatest players were called, bridging basketball’s past and present. And as each walked onto the floor, LeBron James found himself in further disbelief. The posters on his bedroom wall as a kid came to life. “Allen Iverson and Jason Kidd,...

JERUSALEM — Israel on Monday said it successfully tested a new naval air defense system, intercepting a series of threats in what officials called a key layer of protection against Iran and its proxies in the region. The “C-Dome” system is a naval version of the Iron Dome, which has...

MOSCOW — The U.S. and Russian presidents have tentatively agreed to meet in a last-ditch diplomatic effort to stave off Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine as heavy shelling continued Monday in a conflict in eastern Ukraine that is feared will spark the Russian offensive. French President Emmanuel Macron sought to broker...

GLEN JEAN, W.Va. — A record number of people visited the newly designated New River Gorge National Park and Preserve last year, officials said. The park recorded nearly 1.7 million visitors in 2021, which was an increase of 600,000 from a year earlier, West Virginia Public Broadcasting reported. New River...

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. — Authorities were investigating Sunday the cause of a police helicopter crash along the Southern California coast that killed one officer and sent another to the hospital with critical injuries. The Huntington Beach officers were responding to a disturbance in the neighboring city of Newport Beach around...

LOS ANGELES — A proposed Saudi-financed rival golf league took a massive hit Sunday when Dustin Johnson said he was “fully committed” to the PGA Tour, and Bryson DeChambeau indicated he would stay where the stars were playing. Johnson added his name to a growing list of golf’s top players...

Tom Holland might be without his Spider-Man suit in “Uncharted,” but his latest action-adventure is still doing good business at the North American box office. The video game adaptation starring Holland and Mark Wahlberg is on its way to earning $51 million over the long Presidents Day weekend, according to...

Krystal Guerra’s Miami apartment has a tiny kitchen, cracked tiles, warped cabinets, no dishwasher and hardly any storage space. But Guerra was fine with the apartment’s shortcomings. It was all part of being a 32-year-old graduate student in South Florida, she reasoned, and she was happy to live there for...

TORONTO — The streets around the Canadian Parliament are quiet now. The Ottawa protesters who vowed never to give up are largely gone, chased away by police in riot gear. The relentless blare of truckers’ horns has gone silent. But the trucker protest, which grew until it closed a handful...

KYIV, Ukraine — Russia on Sunday rescinded earlier pledges to pull tens of thousands of its troops back from Ukraine’s northern border, a move that U.S. leaders said put Russia another step closer to what they said was the planned invasion of Ukraine. Residents of Ukraine’s capital filled a gold-domed...

LONDON — Queen Elizabeth II tested positive for covid-19 on Sunday and is experiencing mild, cold-like symptoms, Buckingham Palace said, adding that she still plans to carry on working. The diagnosis prompted concern and get-well wishes from across Britain’s political spectrum for the famously stoic 95-year-old. Britain’s longest-reigning monarch and...

BEIJING — A pile of figure-skating rubble created by Russian misbehavior. A new Chinese champion — from California. An ace American skier who faltered and went home empty-handed. The end of the Olympic line for the world’s most renowned snowboarder. All inside an anti-covid “closed loop” enforced by China’s authoritarian...

BEIJING — Sheets of paper rained down like super-sized confetti on the bench, which players leapt off at full speed to pile on top of goaltender Harri Sateri with such force that they knocked the net off its moorings. After finally accomplishing what so many Finland teams before were unable...

CLEVELAND — Karl-Anthony Towns gave big men everywhere something to shoot for. Minnesota’s 7-footer became the first center to win the 3-Point Shooting Contest, defeating seven guards during the NBA’s All-Star Saturday and providing a memorable moment on a night the dunk contest barely got off the ground. Towns, who...

WASHINGTON — Charley Taylor, the Hall of Fame receiver who ended his 13-season career with Washington as the NFL’s career receptions leader, died Saturday. He was 80. The Commanders said Taylor died at an assisted-living facility in Virginia. The cause of death wasn’t announced. Inducted into the Pro Football Hall...

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Ochai Agbaji scored 23 points, David McCormack had 19 points and 11 rebounds, and No. 6 Kansas beat West Virginia, 71-58, on Saturday night. The Jayhawks (22-4, 11-2) maintained their two-game lead in the Big 12 over No. 7 Baylor and No. 11 Texas Tech with five...

LOS ANGELES — Joaquin Niemann couldn’t find a fairway over the final two hours at Riviera, and it didn’t matter. He still pieced together a 3-under-par 68 to set the 54-hole record and build a three-shot lead in the Genesis Invitational. Cameron Young, the 24-year-old PGA Tour rookie, tried to...

MIAMI — A helicopter crashed Saturday into the ocean waters off Miami Beach, plummeting a few feet away from swimmers in a crowded stretch popular among tourists, officials said. Two passengers were taken to a nearby hospital in stable condition, and no one else appeared to be injured. The Miami...