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Pollock singled off the glove of third baseman Alex Bregman with the bases loaded in the ninth inning, lifting the Arizona Diamondbacks over the Houston Astros 4-3 on Saturday night to end their longest skid of the season at three. Pollock delivered off reliever Brad Peacock on the first pitch after Chris Devenski (1-1) had walked the previous two hitters to load the bases. Brad Boxberger (1-2) got the win in relief....

Selectors named five uncapped players ahead of Maxwell for the two-Test tour in the United Arab Emirates next month, despite the Victorian being one of the fastest scorers in world cricket with a handy off-spin option. Coach Justin Langer said the 29-year-old needed regular big scores to be in contention, but Ponting questioned why he was not given the opportunity to do just that on the ongoing Australia A tour of India....

In his first international since the 2018 World Cup, Ronaldo threatened in attack but failed to break through Ukraine’s solid defense at the Stadium of Light, with goalkeeper Andriy Pyatov making a few big saves to keep the hosts at bay. Portugal coach Fernando Santos said: “We had our chances and deserved to win.” In the other Group B match on Friday, Luxembourg defeated Lithuania 2-1. Ronaldo hadn’t played for Portugal since its elimination by Uruguay in the round of 16 at the World Cup in Russia....

Two others were taken into custody after “several individuals in a group of protesters attempted to interfere and free a man and two women, who were in police custody,” according to a statement from the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD). The man in the wheelchair, Joshua Wilson, was among the protesters and reportedly “punched an officer in the face and a use of force occurred between the officers and Wilson,” the police statement said....

Video on social media shows the confrontation between suspect Stanley Gracius and two white Wyomissing Police officers at a Walmart store on July 20. During the clip, Gracius can be heard asking “why are you doing this to me” while the officers attempt to detain him. Gracius adds “I’ve paid for my stuff…. I have a receipt” while being wrestled to the ground by the officers, as well as continuing to ask why he is being arrested....

Jon Meacham, the author of several presidential biographies, told MSNBC on Thursday that Republicans were “following a man” rather than the Constitution, and were willing to do so “whatever the facts may be.” He also contrasted Republicans standing by President Trump through the impeachment inquiry with the aims of politicians in the founding era, saying such behavior was “precisely what we were fighting against.” His comments came as Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee proposed several amendments to the drafted articles of impeachment charging Trump with abuse of power and obstruction....

Another $2,000 contributor to Nader was Houston businessman and longtime Bush-family pal Nijad Fares, the son of Lebanese Deputy Prime Minister Issam Fares. In 2000 Fares gave $200,000 to the Bush Inaugural fund. “Republicans are giving money to Nader because they want to prop up his candidacy,” says Democratic National Committee Chairman Terry McAuliffe. Republicans and conservative groups in battleground states including Oregon, Florida, Wisconsin and Michigan are also working to get Nader on the ballot this November....

Politics and sports should not get mixed, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said Friday on the spot fixing and betting scandal that has rocked cricket in India. Asked if the government was contemplating intervention into the scandal, Manmohan Singh said: ‘I would not like to comment on the type of things you have mentioned. This is under investigation.’ The prime minister refused to be drawn into the controversy that top politicians, including ministers, were holding top positions in the Board for Control of Cricket in India (BCCI)....

A shift of six seats would make Dick Gephardt speaker, but could make George W. Bush’s re-election easier. He could blame Democratic control of Congress for all discontents. And if Democrats control both houses, re-electing Bush would satisfy the voters’ preference for divided government, which they have produced in 13 of the last 17 elections. However, in an eye-opening new book, “The Emerging Democratic Majority,” John Judis and Ruy Teixeira, both Democrats, argue that whatever happens in November, powerful demographic and social currents will soon produce what their title announces....

Pompeo reportedly recorded his speech at sunset on a Jerusalem rooftop, overlooking the city to which President Donald Trump controversially moved the U.S. embassy in 2018. Pompeo tweeted that he was looking forward to “sharing with you how my family is more SAFE and more SECURE because of President Trump” during his address. Democrats and former diplomats have condemned Pompeo for taking part in the RNC. His inclusion breaks with tradition of secretaries of state and other diplomats avoiding party conventions per the Hatch Act, which governs political activities by federal employees....

On Wednesday, the U.S. State Department said the Chinese consulate in Houston must close by Friday. Officials alleged that China had been involved in “massive illegal spying and influence operations throughout the United States against U.S. government officials and American citizens.” Workers at the consulate were observed setting documents ablaze at the consulate on Tuesday night. Although the U.S. has ordered that the consulate fully shut down by Friday, there is no indication that Chinese officials will actually close....

The second leg FA Cup quarter-final match between Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) and Pahang at Larkin was an undeniably gripping affair, with defending champions Southern Tigers overturning the 3-1 first leg scoreline to take the lead through the away-goal advantage in the first 20 minutes of the match, only for the Tok Gajah to snatch a late winner through Mohamadou Soumareh’s header. Sadly, all the tactical analysis and discussions on the encounter will no doubt be overshadowed by one aspect of the match; the poor refereeing in the match....

She didn’t buy the ring, but she certainly could have afforded it. Last month Spears’s album, “”… Baby One More Time,’’ debuted at No. 1, and it’s still there five weeks later. The first single, the title track, is double platinum, and her video is in heavy rotation on MTV. Spears got her big break at the age of 11 when she joined the new ““Mickey Mouse Club,’’ which featured two kids who became part of ‘N Sync (as well as ““Felicity’’ star Keri Russell)....

Vatican City - Pope Francis was presented with a jersey signed by Argentine football star Messi by a group of priests during Wednesday’s public audience. Messi’s FC Barcelona jersey will join the Spanish national team jersey given to the pontiff on Monday by Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy during an audience at the Vatican. The 76-year-old Argentine-born pope, a big football fan, has been building up quite a collection of jerseys....

Faced with the prospect of playing more than an hour with 10 men after Alex Telles was sent off for two yellow cards in as many minutes, Porto coped well as Juve saw a host of chances go begging. The game appeared set to end a highly frustrating draw for Juve, but Massimiliano Allegri - who dropped centre-back Leonardo Bonucci in the wake of their spat at the end of Friday’s win over Palermo - made a pair of inspired changes in bringing on Pjaca and Alves....

Analysis of the Big Three after summer transfers and pre-season friendlies As ever, the summer transfer market has seen many of the Primeira Liga’s top players leaving Portugal in exchange for more high-profile leagues or a huge hike in their salaries, or for the exceptional few, both. As for the incomers, a mixed bag of prestigious veterans, highly-reputed performers and risky investments makes for a fascinating season ahead. Tom Kundert runs the rule over the summer business done by Benfica, FC Porto and Sporting and attempts to decipher what it means for the 2015/16 title race....

The draw meant that Portugal qualified for the round-of-16 of Euro 2016 in third place in Group F, and will play Croatia in Lens on Saturday. The 31-year-old refused to take questions from journalists in the post-match press conference. “We played a good match, it was a little insane – Hungary scored and then Portugal scored – and it was very hot. Personally I was happy as the team was in dire straits – three times we had to chase down the score and three times we came back,” Ronaldo was quoted as saying by uefa....

Buster Posey got four hits, Andrew McCutchen homered against his former team and the San Francisco Giants defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates 13-10 on Friday night. “They just started swinging with I think more authority,” Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. The Giants had lost three in a row and Pittsburgh had won three straight. Posey broke out of a 0-for-13 stretch with his second four-hit game in less than two weeks....