Shesterkin, Markstrom have rare goalie fight at Madison Square Garden

NEW YORK (AP) — Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin and his New Jersey Devils counterpart Jacob Markstrom hada lengthy fightmidway through the third period of theRangers' 4-1 winTuesday night.

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The netminders fought at 9:05 of the third period near the Rangers' net after Shesterkin was part of a larger scrum behind the goal involving most other players on ice. Both goaltenders removed their helmets and exchanged punches — with Shesterkin landing more blows to his Swedish opponent.

"I'd like to thank my boxing coach,'' Shesterkin quipped after the game.

In a mostly dismal home season for the Rangers — with just 12 wins in 37 games at Madison Square Garden — the spirited fisticuffs between goalies brought some of the loudest cheers of the year from the home crowd.

"We needed that,'' Rangers captain J.T. Miller said. "There hasn't been, unfortunately, a lot to cheer about early this year. To have a moment like that, it's really special."

Markstrom left his crease and skated the length of the ice where he and Shesterkin brought the crowd to its feet with the rare goaltender-versus-goaltender battle.

"It shows his character, shows he's a competitor,'' Devils captain Nico Hischier said of Markstrom's willingness to fight. "It's huge for us ... I know Markie is an emotional guy. That's what you want to see in your team."

Shesterkin punctuated the fight by wrestling Markstrom to the ice, bringing even louder roars from the crowd.

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"It was a great fight. I didn't know Shesty had that in him," Rangers coach Mike Sullivan said.

Rangers fans continued to chant "Igor, Igor," in support of their combative goaltender as play resumed, and the Rangers went on to win their third-straight home game in decisive fashion.

Shesterkin and Markstrom each received five minutes for fighting and two minutes for leaving their creases.

"I felt like I needed to do something,'' Markstrom said about entering the fracas at the other end of the rink. "It's adrenaline. You just go there and swing for the fences."

Miller lauded his team's star Russian netminder, who has 186 victories in seven seasons as a Ranger — and now one prolonged fight — on his resume.

"It's just so rare, unexpected,'' Miller said. "That was just old-school ... I think it was great for our team to see that. To see what a goalie can do — obviously goalies aren't fighting that often — to see him have him have our back and stick up for himself obviously sends a message that he's such a leader for us."

AP NHL:https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

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Shesterkin, Markstrom have rare goalie fight at Madison Square Garden

NEW YORK (AP) — Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin and his New Jersey Devils counterpart Jacob Markstrom hada lengthy fig...

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Congo’s World Cup qualification unites a troubled country and brings a rare moment of joy

GOMA, Congo (AP) — Congo erupted in joy overnight after a 100th-minute goal against Jamaica sent the African country back to the World Cup for the first time in more than half a century.

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Across the country, people danced, yelled, and hugged each other in what became a rare moment of joy for a nation battered by conflict in its mineral-rich eastern region.

Congo's World Cup qualification came courtesy of Axel Tuanzebe's extra-time goal following a cornerto secure a 1-0 win over Jamaicain Tuesday night's game in Guadalajara, Mexico.

That goal and the victory over Jamaica brought a huge relief for millions in the central African nation who have long been accustomed to news ofRwanda-backed M23 rebelsfighting with government forces in the east in a decades-long conflict that has resulted in one of the world's largest humanitarian crises, with at least 7 million people displaced.

The last time Congo participated in the World Cup was the 1974 edition in Germany. Then, the country had a different name, Zaire. It also had a different reality from today's in which Rwanda-backed rebels control large swathes of land and territories in itsmineral-rich eastern region.

"Look at this crowd, we are full of joy because the victory is ours, we are very happy," said an overjoyed Alain Kagama at a bar in the city of Goma, the epicenter of the violence which has been under rebel control for over a year.

"It has been a long time since we smiled, but today we are happy," Kagama added.

The victory also united the country, drawing commendations from both the government and rebels.

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Videos showed Congo's President Felix Tshisekedi hugging and celebrating with soccer fans and officials as his government commended the soccer team for their victorious outing. M23 spokesman Lawrence Kanyuka told The Associated Press the whole nation is excited for the team.

"It's a matter of joy, it's a pleasure that at the next World Cup, the Congolese national team will be represented," Kanyuka said.

Since January 2025, fighting has flared between the Congolese armed forces and the M23 after the rebels swept through the eastern region in lightning attacks and seized key cities of Goma and Bukavu.

The conflict has raged on despite a truce brokered by the United States and Qatar. And clashes and drone strikes continue, including aFebruary drone strikethat killed a senior rebel official.

With its victory in the intercontinental playoff, Congo completed Group K at the World Cup, where it will face Colombia, Portugal, and Uzbekistan.

As its team celebrated and danced at the Akron Stadium in Guadalajara, Mexico, many stayed glued to their screen, holding tight to the excitement they wished would not pass.

"Today is truly a historic day, we are full of joy as you can see. ... It was our parents who last saw us at the World Cup, but today we are part of a story that we will tell our children," said Christian Mihigo, a fan in Goma.

McMakin reported from Dakar, Senegal.

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Congo’s World Cup qualification unites a troubled country and brings a rare moment of joy

GOMA, Congo (AP) — Congo erupted in joy overnight after a 100th-minute goal against Jamaica sent the African country back...

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Nevada lithium mine clears major hurdle despite conservationists' worries for rare wildflower

LAS VEGAS (AP) — A federal judge in Nevada has ruled against conservationists who wanted to stop a lithium-boron mine they said would harm anendangered wildflower.

The ruling marks a major legal victory for the 11-square-mile (28.49 square-kilometer) Rhyolite Ridge Lithium/Boron Mine Project in Esmeralda County, located between Reno and Las Vegas. The land holds the largest lithium and boron deposit in the world outside of Turkey, said Bernard Rowe, managing director of Ioneer, the Australia-based company behind the project.

U.S. District Judge Cristina Silva ruled Friday that the federal government properly approved the project and sufficiently examined the impacts the project will have on the rare wildflower called Tiehm's buckwheat, whose entire population grows within 10 acres (4.05 hectares) of land in the project area. Environmental groups behind the lawsuit say they may appeal.

Lithium is an essential component of electric vehicle batteries. Rhyolite Ridge would beNevada's third lithium mine, and one of few mines that will process the materials on site, Rowe said.

"Rhyolite Ridge will create hundreds of new American jobs, reduce reliance on foreign materials and processing, and provide a domestic source of two critical minerals," Chad Yeftich, vice president of corporate development and external affairs at Ioneer, said in a statement.

Growing US manufacturing

Ioneer wants construction to start by the end of this year and production in 2029, though it is still looking for a financial partner after a major investor pulled out last year. Sibanye Stillwater said the project did not make financial sense. In January 2025, the Department of Energy finalized a nearly $1 billion loan for the project.

The $2 billion mine would have a life span of over 77 years and would produce enough lithium carbonate for around 400,000 electric vehicles per year, Rowe said. It will also produce boric acid, which is used in pest control, flame retardant, and medical and personal care.

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Rhyolite Ridge wasfirst approved under the Biden administrationas an part of the former president's clean energy agenda. The Trump administration has alsosupported lithium projects in Nevadaas a way to bolster US manufacturing of critical minerals. The Interior Department declined to comment.

Protecting the wildflower

The Center for Biological Diversity, which haslong fought to protectthe wildflower and successfully pushed for its endangered species designation in 2022, is not finished in its fight, Great Basin Director Patrick Donnelly said.

His organization is considering appealing the ruling to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, arguing that the case could have implications for other species and protected habitats on the Endangered Species Act.

"This can seem like a little remote flower in the middle of nowhere. But if we lose on Tiehm's buckwheat, you know, what else are we facing with the whittling away of the Endangered Species Act?" Donnelly said.

Tiehm's buckwheat is a wildflower a couple inches tall that grows in an area the size of seven football fields in the Silver Peak Range. In the spring, the plant produces green leaves and yellow flowers that look like pom-poms. When it blooms, it is the epicenter of a vibrant pollinator community, Donnelly said.

Silva, a Biden-nominated judge, found Ioneer's mitigation efforts, which include fencing around the habitat and buffer zones between the mining activities and the buckwheat, were sufficient for the purposes of the Endangered Species Act. Silva wrote that of the buckwheat's 1.4 square mile (3.63 square kilometers) of critical habitat, it will lose 4.9% due to the project.

Donnelly maintains the mining project will increase the risk of the wildflower going extinct, which would affect the ecosystem's biodiversity. He cast doubt that fencing around the flower's habitat will protect it.

"There's been this kind of death by a thousand cuts for Tiehm's buckwheat," Donnelly said, adding that if it were to move forward, it would be the "death blow" for the wildflower.

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Nevada lithium mine clears major hurdle despite conservationists' worries for rare wildflower

LAS VEGAS (AP) — A federal judge in Nevada has ruled against conservationists who wanted to stop a lithium-boron mine the...

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Argentina designates Iran's IRGC a terrorist organization, aligning with US

BUENOS AIRES, March 31 (Reuters) - Argentina has designated Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) ‌as a terrorist organization, its presidential office ‌said in a statement on Tuesday, following a push ​from the Trump administration for allies to do so.

Argentina attributed the measure to the IRGC's backing for Lebanon-based Hezbollah, which it blames ‌for the deadliest ⁠bombing in the South American nation's history, a 1994 attack on ⁠the AMIA Jewish community center in Buenos Aires that killed 85 and injured hundreds.

The presidential ​office said ​the measure allows ​for the implementation of ‌financial sanctions and other operational restrictions.

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The IRGC is an elite military force whose purpose is to protect Shi'ite Muslim clerical rule in Iran. It controls large parts of Iran's ‌economy.

Both the IRGC and ​Hezbollah are already designated as ​terrorist groups ​by the United States and some ‌other countries.

Days earlier, Argentina's government ​also designated ​Mexico's Jalisco New Generation Cartel as a terrorist organization, further aligning the government ​of President ‌Javier Milei with Washington.

(Reporting by Walter Bianchi ​and Sarah Morland; Editing by Sonali ​Paul and Kevin Buckland)

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Argentina designates Iran's IRGC a terrorist organization, aligning with US

BUENOS AIRES, March 31 (Reuters) - Argentina has designated Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) ‌as a ter...

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Golf's post-Tiger Woods era has officially arrived

It's here. The moment the sport of golf — its players, its executives, its sponsors — has dreaded for nearly three decades. It's time to face a world without Tiger Woods.

Like a dreamer in a warm bed hitting snooze again and again, the entire sport of golf has pushed off this moment of reckoning. And why not? Woods transformed his sport like almost no other single athlete in history. He transformed a niche sport into a mainstream one. He added zeroes to the bank accounts of everyone involved in the game. He embodied a relentless dominance that singlehandedly reshaped golf from its pleats-and-plaid image into aspirational cool.

And clearly, it all came at terrible personal cost to Woods himself.

"I know and understand the seriousness of the situation I find myself in today,"Woods wrote in a post on X Tuesday evening, his first public statement since aFriday wreck and arrest,his fourth major traffic incident involving the police. "I am stepping away for a period of time to seek treatment and focus on my health. This is necessary in order for me to prioritize my well-being and work toward lasting recovery."

While the statement doesn't exactly helpWoods' fight against DUI charges— it's not an admission of guilt, but it certainly suggests there's more at work than simply distracted driving — this was a necessary step for Woods to try to salvage what he can professionally from the disaster that is now his personal life.

"I'm committed to taking the time needed to return to a healthier, stronger and more focused place, both personally and professionally," Woods' statement continued. "I appreciate your understanding and support, and ask for privacy for my family, loved ones and myself at this time."

Before we get too far down the business-of-golf route, let's take a moment to note that this is exactly what Woods needs to be doing right now. Clearly, he's struggling with demons, both internal and external, and he's in the grips of something that doesn't respect his 15 majors or his hundreds of millions. Recognizing that, however belatedly, is a significant step on the road to recovery.

From the moment he introduced himself in 1996 with "Hello, world," Woods has shaped the direction of the PGA Tour. For the next 13 years, he owned the sport, swelling purses and sponsor commitments and generally making everyone involved with golf a whole lot richer and happier. It must have seemed like it would go on forever.

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And then came Thanksgiving 2009, and all of Woods' demons and skeletons came tumbling out of his closet into public view. He became a different kind of moneymaker for golf then, a spectacle and a tabloid foundation.

For a while, after the blast of the infidelity scandal faded, he won just enough of the smaller events to think he might possibly win another major, doing just enough between injury layoffs to make you think that maybe, mayyyybe he had one more miracle left in him.

Turns out, he did. When he won that landmark Masters in 2019 — his first major in 11 years — he restarted the whole "Days Without Tiger Woods Propping Up The PGA Tour" clock to 0. And golf had been living under that clock right up until last week when Tiger made his return at the TGL indoor golf league championship finale, doubling ratings from the night before.

All of us — fans, sponsors, tours, media — have spent the last 30 years deeply, inextricably invested in the business of Tiger Woods. Maybe we all should have thought a bit more about what all this was doing to the person of Tiger Woods … because clearly, he was cracking a whole lot more than he was winning.

He's gone from the game now, and who knows for how long? "A period of time" could mean he's coming back to play later this year, or it could literally mean we'll never see him again. If he does come back, though, it's all but impossible to imagine that Woods will have any kind of significant competitive impact on the course ever again. He'll remain at 15 majors, three behind Jack Nicklaus.

Golf will continue on its path to reinvent itself without Woods' direct influence, as well. The PGA Tour is in the midst of tearing itself down to the studs, and given its ambitious rebuilding schedule, it can't afford to wait for Woods to return. How will his absence affect the upcoming direction of the Tour, which had been on a track to reward stars over grinders?

Whenever Woods does return, there will be the requisite stories, profiles, social media banners. But it's clear now that it's all cheap heat, a pale reflection of a Woods that burned out and vanished a long time ago.

Tiger Woods can't give, or be, everything to golf. Not anymore.

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05:06

Golf's post-Tiger Woods era has officially arrived

It's here. The moment the sport of golf — its players, its executives, its sponsors — has dreaded for nearly three de...

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