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KRNJACA, Serbia (AP) — Bashir Ahmad Shirzay lived through wars in Afghanistan, survived a harrowing journey to reach Europe and has no intention of taking a gamble with the coronavirus. He was among the first to roll up his sleeve…

PARIS (AP) — France’s president says he has no reason to be sorry about refusing to impose a third national lockdown earlier this year, even though surging coronavirus infections are straining his country's hospitals and more than 1,000 people with…

Serie A’s efforts to combat racism inside stadiums was in shambles little more than a year ago when league CEO Luigi De Siervo decided to take matters into his own hands. There was a botched anti-racism campaign launch involving a painting of apes. Consistent failures to punish clubs whose fans direct monkey chants at Black players. And a scathing verbal attack from FIFA president Gianni Infantino lambasting Italian soccer authorities for “hiding the truth” about discrimination. De Siervo then hired a lower-league goalkeeper who had been the target of racism to take over the league's anti-discrimination efforts.

Country superstar Carrie Underwood has long made hits that speak directly to her faith starting with “Jesus Take the Wheel.” Now she's releasing her first album of gospel music called “My Savior” just in time for Easter. Underwood said she's been making spiritual music all along her career, but the global pandemic was the right time to release a full album of gospel hymns. Underwood brings a fresh sound to the classic hymns and includes a duet with gospel icon CeCe Winans. A standout track is her version of “Softly and Tenderly."

With a new rail tunnel into New York years away at best, Amtrak is embarking on an aggressive and expensive program to fix a 110-year-old tunnel in the interim. The work is is an outgrowth of a study conducted last year. Crews mainly focus on protecting the tunnel against water, which can damage electrical system and cause significant delays. On a recent weekend, millions of gallons of water were pumped out. Rails, wooden ties and 360 tons of rocks supporting the tracks were removed and replaced. Officials have estimated the work could cost $150 million or more. 

Joe Biden has held his first formal news conference as president and an AP Fact Check looks at his remarks. The fact check finds that Biden erred when he asserted that numbers of unaccompanied children coming to the U.S. border from Mexico are the same as when Donald Trump was president. Biden said the numbers from January to February are up 28%, a smaller increase than in the same months in 2019, before the pandemic. But federal statistics show 61% more children came to the border without a parent this January than in the month before — not just 28%.

In resuming its ballistic testing activity after a yearlong pause, North Korea has demonstrated a potentially nuclear-capable weapon that shows how it continues to expand its military capabilities amid a stalemate in diplomacy with the United States. Since a provocative run in North Korean nuclear and missile tests in 2016 and 2017, much of the U.S. focus has been on North Korea’s intercontinental ballistic missiles that pose a direct threat to the American homeland. But its growing arsenal of shorter-range solid-fuel weapons can reach U.S. allies South Korea and Japan, where the U.S. stations thousands of troops. And experts say it's clear North Korea is working on arming those weapons with nuclear devices.

More than 1 million COVID-19 vaccination shots have been dispensed at Major League Baseball stadiums, with the Oakland Coliseum and Marlins Park among the sites planning to continue operating after opening day. The 11 ballparks that converted to mass vaccination centers in the offseason combined to pass a million total shots this week, MLB says. The regular season starts Thursday. Dodger Stadium, Yankee Stadium, Citi Field and PNC Park will keep providing doses after opening day, while Minute Maid Park and Petco Park are not planning that. The Colorado Rockies are still working to see if Coors Field will continue to be used. Fenway Park and Globe Life Field also were employed to administer doses.

Italy's nursing homes have been on a coronavirus vaccination push that has been declared an initial success despite the country's otherwise lagging vaccine campaign. At a nursing home near Bergamo, one 82-year-old resident received his second vaccine jab and a surprise visit from his 77-year-old wife. Their last hug had been through plastic on his birthday in February. Even then he yearned for her touch.  Then another lockdown came down, ending visits. Now with vaccination shots completed, some hope has returned. That enabled Palmiro Tami to tell his bride of 58 years that “I am crazy in love with you" and ask “Can I touch your hand?” Out in the sunlight, they did.

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australia’s ambassador to Beijing has reportedly described China as a “vindictive” and “unreliable” trading partner as Australian officials revealed steep declines in most exports to the nation’s most important market. Ambassador Graham Fletcher told a China-Australia…

Junior guard Buddy Boeheim has been the offensive catalyst for Syracuse in the NCAA Tournament, but the 11th-seeded Orange likely wouldn't be in the Sweet 16 without the all-around superlative play of senior Marek Dolezaj. Orange coach Jim Boeheim calls the slender Slovakian “one of the most underrated players in the country.” In NCAA Tournament wins over San Diego State and West Virginia in the Midwest Region, Dolezaj has scored 23 points on 7-of-10 shooting, registered five assists in each game, and snared 10 rebounds. Willing to take a charge from anybody for the good of the team, Dolezaj's value goes far beyond his solid stat sheet.

Post players are having a big impact on the women's NCAA Tournament. Teams that have reached the Sweet 16 teams are getting major contributions from their “bigs."  Fans should pay attention to inside players like 6-foot-5 All-American Aliyah Boston of South Carolina and 6-7 Sedona Prince of Oregon. Boston has averaged a double-double this season and in her first two career NCAA games. The Gamecocks will face Georgia Tech on Sunday. Prince became the center of attention on sports shows with a dunk during warmups before their Oregon's second-round win against Georgia. Now she and Ducks face Louisville on Sunday. 

Ethan Thompson has led Oregon State to the Sweet 16, something few saw coming. The Beavers earned the Pac-12's automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament after surprisingly claiming the conference tournament title. They then downed fifth-seeded Tennessee 70-56, their first tournament victory since 1982, before an 80-70 win over No. 4 Oklahoma State. Now 12th-seeded Oregon State will face Loyola Chicago on Saturday for another chance to advance.

A week before opening day, the Chicago White Sox found out slugger Eloy Jiménez will be closed down for most of the season. Jiménez is expected to be sidelined for five to six months after rupturing his left pectoral tendon trying to make a play in the outfield during an exhibition game. The 24-year-old Jiménez needs surgery to repair the injury, putting his season in jeopardy.  Jiménez batted .296 with 14 homers and 41 RBIs in 55 games during the pandemic-shortened season. Also, Tampa Bay reliever Nick Anderson will likely be out beyond the All-Star break with an elbow tear.