NEW YORK — Shohei Ohtani won his third Most Valuable Player Award and first in the National League, and Aaron Judge earned his second American League honor on Thursday. Ohtani was a unanimous MVP for the third time, receiving all 30 first-place votes and 420 points in voting by the Baseball Writers' Association of America. New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor was second with 263 points and Arizona second baseman Ketel Marte third with 229. Judge was a unanimous pick for the first time. Kansas City shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. got all 30 second-place votes for 270 points, and Yankees outfielder Juan Soto was third with 21 third-place votes and 229 points. Ohtani was unanimously voted the AL MVP in 2021 and 2023 as a two-way star for the Los Angeles Angels and finished second to Judge in 2022 voting. He didn't pitch in 2024 following elbow surgery and signed a record $700 million, 10-year contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers last December. Ohtani joined Frank Robinson for Cincinnati in 1961 and Baltimore in 1966 as the only players to win the MVP award in both leagues. He was the first player to twice become an unanimous MVP. He had combined with Atlanta outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. in 2023 for the first year both MVPs were unanimous. Ohtani hit .310, stole 59 bases and led the NL with 54 homers and 130 RBIs exclusively as a designated hitter, becoming the first player with 50 or more homers and 50 or more stolen bases in a season. He helped the Dodgers to the World Series title, playing the final three games with a torn labrum in his left shoulder. "The ultimate goal from the beginning was to win a World Series, which we are able to accomplish," he said through a translator. "The next goal is for me to do it again and so right now I'm in the middle of rehab and working out and getting stronger." When Ohtani returns to the mound, could he win MVP and the Cy Young Award in the same year? "That would obviously be great, but right now my focus is just to get to get back healthy, come back stronger, get back on the mound and show everybody what I can do," Ohtani said. Ohtani became the first primary DH to win an MVP in a season that started with the revelation his longtime interpreter and friend, Ippei Mizuhara, had stolen nearly $17 million from the star to fund gambling. Ohtani is the 12th player with three or more MVPs, joining Barry Bonds (seven) and Jimmie Foxx, Joe DiMaggio, Stan Musial, Roy Campanella, Yogi Berra, Mickey Mantle, Mike Schmidt, Alex Rodriguez, Albert Pujols and Mike Trout (three each). Balloting was conducted before the postseason. Judge led the major leagues with 58 homers, 144 RBIs and 133 walks while hitting .322. Witt topped the big leagues with a .332 average, hitting 32 homers with 31 stolen bases and 109 RBIs. Soto batted .288 with 41 homers and 109 RBIs. When Judge won his first MVP award in 2022, he received 28 first-place votes while Ohtani got the other two. Judge had discussed the MVP award with Philadelphia's Bryce Harper, the NL winner in 2015 and '21. "I was telling him, `Man, I'm going to try to catch up to you with these MVPs here, man,'" Judge recalled. "He'd say, hopefully, he could stay a couple ahead of me, which I think he'll do." When Judge won his first MVP award in 2022, he received 28 first-place votes while Ohtani got the other two. He is the Yankees' 22nd MVP winner, four more than any other team. Judge was hitting .207 with six homers and 18 RBIs through April, then batted .352 with 52 homers and 126 RBIs in 127 games. "March and April were not my friend this year." Judge said. "Just keep putting in the work and things are going to change. You can't mope. You can't feel sorry for yourself. Especially in New York, nobody's going to feel sorry for you. So you just got to go out there and put up the numbers?" ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The St. Petersburg City Council reversed course Thursday on whether to spend more than $23 million to repair the hurricane-shredded roof of the Tampa Bay Rays' ballpark, initially voting narrowly for approval and hours later changing course. The reversal on fixing Tropicana Field came after the council voted to delay consideration of revenue bonds for a proposed new $1.3 billion Rays ballpark. Just two days before, the Pinellas County Commission postponed a vote on its share of the new stadium bonds, leaving that project in limbo. “This is a sad place. I'm really disappointed,” council chair Deborah Figg-Sanders said. “We won’t get there if we keep finding ways we can’t.” The Rays say the lack of progress puts the new stadium plan and the future of Tropicana Field in jeopardy. “I can't say I'm confident about anything,” Rays co-president Brian Auld told the council members. The Trop's translucent fiberglass roof was ripped to pieces on Oct. 9 when Hurricane Milton swept ashore just south of Tampa Bay. There was also significant water damage inside the ballpark, with a city estimate of the total repair costs pegged at $55.7 million. The extensive repairs cannot be finished before the 2026 season, city documents show. The Rays made a deal with the Yankees to play next season at 11,000-seat Steinbrenner Field, New York's spring training home across the bay in Tampa. The initial vote Thursday was to get moving on the roof portion of the repair. Once that's done, crews could begin working on laying down a new baseball field, fixing damaged seating and office areas and a variety of electronic systems — which would require another vote to approve money for the remaining restoration. The subsequent vote reversing funding for the roof repair essentially means the city and Rays must work on an alternative in the coming weeks so that Tropicana Field can possibly be ready for the 2026 season. The city is legally obligated to fix the roof. Pittsburgh hired Matt Hague as its hitting coach, bringing him back to the team that drafted him in 2008. Hague replaces Andy Haines, who was fired after Pittsburgh finished in the bottom 10 in the majors in every significant statistical category last season, including runs (24th) and home runs (25th), while also striking out a club-record 1,504 times, second-most in the National League behind Colorado. The 39-year-old Hague spent last season as an assistant hitting coach with the Toronto Blue Jays. Get local news delivered to your inbox!

LSU running back Caden Durham (29) runs the ball in the second half between the Tigers and the Gators, Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024, at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, Fla. Florida won 27-16. Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save LSU (6-4, 3-3 SEC) is set to play Vanderbilt (6-4, 3-3) in its penultimate game of the regular season. The Tigers are in the midst of a three-game skid, losing to Texas A&M, Alabama and Florida. The Tigers are unranked in AP Top 25 after climbing as high as No. 8 in the country thanks to a six game win-streak. The biggest culprit to their woes as of late has been their offensive struggles. Since leading the Aggies 17-7 at halftime a month ago, LSU can barely put points on the scoreboard. It has scored just 35 points over the past 10 quarters and has three touchdowns in 27 drives, averaging 4.6 yards per play. For LSU to avoid a fourth consecutive loss, it’ll need to limit turnovers, produce in the redzone and have an effective running attack. Follow along here for live updates and analysis from LSU's home game against Vanderbilt, which kicks off Saturday at 6:45 p.m. in Baton Rouge.FILE PHOTO: Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau looks on, on the day he makes an announcement at Aylesbury Public School in Brampton, Ontario, Canada, November 22, 2024. REUTERS/Carlos Osorio/ File Photo Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Saturday condemned violence and antisemitism at anti-NATO and pro-Palestinian protests in downtown Montreal on Friday night, where NATO delegates have gathered for the alliance's annual assembly. Around 300 delegates from NATO members and partner states are meeting in Montreal from Nov. 22-25. Local media reported that protesters burned an effigy of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and lit smoke bombs. Two separate protest groups merged into a march, and some protesters started throwing smoke bombs and metal objects at officers policing the demonstration, Montreal police said. Police used tear gas and batons to disperse the crowd and three people were arrested for assaulting officers and obstructing police work. Protesters set two cars on fire and smashed windows as the march was dispersed around 7 pm ET, police said. Videos and pictures posted to social media showed masked rioters burning flares and battering storefront windows. "What we saw on the streets of Montreal last night was appalling. Acts of antisemitism, intimidation, and violence must be condemned wherever we see them," Trudeau said in a post on social media website X. Pro-Palestinian protests have been taking place across Canada since the Israel-Gaza war started late last year. Israel's 13-month campaign in Gaza has killed more than 44,000 people and displaced nearly all the enclave's population at least once, according to Gaza officials. The war was launched in response to an attack by Hamas-led fighters who killed 1,200 people and captured more than 250 hostages in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, Israel has said. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you. Read 3 articles and stand to win rewards Spin the wheel now

Just a few months after the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Board won the “Best Tourist Board” at the World Tourism Awards 2024, Sri Lanka has notched up another accolade, this time from the prestigious Wanderlust magazine and website. The magazine’s readers have overwhelmingly voted for Sri Lanka as the “Most Desirable Island in the World”, taking the Pearl of the Indian Ocean from last year’s 8th place all the way to the top this year. Judging by the quality and beauty of the other contenders – Taiwan, Puerto Rico, Tobago, Tasmania, Bermuda, Cuba, Barbados, Madagascar and Palawan, this is no easy feat. Among the other publications that recently extolled Sri Lanka’s virtues are Travel+Leisure, Forbes, Daily Express UK, Lonely Planet, Conde Nast Traveller, Delicious, Daily Mail UK, Tempo (which termed Sri Lanka as the “Ultimate Tropical Paradise” in its own top 10 best places to visit), Luxury Lifestyle, The Independent UK, The Herald Scotland, The Times UK and Escape Magazine. 300 Km Pekoe Trail One reason for Sri Lanka’s spectacular rise in the global tourism rankings was the recent introduction of the 300 Km Pekoe Trail that meanders through the hilly terrains of Central Sri Lanka, offering a trek through sleepy villages, verdant tea plantations and lush greenery. Pekoe (named after a variety of tea) has already become one of the top 10 hiking trails of the world, even before it is fully complete. Combine it with the magnificent train ride from Kandy to Ella, itself one of the top 10 train rides in the world and you have the perfect recipe for a great holiday. But perhaps the most important factor is Sri Lankans’ genuine warmth, love and hospitality. Most tourists cite our friendly people as one of their main reasons for visiting Sri Lanka. This, in a nutshell, is what makes Sri Lanka unique. It offers everything a discerning traveller wants in a compact 65,610 Sq Km island (roughly the size of aforementioned Tasmania), from beaches to jungles to ruins. The country’s tourism industry has made a remarkable comeback, despite being battered by three major crises – the Easter Sunday attacks, the Covid-19 pandemic and the 2022 economic crisis. Around 1.5 million tourists have already visited our shores this year, in spite of a recent travel advisory for the Arugam Bay area which has now been rescinded. The Government’s decision to issue free on arrival visas to travellers from 35 countries also helped. This was a timely decision, given that several countries in Asia and Africa – which are all competitors for tourist dollars – threw their doors wide open to tourists. Thailand recently expanded its visa-free entry facility to 93 nations including Sri Lanka. While Sri Lanka is faltering in its efforts to attract 2.5 million tourists this year, Thailand through this measure aims to attract a staggering 40 million tourists. Malaysia, Vietnam, Kenya, Rwanda and Cambodia too have introduced e-visas for all nationalities. Burundi, Comoros Islands, Djibouti, Guinea-Bissau, Maldives, Micronesia, Mozambique, Rwanda, Samoa, Seychelles, Timor-Leste, and Tuvalu offer visa-free access to all 198 passports of the world. Openness matters in the business of tourism. Sri Lanka is not the only grain of sand on the tourist beach. If our visa process becomes too expensive or even too time-consuming, tourists will head elsewhere. On the other hand, if it is streamlined and affordable (or free), more tourists will click their mouse and choose Sri Lanka as the next holiday destination. Once they experience Sri Lanka, they will surely “come back for more”, which happens to be the motto of Sri Lanka Tourism. More facilities needed If the present rates of tourist arrivals continue, Sri Lanka will need more inbound airline seats. There are several positive developments in this regard. Some airlines, such as Cathay Pacific and Thai Airways, which halted operations at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, have returned to Colombo. Sri Lanka’s aviation and tourism officials should encourage all operators to increase the number of flights and airlines such as Air France, Qantas, JAL, ANA, Virgin Atlantic, BA, Korean, Biman and Akasa to launch direct flights to Colombo. They should attend global “route shops” where airline representatives look for lucrative new routes. Since tourist hotels earn foreign exchange for the country, it would be prudent to grant them (and also “special tours” bus operators) duty free permits to import electric cars and buses for the transport of tourists on the condition that they also import DC superchargers or solar chargers. A duty concession can be granted for this as well. This also tallies with the environmental goals envisaged for global tourism. Since it is also important to ensure an adequate supply of food for the tourists in the face of an impending global food crisis (exacerbated by the Ukraine War), all hotels with arable land must be encouraged to grow crops that can sustain their kitchens. We can look at other countries which have introduced new concepts such as rooftop and vertical farming as well as hydroponics, the technique of growing crops without soil. Most hotels can easily embrace these concepts. Hotels should also have a more robust relationship with the local farmers and suppliers so that they nurture the local economy. Arugam Bay also opened our eyes to the need to protect tourists at all times. Things have to start from the BIA itself, where touts often harass tourists for everything from taxi rides to hotel stays. President Anura Kumara Dissanayake alluded to this pestering problem in one of his recent speeches. In fact, touts, beggars, unlicensed tour guides and brokers harass tourists at all major tourist attractions, which could put off some of them from coming here again. After all, repeat tourists are a big market for Sri Lanka. Sri Lankan tourism authorities also have to rethink the admissions pricing policy at key tourism attractions, where tourists sometimes have to pay as much as 10 times the rate paid by local tourists. This may adversely affect budget tourists and in today’s context we need every Dollar. It is better to have one “middle of the road” pricing policy for both foreigners and locals. It is also vital to have more Tourist Police stations near key attractions and also in the major cities visited by tourists. This way, tourists can get help quickly if they are harassed, fleeced, intimidated or robbed. All the personnel of Tourist Police must be encouraged to learn at least one more language in addition to English, such as French, German, Spanish and Russian. This will help them to communicate more easily with the tourists, some of whom cannot speak English well. Promotional campaign There is also an acute need for enhancing the international tourism promotional campaign through traditional and social media globally to highlight our religious, cultural and natural attractions that are perhaps not found anywhere else on the planet. SriLankan Airlines’ Ramayana Trail promotional clip, which has gone viral on social media, is a great example for a campaign done right. This is likely to attract more visitors from India. Journalists from leading travel publications in our source markets as well as from new markets should be given familiarisation tours here so that they will inform their readers and viewers on the array of attractions here. That will help the industry to realise the initial goal of 2.5 million tourists per year perhaps by next year, giving a new sense of purpose and direction to the tourism industry, perhaps the most vital cog in the economic wheel in terms of attracting foreign exchange. There is also a need for the Government and the tourism sector stakeholders to work together to develop new attractions. The best example in this regard is Singapore, where even the Changi International Airport, especially the Jewel section, has become a tourist attraction in its own right. Gardens by the Bay, a set of artificial trees that mimic nature, is another hit. Mandai Wildlife Group, the operators of Singapore Zoo, Night Safari, River Wonders and Bird Paradise, are planning to add an “Asia and Africa” section next year to showcase unique animals from the two regions. It will also unveil the Mandai Rainforest Resort, operated by Banyan Tree, Singapore’s first-ever super low energy (SLE) resort. We can learn from these initiatives to develop new attractions and also revamp our existing attractions such as the National Museum, which can have audio and video descriptions, audio tours and other interactive enhancements. Just having exhibits behind glass walls does not cut it anymore. Other countries are trying new ways to lure tourists and we should not lag behind. Domestic tourists The tourism industry should also not lose sight of the importance of domestic tourists who sustained it during the (literally) dark days of 2022. More facilities that target domestic tourists must be built. In fact, whenever there was a dip in foreign tourists, it was the locals who patronised hotels and guest houses to keep the home fires of thousands of workers in the hotel and travel industry burning. Unfortunately, there have been verified reports of “hotel apartheid” whereby the owners and managers of certain hotels and guest houses do not allow locals to use certain facilities. Legal action should be taken against any such establishment. While most tourists who come to Sri Lanka enjoy their holidays and then go back to their home countries, there are some tourists from far and near who overstay their visas. This issue has come to the fore with the Arugam Bay development. It has been reported that some tourists own and operate various guesthouses and other businesses on both the Southern and Eastern coasts without having any residential status in Sri Lanka. Worse, they apparently do not even allow locals to enter their establishments. The authorities must probe these allegations and take appropriate action, perhaps in consultation with the relevant embassies. All travellers with expired visas must be deported. But we must also realise that there are many “digital nomads” who would like to work from Sri Lanka. A separate long-term visa category must be established for digital nomads, investors and others who might have legitimate reasons to take up residence here. This is a worldwide trend and we should not build unnecessary walls. Ours is an interconnected world and we should make the best of it.Yangdup Lama, one of India’s most celebrated bartenders thanks to his experimental cocktails, and co-founder of artisanal cocktail bar Sidecar, recently opened Brook in Haryana’s Gurugram. Amid the concrete soullessness of the mall which is its home, Brook is an anomaly—something like walking into the sole bar at the end of a hill town’s Mall Road, pun intended. For the hill-station aesthetic is exactly what Lama had aimed to create. The bar’s staple menu is a tribute to hill fare: Happy Himachali Hi Ball that uses blended whiskey with Himachali apple cider vinegar, the Thou Cha with gin and pinewood smoked Himalayan tea—an ode to Lama’s Darjeeling origins. Brook isn’t a one-off concept—today, India’s top bartenders are taking to niche flavours to create versions of popular cocktails highly attuned to Indian tastebuds. In Bandra, Shahrom Oshtori’s Sixteen33 is close to what Lama has done with Brook. Here, the cocktails narrate the story of Bandra—one of India’s most well-known urban neighbourhoods. Bandra, like most cities, was a collection of villages once; each cocktail here is themed on one, namely, Ranwar, Chimbai, Chuim, Pali and Kantwadi. In Goa, Pankaj Balachandran’s Countertop India has clinked glasses with Varca resort Amaraanth to launch The Lab, an experiential cocktail bar with an emphasis on local produce. The drinks on the menu pay homage to Goa and its singular spirits— the indigenous cashew feni, local beers and various homegrown gins and rums. “The job is not just about knowing and creating cocktail recipes any longer, originality is the focus. Earlier, bartending used to be derivative, and making a cocktail that already exists was the norm for bars across the world,” says Lama. He assesses that while following the norm is what gave rise to classic, timeless cocktails such as martinis, sours and negronis, there’s much more to the art of bartending. “Today, a bartender consciously adds a touch of their personality and experience to their creations. That one is able to practise the concept of farm-to-glass today is a great advantage in letting bartenders celebrate unique aspects of their native regions,” he adds. Nikhil Merchant, a veteran writer and consulting mixologist subscribes to this philosophy. His festive bar takeover project at Ishaara in Mumbai’s Lower Parel was about Diwali-inspired cocktails. “The bar menu celebrated ingredients popular in traditional celebration of Diwali, such as milk, rice and sugarcane,” Merchant says. Sixteen33’s menu takes celebrating local to an even more microscopic level. For instance, the Ranwar extols the fact that over four centuries ago, this tiny village was surrounded by paddy fields. Oshtori’s cocktail features the indigenous Indrayani rice liqueur, gin, lemon tincture, and a mist of absinthe, “served in a clay glass with crispy rice garnish”. Similarly, Chuim, which is the namesake to a bygone place which a posh Bandra neighbourhood today, blends white rum, sherry, coconut syrup and jasmine air “to evoke the village’s history of flower cultivation”. Other bartistes have climbed on the bandwagon. Mumbai’s Bandra seems to be where the action is. Bandra Born, situated in the eponymous suburb promotes a cocktail menu that includes mahua—an indigenous liquor commonplace in India's tribal belts. Often called the world’s “oldest distilled liquor”, mahua fell from grace after it was outlawed by the British in colonial India. Today, Bandra Born presents itself as “India’s first mahua-dedicated bar”. Out east, Rajan Sethi’s contemporary dining venture AM/PM opened its doors in Kolkata with a cocktail menu that is an ode to the grand old city’s soon-to-be-discontinued trams. For instance, a cocktail from AM/PM’s menu is called Line 25 to Yesterday, and features aged rum, banana oil, mixed nuts, all-spice, vanilla and chocolate bitters. It is a homage to the city’s hawkers who sell treats on trams. Balachandran adds that the focus on local ingredients, dishes and produce have helped his bar create a niche for itself. Crafts are not just textiles and brass, it is spirits too. “Our beverages honour Goa by working with local farms, producers and artisans to highlight regional flavours and locally-made spirits. We’re trying to promote Goa’s locally crafted spirits in our creations,” he says. In Delhi, Ravish Bhavnani, co-founder and chief mixologist of Fig ‘n Maple, has created a cocktails menu that taps into India’s fondness for sharbats. “We took cues from our extensive travels through the country to create a refreshing new experience,” says Bhavnani, adding, “In our homes now, many traditional ingredients that were once commonplace have faded into obscurity. We’re trying to revive these forgotten treasures, such as nannari (a herb, known better as sarsaparilla or sugandhi), gond katira (tragacanth gum), palash (an edible flower) and more. We’re using them in our cocktails today.” With Indians shedding social inhibitions even in small towns towards drinking alcohol, new cocktail projects take their inspiration from little-known native spirits and ingredients to create fabulous mixes that show the diversity of cultures and tastes.(Decorated) Home(s) For The Holidays: Contest shows Porterville's holiday spirit