Thousands of Syria evacuees stuck on…

Beirut (AFP) – Thousands of Syrians being evacuated from four besieged towns were still stuck on the road on Saturday a day after leaving their homes, as the hard-won deal ran into trouble. An AFP correspondent at a marshalling point in rebel-held territory where around 5,000 evacuees from two government-held towns were awaiting onward transport said the buses had yet to move 30 hours after the operation began. The Syrian Arab Red Crescent distributed food and water to the waiting passengers, who included 3,700 civilians, at Rashidin, west of government-held second city Aleppo. Around 2,220 evacuees from two rebel-held towns — Madaya and Zabadani — were similarly blocked at a transit point in government-held territory, one of them told AFP…
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WWE Payback 2017: Most Intriguing Storylines…

WWE Payback 2017: Most Intriguing Storylines to Track on Road to Raw PPV1 of 6Chris Jericho is determined to avenge his WrestleMania loss to Kevin Owens at Payback.Credit: WWE.comAlthough WrestleMania 33 has come and gone, WWE Payback 2017 looks to continue the company’s recent red-hot momentum going for Raw and SmackDown Live. Coming off the newsworthy Superstar Shake-up, the event will feature talent from both brands battling for show supremacy.Currently, no Universal Championship match is scheduled for Payback, but the pay-per-view will surely live up to its name with several scores being settled. Ruthless rivalries that have been brewing for months will finally culminate on April 30 in San Jose, California.Among those feuds is Roman Reigns and Braun Strowman, who…
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Sharks didn’t panic despite trailing early…

EDMONTON — When you simply know how to get the job done under the intense pressure of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, it allows you to withstand all manner of storms.The San Jose Sharks weathered a noisy, crash-and-bang tempest at Rogers Place on Wednesday, falling behind by two goals in the opening period of their Western Conference First Round series against the Edmonton Oilers but knowing instinctually that such a deficit does not necessarily spell the end of the story.”There wasn’t much panic,” Sharks captain Joe Pavelski said. [RELATED: Complete Sharks vs. Oilers series coverage] Pavelski sent linemate Melker Karlsson into the open on the left wing early in overtime and Karlsson buried the winner past Oilers goalie Cam Talbot at 3:22 for…
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A long, tearful road to a…

AUGUSTA, Ga. — Eighteen years and 71 majors later, more tears for Sergio Garcia. This time, they were accompanied by a smile. Sunday at the Masters was a most joyous occasion, far different from when Garcia teed it up in his first major as a pro in the 1999 British Open at Carnoustie. He was 19 and already heralded as a star and the most likely rival for Tiger Woods. Garcia was low amateur at the Masters that year. He shot 62 at the Byron Nelson Classic and tied for third in his pro debut on the PGA Tour. He won the Irish Open, and the next week he was runner-up to Colin Montgomerie at the Scottish Open. And then…
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Westbrook’s road to triple-double glory

Minutes after Kevin Durant ‘s decision to leave the Oklahoma City Thunder was announced, the unleashing of Russell Westbrook’s triple-double potential was the first thing on the minds of some rather prescient rival guards.Portland Trail Blazers guard C.J. McCollum tweeted “Russ about to avg a triple double with 30” complete with two crying emojis. LA Clippers guard Austin Rivers seemed a little more serious about it, tweeting, “On another note….Russ might go Oscar next year. In this era that would be crazy.”But actually averaging a triple-double, though? It seemed like a total long shot.Betting site Bovada set the over/under for Westbrook’s triple-double total at 20.5. Writers everywhere pondered whether Westbrook could do it, with most concluding, “Maybe, but almost assuredly…
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California lawmakers approve fuel tax hike…

(Reuters) – California lawmakers on Thursday approved legislation to increase gasoline taxes and other transportation-related fees for the first time in decades, to fund an ambitious $52 billion plan to repair the state’s sagging infrastructure. The legislation heads to the desk of Democratic Governor Jerry Brown, who urged its support after the Democratic-led state legislature passed it on Thursday with a 27-11 vote in the Senate and then a 54-26 vote hours later in the Assembly. “The Democratic Party is the party of doing things, and tonight we did something to fix the roads in California,” Brown said during a news conference after the vote. “We got to fix them. It takes real money.” The measure will increase the excise…
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