Comment on World Briefs (08/24/09)

ROME — The steroid case involving top-ranked tennis player Jannik Sinner was appealed by the World Anti-Doping Agency, the Montreal-based body announced Saturday. WADA said it is seeking a ban of one to two years for the U. S. Open champion but indicated that it does not plan to back date an eventual ban — which would mean that Sinner could keep his second Grand Slam title if he is found guilty. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] The announcement was made while Sinner was on court against Roman Safiullin at the China Open in Beijing. “Obviously, I’m very disappointed and also surprised of this appeal, to be honest, because we had three hearings.

After negotiating for most of the year, U. S. and Iraqi officials finally reached a deal on Friday over the U. S. presence in Iraq—one that is frankly long overdue. Although U. S. officials insist that Washington won’t be pulling all 2,500 troops out of the country and are hesitant to use the term “withdrawal,” the U.

As another losing season for the Rockies draws to a close, Kris Bryant remains a problem, not a solution. He’s intent on changing that. But there’s no getting around the fact that Bryant has been a bust as the team’s highest-paid player. Many in the organization are frustrated, even if they won’t say it publicly. Bryant says he knows what’s at stake and understands why so many are disappointed. “I am trying to convey to you, and the fans, how awful I feel about this,” he said Friday afternoon in the dugout before the Rockies’ hosted the Dodgers at Coors Field. Bryant was, by turns, emotional, determined, frustrated and optimistic.

PERRY, Fla. — Hurricane Helene caused dozens of deaths and billions of dollars of destruction across a wide swath of the southeastern U. S. as it raced through, and more than 3 million customers went into the weekend without any power and for some a continued threat of floods. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] Helene blew ashore in Florida’s Big Bend region as a Category 4 hurricane late Thursday packing winds of 140 mph (225 kph) and then quickly moved through Georgia, the Carolinas and Tennessee, uprooting trees, splintering homes and sending creeks and rivers over their banks and straining dams. Western North Carolina was essentially cut off because or landslides and flooding that forced the closure of Interstate 40 and other roads.

A recent study out of Columbia University concluded that most Americans can tell the difference between fake and real news. According to researchers, the key predictor is an individual’s exposure to quality news sources overall; to defeat misinformation all we have to do, they suggest, is raise media literacy across the board.

BEIRUT — Lebanon’s Hezbollah group confirmed on Saturday that its leader and one of its founders, Hassan Nasrallah, was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut the previous day. A statement Saturday said Nasrallah “has joined his fellow martyrs.” Hezbollah vowed to “continue the holy war against the enemy and in support of Palestine.” [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] Nasrallah, who led Hezbollah for more than three decades, is by far the most powerful target to be killed by Israel in weeks of intensified fighting with Hezbollah.