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The fire, just west of the stadium, started around 4:56 p.m PT on Tuesday in the vicinity of Fourth and China Basin Streets in downtown San Francisco. Twenty-five mph wind gusts blowing burning embers onto buildings surrounding the blaze were the primary concern of firefighters as they attempted to control the situation. A fire department spokeswoman said that the building ablaze was an apartment complex that was currently under construction and did not yet have any fire suppression systems installed, which only complicated firefighters' efforts to extinguish the fire....

Then came a smidgen of political pressure from an obscure lobby organization representing France’s 34,000 tobacco vendors, lamenting the threat to their “livelihood.” Raffarin waffled. The vendors have been promised a bigger cut of cigarette sales, plus 150 million euro in compensation for potential losses. As if that weren’t enough, they are being guaranteed a four-year moratorium from further cigarette-tax increases–the very thing that supposedly discourages smoking. A year and a half into Raffarin’s term, French voters have reached a sorry conclusion: their man simply isn’t a finisher....

Nearly four centuries after it was completed, Rembrandt’s The Adoration of the Magi has been found, the Italian Heritage Foundation (FPI) announced on Tuesday at a conference titled Rembrandt: identifying the prototype, seeing the invisible, according to Italy 24 News. One of the Dutch Golden Age’s foremost talents, Rembrandt Harmensz van Rijn, better known by the mononym “Rembrandt,” was born in 1606 to miller Harmen Gerritsz van Rijn and his wife, Neeltgen van Zuytbrouck, according to the National Gallery of Art....

The other 2014 Masterton nominees who've been announced so far (and this list will be updated as more are announced): Daniel Alfredsson, Detroit Red Wings : “His perseverance and dedication are reflected in this being his 18th season in the NHL. Last summer, he boldly chose to try something new, after 17 seasons with the Ottawa Senators. Rather than retire, as had been a possibility, he joined the Red Wings, fitting into the locker room like a herring fits on a plate of Christmas lunch....

The Red Devils bolstered their playmaking ranks during the January transfer window when acquiring a proven international performer from Premier League rivals Arsenal. Sanchez arrived without the need for a fee to be paid, with his expiring contract in north London allowing United to negotiate a swap deal involving Henrikh Mkhitaryan. The latest addition to the United ranks is expected to make quite an impression, but questions are already being asked of how best to use him and who misses out as a result of his presence....

Best QB matchup: Eli Manning, Giants vs. Cowboys (26.2 FPPG). It’s yet another favorable matchup for Eli, who hasn’t reached 20 fantasy points in a game since Week 1 … against Dallas. Best RB matchup: Andre Brown, Giants vs. Cowboys (24.1 FPPG). Yep, the Cowboys defense is that bad. Did you see what the Saints RBs did against Dallas in Week 10? MORE FANTASY FOOTBALL: Week 12 QB ranks | RB rankings | RB, WR sleepers...

Bartkowski’s B’s rallied to win 4-3 in overtime.

In a fuel-mileage battle, Crafton passed pole-sitter Erik Jones, who ran out of gas and pitted with four laps to go, and held on for the win. Despite leading 151 laps Jones finished 11th. MORE: Logano wins Sprint Cup pole | Saturday lineup | Jones ready for Cup race In 10 starts at intermediate courses dating back to Kansas last year, Crafton has now tallied three wins, three runner ups and 10 top-10 showings....

At least 65 guests were expected at the New York Young Republican Club’s annual gala, which was held at an unknown location in New Jersey on Thursday night due to concerns that the gathering would attract protests. Images shared on Twitter showed Gaetz huddled with around two-dozen people at an indoor black-tie event. More people could be seen in the background of the photo. The GOP representative taunted New York’s governor, Andrew Cuomo, who has pushed tighter coronavirus restrictions in a state that has seen nearly 20,000 deaths and 300,000 cases....

Gaetz, who has served as the U.S. representative for Florida’s 1st congressional district since 2017, shared a clip of the exchange on his Twitter account. In it, the Trump-supporting GOP congressman asked that the Pledge of Allegiance be recited at the start of each committee session. Gaetz suggested it would be a “great, unifying patriotic moment.” But the committee chair, New York Democrat Jerry Nadler, explained that the pledge is already taken at the start of the day in the House and that a second pledge before the committee would be “unnecessary....

Representative Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) told War Room Pandemic, a podcast hosted by Steve Bannon, that he would give up his seat in Congress if Trump requested he be part of his legal defense. “If the president called me and wanted me to go defend him on the floor of the Senate, that would be the top priority in my life,” Gaetz said. He continued, “I would leave my House seat, I would leave my home, I would do anything I had to do to ensure that the greatest president in my lifetime—one of the greatest presidents our country has ever had, maybe the greatest president our country has ever had—got a full-throated defense that wasn’t crouched down, that wasn’t in fear of losing some moderate Republican senator but that was worthy of the fight that he gave to the great people of this country for four years....

A massive East Coast storm forced cancellation of Friday’s track activity at the Monster Mile, including NASCAR Sprint Cup Series qualifying. So, Kenseth will start on the pole for Sunday’s AAA 400, the elimination race for the Challenger Round of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Race coverage is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Network, weather permitting. MORE: Chase standings | Starting lineup | What drivers must do to advance | Riding the bubble...

Italy’s Vincenzo Nibali retained the overall lead. Van Garderen, who crashed within the last 17 kilometers on the stage, lost time in the title chase. The sun finally broke through clouds that had dumped rain over riders in recent days for the 146-mile ride from Epernay, the capital of Champagne country, to the eastern city of Nancy. Overall, Nibali has a two-second lead over Astana teammate Jakob Fuglsang and is two minutes, 37 seconds clear of Alberto Contador, his main rival....

“May we all have a second act in life as great as his was,” Cherry said after receiving the award. His award dedication to Bryant came just a few weeks after the Los Angeles Lakers star died in a helicopter accident in Calabasas, California. In 2018, Bryant also won an Oscar in this category, for his film Dear Basketball. Written and narrated by Bryant, it focuses on a letter written to The Players’ Tribune, where Bryant announced his retirement from the NBA in 2015....

The timing of the 2018 AFC U-23 Championship, which kicks off on January 9 next year, seems almost apt for Malaysia U23 right back Matthew Davies. Having left his native Australia and A-League club Perth Glory at the age of 20 to represent Malaysia and join Malaysia Super League (MSL) side Pahang in order to pursue more competitive playing time, the defender now looks set to be included in the Young Tigers’ final, 23-man squad for the continental junior competition....

The True Detective actor has said he is seriously considering a gubernatorial run in the Lone Star State but betting companies can’t seem to agree on whether or not he has a solid chance of becoming state leader. Betting aggregator Covers confirmed to Newsweek that there is a huge discrepancy between the odds being offered by different Britsh-based bookmakers, Ladbrokes and Sky Bet. Ladbrokes are offering 5/1 on the Interstellar star becoming the next Texas Governor, while Sky Bet has the same outcome at a whopping 40/1....

But for every Lions fan who’s frustrated by Matthew Stafford, there’s a Bears fan who feels the same way about Jay Cutler. When they’re on with their strong passing and cool heads, they can look like the league’s two best gunlsingers. When they’re off, they make big mistakes that hurt their teams’ playoff chances. Early in 2014, there’s good reason to revisit the NFL’s Brothers in Inconsistent Arms: They’ve each been to the playoffs only once....

However, if things hadn’t worked out in Los Angeles, ESPN’s Seth Wickersham reports that Stafford’s second choice was another NFC West team: the 49ers. And if neither the Rams nor 49ers traded for him, the Colts were his third choice. One team that wasn’t on Stafford’s list was the Panthers. As Wickersham details, Carolina put together a competitive trade package for Stafford, but he nixed the deal. IYER: Early NFL picks against the spread for Week 1...

The engaged couple flew to Syracuse to see Michigan State play in the NCAA Tournament. The Lions quarterback attended Georgia, but the Bulldogs lost at the hands of the Spartans in the round of 64. Since he plays in Michigan, it makes sense he would want to cheer on a college team in the area. Why not? Aaron Rodgers does it. The Detroit Sun Times wrote an article about how Stafford could learn yet another thing from Rodgers....

When the Rams and 49ers meet in the NFC championship game, it won’t be the first time that San Francisco watches Stafford with envious eyes. When the Stafford sweepstakes opened this past offseason, both NFC West teams were interested in Stafford’s talents. MORE: Matthew Stafford gets his defining playoff moment Ultimately, Sean McVay and the Rams swooped in and stole Stafford almost literally from Kyle Shanahan’s nose in a tale that features Cabo, the wrong hotel and a situation that could have ended up as potentially “awkward....