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BOSTON – A judge released actress Felicity Huffman on $250,000 bail but restricted her travel to the continental U.S. after the star was one of 50 people charged in the largest-ever college admissions conspiracy prosecuted by the Justice Department. Huffman appeared in federal court Tuesday afternoon in Los Angeles following a morning arrest. Husband William H. Macy attended his wife’s initial court appearance. He has not been charged in the scandal and authorities have not said why. Federal prosecutors charged 33 affluent parents, including CEOs and actress Lori Loughlin, nine college athletics coaches and others in the sweeping bribery case to enter elite universities and colleges. The elaborate conspiracy involved cheating on the SAT and ACT and parents paying coaches "enormous sums" to get their children into schools by fabricating their athletic credentials. More:Lori Loughlin's daughter Olivia is being trolled over bribery case: 'Expel this cheater' Loughlin is expected to appear in court Wednesday. After that, legal proceedings will move to Boston, Thom Mrozek, spokesman for the United States Attorney’s Office tells USA TODAY. Huffman was one of about a dozen people taken into custody Tuesday. Late Tuesday, roughly 50 reporters and photographers waited for defendants to exit the courthouse as skies darkened. At one point, Huffman was seen walking toward the main exit, but facing a rush of videographers, she turned around and did not exit through the doors. Huffman, best known for her role on TV's "Desperate Housewives," is accused of paying $15,000 to a made-up charitable organization that then helped her daughter cheat on the SATs. Huffman also discussed the scheme in a recorded phone call with a cooperating witness, according to the investigation. Loughlin, who starred in the 1990s sitcom "Full House," is facing the same felony charges – conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud. Prosecutors say Loughlin and her husband, fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli, another defendant, paid bribes of $500,000 in exchange for having their two daughters designated as crew team recruits at the University of Southern California even though neither participated in the sport. More:'Full House' fans express shock as Lori Loughlin is indicted in college admissions bribery case As part of the nationwide conspiracy, coaches agreed to pretend that the children of parents who paid bribes were highly recruited athletes when they didn't even compete in that particular sport, prosecutors said. More individuals, including additional parents, could be later charged amid the ongoing multi-state FBI investigation, which took on the code name "Operation Varsity Blues" by law enforcement when it was launched 10 months ago. The schools, including Yale, Georgetown and Stanford universities, the University of Southern California, the University of California, Los Angeles, the University of Texas and Wake Forest University, are not targets of the sweeping investigation, prosecutors said. And no students were charged. Authorities said in many cases the teenagers were not aware of the fraud. Fake disabilities, Photoshopped faces:How feds say celebrities, coaches and scammers got kids into elite colleges Others charged included three people who organized the scams, two ACT and SAT exam administrators, one exam proctor, and one college administrator. Among the parents were Gordon Caplan of Greenwich, Connecticut, a co-chairman of an international law firm based in New York; Jane Buckingham, CEO of a boutique marketing company in Los Angeles; Gregory Abbott of New York, founder and chairman of a packaging company; and Manuel Henriquez, CEO of a finance company based in Palo Alto, California. “This case is about the widening corruption of elite college admissions through the steady application of wealth combined with fraud,” said Andrew Lelling, U.S. attorney for the District of Massachusetts, which is leading the prosecution. “There can be no separate college admissions system for the wealthy, and I will add there will not be a separate criminal justice system either." More:Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin are not alone. See the list of who has been charged. Four people arrested in New York City in the college admissions prosecution have each been released on $500,000 bail after brief appearances in Manhattan federal court. Lawyers for Abbott, Caplan, and Elizabeth and Manuel Henriquez declined to comment after their clients appeared before a magistrate judge to face charges of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud. A prosecutor had sought $1 million bail against Abbott, a New York founder of a food and beverage packaging company, claiming he was a risk to flee. More:Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin: What do feds allege they did and what happens next? Macy, who is married to Huffman, was not among those charged. But an affidavit says Huffman's "spouse" participated in conversations at their Los Angeles home with a confidential witness about the scheme. The University of Southern California responded to the charges by firing senior associate athletic director Donna Heinel and legendary water polo coach Jovan Vavic, a 16-time national champion who has led the team since 1995. Both were charged in the scheme. The school also opened an internal investigation and a review of its admissions process. Wake Forest University says it has suspended its head volleyball coach Bill Ferguson amid the investigation. Ferguson has been placed on administrative leave after being accused of accepting $100,000 to recruit a student who had been on the North Carolina school's wait list. “For every student admitted through fraud, an honest genuinely talented student was rejected," Lelling said. At the center of the case, according to federal prosecutors, was an admissions consultant named William "Rick" Singer, who pleaded guilty Tuesday in a Boston federal court to conspiracy charges of racketeering, money laundering, defrauding the United States and obstruction of justice. Prosecutors say Singer operated a sham college counseling group called "The Key," based in Newport Beach, California, which he used to accept more than $25 million in payments masked as "charitable contributions" from parents from 2011 through Feb. 2019. He's accused of keeping some of the money for himself and funneling millions to coaches and others to guarantee admission to top schools. In return for the parents’ bribes, the coaches would use roster “slots” that the school gave their teams to admit students that Singer had identified. Parents paid Singer between $100,000 and $6.5 million to carry out the athletics admissions scheme, according to prosecutors, with most paying between $250,000 and $400,000 per student. Singer worked with parents to fabricate athletic profiles for their children that boasted fake credentials, honors and participation in elite club teams. Sometimes it involved staged photographs, prosecutors say, or even doctored photos where a student's face would be posted onto a stock photo of an athlete pulled from the internet. In addition, prosecutors say some parents paid Singer between $15,000 and $75,000 to either take the ACT for their child or correct their children's answers after the test to achieve a higher score. He did this by paying Mark Riddell of Florida, another defendant in the case, who bribed two exam administrators, also defendants. "We’re not talking about donating a building so that a school’s more likely to take your son or daughter. We’re talking about deception and fraud – fake test scores, fake athletics credentials, fake photographs, bribed college officials," Lelling said. Prosecutors brought the charges in federal court because Singer is accused of using the mail and overnight carriers to send bribes and doctored test forms, and of using his tax-exempt charity to facilitate bribes. The other defendants are charged with conspiracy in those crimes. Each of the colleges that are involved receives more than $10,000 in federal grant funds. Elizabeth Much, a representative for Loughlin, said she had no information on the case when first contacted by USA TODAY. The news organization has also reached out to a rep for Huffman for comment. In addition to Singer, John Vandemoer, the head sailing coach at Stanford, also pleaded guilty Tuesday to accepting bribes. Among the college coaches charged is former Yale women’s soccer coach, Rudy Meredith, who resigned as coach in November after 24 years in that position. He's accused of taking $1.2 million after he admitted a recruit who had never played soccer. Also charged was former Georgetown tennis coach Gordon Ernst, now head coach of the University of Rhode Island, which placed Ernst on administrative leave Tuesday. The allegations only involve his time at Georgetown, which he left in 2017 after irregularities in his recruitment practices surfaced. Lisa Brown, vice president and general counsel at Georgetown, said the university is "deeply troubled" by the allegations against Ernst and will take "appropriate action" after reviewing the details of the investigation. She said the school was not aware of the alleged criminal activity until they were approached by the U.S attorney's office. "Mr. Ernst’s alleged actions are shocking, highly antithetical to our values, and violate numerous University policies and ethical standards," she said in a letter to the Georgetown community. Prosecutors in Massachusetts took the lead in the case because of its Boston connections. Phone calls and meetings took place in the city, two of the defendants live there and fake test scores were submitted to Boston College, Boston University and Northeastern University. Joseph Bonavolonta, FBI special agent in charge of the FBI’s Boston field office, said 300 special agents from the FBI and IRS set out Tuesday to arrest 46 individuals involved in the scheme. He said 38 were taken into custody, seven were working toward a surrender, and one is being actively pursued. “We believe all of them – parents, coaches and facilitators – lied, cheated and covered up their crimes at the expense of hard-working students,” he said. More:Rick Singer, architect of scam, peddled a 'side door' to college admissions He said the FBI’s investigation began last May, when FBI investigators found evidence of a “large-scale elaborate fraud” while working an unrelated undercover case. Bonavolonta called the charges leveled Tuesday evidence of a “rigged system” that is robbing students across the country at a fair shot to get into some of the nation’s most elite schools. “We believe everyone charged here today had a role in fostering a culture of corruption and greed that created an uneven playing field for students trying to get into these schools the right way," he said. He said the actions of the parents were "without a doubt insidious, selfish and shameful," adding that: "Today’s arrests should be a warning to others: You can’t pay to play, you can’t lie and cheat to get ahead, because you will get caught.” Contributing: The Associated Press, Andrea Mandell, Kristin Lam<doc-sep>Felicity Huffman is free on bail following her arrest in a college bribery scheme. A spokesperson for the United States Attorney’s Office has confirmed to ET that the former “Desperate Housewives” star, 56, was released on a $250,000 bond following her indictment on Tuesday. In addition, Huffman was ordered to surrender her passport, and has been ordered to appear in federal court in Boston on March 29. According to Deadline, Huffman appeared “noticeably drawn” and spoke in “a cracked voice” when she appeared before a judge on Tuesday. RELATED: Felicity Huffman And Lori Loughlin Among 50 Charged In College Exam Cheating Case Huffman’s husband, “Shameless” star William H. Macy, was on hand for her court appearance, and reportedly “sat among the families of other defendants with his head down staring at the floor or reading documents.” Huffman and 45 others were indicted in a multimillion-dollar scheme in which wealthy parents allegedly paid substantial bribes to get their children into top universities, notes Deadline.<doc-sep>

Actress Felicity Huffman was released on a $250,000 bond and was ordered to surrender her passport on Tuesday, following her arrest resulting from the FBI's college-admissions investigation. Huffman's real-estate assets were reportedly valued "in excess of $20 million," and the actress was estimated to have $4 million in immediate funds, according to prosecutors. Huffman was among the nearly 50 people who were charged in the FBI's investigation into a massive bribery, money laundering, and document fabrication scheme to get students admitted to elite colleges. Actress Felicity Huffman was released on a $250,000 bond and ordered to surrender her passport on Tuesday, following her arrest that resulted from the FBI's college-admissions investigation. The "Desperate Housewives" and "American Crime" actress appeared in federal court in Los Angeles for around 12 minutes with her husband, actor William Macy, according to CBS News correspondent Steve Futterman. Huffman's real estate assets were reportedly valued "in excess of $20 million," and the actress was estimated to have $4 million in immediate funds, according to prosecutors. Huffman was among the nearly 50 people who were charged in the FBI's investigation of a massive bribery, money laundering, and document fabrication scheme designed to get students admitted to colleges. Court documents revealed that college athletic coaches were bribed and college entrance exams were doctored as part of the alleged scheme. Huffman is accused of participating in the "cheating scheme on behalf of her eldest daughter" by making what was described as a "charitable contribution" of $15,000, according to the criminal complaint. Huffman is also accused of planning to make the same arrangement for her younger daughter before backing out. Macy, the star of Showtime's "Shameless," was not indicted.

Tonight, American Idol 2019 narrows its top 14 winners down to the top 10 contestants. Last night, the remaining contestants each performed for America’s votes and we have our predictions, based on polls and last night’s performances. Some of the front-runners, according to Gold Derby voters, this season, are Alejandro Aranda, Laine Hardy, and Jeremiah Harmon. Laine Hardy started out the show with some country music, decked out in a snazzy blazer, and the judges ate it up. Hardy talked about his evolution from his experience last season on the show. Next up was Evelyn Cormier, who delivered a unique performance of Jimmy Eat World’s “In the Middle”. She talked about her previously being a part of the reality show 90 Day Fiance but said she’d much rather be recognized for her singing. Cormier’s husband cheered her on from the crowd and the judges enjoyed her performance skills. Katy Perry applauded Cormier’s song choice, calling it a “crowd-pleaser”. Alyssa Raghu was the third performer of the night and she is another contestant who was on American Idol in the past. Before her performance, she said that she’s so excited to have made it so far and she credits her family with being her support system. Raghu took the stage and performed a Sara Bareilles song, slowing things down a bit. There weren’t any huge, powerful moments in the song, but she did a good job in the performance. Katy Perry encouraged Raghu to keep playing with her dynamics. Eddie Island was up next. In a video package, he talked about his childhood and his struggle with weight loss. After shedding his weight, he had more confidence and felt better about himself. The singer then hit the stage to perform Elton John’s “Benny and the Jetts”. His vocals weren’t totally on pitch, but he brought great energy to his performance. Perry said that she thought his nerves may have gotten to him a bit but she gushed over the execution of the performance, nonetheless. Riley Thompson is a cheerleader and highschooler, and she talked about her biggest fan, her little sister. As her little sis watched from the audience, Thompson performed the country song “Suds in the Bucket”. Judge Luke Bryan complimented Thompson’s song choice. It was a sweet performance and Lionel Richie said that Thompson is “crushing it”. Wade Cota was next and he talked about how he used to perform heavy metal before he got into singing the way he does today. For his performance, he delivered a rendition of a song called “Trouble”, with his delightfully raspy vocals. Cota accompanied his singing by playing the guitar and it was a well-rounded performance. Lionel Richie called the performance “powerful”, while Katy Perry called it “emotional” and “strong”. Dimitrius Graham, the designated “resident Opera singer” on the show, then discussed his love of Opera. He said that he was blessed to have his mother behind him so that he didn’t go down a bad path. Graham, a retail associate from Baltimore, delivered a beautiful rendition of Ed Sheeran’s “Perfect”. The judges were fans of the performance and we definitely see him moving on in the competition. Madison Vandenburg, who has been compared to Kelly Clarkson, talked about her parents’ divorce in her video package. She said she has a great relationship with both parents but wished they could have stayed together. For her performance, she sang “Fallin” by Alicia Keys and took to the piano. The performance was pretty much flawless and Luke Bryan said he got goosebumps from her set. Vandenburg did not disappoint and proved why she’s made it so far in the competition. When it was time for Jeremiah Lloyd Harmon to perform, he talked about how his homosexuality had caused an estrangement in his family. He said that recently, he was able to reconnect with them and felt accepted. Harmon then took the stage and played the piano as he sang. Katy Perry was brought to tears by the performance and said that she is “so proud” of Harmon. She said that his talent and story are “everything”. Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan were gushing over Harmon as well, calling him a star. They each said they felt honored and blessed to be able to watch him perform. Uche was the next performer and he said that the judges’ indecisiveness over his status on the show has lit a fire under him. He said that he doesn’t think he’s the best singer in the competition but he said that he puts his whole heart into his performances. Uche then brought a fun energy to the stage with some dance moves and sass, as he sang Bruno Mars’ “Finesse”. He had all three judges out of their chairs, dancing to his performance. Katy Perry pretended to collapse and the audience carried on applause that lasted longer than any of the other performances. Then, Luke Bryan got up and hugged Uche’s family. Lionel Richie called Uche “the show stoppers”. Clearly, Uche is a talented performer. Alejandro Aranda has been a front-runner this season and he talked about how his audition on the show went viral. He said he felt humbled and the entire experience has been surreal. Up until this performance, Aranda has performed more “chill” songs. He said he wanted to incorporate a little more electronic into his performance. Though we feel Aranda’s had better performances, the judges, who are all fans of his, enjoyed Aranda’s “versatility”. Katy Perry called Aranda a “true artist”. The next performer was Ashley Hess and she said that music has always been a part of her life. She said that her boyfriend, James, was previously on American Idol and he has been a major supporter of hers. For Hess’ top 14 performance, she sat at the piano and performed “Fix You” by Coldplay. The judges felt that Hess’ performance was strong and genuine. Laci Booth then performed and talked about random things in her video package, from her spray tan to her large family. For her performance, Booth delivered a slow and unique rendition of Blink 182’s song “I Miss You”.<doc-sep>A leading Hollywood prediction site says that there are only three contestants of the soon-to-be-announced Top 10 American Idol performers who should make it to the finals. These surprising picks come on the eve of when the current contestants will learn if they have made the cut as the group of 14 hopefuls is whittled down to 10. Goldderby reported that during tonight's nail-biting episode, each of the top 14 finalists will learn if they have made the top seven via America's votes. The remaining seven contestants will be voted on and eliminated by judges Luke Bryan, Katy Perry, and Lionel Richie to just three. The site revealed its predictions via visitor votes, and it revealed that viewers are pulling for the following performers: Madison VanDenburg, Alejandro Aranda and Laine Hardy. Goldderby predicted that the top 10 contestants will be as follows: Uche, Alyssa Raghu, Riley Thompson, Ashley Hess, Walker Burroughs, Laci Booth Jeremiah Harmon, Laine Hardy, Alejandro Aranda, and Madison VanDenburg. The site also predicted that Evelyn Cormier, Eddie Island, Wade Cota, and Dimitrius Graham will be eliminated from the competition tonight. During the show's April 14 episode, the remaining 14 performers sang the following songs in an attempt to stay in the competition. Alejandro Aranda: "One Dance" by Drake. Laci Booth: "I Miss You" by Blink 182. Walker Burroughs: "Climb Every Mountain" from The Sound of Music. Evelyn Cormier: "The Middle" by Jimmy Eat World. Wade Cota: "Trouble" by Ray LaMontagne. Laine Hardy: "That's Alright Mama" by Elvis Presley. Ashley Hess: "Fix You" by Coldplay. Dimitrius Graham: "Perfect" by Ed Sheeran. Jeremiah Lloyd Harmon: "We All Fall in Love Sometimes" by Elton John. Eddie Island: "Benny and the Jets" by Elton John. Uche Ndubizu:" Finesse" by Bruno Mars. Alyssa Raghu: "She Used to Be Mine" by Sara Bareilles. Riley Thompson: "Suds in a Bucket" by Sara Evans. Madison VanDenburg: "Fallin'" by Alicia Keys. During Sunday evening's show, Katy Perry feigned collapse onto fellow judges Bryan and Richie after singer Uche performed a smoking rendition of the Bruno Mars hit "Finesse." "Excuse me, are we allowed to show that performance on television?" asked Perry during the show. "I mean, whatever happens in this competition just keep swinging. You're going to hit," she continued. "You've come so far... it's miraculous." Bryan concurred, remarking that Uche's performance of the song rivaled the opening number of any major awards show he had ever been to. The top 10 contestants of this season's American Idol will be revealed tonight beginning at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.<doc-sep>“American Idol” fans have made their initial predictions at Gold Derby and they believe that the four singers to be eliminated prior to the Top 10 will be Evelyn Cormier, Eddie Island, Alyssa Raghu and Riley Thompson. Do YOU agree or disagree with our readers’ initial picks? There’s still time to make your predictions before the Top 10 is announced live on Monday night, so get started now. All of the Top 14 finalists performed on Sunday, with host Ryan Seacrest revealing that only seven will advance based on America’s overnight vote. Three more contestants will be voted through thanks to judges Katy Perry, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan. That means four unlucky singers are about to experience the end of their reality TV journeys. See more “American Idol” odds and rankings. Here’s a quick look back at all of these contestants’ recent “Idol” performances: Evelyn (19 years old) from Claremont, New Hampshire took on “The Middle” by Jimmy Eat World during Top 14 week, “Wicked Game” (with Chris Isaak) for her Top 20 duet, “Leaving on a Jet Plane” for her Top 20 solo, and “No Roots” during her Top 40 Hawaii showcase. Eddie (25) from Nashville, Tennessee performed “Bennie and the Jets” by Elton John during Top 14 week, “7 Years” (with Lukas Graham) for his Top 20 duet, “Ho Hey” for his Top 20 solo, and “Don’t You Worry Child” during his Top 40 Hawaii showcase. Alyssa (16) from Orlando, Florida wowed with “She Used To Be Mine” by Sara Bareilles during Top 14 week, “Issues” (with Julia Michaels) for her Top 20 duet, “Ain’t It Fun” for her Top 20 solo, and “Dear Future Husband” during her Top 40 Hawaii showcase. Riley (16) from Mabank, Texas belted out “Suds in the Bucket” by Sara Evans during Top 14 week, “Like I Loved You” (Brett Young) for her Top 20 duet, “Jolene” for her Top 20 solo, and “Mama’s Broken Heart” during her Top 40 Hawaii showcase. Which four singers do you think will be eliminated from the competition just prior to the live Top 10 round? We’ll all find out Monday night on ABC. SEE exclusive predictions: Who will win ‘American Idol’? Be sure to make your predictions to influence our reality TV racetrack odds. You can keep changing your predictions until just before the next episode airs on ABC. You’ll compete to win a spot on our leaderboard and a $100 Amazon gift card. See our contest rules and sound off with other fans in our reality TV forum. Read more Gold Derby entertainment news.<doc-sep>“American Idol” finalized the line-up for the Top 10 at the end of Monday’s episode when Ryan Seacrest revealed the last of the Top 14 artists to make the cut. Seven of the finalists were the top vote-getters based on Sunday’s performances: Alejandro Aranda, Laci Kaye Booth, Walker Burroughs, Wade Cota, Jeremiah Lloyd Harmon, Laine Hardy and Madison VanDenburg. The remaining three — Dimitrius Graham, Alyssa Raghu and Uche — won over judges Luke Bryan, Katy Perry and Lionel Richie with their songs on Monday’s show. (The four eliminated artists were: Evelyn Cormier, Ashley Hess, Eddie Island and Riley Thompson.) Regardless of how each made the Top 10, which of the contestants do you think will win season 17? Take a closer look at each of these artists in the photos above and review the roster below of the songs they’ve sung to date as well as their celebrity duet partners in the Top 24 round. Then vote for the winner of this ABC revival of “American Idol” in our poll at the bottom of this post and be sure to sound off on your favorites in the comments section. SEE ‘American Idol’ Winners: Where Are They Now (Seasons 1 – 16)? Alejandro Aranda Top 40: “Yellow” by Coldplay Top 20 Solo: “I Fall Apart” by Post Malone Top 20 Duet: with Ben Harper on “There Will Be A Light” by Harper Top 14 Song 1: “One Dance” by Drake Top 14 Song 2: “Cholo Love” (original song) Laci Kaye Booth Top 40: “Georgia on My Mind” by Ray Charles Top 20 Solo: “I Want You To Want Me” by Cheap Trick Top 20 Duet: with Brett Young on “Mercy” by Young Top 14 Song 1: “I Miss You” by Blink 182 Top 14 Song 2: “As Long as You Follow” by Fleetwood Mac Walker Burroughs Top 40: “Youngblood” by 5 Seconds Of Summer Top 20 Solo: “How Deep Is Your Love?” by The Bee Gees Top 20 Duet: with Jason Mraz on”Have It All” by Mraz Top 14 Song 1: “Climb Every Mountain” from “The Sound of Music” Top 14 Song 2: “Lovebug” by The Jonas Brothers Wade Cota Top 40: “Work Song” by Hozier Top 20 Solo: “All I Want” by Kodaline Top 20 Duet: with Lovely The Band on “Broken” by Lovely The Band Top 14 Song 1: “Trouble” by Ray LaMontagne Top 14 Song 2: “Simple Man” by Lynyrd Skynyrd DISCUSS All things “American Idol” with TV insiders in our notorious forums Dimitrius Graham: 1% Top 40: “Latch” by Disclosure Top 20 Solo: “Hello” by Adele Top 20 Duet: with Lukas Graham on “Love Someone” by Lukas Graham Top 14 Song 1: “Perfect” by Ed Sheeran Top 14 Song 2: “When the Party’s Over” by Billie Eilish Laine Hardy Top 40: “Come Together” by The Beatles Top 20 Solo: “Bring It On Home” by Sonny Boy Williamson Top 20 Duet: with Elle King on “The Weight” by The Band Top 14 Song 1: “That’s Alright Mama by Elvis Presley Top 14 Song 2: “Hurricane” Jeremiah Lloyd Harmon Top 40: “Landslide” by Fleetwood Mac Top 20 Solo: “(To) Make You Feel My Love” by Bob Dylan Top 20 Duet: with Cynthia Erivo on “Time After Time” by Cyndi Lauper Top 14 Song 1: We All Fall in Love Sometimes” by Elton John Top 14 Song 2: “Almost Heaven” (original song) SIGN UP for Gold Derby’s newsletter with experts’ latest predictions Uché Ndubizu Top 40: “Play That Funky Music” by Wild Cherry Top 20 Solo: “Figures” by Jessie Reyez Top 20 Duet: with Shaggy on “I Need Your Love” by Shaggy, Mohombi, Faydee & Costi Top 14 Song 1: “Finesse” by Bruno Mars Top 14 Song 2: “Diamonds” by Rihanna Alyssa Raghu Top 40: “Dear Future Husband” by Meghan Trainor Top 20 Solo: “Ain’t It Fun” by Paramore Top 20 Duet: with Julia Michaels on “Issues” by Michaels Top 14 Song 1: “She Used to Be Mine” by Sara Bareilles Top 14 Song 2: “The One That Got Away” by Katy Perry Madison VanDenburg Top 40: “Who’s Lovin’ You” by The Miracles Top 20 Solo: “Domino” by Jessie J. Top 20 Duet: with Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo on “We Belong” by Benatar Top 14 Song 1: “Fallin’” by Alicia Keys Top 14 Song 2: “You and I” by Lady Gaga SEE How is the Top 10 decided on season 17 of ‘American Idol’: By public vote or judges choice?<doc-sep>

On the Monday April 15 episode of the ABC revival of “American Idol,” we will learn which artists make the Top 10. Each of the Top 14 finalists sang one song on Sunday’s show. Seven of them will learn from host Ryan Seacrest that they number among America’s favorites and have earned places in the Top 10. (The other three will be chosen by the three judges — Luke Bryan, Katy Perry and Lionel Richie — after all seven of the remaining contestants sing again). We asked viewers which of the Top 14 performers was their pick for a place and only four of them registered double digit support in our poll. Madison VanDenburg has a whopping 30% of the vote for her rendition of the Alicia Keys hit “Fallin.” She is followed at 25% by Alejandro Aranda for his version of “One Dance” by Drake. Laine Hardy comes in at 15% for his cover of “That’s Alright Mama” by Elvis Presley while Jeremiah Lloyd Harmon is at 10% support for “We All Fall in Love Sometimes” by Elton John. Which other three singers will join these four in getting guaranteed spots in the Top 10? Laci Booth looks relatively safe with 7% of the vote for her cover of “I Miss You” by Blink 182. Likewise for Walker Burroughs who earned 5% for his soaring rendition of “Climb Every Mountain” from “The Sound of Music.” And Ashley Hess has 3% support for her version of “Fix You” by Coldplay. SEE ‘American Idol’ Top 10 predictions: Evelyn Cormier, Wade Cota, Dimitrius Graham and Eddie Island eliminated Monday None of the other seven contestants has generated more than 2% in our survey of viewers. Do you agree with these results? If you haven’t cast your ballot yet, be sure to do so at the bottom of this post. To help you make up your mind, we’ve listed all the contestants and the songs that they sang on Sunday’s show. SEE ‘American Idol’ Top 14: How to vote for your favorite artist of Season 17 on ABC Alejandro Aranda: “One Dance” by Drake Laci Booth: “I Miss You” by Blink 182 Walker Burroughs:”Climb Every Mountain” from “The Sound of Music” Evelyn Cormier: “The Middle” by Jimmy Eats World Wade Cota:”Trouble” by Ray LaMontagne Laine Hardy: “That’s Alright Mama by Elvis Presley Ashley Hess: “Fix You” by Coldplay Dimitrius Graham: “Perfect” by Ed Sheeran Jeremiah Lloyd Harmon: “We All Fall in Love Sometimes” by Elton John Eddie Island: “Benny and the Jets” by Elton John Uche Ndubizu:” Finesse” by Bruno Mars Alyssa Raghu: “She Used to Be Mine” by Sara Bareilles Riley Thompson: “Suds in a Bucket” by Sara Evans Madison Vandenburg: “Fallin’” by Alicia Keys SIGN UP for Gold Derby’s newsletter with experts’ latest predictions Be sure to make your predictions so that the contestants can see how they’re faring in our racetrack odds. You can keep changing your predictions until just before the next episode airs on ABC. You’ll compete to win a spot on our leaderboard and a $100 Amazon gift card. See our contest rules and sound off with other fans in our reality TV forum. Read more Gold Derby entertainment news.

England will feel the stars are starting to align at this extraordinary World Cup but so, too, will Croatia who, ­having prevailed in the previous round against Denmark despite missing three penalties, have now eliminated the turbo-charged hosts in a similarly heart thumping shoot-out. In one sense, England may be ­grateful to have avoided a semi-final meeting with Russia in Moscow, and what could have been one of the most politically charged games in history ­after the poisoning of a former KGB agent turned British spy and his ­daughter in Salisbury in March. But on the other hand, Croatia could well provide a tougher obstacle on Wednesday night, all the more so if their captain and metronome Luka Modric hits the sort of stride he did here from half-time onwards and ­fortune continues to shine on Zlatko Dalic’s side. “We expect a very difficult, tight and demanding match,” Modric said. “We watched their game against Sweden and we saw how good they are from dead-balls. We’ll have to focus more on defending from set-pieces because we conceded from a set-piece [against Russia], so we’ll have to improve that element of our game. We’ve already done some thing bigs, but this team can do more.” Whatever the outcome, there is no danger of Gareth Southgate being ­diminished in the way Steve McClaren so cruelly was in the rain at Wembley in 2007. An umbrella may have shielded McClaren from the elements that ­evening, but not the ridicule that came his way after Croatia’s 3-2 victory, which denied England a place at Euro 2008 and saw the manager infamously dubbed “The Wally with the Brolly”.<doc-sep>World Cup semi-final: Croatia v England Venue : Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow Date : Wednesday, 11 July (19:00 BST) Coverage : Full match commentary on BBC Radio 5 live, text commentary, report and highlights on BBC Sport app and online England stand just one game away from their first World Cup final since 1966 after clearing another obstacle on the road to history by beating Sweden in the quarter-finals. Gareth Southgate's improving team handled the pressure of attempting to reach their first semi-final for 28 years and the growing hysteria at home to advance in routine fashion in Samara. After the stress of the nerve-shredding win on penalties against Colombia, the victory over Sweden to set up a last-four meeting with Croatia almost qualified as a cruise. Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker, a key member of the last Three Lions team to reach the semi-finals at Italia 90, said: "It is not really supposed to be as comfortable as this with England is it?" Another major step in a World Cup defying logic If England and their fans, who stayed behind for an hour after the conclusion here and were rewarded with an appearance from Southgate and an autograph-signing session from captain Harry Kane, cannot dare to dream now, when can they? England have manoeuvred their way through Russia, killing off curses on their travels. The win against Tunisia was their first in an opening game at a major tournament since Paraguay were beaten at the 2006 World Cup in Germany. The last-16 victory against Colombia was not only their first knockout win since 2002 but also their first penalty shootout win at a World Cup. Grim statistics that had piled up around England like rubble have been slowly cleared away by Southgate and his players in what is turning into a landmark World Cup. The reality states that England still have the air of underdogs, and reality suggests the World Cup winners will come from the other side of the draw and the semi-final between Belgium and France - two teams containing a collection of world-class players. This World Cup, however, has not dealt in reality, as we saw when holders Germany fell at the group stage. England and their supporters have suffered enough agonies at major tournaments - indeed downright embarrassment in the last World Cup in Brazil four years ago and at Euro 2016 - to allow themselves to dream. The dream now moves to Moscow. The Southgate factor Gareth Southgate has known the game's harder edge, so few will begrudge him the praise and adulation falling on his shoulders now. The 47-year-old carried the burden of missing a crucial penalty in the Euro 96 semi-final penalty shootout against Germany and also saw his first venture into management, when he was thrown into the task prematurely, end with the sack at Middlesbrough. Gareth Southgate was a player at the 1998 and 2002 World Cups but said on Saturday that he prefers the experience as manager this time around England and the Football Association are now the beneficiaries of all of those experiences, not just from his playing career but also the knowledge he picked up working under international managers such as Terry Venables. Southgate took on the job with England at their lowest ebb following Roy Hodgson's resignation after Euro 2016 and Sam Allardyce's ill-fated one-match reign. Two years later they can make history. He has brought maturity, measure and meticulous preparation to his task and has helped England's followers to feel genuine affection for him and his players. Southgate is also a product of the FA system, meaning he has worked with the likes of goalkeeper Jordan Pickford and Harry Kane in the Under-21 team. The manager has been rightly acknowledged as a decent, dignified frontman for England. He has even been self-effacing about the "Gareth Southgate Would" Twitter craze, reflecting his basic decency and his sudden status as a fashion icon thanks to his trademark blue waistcoat. Southgate, however, is much more than that. England's players respect him as a person and manager, a key starting point, but he has also added vital elements to the mix. He has brought attention to detail, from the notes on Pickford's drinks bottle at the shootout against Colombia to the relentless work on set-pieces that have been England's most potent weapon here in Russia. Southgate is also loyal and retains faith in his players. Dele Alli and Raheem Sterling have had their struggles in Russia but Southgate has stuck with them, giving strong public backing when needed. And his cool demeanour, with a steely edge underneath, has allowed England's players the freedom they required to shrug off the shackles that have weighed them down at previous tournaments. Southgate will return from this World Cup with his reputation greatly enhanced - and perhaps with even greater glory against his name. England's surge in self-belief England's management and players have had a relaxed, quiet confidence ever since they landed in Russia almost a month ago. Southgate's men were accompanied by realistic expectations in which an exit at the quarter-final stage (most predictions suggested this would be against holders Germany or Brazil) would mean a return home with respectability. Those two superpowers must now watch from afar as England contest the World Cup semi-final. Slowly but surely, England have gathered belief and momentum, two priceless commodities, as they move around this vast country, to the point where they will go to Moscow on Wednesday with confidence bolstered by a professional performance that accounted for dogged Sweden. England's belief will also grow from the fact their talisman and captain Kane was on the margins against the Swedes. It could emerge as a key moment - when Kane was quiet, others stepped up. Harry Maguire, outstanding in England's last two games, was on the scoresheet, which he has threatened throughout the World Cup, while Alli's confidence will be lifted by his goal. And there are even more ingredients that have given England a powerful mix. The defenders know they have an outstanding goalkeeper behind them in Pickford, who was magnificent in Samara. Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson has been an understated but outstanding contributor, as has John Stones. England also have the vital ingredients of team spirit and unity, plus a lack of ego, that help them dig deep when the going gets tough - a "band of brothers" mentality, as Kane called it. The heat will be on like never before in Moscow as they know they are one game from a World Cup final. England's growing belief, their increased maturity through the tournament, and the confidence they will gain from results like this will all be powerful tools in the hothouse atmosphere of Luzhniki Stadium. Stay in the bubble and out of the hysteria World Cup 2018: England fans celebrate across the country As growing hysteria grips their followers at home, England can retreat behind the wooden gates of their peaceful retreat on the Gulf of Finland in Repino. Nothing could be further removed from the fervour of home and the buzz of the World Cup than the mild, coastal climes and secluded base off a small tree-lined road 45 minutes from St Petersburg. It has proved to be the perfect location for England - and will be ideal as a shield from the frenzy that is beginning to whip up around Southgate and his players. England will get back to work at their neatly-appointed training base at Zelenogorsk, which could not be a greater contrast to the bustle of Moscow. There, they can work but also relax and get mind and body back in order for Wednesday. Southgate will ensure his players remain in the bubble that has served them so well as they prepare for the biggest game of their lives.<doc-sep>

Last updated on .From the section World Cup 2018 Fifa World Cup semi-final: Croatia v England Venue: Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow Date: Wednesday, 11 July, 19:00 BST Coverage: Full radio commentary on BBC Radio 5 live and text commentary online and in BBC Sport app England's appearance in a first World Cup semi-final since 1990 is an "incredible feeling", says boss Gareth Southgate. Goals by Harry Maguire and Dele Alli sealed a 2-0 last-eight win over Sweden to leave them one game from the final. England now prepare for a momentous match in Moscow on Wednesday against Croatia, who beat Russia on penalties. "I hope everyone at home enjoys tonight because it's not often this happens," Southgate told BBC Sport. England have not reached the final since winning the World Cup in 1966, while it is only the third time they have reached the last four. Maguire and Alli struck either side of the interval in Samara. Maguire broke the deadlock on the half-hour, flashing a header past Sweden goalkeeper Robin Olsen from Ashley Young's corner. England sealed victory when Alli headed in Jesse Lingard's lofted cross at the far post. "We knew it was going to be such a different game after having extra time and penalties against Colombia, with all the emotion and the energy," said Southgate. "We had to withstand a lot of physical pressure but the resilience of the team was crucial. "We knew we would have the majority of the ball and it was a case of breaking them down because Sweden are a really well organised team. "Over the years we have underestimated them." 'We can create our own history' Jordan Pickford played a key role in England's win after the Everton goalkeeper produced some fine saves including a superb stop to deny Marcus Berg. "I wasn't born the last time England reached a World Cup semi-final," said the 24-year-old. "We have always said we would take one game at a time and we can go on and create our own history. "We knew it was going to be difficult, we know what Sweden bring to the party and we managed it very well. After I made that first save from Berg, it set me up for the rest of the game. "England fans are different class and we really enjoyed playing in that atmosphere." 'We want to make the country proud' England captain Harry Kane did not add to his six goals at the tournament but is relishing a semi-final in Russia's capital. "I thought we were fantastic. We faced the long ball - different to what we have faced before - and we're buzzing with the result," said the Tottenham striker. "We know there is a big game ahead with the semi-final but we are feeling good and we're confident. "We just have to go again. We are enjoying it and we've got keep doing what we are doing and make the country proud." 'That was for the fans' Alli, 22, became the second youngest England World Cup goalscorer after Michael Owen, who was 18 when he scored at France 1998. "It's a great achievement for the team and we owe it to the fans," said the Tottenham midfielder. "They have been believing in us. It was a great performance from the team. "It's always nice to score especially in occasions like this. I don't think it was my best performance but to get a goal is unbelievable and it's an amazing feeling to get to the semi-final."

The annual superbowl of wrestling is finally here. The biggest date on the wrestling calendar is set to make history in New York tonight, as for the first time in its over three decade history, the women of the WWE will headline WrestleMania in the main event. Pre Show: Cruiserweight Championship: Buddy Murphy (c) vs Tony Nese Result: Neese wins the title after a great match with the running Neese. Women’s Memorial Battle Royal Announced entrants: Asuka, Carmella, Naomi, Lana, Mandy Rose, Sonya Deville, Nikki Cross, Dana Brooke, Ruby Riott, Liv Morgan, Sarah Logan, Mickie James, Zelina Vega Result: Carmella gets the surprise win after eliminating Sara Logan last. WWE RAW Tag Team Championship: The Revival (c) vs Curt Hawkins & Zack Ryder Result: The Major Brothers strike gold ending Hawkins losing streak after Hawkins pins Dawson with a rollup. Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal Announced entrants: Braun Strowman, Michael Che, Colin Jost, Andrade, Apollo Crews, Titus O’Neil, Tyler Breeze, Jinder Mahal, No Way Jose, Bobby Roode, Chad Gable, Kalisto, Gran Metalik, Lince Dorado, Bo Dallas, Curtis Axel, Heath Slater, Rhyno, Viktor, Konnor, Mustafa Ali, Shelton Benjamin, Luke Gallows, Karl Anderson, Matt Hardy, Jeff Hardy, Otis, Tucker, EC3 Result: Braun clears the field last eliminating Jost and Che. MAIN CARD WWE Universal Championship Seth Rollins vs Brock Lesnar (c) with Paul Heyman Result: Seth slays the Beast after a brutal pre-match beatdown. Seth is the new Universal Champion. AJ Styles vs Randy Orton Result: AJ Styles picks up the win after a phenomenal forearm. WWE Smackdown Tag Team Championship: The Usos (c) vs The Bar vs Rusev with Lana & Shinsuke Nakamura vs Aleister Black & Ricochet Result: The Usos retain after a double splash on Sheamus. Falls Count Anywhere The Miz vs Shane McMahon Result: Shane gets the win after a superplex off a scaffold results in Shane landing on top of Miz. WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship Sasha Banks & Bayley (c) vs The ICONIIICS vs Nia Jaxx & Tamina vs Beth Phoenix & Natalya Result: The ICONIICS steal the pin from Beth Phoenix to become new champs. WWE Championship Daniel Bryan (c) vs Kofi Kingston Result: Kofi Kingston gets a much deserved title win, and the crowd explodes with joy. United States Championship: Samoa Joe (c) vs Rey Mysterio Result: Joe wins via submission in quick time. Roman Reigns vs Drew McIntyre Result: Roman wins via pinfall. No Holds Barred Triple H vs Batista Result: Triple H gets the win after a pedigree. Kurt Angle vs Baron Corbin Result: Corbin wins pretty easily to send Kurt into retirement. Intercontinental Championship: Bobby Lashley (c) with Lio Rush vs The Demon Finn Balor Result: The Demon takes the gold. Winner Take All Women’s Championship Ronda Rousey (c) vs Charlotte Flair (c) vs Becky Lynch Result: After a lengthy match, Becky gets the win seemingly out of nowhere with a rollup on Rousey. The show goes off the air with The Man celebrating. Where to watch WWE WrestleMania 35 in South Africa As ever, it will be live on SuperSport. The kick off show will start at 0:00 on Monday morning with matches beginning at 2:00. All of this will be on SuperSport 4 with repeats on SuperSport 9 from 17:00 on the same day.<doc-sep>In a way, it was fitting. The journey to WrestleMania 35’s first ever women’s main event was so twisty and overly complicated, of course the ending of the match itself would follow suit. Ronda Rousey went for her Piper’s Pit finisher on Becky Lynch, in the wee hours of Mon., April 8 local time in New Jersey. But due to damage to her leg inflicted by Lynch and Charlotte Flair throughout their “Winner Takes All” Triple Threat - and a reportedly legitimate broken hand - Lynch was able counter into a crucifix pinning predicament and pick up the win. Problem was, Ronda’s shoulders weren’t on the mat for the referee’s entire three count. Michael Cole initially announced it as if they were, but when Rousey argued with the official on camera, he and his announce partners Corey Graves & Renee Young discussed the possibility it wasn’t a clean pin before quickly shifting to focus on Becky winning. Cole: Shoulders down... SHOULDERS DOWN! Graves: She did it! Becky Lynch! Cole: Ronda Rousey doesn’t think her shoulders were down. Graves: I mean, I would think it would be worth a replay, but Ronda Rousey was looking for Piper’s Pit, to her credit it looks like Becky Lynch was able to shift her weight and pin Ronda’s shoulders to the mat. Young: I think Becky got her there! Cole: Well Ronda Rousey has suffered her first pinfall loss in WWE. Becky Lynch takes it all tonight! The Raw and SmackDown Women’s titles! A replay aired which confirmed both Rousey’s shoulders are off from the canvas when the ref first slapped the mat, and her right one might be up when his hand hits for the third time. But Cole & Graves casually acknowledge it before again focusing on the official outcome. Immediately after the show, word hit Twitter from several sources that the finish was botched. Some of those reports seemed to put the blame on the referee, and some even claimed Rousey wasn’t supposed to be involved in the decision. Most agreed Ronda wasn’t pleased with how it went down: More from @colohue: Match ended too abruptly, Becky was still meant to win. "Accident's happen. The ref's continued a count after a kick out. He hasn't delayed between the 2 and 3 like they're supposed to and Becky hasn't let go in time for Ronda to kick out. "#WrestleMania — Kristen Ashly (@KristenAshly) April 8, 2019 The finish didn't happen as planned. Rousey wasn't happy after, either. Thought the situation made her look bad, apparently. — Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful.com (@SeanRossSapp) April 8, 2019 According to a source in #WWE, the ending to the WrestleMania main event was not the planned finish. The end was a botch, and the referee thinking Ronda’s shoulders were down counted to 3. Ronda was not happy. #WWE #WrestleMania #WomensEvolution — Brad Shepard (@TheBradShepard) April 8, 2019 But on Wrestling Observer Radio, Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer claimed that wasn’t the case at all. The only snafu was Rousey not being able to get her shoulders down for the entire count: Alvarez: ... as Ronda goes for her Piper’s Pit and Becky turns it into a crucifix - with Ronda’s shoulder up by the way, which was the only botch in the match, or the only botch in the finish. And pins her! Meltzer: ... what happened was not a botch in the sense of, that was the finish. Because people were out there going, ‘The referee screwed up, counted when he wasn’t supposed, Ronda’s mad’ - none of that’s true. But she wasn’t supposed to get the shoulders up. That was just - it just happened. You know, it wasn’t like she was - I don’t believe for a second that she was trying to play a game like some of the old time guys used to do where they didn’t want to do a job and they’re kinda like pressured into it so they’ll kinda raise their shoulder up to kind of tell everyone, ‘Oh I’m doing a job I don’t wanna do.’ I don’t believe for a second that she’s doing that. But whatever it was, her shoulder ended up coming up and they called attention to it which I thought was really weird. Which - backstage I know that because people did not know the commentary. I know people who were not even aware of this. Because I was going like, you know: ‘They called attention to the fact that her shoulder wasn’t up,’ and it’s like, ‘Oh. Well...’ And I don’t know if that’s Vince’s call. I don’t know if Corey Graves did it on his own because that’s what the replay showed, but the fact that they did the replay to show it makes me think it was in the production, that production called for it. But, you know, that was the screw up. The screw up was that she was supposed to be pinned, like really pinned, as opposed to this thing... My personal theory in the aftermath was that the finish was intentionally ambiguous so that WWE and Rousey could play more “work or shoot?” games like the ones which occurred after Lynch tweeted a picture of Ronda’s husband Travis Browne and reports flew that the then-champ was actually upset and might try to hurt The Man the next time they were in the ring together. The question in this case would be whether or not Rowdy had played a “game like some of the old time guys used to do” which Meltzer suggests. But I was probably overthinking it/giving WWE too much credit. What really happened? We’ll likely never know, which is part of the beauty of this weird, wonderful thing called pro wrestling.<doc-sep>WWE.com And that's a wrap on WrestleMania for yet another year. This year's Showcase of the Immortals wasn't a Mania for the ages by any means, but against the odds, booking largely delivered the crowd-pleasing results fans were hoping for. Yet as has become an increasing issue with WrestleMania in recent years, the overall show was excruciatingly bloated, with this year's edition clocking in at almost 7.5 hours (including the kickoff show). Does anyone, other than the WWE, really need their flagship PPV to be this damn long? The 16-match card was rife with middling filler that sapped the crowd's energy and made for some noticeable lulls, especially later in the event. And while even the worst WrestleMania is still an exciting time for wrestling fans, this year's show perhaps more than any other would've benefited from trimming four or five matches and keeping the overall run-time down to a more manageable 6-ish hours (which is already quite the time commitment). Still, fans got most of the big victories they were hoping for, and there was enough solid wrestling on offer to make the overall product worthwhile enough. Keep those fingers crossed that some of the more pleasant surprises aren't quickly undone on TV, though...<doc-sep>

Last night, Becky Lynch won the first-ever women’s match in WWE history to main event a WrestleMania. “The Man” defeated Ronda Rousey and Charlotte Flair for the RAW and SmackDown Live Women’s Championships. The Irishwoman picked up the victory with a controversial rollup pinfall victory over “The Rowdy One.” Just hours after her victory, Lynch appeared on WFAN Sports Radio’s “Boomer and Gio” show, alongside WWE Champion Kofi Kingston. The pair discussed their respective WrestleMania moments from last night inside MetLife Stadium. Lynch was asked about Rousey arguing with the referee after the match finished, complaining that her shoulders weren’t down for the three count. When Boomer asked Lynch if Rousey disputed the finish, “The Man” said Rousey knows she was defeated: “Was she disputing anything?” Lynch said. “No. What can she say? She knew I beat her.” Lynch went on to reveal that Rousey’s mother was in attendance, and was upset with everything she had been saying about her daughter. The new double champion had some words for momma Rousey: “Her ma was there,” Lynch said. “She was a little upset about all the things I said about her. And I was like, ‘Your daughter had it coming. Now get her out of here!” With her victory over Rousey, Lynch said that the former UFC star’s tourist visa in her industry has expired: “This is my sport,” Lynch said. “This is my turf. This is my territory. Ronnie’s a tourist in my industry. She’s a tourist in my industry. And now her tourist visa has expired. She can get out of here. Related: WWE Stars React To Becky Lynch’s WrestleMania Main Event Win

The stakes for the Michigan at Michigan State basketball game at 8 p.m. Saturday are about as high as you can get. Thanks to Purdue's loss on Tuesday — and again, thanks to Minnesota for that — the Wolverines (26-4, 15-4 Big Ten) and Spartans (24-6, 15-4) will play for at least a share of the Big Ten regular season title. The Boilermakers (22-8, 15-4) still play at Northwestern at 2:30 p.m. Saturday. If Purdue loses, then the U-M/MSU game will be for all the marbles. Even if Purdue wins, it will earn the No. 2 seed in next week's Big Ten tournament in Chicago. That's because Purdue is a combined 1-2 against our two local schools this season. More:MSU regains control of Big Ten championship fate in unscripted fashion Here are how the scenarios play out: Michigan State wins, Purdue loses • No. 1 seed: MSU • No. 2 seed: U-M • No. 3 seed: Purdue Michigan wins, Purdue loses • No. 1 seed: U-M • No. 2 seed: MSU • No. 3 seed: Purdue Michigan State wins, Purdue wins • No. 1 seed: MSU • No. 2 seed: Purdue • No. 3 seed: U-M Michigan wins, Purdue wins • No. 1 seed: U-M • No. 2 seed: Purdue • No. 3 seed: MSU So as it stands, if there's a Round 3 of our instate rivalry, it would come in the Big Ten tournament final on Selection Sunday. More:Michigan-MSU part 2 now has Big Ten title implications Contact Kirkland Crawford: kcrawford@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @HiKirkHere.<doc-sep>Ahead of two more Big Ten games Thursday night, let's take a look at the up-to-the-minute 2019 Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament bracket seed scenarios. The teams are listed by their current place in the Big Ten Standings (tiebreakers included). 1. Michigan State (15-4) -Already clinched double bye -Clinches #1 seed with win over Michigan -Clinches #2 seed with loss + Purdue loss at Northwestern -Clinches #3 seed with loss + Purdue win 2. Michigan (15-4) -Already clinched double bye -Clinches #1 seed with win at Michigan State -Clinches #2 seed with loss + Purdue loss at Northwestern -Clinches #3 seed with loss + Purdue win 3. Purdue (15-4) -Already clinched double bye but can?t be #1 seed -Clinches #2 seed with win at Northwestern -Clinches #3 seed with loss —————————————- 4. Wisconsin (12-6) -Can clinch #4 seed and double bye with wins over Iowa and at Ohio State OR with a split in final 2 games + Maryland loss vs Minnesota -Can fall as low as #6 with 2 losses + Maryland win + Iowa win at Nebraska -Seed range: 4-6 5. Maryland (12-7) -Can clinch #4 seed and double bye with win vs Minnesota + 2 Wisconsin losses OR with a win + Wisconsin loss + Purdue finishing ahead of Michigan -Clinches 5 seed if those things above don?t happen -Seed range: 4-5 —————————————- 6. Iowa (10-8) -Can?t clinch double bye. Highest possible seed is 5th. -Can clinch #5 seed with wins at Wisconsin and Nebraska + Maryland win + Wisconsin loss at Ohio State -Clinches no worse than #6 seed with 1 more win -Can fall as low as #7 seed with 2 losses + Minnesota win -Seed range: 5-7 7. Minnesota (9-10) -Will play on Thursday no matter what -Can jump as high as #6 seed with win at Maryland + 2 Iowa losses + Ohio State loss + tiebreakers -Can fall as low as #9 seed with loss + Iowa win + Ohio State win + 2 Illinois wins -Seed range: 6-9 8. Ohio State (8-11) -Will play on Thursday no matter what -Can jump as high as #7 seed with win over Wisconsin + tiebreakers -Can fall as low as #10 seed with loss + 2 Illinois wins + 2 Iowa wins + Rutgers win -Seed range: 7-10 9. Illinois (7-11) -Can clinch single bye with win vs Indiana or at Penn State -Can jump as high as #7 seed with wins over Indiana and at Penn State + Minnesota loss + Ohio State loss + Michigan State finishing ahead of Purdue -Can fall as low as #12 seed with 2 losses + Rutgers win at Indiana -Tied for widest range of any Big Ten team in terms of seeding-Seed range: 7-12 10. Rutgers (7-12) -Can clinch single bye with win at Indiana -Will play on Wednesday with a loss -Can jump as high as #8 seed with a win + 2 Iowa wins + Minnesota win + Ohio State loss + 2 Illinois losses -Can fall as low as #12 seed with a loss + Indiana win at Illinois + Penn State win over Illinois -Seed range: 8-12 11. Indiana (6-12) -Can clinch single bye with wins at Illinois and over Rutgers OR with win over Illinois + Penn State win over Illinois -Can jump as high as #8 seed with 2 wins + several other factors -Can fall as low as #13 seed with 2 losses + Penn State win + Nebraska win -Tied for widest range of any Big Ten team in terms of seeding -Seed range: 8-13 12. Penn State (6-13) -Can clinch #10 seed and single bye with win over Illinois + 2 Indiana wins -Can fall as low as #13 seed with loss + 2 Illinois wins + Rutgers win + Nebraska win -Seed range: 10-13 13. Nebraska (5-14) -Will not receive a bye and will play on Wednesday no matter what -Can jump as high as #11 seed with win over Iowa + 2 Indiana losses + Penn State loss -Will clinch #13 seed with loss -Seed range: 11-13 ——————————————— 14. Northwestern (4-15) -Clinched #14 seed. Will open against #11 seed on Wednesday at 9 ET.<doc-sep>By Andrew Seligman Associated Press Evanston, Ill. — A shaky start to the season didn’t rattle Purdue. The Boilermakers believed they were setting themselves up to go on a big run, and look at them now. Carsen Edwards scored 21 points and No. 11 Purdue clinched a share of the Big Ten regular-season championship with a 70-57 victory over Northwestern on Saturday. The Boilermakers (23-8, 16-4) secured their 24th conference title — second in three years — as well as the No. 2 seed in the Big Ten Tournament in Chicago. They came in tied with Michigan State and Michigan, who played each other on Saturday night. Edwards, the Big Ten’s leading scorer, made just 6 of 18 shots. Nojel Eastern scored a career-high 15, and Purdue bounced back from a loss at Minnesota on Tuesday to win for the 17th time in 20 games. It’s quite a turnaround after a 6-5 start. The schedule early on wasn’t easy and there were some tight losses along the way. “We just saw what we had,” center Matt Haarms said. “We saw how good (we could be). We saw the offensive potential. We saw how if we worked on defense, there were things we could do that could be special. Maybe others didn’t realize that because they weren’t around us all the time.” Northwestern’s Vic Law scored 13 before getting carried off the court with a right knee injury in the second half. The senior went down when his knee hit Edwards’ right shin as he curled toward the top of the key off a screen near the Wildcats’ basket. The collision left Law clutching his cut right knee as he pounded the court in pain. He was tended to for several minutes before being carried off the court as the crowd gave him a loud ovation. Coach Chris Collins said he wasn’t sure of the extent of the injury. He said Law was going for more tests, though he was able to walk. “The most concerning thing is it was a pretty good cut,” Collins said. “It kind of broke open. That was the tough part of the thing. If there’s a way for him to keep playing, he will.” A.J. Turner scored 14. The last-place Wildcats (13-18, 4-16) lost for the 11th time in 12 games. Purdue had trouble putting this one away after building a 15-point lead in the second half. Northwestern got within 63-55 with 4:10 remaining on back-to-back 3s by Turner. But Edwards answered with a 3 and Eastern hit two free throws to make it a 13-point game. “We have three or four wins that we were very fortunate to have," Purdue coach Matt Painter said. "But more than anything, Our guys improved. Our guys got better. We had some young guys have to grow up, play off the bench and play a role. A lot of times, there’s a lot of dissension. "There’s a lot of immaturity. There’s a lot of selfishness that comes because you’re young and you want to play. When you don’t have to play very much, you have to play a role. Our guys were really professional.” The Boilermakers bounced back from a loss at Minnesota and got the win despite some difficulties in this game. They made just 7 of 24 3-pointers, but held a 37-26 rebounding edge — 10-2 in offensive boards. As if the Wildcats needed more bad news this season, they might have to get by without their leading scorer. Law came in averaging 15.1 points. He missed the 2015-16 season because of a torn labrum in his left shoulder.<doc-sep>

Saturday is a big deal. Michigan State has a chance to repeat as Big Ten Conference champions, Michigan could win for the first time since 2014 while Purdue has a chance to win its second title in three seasons. Purdue (22-8, 15-4 Big Ten) plays Northwestern (12-17, 3-15 ) Saturday afternoon at 2:30 p.m. hours before Michigan and Michigan State (both 26-4, 15-4) tip-off at 8 p.m. Purdue 1-2 against UM, MSU Regardless of the outcome of those games, the Boilermakers will either be a No. 2 or No. 3 seed in next week's conference tournament in Chicago, which begins Wednesday, March 13. Why don't the Boilers have a shot at the top spot? One, they were upset by the Minnesota Gophers on Tuesday night. As a result, their losing record against MSU-UM this season drops them out of contention for the top spot. On Dec. 1 in Ann Arbor, Purdue lost to Michigan 76-57. On Jan. 8 in East Lansing, Purdue lost to Michigan State 77-59. On Jan. 27 in West Lafayette, Purdue beat Michigan State 73-63. This means a Purdue win Saturday ensures a No. 2 seed in the conference tournament. A loss means dropping to a No. 3 seed. Depending on who wins Saturdays' game in East Lansing, either Michigan or Michigan State will take all or a complete share of the regular season title AND the top seed in the tournament. All three teams will start the Big Ten Tournament on Friday, March 15. Their initial games will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network. Closing out games:In loss at Minnesota, Purdue basketball reminded it can create problems grit can't fix Analysis:Purdue basketball season defined by Matt Painter's steadiness, Carsen Edwards' volatility Nate Chute is a producer with the USA Today Network. Follow him on Twitter at @nchute.

tech2 News Staff At an event in New Delhi today, Xiaomi is expected to unveil two new smartphones in India – Redmi 7 and Redmi Y3. The launch will kick off by 12 pm, and you will be able to follow it live on Xiaomi's official channel on YouTube. The event's live stream has already been scheduled on YouTube. If you have a busy day forward but still don't want to miss the live stream, you can set a reminder on the live stream, which will prompt you a few minutes before the stream begins. Xiaomi Redmi Y3 expected price, specifications, and features From what we know so far, there's one thing we are sure of, and that's the Redmi Y3 will sport a 32 MP selfie camera. That's all Xiaomi's been able to talk about in its teasers. Besides that, The Redmi Y2 was priced below Rs 10,000 last year and we will likely see the Redmi Y3 priced similarly. Incidentally, a dedicated product page for the phone is also live on Amazon India, which suggests that the phone will be an Amazon exclusive once it goes on sale. Xiaomi recently also teased a drop test of the Redmi Y3. How about the build quality? See it for yourself. Will you drop your phone like that? #32MPSuperSelfie arriving on 24-04-2019. pic.twitter.com/rYOguJazj3 — Mi India (@XiaomiIndia) April 20, 2019 The phone is also expected to feature a Snapdragon 600-series chipset, a Full HD+ display and run on MIUI 10 based on Android 9 Pie. There is no word on the battery capacity or support for fast charging, but given the fact that the Redmi Y2 (review) packed a 4,000 mAh battery, we could see a repeat of that. Further, similar to the Redmi Note 7 Pro (review), Xiaomi may also add P2i-rated water and dust-resistance coating on the Redmi Y3. Xiaomi Redmi 7 expected price, specifications, and features Redmi 7 has already been launched in China. It comes with a 6.26-inch HD+ display with a 1,520 x 720 pixel resolution which is protected with Corning Gorilla Glass 5. The phone is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 632 SoC with 2 GB/3 GB/4 GB RAM with storage options such as 16 GB/32 GB/64 GB which is expandable. Coming with Android 9.0 Pie with MIUI 10 user interface, the Redmi 7 sports a dual 12 MP camera setup on the back. While Xiaomi hasn't explicitly revealed the Redmi 7's launch for today, here's a big hint to ride on. 7 Mn+ Y series phones shipped since launch. They ask Y do we call our fans the best. We say this is Y. And to celebrate this, we have a few surprises lined up for you. You'll know exactly in 7 days. But what's with 7? RT if you know it. #32MPSuperSelfie pic.twitter.com/8kSWF63uLq — Redmi India (@RedmiIndia) April 18, 2019 As for the pricing, the Redmi 7 was launched in at CNY 699 (Rs 7,200 approximately) for the 2 GB RAM/16 GB storage variant, while its 3 GB RAM/ 32 GB storage is priced at CNY 799 (Rs 8,300 approximately). Another 4 GB RAM and 64 GB storage model was launched in the market, which was priced at CNY 999, which translated to about Rs 10,300 in Indian rupees.<doc-sep>After several weeks of teasers, Xiaomi has officially unveiled its latest Redmi series phone - the Redmi Y3 alongside the Redmi 7 in India. The two smartphones are basically identical apart from the selfie department. The Y3 features a 32MP selfie cam, the highest on any Xiaomi device. The phones also comes with the brand’s new Aurora design language with its subtle curves and dual Gorilla Glass 5 build with a gradient back. Xiaomi is positioning the Y3 as the ultimate selfie machine and is pricing its aggressively to compete in the budget segment. On the front, both the Y3 and Redmi 7 come with a 6.26 IPS HD+ water drop notch display with a TUV certified blue light filter. For the Y3 the notch features the 32MP front camera which packs AI scene detection, 80-degree field of view and EIS for video stabilization. The Redmi 7 substitutes it with an 8MP front shooter. The back on both phones features a Gorilla Glass 5 layer and packs a 12MP main camera and 2MP depth sensor. Below the cameras, we have the LED flash and on its right the fingerprint reader. Xiaomi is boasting its new Aurora design, which features a gradient color combo and shifts its color depending on the lighting. Inside, both devices are powered by the Snapdragon 632 processor with your choice of 3GB or 4GB RAM alongside 32/64GB storage for the Y3. Storage is expandable up to 512 GB thanks to the 2 + 1 card slot. The battery on both phones is 4,000mAh and comes with a 10W charger. Both are splash proof thanks to the P2i hydrophobic coating, which a rarity on Xiaomi phones and certainly a step in the right direction. Other extras include a 3.5mm headphone jack (if you can count it as an extra) and IR blaster. Redmi Y3 in Black, Blue and Red Redmi 7 in Black, Blue and Red The new Redmi devices will come in Black, Blue, and Red colors. The Redmi Y3 will start at INR 9,999 ($145) for the base 3/32GB version, while the 4/64GB variant will come in at INR 11,999 ($170). The Redmi 7 will be available a day earlier in 2/32GB and 3/32GB configurations starting at INR 7,999 ($115). Sales start April 30 on Xiaomi’s site as well as online retailers around the country. Redmi Y3 source • Redmi 7 source<doc-sep>Xiaomi is in a commanding position in India, so it doesn't really need to make a lot of changes to its budget strategy. All the Redmi devices the brand released last year went on to sell millions of units, with the Redmi 5A one of the best-selling phones globally. But for 2019, Xiaomi is overhauling its entry-level Redmi series with gorgeous new color options and beefier hardware. Like the Redmi Note 7 Pro, this is the biggest update to the entry-level Redmi series we've seen so far. Xiaomi is launching the Redmi Y3 and the Redmi 7 simultaneously. There's a good reason for this, as both phone share near-identical hardware. The Redmi 7 is still catered to a mainstream audience looking for a stellar entry-level phone, and the Redmi Y3 is targeted at younger users that want a strong front camera. To that effect, the Redmi Y3 features a 32MP shooter up front, one of the highest-resolution modules available in the market today. VPN Deals: Lifetime license for $16, monthly plans at $1 & more Xiaomi says the Redmi Y3 is designed for content creators, with the 32MP front camera featuring EIS and the ability to record 1080p video. The Redmi 7, meanwhile, has an 8MP front shooter. The front camera sensor is the only point of differentiation when it comes to the hardware between both phones. There's a minor design variation as well: the Redmi Y3 comes with an Aura Prism design that sees shifting gradient patterns on the sides. The Redmi 7 has a more subtle Aura Smoke design aesthetic that has a gradual shift in hue from top to bottom. Unlike the Redmi Note 7 Pro, the Redmi Y3 and the Redmi 7 don't have glass backs — they're instead using a plastic polymer chassis. That should make them more durable, and there's a subtle curve on either device as it meets the mid-frame. The mid-frame is also made out of plastic, and both phones have volume and power buttons on the left. You get IR blasters and 3.5mm jacks on both devices, and they charge over Micro-USB. These are two of the best-looking entry-level phones around. Up front there's no way to differentiate both phones — they have identical 6.26-inch displays with waterdrop cutouts, with a small slit at the top for the earpiece. The bottom bezel is also the same width on either device, and they both offer Gorilla Glass 5 protection. Both phones have P2i nanocoating that makes them resilient to the occasional spill of water, but don't mistake that for water resistance. Both devices feature upgrades in internal hardware that's just as drastic as the design. The phones are powered by the Snapdragon 632 chipset, and come with 12MP + 2MP cameras at the back and 4000mAh batteries. The same 6.26-inch 720p display is used on both devices, and it's one of the best you'll find in the entry-level segment. There's a traditional capacitive fingerprint sensor on the back on either device. The Redmi Y3 and Redmi 7 offer huge performance gains over their predecessors. The switch to a Snapdragon 632 makes a noticeable difference in day-to-day performance, particularly from the Helio P22 on last year's Redmi 6. Even from the Snapdragon 625 on the Redmi Y2, you'll see a significant uptick in performance — up to 30% in everyday tasks. I've been using either device for just over two days, and they're some of the best entry-level phones when it comes to performance. The Redmi Y3 will be available in 3GB/32GB and 4GB/64GB variants, with the Redmi 7 sold in 2GB/32GB and 3GB/32GB models. Both devices also come with dual SIM card slots and a dedicated MicroSD slot, as well as dual VoLTE, and Bluetooth 4.2. The one omission on the connectivity front is dual-channel Wi-Fi — neither device will connect to 5GHz networks. Xiaomi is positioning camera quality as a key differentiator on the Redmi Y3 and the Redmi 7. The rear 12MP + 2MP camera is the same across both phones, and the image quality is a significant jump over last year's devices. The Y3 in particular makes a strong case for the best selfie phone in the sub-₹20,000 segment thanks to its 32MP camera. The sensor on its own is pretty spectacular, but Xiaomi is adding its AI smarts to deliver better portrait mode on the device. The front camera has a beauty effect enabled out of the box, and you can thankfully disable it. I haven't used the camera enough to share my thoughts on it yet, but as far as initial impressions go the 32MP sensor on the Y3 makes a huge difference. Just taking selfies from both phones side-by-side it's easy to see that the Y3 is the phone to get. Both phones run MIUI 10 out of the box, but the Redmi 7 is on a newer 10.2.3.0 build with the March security patch whereas the Redmi Y3 is on 10.2.1.0 with the February security patch. MIUI should be immediately familiar if you've used a Xiaomi phone in the last two years, and it has great customization options mixed in with unwanted ads. Oh, and Xiaomi is also offering 4000mAh batteries as standard on both devices, and that means you'll easily get two days' worth of use. Xiaomi has been the battery leader for some time now, and it's great to see both the Redmi Y3 and Redmi 7 with 4000mAh batteries.<doc-sep>

tech2 News Staff At an event in New Delhi today, Xiaomi has launched the Redmi Y3 and Redmi 7 smartphones in India. Both Redmi Y3 and Redmi 7 have been announced in two RAM and storage variants, and both the devices will be Amazon exclusive. Xiaomi Redmi Y3 price in India Xiaomi Redmi Y3 is priced at Rs 9,990 for the 3 GB RAM and 32 GB storage variant, and Rs 11,999 for the 4 GB RAM and 64 GB storage model. The Redmi Y3's first sale will be held on 30 April at 12 noon on Amazon India and mi.com. Xiaomi Redmi 7 price in India Xiaomi Redmi 7 comes in two storage variants, while the 2 GB RAM and 32 GB storage variant is priced at Rs 7,999, while the 3 GB RAM and 32 GB storage model will cost you Rs 8,999. The Redmi 7 will be available for purchase starting 29 April at 12 noon, on Amazon India and mi.com. Xiaomi Redmi Y3 specifications and features Xiaomi Redmi Y3 comes features a 6.26-inch notched display, with an aspect ratio of 19:9. It has an HD+ resolution and Gorilla Glass 5 for protection. Under the hood, the Redmi Y3 is powered by a 1.8 GHz octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 632 SoC with Andreno 506 GPU, along with options for 3 GB RAM and 32 GB storage, and 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of storage. Running the device in Android 9 Pie based MIUI 10, and a 4,000 mAh battery fuels the smartphone. For optics, the Redmi Y3 sports 32 MP front sensor, the highlight of the device. The front sensor comes with Electronic Image Stabiliser, auto HDR and an AI portrait mode. At the rear, the Redmi Y3 has a dual-camera setup, with a 12 MP + 2 MP camera sensor, of which the 12 MP one has a PDAF lens, and the 2 MP camera comes with a depth sensor. The smartphone will come in blue, black and red colour variants. Xiaomi Redmi 7 specifications and features Xiaomi Redmi 7 also features a 6.26-inch HD+ display with a 19:9 aspect ratio, 2.5D glass and Corning Gorilla Glass 5 for protection. Like the Redmi Y3, Redmi 7 is also powered with a 1.8 GHz octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 632 SoC, but it is accompanied with lesser RAM. The Redmi Y2 comes in a 2 GB RAM and 32 GB storage option, and 3 GB RAM and 32 GB storage model. Redmi 7 will also run Android 9 Pie-based MIUI 10. For photography, the Redmi 7 will sport an 8 MP selfie sensor, and a dual camera at the back with a 12 MP and a 2 MP sensor combination.

BOSTON (CBS) — Josh Gordon was a significant contributor to the Patriots for more than half of the 2018 season. And though he wasn’t able to be a part of the team’s run to a Super Bowl, the receiver will receive some of the spoils of victory. According to ESPN’s Mike Reiss, the Patriots will be giving a Super Bowl ring to Gordon “for his contributions to the team’s success over 11 games.” The 27-year-old Gordon, of course, was suspended indefinitely by the NFL following the Patriots’ loss in Pittsburgh, due to a failed drug test. Gordon had faced numerous suspensions during his career but appeared to have been in a good environment with the Patriots. Gordon, though, reportedly evaded Patriots security during the team’s bye week, leading to the failed test. In 11 games with the Patriots, Gordon caught 40 passes for 720 yards and three touchdowns — numbers which would come out to 58 receptions, 1,047 yards and four touchdowns when prorated over 16 games. Excluding his debut against Miami (two receptions for 32 yards, when he was still learning the offense) and his final game against Pittsburgh (one catch for 19 yards), Gordon caught 37 passes for 669 yards and the three touchdowns in nine games as a contributor to the Patriots offense. Gordon posted a thank you message to Tom Brady and Julian Edelman on his Instagram story on Sunday: Gordon also posted about the championship after the team won. https://www.instagram.com/p/BtcbHIMhOMf/ After losing Gordon to suspension, the Patriots won their final two games of the regular season before beating the Chargers, Chiefs and Rams en route to the franchise’s sixth Super Bowl win. A report last week said Gordon could be eligible to play next year, but the focus at this time remains on his treatment.<doc-sep>Getty Images He’s suspended and reportedly still in rehab. But Patriots receiver Josh Gordon has won a Super Bowl ring. The 27-year-old receiver, who had his best season since 2013 in 11 games with the Patriots before triggering his latest suspension for violating the terms of the substance-abuse policy, will receive the piece of jewelry that goes to the NFL champion. The bigger question is whether Gordon will be playing for the Patriots, or anyone else, in 2019. A report from NFL Media (which can be regarded in matters such as this as an announcement from the league) that he may be reinstated for training camp underscores the reality that the NFL currently does whatever it wants to do when it comes to the terms of the policy, which as written would compel a mandatory suspension of at least one calendar year. But it’s good that the league will work with players, instead of adhering to the strict letter of the law. It’s definitely good for Gordon and the Patriots, who may be together again as New England begins to embark on its quest for a seventh Super Bowl championship.<doc-sep>After locking up yet another Super Bowl title, plenty of Patriots’ will line up for their first, second or even third Super Bowl ring (unless your name is Tom Brady of course). That list of players will include wide receiver Josh Gordon, who left the team in December to deal with mental illness. After the Super Bowl on Sunday, Gordon shared a photo of him and Brady from the Week 5 game against the Indianapolis Colts earlier this season: The picture was captioned “Big & shiny, just like you said!”, which included an emoji of a ring. Gordon also updated his Instagram biography, adding “Super Bowl Champion” to go along with “First Team All Pro”, which he accomplished in 2013. This basically confirms an earlier report from Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio that he will get a championship ring. New England traded for Gordon in Week 4 after starting the season 1-2 while struggling to move the ball offensively. Gordon suited up for 11 games, recording 720 yards (third most on team) and three touchdowns. He also led the team by averaging 18.0 yards per reception. Gordon missed the final two regular season games and all of the postseason, but his impact was clearly felt. The 27-year old hopes to be reinstated for the 2019 season, where he could potentially help the Patriots on their journey to ring number seven.<doc-sep>Josh Gordon had zero impact on Super Bowl LIII, but the star receiver still was a major reason why the New England Patriots made it to Atlanta in the first place. And for those contributions, Gordon is being rewarded. Gordon, who remains in rehab while serving his latest suspension for violating the NFL’s substance-abuse policy, will receive a Super Bowl ring, according to NESN.com’s Doug Kyed. The 27-year-old played in just 11 games for New England before being placed back on the commissioner’s exempt list for providing diluted drug test samples. Despite being unable to help his teammates on the field, Gordon expressed pride and joy throughout the Patriots’ playoff run, including after their defeat of the Los Angeles Rams in the Big Game. Gordon caught 40 passes for 720 yards and three touchdowns during his abbreviated season. He still is on New England’s roster, and seemingly could return to the team next season, should the league grant him reinstatement.<doc-sep>

Josh Gordon is getting a Super Bowl ring from Patriots, per report originally appeared on nbcsportsboston.com Josh Gordon didn't start or end his season with the New England Patriots, but he still can put "Super Bowl champion" on his resume. Patriots owner Robert Kraft plans to give Gordon a Super Bowl ring for the wide receiver's contributions to the team, ESPN's Mike Reiss reported Sunday. Gordon was suspended indefinitely in late December for violating the terms of his reinstatement under the substance abuse policy, meaning he missed the Patriots' entire playoff run and wasn't with the team when it defeated the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LIII. But Gordon still played in 11 of New England's 16 games since joining the club in September via trade from the Cleveland Browns. He finished third on the Patriots with 720 receiving yards and added 40 catches with three touchdowns. The NFL pays for 150 Super Bowl rings for the winning team, but teams can decide who those rings go to or purchase extra rings if they wish. The Patriots gave wide receiver Michael Floyd a Super Bowl ring following the 2016 season even though the wideout spent less than a month with the team, so it's not surprising to see them hook Gordon up. The 27-year-old receiver, who technically is under contract with New England and reportedly could apply for reinstatement in May, was supportive of the Patriots from afar during their Super Bowl run, posting congratulations and well wishes to the team on social media. Click here to download the new MyTeams App by NBC Sports! Receive comprehensive coverage of your teams and stream the Celtics easily on your device.

Representative Image MUMBAI: Heavy rains hit flight operations out of Mumbai airport on Monday as close to 300 flights were delayed by an average of 30 minutes. This means nearly one third of the flights at the airport were affected. There were no diversions, cancellations or go-arounds because of rain, said a Mumbai International Airport Pvt Ltd (MIAL). The spokesperson said there were no major flight delays on account of weather. Among the affected passengers were those booked on Jet Airways 9W 485, 2.15 pm departure to Chennai which left about two hours late; Air India AI 643 to Udaipur and Jet 9W 914 to Ahmedabad, both delayed by 40 minutes. Early in the day, Jet Airways made a concession for its passengers with a tweet that announced a waiver on penalty for date/flight change, refund, no show for passengers booked on flights into and out of Mumbai on July 09. Vistara extended its last week's gesture and announced that passengers who miss their flights due to rains will be accommodated on the next available flight, free of cost, if seats are available. Aloke Bajpai of ixigo, a travel portal, said that about 28% of total passenger traffic comprising those travelling into or out of Mumbai were hit by flight delays. He added that 11% arrivals and 17 % departures were impacted by evening. "The most affected sectors include, New Delhi, Hyderabad, Chennai, Hong Kong and Singapore ," he said.<doc-sep>#Travelupdate Due to heavy rains and water logging in Mumbai. We will accommodate customers who miss their flight,… https://t.co/S2wIq2H8kG — Vistara (@airvistara) 1531124352000 #9Wupdate: Due to heavy rains in #Mumbai, we’ve issued a waiver on penalties for date/flight change, refund, no-sho… https://t.co/8P1Pgf8Re4 — Jet Airways (@jetairways) 1531109926000 MUMBAI: Jet Airways and Vistara passengers booked on flights out of Mumbai on Monday can avail the concessions both these carriers have offered on account of heavy rain.Around 1 pm, Vistara tweeted that those passengers who miss their flight due to heavy rains and water logging in Mumbai would be put on the next flight as per seat availability with no additional fee or fare. Vistara had made a similar announcement last week too on a day when rains disrupted traffic in Mumbai.Early in the morning, Jet Airways tweeted that they had "issued a waiver on penalties for date/flight change, refund, no-show (including fare difference, if any) on all confirmed tickets for flights operating to and from Mumbai on July 9".Though live flight tracking app, flightradar24 showed a 30 minute average delay in departures out of Mumbai, a Mumbai airport spokesperson said that there were no considerable delays. Neither has there been diversions or cancellations due to rain, the Mumbai International Airport Pvt Ltd spokesperson added.<doc-sep>Mumbai rain: Water-logging was reported in several areas as moonsoon rain hit Mumbai. Highlights Heavy rain in Mumbai, reports of waterlogging in several localities A 4-day red alert has been sounded, BMC cancelled leaves of officials Officials equipped flood rescue supplies have spread out across Mumbai Heavy rain in Mumbai, Hindmata area flooded on Thursday Heavy rain in Mumbai has delayed several trains and a Jet Airways flight from London has been diverted to Ahmedabad, reports said on Thursday.Flooded roads have been reported from Dadar, Parel, Cuff Parade, Bandra, Borivali and Andheri. Disaster management authorities have warned about very heavy rainfall over the next 24 hours.Several trains were reportedly forced to wait as power supply was disrupted. Trains were running late by 15-20 minutes on the Mumbra Thane line.The BMC or the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation said in a statement that a number of precautionary measures had been taken and the leaves of senior officials, including deputy municipal commissioners and assistant commissioners, have been cancelled.These are pre-monsoon showers. "In the next 48-72 hours monsoon is expected to reach Mumbai. Heavy rain warning is in place for June 8, 9 10," said the met department.The monsoon reached the Goa and Konkan coast today. On the weekend, rain is expected in Gujarat, southern Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh and Odisha.Officials equipped with walkie-talkies and flood rescue supplies have spread out across Mumbai, which suffers the most during the monsoon.Navy personnel are being posted at areas like Colaba, Worli, Ghatkopar, Trombay, Malad for flood rescue, according to news agency PTI. Officers have been asked to keep schools open at all times for shelter during possible flooding.Mumbai faced its worst civic nightmare when in 2005, a single day of rain left thousands dead in Maharashtra.<doc-sep>Mumbai rains: Commuters walk through waterlogged railway track between Virar to Nallasopara on Tuesday. Express photo by Ganesh Tendulkar, 10th July, 2018, Mumbai. Mumbai rains: Commuters walk through waterlogged railway track between Virar to Nallasopara on Tuesday.Express photo by Ganesh Tendulkar, 10th July, 2018, Mumbai. Heavy rains continued to disrupt public life in Mumbai for the fourth consecutive day. The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted heavy to very heavy rainfall in the next 48 hours over isolated places in Maharashtra. Railway Track submerge under water Railway services were disrupted due to heavy rains as several passenger trains had to divert routes while many others were rescheduled or cancelled. Services came to a standstill at Nallasopara and Vasai stations as the railway tracks were submerged underwater. Around 2,000 passengers were stranded in the Vadodara Express at Nallaspora station as the water rose to 260mm above the tracks. When the reports last came in, Western Railway support staff, along with the NDRF, had rescued all safely. Food and other relief material were provided to passengers. Buses were also arranged to take them to diverted routes. Precautionary power cuts were on since 7:30 am which affected nearly 3 lakh people in Vasai, Virar, Navghar areas. Bombay High Court slams Railways for poor show Bombay High Court has pulled up the Railways for their unpreparedness during monsoon. Tracks submerge under water everytime, paralysing the local train services in Mumbai, but the Railways has not taken any concrete steps to prevent it, the Bombay High Court said. 400 salt pan workers stranded with families at Palghar Owing to incessant rainfall, salt pans in Village Manickpur, Vasai, Dist-Palghar were flooded and more than 400 workers with families were stranded. Some of the villagers were rescued yesterday by the civil administration. NDRF began its rescue operation at the place at around 12 noon and when the last reports had arrived, 81 people had been rescued. Education Minister asks schools to shut down for Tuesday Maharashtra Education Minister Vinod Tawde in a statement asked schools to remain shut on Tuesday. In a tweet, he said, “Instructed Deputy Director to ensure that the schools in Thane and Palghar district remain closed due to the erratic weather conditions. In Mumbai, the principals of schools are instructed to take the call on school closure, gauging the water logging in the adjacent areas.” Air India Express flight runs over slippery runway, avoids major accident Air India Express flight IX213 from Vijayawada to Mumbai, carrying 89 passengers, avoided a major accident while landing on alternate runway 14 due to closure of main runway 27. The aircraft had touched down correctly and used maximum braking but due to the slippery conditions caused by heavy rain, it stopped 10 feet beyond the runway end on the paved stopway. No damage to aircraft or injuries to any person was reported. The reason for the poor slippery conditions of the runway will be investigated. CM Devendra Fadnavis proposes BMC to shake hands with IIT-B for improving quality of roads in Mumbai Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis Tuesday said the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) would be directed to collaborate with institutions like IIT Bombay to develop modern technology for ensuring good roads in Mumbai. He added that the intensity of rains in Mumbai is very high, which leads to potholes on roads. “Last year, cold mix was used to fix potholes,” the CM said, adding that the roads were in good condition.<doc-sep>

As many as 300 flights were delayed for departure and arrival the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport in Mumbai due to heavy rains in the city in the last 24 hours. Around 300 flights were delayed for departure and arrival the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport in Mumbai due to heavy rains in the city in the last 24 hours. According to the official website of Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, a total of 162 flights were delayed during departure and 134 were late for arrival on Monday. On Sunday, over 400 flights were reportedly delayed due to bad weather conditions in and around the city. Jet Airways even announced a waiver on flight change and no-show penalty for its passengers commuting to and from Mumbai on Sunday. #9Wupdate: Due to heavy rains in #Mumbai, we’ve issued a waiver on penalties for date/flight change, refund, no-show (including fare difference if any), on all confirmed tickets for flights operating to and from Mumbai for 9th July, 2018. — Jet Airways (@jetairways) July 9, 2018 Whereas, Vistara Airlines and Go Air tweeted that they will accommodate their passengers who miss their flights in the next available flight without charging them. #Travelupdate Due to heavy rains and water logging in Mumbai. We will accommodate customers who miss their flight, on seat availability basis in the next flight with no additional fee and fare. — Vistara (@airvistara) July 9, 2018 #GoAlert: Due to inclement weather conditions in Mumbai, we will re-accommodate passengers booked for flights to and from Mumbai on 10th July 2018, on alternate flights at no additional fare or change in fare, subject to seat availability. — GoAir (@goairlinesindia) July 10, 2018 According to The Times of India's report, passengers travelling to Chennai, Udaipur and Ahmedabad were the worst-affected. Many flights to Delhi have also been delayed or showing non-operational status on the airport's website. Currently, 14 flights for departure and 11 flights for arrival are showing as delayed or not operational from the Mumbai airport on its official website. Meanwhile, weather forecasting agency Skymet has predicted heavy rainfall to continue in Mumbai for another 48 hours.

Share this Story: 'OH GOD! OH GOD! ': Bridge collapses in Italy during heavy storm, crushing cars 'OH GOD! OH GOD! ': Bridge collapses in Italy during heavy storm, crushing cars Photo by ANDREA LEONI / AFP/Getty Images Article content MILAN — A highway bridge collapsed Tuesday in the Italian city of Genoa during a violent storm, sending vehicles plunging 45 metres (nearly 150 feet) into a heap of rubble. Authorities have raised to 26 the number of dead in the collapse of a highway bridge in the port city of Genoa. A huge section of the Morandi Bridge fell at midday over an industrial zone, sending tons of twisted steel and concrete onto warehouses below. Photos from the Italian news agency ANSA showed a massive gap between two sections of the bridge. We apologize, but this video has failed to load. tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or 'OH GOD! OH GOD! ': Bridge collapses in Italy during heavy storm, crushing cars Back to video The head of Italy’s civil protection agency, Angelo Borrelli, said up to 35 cars and at least three trucks were on the 80-meter (260-foot) section of the span that collapsed. Hundreds of firefighters and emergency officials were searching for survivors in the rubble with heavy equipment. At least four people were pulled alive from vehicles under the bridge, ANSA reported. Video of the collapse captured a man screaming: “Oh, God! Oh, God!” Other images showed a green truck that had stopped on the bridge just short of the edge and the tires of a tractor trailer in the rubble. Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content There was confusion over the death toll, which changed several times during the day. Civil protection authorities said 20 were killed and 16 were injured, at least 10 of them severely, based on multiple verifications from the prefecture’s office. But Genoa Mayor Marco Bucci told Sky TG24 that the number of dead was above 25 and that 11 injured were pulled from the rubble. Two other officials earlier put the toll at 22 dead with 13 injured but said it was expected to rise. Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content Borrelli told a news conference in Rome that the dead appeared to all have been in vehicles that fell. One man who was standing under the bridge in front of his truck when the span collapsed called it “a miracle” that he survived. The middle-aged man, who did not give his name, said the shockwave sent him flying over 10 metres (33 feet) into a wall, injuring his right shoulder and hip. “I was in front of the truck and flew away, like everything else. Yes, I think it’s a miracle. I don’t know what to say. I’m out of words,” he said, walking away from the site. The disaster occurred on a highway that connects Italy to France, and northern cities like Milan to the beaches of Liguria. The Morandi Bridge connects the A10 highway that goes toward the French Riviera and the A7 highway that continues north toward Milan. Inaugurated in 1967, it is just over a kilometre (.6 miles) long. The collapse came on the eve of the Italian summer holiday of Ferragosto, which marks the religious feast of the Assumption of Mary. It’s the high point of the season, when most businesses are closed and Italians head to the beaches or the mountains. That means traffic could have been heavier than usual on the Genoa highway. Violento nubifragio #Genova #crollo parte del viadotto Polcevera-Morandi Km 0,200 su autostrada A10 Uscita obbligatoria Genova aeroporto direzione Ventimiglia Uscita obbligatoria bivio A10 con A7 direzione Genova @StradeAnas @DPCgov @emergenzavvf @Viminale @ComunediGenova pic.twitter.com/7YJINjFWRX — Polizia di Stato (@poliziadistato) August 14, 2018 Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content The design of the bridge has been criticized in the past. Antonio Brencich, a professor specializing in reinforced concrete construction at the University of Genoa, called the span “a failure of engineering” in an interview in 2016. “That bridge is wrong. Sooner or later it will have to be replaced. I do not know when. But there will be a time when the cost of maintenance will be higher than a replacement,” he told Italian media Primocanale. Other engineers said corrosion or weather conditions could have been part of the cause. “As this reinforced and pre-stressed concrete bridge has been there for 50 years, it is possible that corrosion of tendons or reinforcement may be a contributory factor,” said Ian Firth, former president of The Institution of Structural Engineers, a London-based international network. He called the bridge “an unusual design.” Mehdi Kashani, an associate professor in structural mechanics at the University of Southampton in the U.K., said maintenance issues and pressure from “dynamic loads,” such as traffic and wind, could have resulted in “fatigue damage in bridge components.” Borrelli said highway engineers were checking other parts of the bridge and that some areas were evacuated as a precaution. He said they were still trying to figure out the cause of the collapse. “You can see there are very big portions of the bridge (that collapsed). We need to remove all of the rubble to ascertain that all of the people have been reached,” he said. More than 300 rescue workers and canine crews were on the scene. Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content “Operations are ongoing to extract people imprisoned below parts of the bridge and twisted metal,” he said. Transportation Minister Danilo Toninelli called the collapse “an enormous tragedy,” adding that if negligence played a role, “whoever made a mistake must pay.” Toninelli said the company that has the concession to operate that section of highway said its maintenance on the bridge was up to date and no work was being done at the time of the collapse. But he added that they were about to launch a 20 million euro ($22.7 million) bidding process for significant safety work on the bridge. “There has not been sufficient maintenance and checks, and safety work for many bridges and viaducts and bridges in Italy constructed — almost all — during the 1960s,” he said. Since getting the job two months ago, Toninelli said he has asked for updates on the state of all bridges and viaducts in Italy. Many are operated by outside contractors. French President Emmanuel Macron, meanwhile, offered his country’s help in a phone call with Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, who travelled to the site. It was the second deadly disaster on an Italian highway in as many weeks. On Aug. 6, a tanker truck carrying a highly flammable gas exploded after rear-ending a stopped truck and getting hit from behind near the northern city of Bologna. The accident killed one person, injured dozens and blew apart a section of a raised eight-lane highway. We apologize, but this video has failed to load. tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Share this article in your social network Latest National Stories Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Trending<doc-sep>At least 35 people were killed when a motorway bridge collapsed in torrential rains this morning over buildings in the northern Italian port city of Genoa, Italian media has cited fire brigade sources as saying. A 80-metre section of the bridge, including one set of the supports that tower above it, crashed down in the rain onto the roof of a factory and other buildings, crushing at least one truck and plunging huge slabs of concrete into the river below. "It's not acceptable that such an important bridge... was not built to avoid this kind of collapse," Deputy Transport Minister Edoardo Rixi said on SkyNews24, speaking from Genoa. Helicopter footage on social media showed trucks and cars stranded on either side of the 50-metre high collapsed section of the Morandi Bridge, which was built on the A10 toll motorway in the 1960s. One truck was shown just metres away from the broken end of the bridge. We need your consent to load this rte-player contentWe use rte-player to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences Restructuring work on the 1.2km-long bridge, a major artery to the Italian Riviera and to France's southern coast, was carried out in 2016. The highway operator said work to shore up its foundation was being carried out at the time of the collapse, adding that the bridge was constantly monitored. A witness told Sky Italia television he saw "eight or nine" vehicles on the bridge when it collapsed in what he said was an "apocalyptic scene". Some 200 firefighters were on the scene, the fire service said, and Italian news agency ANSA said two survivors had been pulled out of the rubble under the collapse. Aerial footage shows collapsed bridge in Genoa | https://t.co/TZQOSzj2iq pic.twitter.com/3QmBMSLD4i — RTÉ News (@rtenews) August 14, 2018 We need your consent to load this rte-player contentWe use rte-player to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences Police footage showed firefighters working to clear debris around a crushed truck, while other firefighters nearby scaled broken slabs of the collapsed bridge support. Transport Minister Danilo Toninelli told Italian state television the disaster showed the dilapidated state of Italy's infrastructure and a lack of maintenance, adding that "those responsible will have to pay". Train services around Genoa have been halted. The office of Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said he was heading to Genoa this evening and would remain there tomorrow. Defence minister Elisabetta Trenta said the army was ready to offer manpower and vehicles to help with the rescue operations. Irish woman crossed bridge with family just hours before collapse An Irish woman has spoken of her shock at hearing of the collapse just hours after she and her family crossed the bridge. Speaking on RTÉ News at One, Jean Androne said she was holidays in Genoa visiting relatives of her husband who is from the region. She was travelling with him and her youngest child when she crossed the bridge this morning. "My husband and my youngest child were in the car ... my 11-year-old ... taking the hire car back to the airport ... and it's a journey we do quite regularly," she said. "We're all incredibly shaken by the news ... really shocked. It's the closest we've ever been to something so tragic." Mrs Androne said there was torrential rain in the region last night and they had heard reports that weather may have played a part in the collapse. "My husband just spoke to his cousin who had traveled underneath and he said a witness said lightning had struck the bridge and then the rest followed." She said she and her husband are trying to find out if any of his relatives may have been caught up in the disaster.<doc-sep>Firefighters with sniffer dogs were working through the night to try to find survivors beneath the rubble of a giant bridge that collapsed in the Italian port city of Genoa. At least 35 people, including a child, died in the disaster, which happened as the city was lashed by an intense thunderstorm, but the toll was expected to rise. Officials said 15 people were injured and 10 of them were in a critical condition. Four people were pulled alive from the rubble. Italian Premier Giuseppe Conte called it "an immense tragedy ... inconceivable in a modern system like ours, a modern country." Dozens of cars and trucks plunged 150ft to the ground after the elevated motorway suddenly collapsed.<doc-sep>

ROME — At least 23 people were killed when a highway bridge collapsed during a violent storm in Italy's northern city of Genoa on Tuesday. Part of the Morandi Bridge fell during torrential rainfall around 11:30 a.m. local time (5:30 a.m. ET). Around 200 firefighters were sent to the scene, authorities said. The section of the A10 toll highway that collapsed was elevated over a river and a portion of the city. Rescuers scour the debris after the bridge collapsed. Luca Zennaro / AP Earlier, the regional government said 35 people had died, quoting the fire brigade. Hours later, the Office of the Interior Ministry said 23 people had died and 15 were injured. Authorities said 19 of the deceased had been identified. Transport Minister Danilo Toninelli said in a tweet that he was "following with great apprehension what seems like an immense tragedy." Genoa resident Davide di Giorgio was shooting a video of the stormy weather and captured the moment on camera. "I was actually filming the rain so that I could send the video to my parents," di Giorgio told NBC News. "Suddenly the bridge collapsed in front of me, I couldn’t believe it." He added: "That’s one of the most important bridges in the city. Genoa is now cut in half." Another witness told Sky Italia television he saw vehicles on the bridge when it collapsed in what he described as an "apocalyptic scene." Emergency official Amalia Tedeschi told RAI TV that sniffer dogs were working in the rubble. In addition, heavy equipment was being moved in so they could lift pieces of the bridge. Tedeschi said the part of the bridge that collapsed was about 80 yards long. About 50 people were displaced from homes located below the bridge, which was built in the 1960s. The bridge before it collapsed. Giovanni Caito / Getty Images The highway operator said work to shore up the foundation of the bridge was being carried out at the time of the collapse, adding that the bridge was constantly monitored. The highway is a major artery to the Italian Riviera and to France's southern coast. On Tuesday, far-right leaning Deputy Premier Matteo Salvini said via Twitter, "The more I think about the deaths of Genoa, the more I get angry. Those responsible for this disaster, with names and surnames, will have to pay, pay everything, pay dearly." Claudio Lavanga reported from Rome, and Yuliya Talmazan from London.

“The Court’s sharp reprimand of government counsel in front of the jury on August 8 was therefore erroneous,” the prosecutors wrote. “And, while mistakes are a natural part of the trial process, the mistake here prejudiced the government by conveying to the jury that the government had acted improperly and had violated court rules or procedures. The exchange could very well lead the jury to reach two erroneous inferences: (a) that Mr. Welch’s testimony is not credible because he was improperly privy to the testimony of other witnesses, and (b) that the government sought to secure an unfair advantage by secreting its expert in the courtroom without permission . . . This prejudice should be cured.”<doc-sep>Sign Up For Newsletters Woman receives gift of motherhood after cancer diagnosis Stacey Abrams on writing herself into the story – and history Maya Angelou and Sally Ride to be honored on quarters Dancers seek to rid ballet performances of Asian stereotypes China's censors cut some new friends from the "Friends" reunion Lawmakers call for ambassador to protect Afghan women Boat carrying 20 overturns heading from Cuba to Florida SolarWinds hackers have launched new campaign, Microsoft says "3-martini lunch" tax break should be axed, lawmakers say Flying over Memorial Day? Expect long lines at airports Some great white sharks are getting closer to humans, videos show Be the first to know Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Not Now Turn On<doc-sep>A transcript of the first day of the trial last week shows that prosecutor Uzo Asonye (standing) specifically asked that witnesses be excluded "with the exception of our expert and our [FBI] case agent." | Dana Verkouteren via AP Manafort trial Manafort trial Day 8: A heated exchange, judge admits fault, Airbnb enters the spotlight The federal judge overseeing the Paul Manafort trial took another shot at special counsel Robert Mueller's team Thursday afternoon. The federal judge overseeing the Paul Manafort trial took another shot at special counsel Robert Mueller's team Thursday afternoon, even after conceding earlier in the day that a criticism he leveled at prosecutors on Wednesday was erroneous. The prosecution spent about 40 minutes Thursday afternoon questioning a bank employee about Manafort’s unsuccessful effort to get a $5.5 million construction loan on a Brooklyn brownstone, only to have Judge T.S. Ellis III suggest that the issue was unworthy of such extensive discussion at the trial. Notably, Ellis made the remark with the jury present. “You might want to spend time on a loan that was granted,” the judge scoffed as prosecutor Uzo Asonye sat down after concluding his questioning of Citizens Bank employee Taryn Rodriguez. That prompted Asonye, who had sat down, to jump back up. “Your honor, this is a charged count in the indictment,” the prosecutor said. “I know that,” Ellis shot back. The tense exchange was the latest example of Ellis making comments that could lead jurors to question the prosecution's case or its tactics in the tax- and bank-fraud trial that opened last week. Ellis even acknowledged that one of his prior remarks was out of line, telling the jury early Thursday that he “may well have been wrong” the day before when he slammed the Mueller team for allowing an expert witness from the IRS to remain in the courtroom while other witnesses were testifying. Typically, witnesses aren't supposed to hear anyone else's testimony in a trial so they don't influence each other, but Mueller’s team got Ellis’ permission during the trial’s opening arguments last week to have the IRS agent in the court on a regular basis. “This robe doesn’t make me anything other than human,” Ellis told the court on Thursday morning after instructing the jury to forget what he had said to the Mueller team about the IRS witness. “You’ve got to put that aside.” Playbook PM Sign up for our must-read newsletter on what's driving the afternoon in Washington. Email Sign Up By signing up you agree to receive email newsletters or updates from POLITICO and you agree to our privacy policy and terms of service. You can unsubscribe at any time and you can contact us here. This sign-up form is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Mueller’s team has been frustrated by repeated slapdowns from Ellis during the Manafort trial — now in its eighth day. Before court started on Thursday morning, they filed a written motion to formally protest how they had been called out over the IRS witness. The Mueller team asked Ellis to explain to the jury that the prosecution had done nothing wrong and cited a transcript of the first day of the trial last week showing that prosecutor Uzo Asonye specifically asked that witnesses be excluded "with the exception of our expert and our [FBI] case agent." The judge and the prosecutor went on to discuss Michael Welch by name and his expertise. And the judge unmistakably approved the exception. "The Court mistakenly faulted the government for permitting IRS revenue agent Michael Welch, the government’s expert witness, to remain in the courtroom during the proceedings, when in fact on the first day of trial the Court had expressly granted the government’s motion to do so," prosecutors complained in their motion. "The Court’s reprimand of government counsel suggested to the jury — incorrectly — that the government had acted improperly and in contravention of Court rules. This prejudice should be cured." Ellis chastised Asonye in court on Wednesday moments after he called Welch to the stand. "It's my clear recollection ... that I wasn't admitting experts," Ellis said. "You need to ask specifically. You're going to go ahead now, I'm going to permit that, but I want you to remember that." Asonye responded that prosecutors would "check the transcript," but it was their belief that they specifically asked for permission to allow expert witnesses like Welch to remain in the courtroom despite the usual prohibition. "Well, let me be clear: I don't care what the transcript says," Ellis snapped, before backing down a little. "Maybe I made a mistake. But I want you to remember. Don't do that again. When I exclude witnesses, I mean everybody. Now, it may be that I didn't make that clear." The judge's tone suggested he was disturbed by the prosecutors' actions, although he eventually declared, "It's not a big deal." In their letter, Mueller's team said the judge's action left a "negative impression" of them. "The Court’s sharp reprimand of government counsel in front of the jury on August 8 was ... erroneous. And, while mistakes are a natural part of the trial process, the mistake here prejudiced the government," Mueller's team wrote, asking Ellis to tell jurors he was mistaken and the prosecution did nothing wrong. Before the jury came in Thursday, but after the session began, Asonye asked Ellis to address the issue. The judge snapped, “Alright, I’m going to take care of that.” The judge's slap at the prosecution on Wednesday over the expert witness issue was just the latest in a series of rebukes he's delivered to Mueller's squad in recent days over topics ranging from body language to excessive informality to efforts to introduce visual imagery of Manafort's lavish lifestyle. The prickly exchanges have clearly begun to grate on the prosecution team, which has sometimes protested verbally in court, but did not formally lodge a written objection before Thursday. On Wednesday, Ellis scolded prosecutor Greg Andres for responding to the court's questions with terms the judge considered too casual, like "yeah" or "yup." “Be careful about that,” he told Andres. “This is not an informal proceeding.” Andres slipped up again moments later, offering a “yup” in response to another question from the judge. “I beg your pardon?” Ellis intoned, his irritation evident. “Yes, Judge,” Andres answered. Ellis has sometimes faulted defense attorneys, but that has been more rare. On the other hand, the prosecution has been doing most of the heavy lifting thus far as the government presents its case. With prosecutors pledging to finish presenting their evidence by the end of the day Friday, the defense's opportunity to call witnesses should come next week. Judge seals transcript that could detail Gates’ cooperation in Russia probe Ellis did go along with one potentially significant request from prosecutors Thursday: a motion asking to seal a court transcript that discusses how the prosecution’s star witness, Rick Gates, has aided Mueller’s investigation of the Trump campaign. It seems likely that cooperation pertains to Mueller’s efforts to explore Russian influence over Trump’s presidential bid, but there was no explicit mention of Russia in the Mueller motion. As Gates was testifying Tuesday, the judge held a sidebar conference out of the earshot of jurors after the defense asked the former Manafort aide about interviews with the government related to the Trump campaign. Normally, transcripts of those sidebar conferences are released within a day or so, but Mueller’s team filed a motion Thursday, asking Ellis to keep that particular courtroom discussion under seal. “Disclosing the identified transcript portions would reveal substantive evidence pertaining to an ongoing investigation,” prosecutors wrote. “The government’s interest in protecting the confidentiality of its ongoing investigations is compelling and justifies sealing the limited portion of the sidebar conference at issue here.” Ellis agreed to the sealing, signing an order that found disclosing the sidebar exchange “would reveal substantive evidence pertaining to an ongoing government investigation.” That Gates would have been questioned by Mueller on his time with the Trump campaign should come as no surprise.<doc-sep>

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – As Paul Manafort scrambled for cash in 2016 to make up for declining consulting income abroad, the former Trump campaign chairman submitted loan applications allegedly littered with false statements and misrepresentations in pursuit of more than $8 million from banks in California and New York. In one case, while seeking a $5 million loan from the Banc of California, federal prosecutors in Manafort's tax and bank fraud trial Thursday presented documents that allegedly showed $4 million in inflated business income, a failure to disclose a $3.4 million loan secured just days before his March 2016 application and sole ownership in a $25 million property that actually belonged to his wife. Gary Seferian, a senior vice president at the California bank, told a federal court jury here that bank officials later discovered the ownership discrepancy on the $25 million property and approved a lesser $1 million loan amount. Manafort sought the money, the bank officials said, to finance a plan to renovate and re-sell houses in Los Angeles. Had the bank learned that income had been overstated or that existing loans had not been disclosed, Seferian said he would have "stopped the application and spoken to our legal department." In a separate Manafort transaction in New York, prosecutors offered documents that had been submitted to Citizens Bank in January 2016 that falsely listed a rental property as a second home, failed to disclose an existing mortgage on a separate property and inflated his income by $1.5 million. Even as Manafort offered up the $3.4 million refinance loan application on the New York City loft property listed as a second home, Melinda James, a Citizens Band mortgage loan assistant, testified Thursday that she found the same property listed for rent during an online search. Manafort stood to obtain a better loan rate by classifying the property as a second home. Later, an Airbnb executive testified that the home listed for refinance and designated as a “second home” by Manafort had actually been listed for rent on the leasing agent’s website. The property was briefly removed from the site while the loan was being processed, but was re-listed for rent after the loan was approved. James alerted her superiors to the discrepancy along with concerns about the existence of an undisclosed mortgage on a second property that Manafort claimed to have owned outright. James told a federal court jury that Manafort ultimately received the $3.4 million loan in March 2016, though she did not know how her concerns had been resolved. Four days later, according to bank records offered Thursday, Manafort applied for the California loan. Earlier this week, Manafort’s business partner, Rick Gates, testified that he addressed the Citizens Bank questions by submitting phony documents, at his boss’ direction. Manafort's attorneys challenged the government's interpretation of the loan documents, in part suggesting that the income Manafort claimed was money that had been earned but not yet received. They also disputed the government's claim that Manafort did not disclose all existing mortgages. In all, prosecutors have alleged that Manafort fraudulently secured more than $20 million in bank loans. The testimony related to the bank fraud comes as prosecutors are expected to wrap up their case against Manafort by Friday. The case against Manafort – 18 criminal counts of tax evasion, bank fraud and conspiracy – is the first to be tried by special counsel Robert Mueller and focuses on Manafort's business dealings. It doesn't directly have to do with Manafort's work for President Donald Trump. More:Paul Manafort trial: Judge T.S. Ellis III known as taskmaster, unafraid to speak his mind More:Paul Manafort trial: Rick Gates admits padding expenses to pay for mistress, may have bilked inaugural committee

Animation shows the many colours of asteroid Vesta FREE for the biggest new releases, reviews and tech hacks SUBSCRIBE Invalid email Sign up forfor the biggest new releases, reviews and tech hacks When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they'll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. Our Privacy Notice explains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time. The second largest object in the asteroid belt, dubbed Asteroid 4 Vesta, will feature in the night sky from now until about July 16 to 17. Stargazers are in luck because Vesta is visible at night to the naked eye but decent binoculars or a telescope are preferable for viewing. Vesta will shine at night like a dim yellow dot at a magnitude of around 5.5. From now until about June 29, the asteroid will appear to move through the constellation Sagittarius. Tonight (Wednesday, June 27) Vesta sits to the east of the planet Saturn which is currently at opposition to the sun in the southern sky. Over the next few days, Vesta will decline towards the southeast at a declination of -20° 18’ 02”. The trajectory will see Vesta move towards the lower end of the constellation Ophicus by June 29. Asteroid Vesta is estimated to hold about nine percent of all the mass contained in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. Asteroid 4 Vesta: The monstrous space rock is speeding through the asteroid belt Asteroid 4 Vesta: The asteroid is visible in the night sky for the next two weeks In size, the space rock is only second to its sister asteroid Ceres which accounts for a third of the mass in the belt. SPHERE’s image of Vesta is impressive given the separation between Earth and Vesta European Southern Observatory Vesta was recently observed by the European Southern Observatory’s (ESO) Very Large Telescope (VLT). The ESO said: “SPHERE’s image of Vesta is impressive given the separation between Earth and Vesta, and the small size of the asteroid – it lies twice as far from the Sun as our planet does, and has a mean diameter of just 525 kilometres. “It shows Vesta’s main features: the giant impact basin at Vesta's south pole, and the mountain at the bottom right. Asteroid 4 Vesta: The space rock has about the surface area of Pakistan Amazing facts about Asteroids Tue, April 4, 2017 The first asteroid was Ceres, discovered by Giuseppe Piazzi in 1801. There are currently over 600,000 known asteroids in our solar system. Most asteroids are found orbiting in the Asteroid Belt, a series of rings located between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. Play slideshow Getty Images 1 of 10 There are Millions of Asteroids in the solar system, usually found in the Asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, however those in that pass the Earth are called Near-Earth objects<doc-sep>When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they'll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. Our Privacy Notice explains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time. Sign up forfor the biggest new releases, reviews and tech hacks The giant space rock is barreling through space at breakneck speeds of 19.34 km/s or 43,262mph. NASA experts estimate Vesta’s surface area to measure about 800,000 square kilometres, which is equivalent to three times the size of the UK. In diameter, Vesta measures 326miles (525km) across, making it wider than England. An asteroid impact of this size would cause unimaginable damage to the planet.<doc-sep>The 4 Vesta asteroid is currently making a drive-by visit to Earth. The asteroid, which reportedly measures more than 300 miles in diameter, is now so close to Earth that at night, you can see it with your very own eyes — no telescope required. The 4 Vesta is so large, it’s described by NASA as “the second most massive body in the main asteroid belt.” And because of its size and material composition, as it’s passing by Earth, it’s more easily visible to the average Earthling. In fact, Vesta accounts for nearly nine percent of the total mass of all asteroids, NASA reports. So why isn’t anyone freaking out over this massive rock flying through space so close to Earth? Because even though it’s so close we can see it in the night sky, it’s not actually that close at all. Oh heyyy Vesta Imgix Newsweek reported Thursday that Vesta will be closer to Earth than it has been in 20 years. But “close” to Earth, in this case, means that it’s currently about 106 million miles from our planet. And there’s reportedly “no chance” it will come into contact with Earth. Vesta can currently be seen next to Mars and Saturn in the night sky. For anyone looking for the asteroid in the northern hemisphere, it is northwest of the Sagittarius constellation. Vesta was named for the goddess of the home and family in Roman mythology. The asteroid has a fairly reflective surface, so it appears brighter than any other asteroid. That’s partly why it’s so easy to see it at night right now without the aid of a telescope, though, using one isn’t a bad idea if you want a better view. You can see 4 Vesta every night until July 16 or 17, which means you’ve got just weeks left to catch a glimpse of the asteroid this close to Earth until after the year 2040.<doc-sep>AN enormous asteroid has come so close to Earth that it is visible to the naked eye. The space rock, known as 4 Vesta is four times the size of the UK and so bright that it can be spotted from 106 million miles away. 3 An enormous asteroid is coming so close to Earth that it is visible to the naked eye Credit: AFP It is visible in both hemispheres, where it can be seen in the night sky near Mars, Saturn and the Sagittarius constellation. The asteroid measures more than 326 miles in diameter, 50 times wider than the meteor that wiped out the dinosaurs, will be visible in the night sky until July 16. Vesta was first discovered in 1807 and was named after the Roman goddess of the hearth and home, who is sister to Ceres – the name of the largest asteroid in the belt, which measures 587 miles in diameter. Ceres was recently reclassified as a dwarf planet. 3 Vesta was first discovered in 1807 and was named after the Roman goddess of the hearth and home The rock resides in the asteroid belt and is one of the largest known to man. From Earth, the immense stone appears as a dim yellow dot. Vesta easy to spot compared to other asteroids in the same belt as its surface is more reflective than the moon. 3 It has a sister rock Ceres, named after the Roman goddess of agriculture, that was recently reclassified as a dwarf planet The asteroid belt is a ring of space debris that orbits around the sun and between Mars and Jupiter. Most recently, Vesta came closer to our planet than it has in 20 years. The surface of the asteroid is pockmarked with craters believed to have been caused by a large smash the rock took in its formative years. The largest crater is 285 miles in diameter. MOST READ IN SCIENCE BLOOMING Super Flower Moon will fill skies tonight – how to see stunning lunar spectacle RED AHEAD May’s Supermoon total eclipse has just happened – here's some stunning snapshots MOON & THE AAHS! The biggest and brightest full moon of the year will be seen today I-DENY Stop those ad-tracking pop-ups on your iPhone – how to block EVERYTHING in one click THE TRUTH IS OUT THERE Ex-astronaut Chris Hadfield reveals the truth behind UFO sightings BAD MOON RISING Blood Moon meaning - what is its spiritual and astrological meaning? SUNBELIEVABLE Incoming 'flurry' of solar flares could shut down radio signals this week LONG-LOST LOG Biggest POO on record is from parasite-riddled Viking who invaded England GOING DOWN Mexico City 'unstoppably sinking' with some parts falling half a METRE a year SKY NET What is the Starlink internet speed and how much does it cost? Vesta is also known for having one of the tallest peaks ever seen by humans, a 13-mile high mountain that stands on its south pole. It is almost as high as the highest mountain in the solar system, Olympus Mons on Mars which is 15 miles high. Mount Everest is just 5.5 miles tall. STARGAZING How to spot the 4 Vesta asteroid AMATEUR astronomers in the northern hemisphere will be able to see Vesta beyond the northwest tip of the Sagittarius constellation. Saturn and Mars will be nearby, with all visible to the naked eye from now until the middle of next month. For those in the southern hemisphere, it will be the reverse with the asteroid appearing south-westerly of the constellation. The last time the asteroid was visible in the night sky was 2011.<doc-sep>

Animation shows the many colours of asteroid Vesta The giant asteroid dubbed 4 Vesta will stay visible to the naked eye until mid-July despite being millions of miles from Earth. Vesta is currently zooming through space at a distance of 106 million miles but its sheer size and luminosity make it a bright element of the night sky. The speeding space rock is visible at night in the Northern and Southern Hemisphere in the Sagittarius constellation near the planets Mars and Saturn. Starting from June 29, the asteroid will appear to move through the constellation Ophiucus. Observers on Earth will see the asteroid as a dim yellow dot against the dark backdrop of space. For the duration of its visibility, Vesta will shine at a magnitude of around 5.5 and move in a southeastern direction. Asteroid Vesta is the second largest object lurking in the solar system’s asteroid belt and accounts for nine percent of all mass in the belt. Vesta was discovered in 1908 by German astronomer Heinrich Wilhelm Olbers and was named by mathematician Carl Friedrich Gauss after the Roman goddess of the hearth and household. Asteroid 4 Vesta: The giant asteroid is visible at night to the naked eye Much like Earth, the asteroid has a separate crust, mantle and core which differentiates its from other typical asteroids. Vesta’s surface is estimated to measure about 800,000 square kilometres – the equivalent of Pakistan or three times the size of the UK. The asteroid is about 525km in diameter, making it wider than England’s 309km coast to coast walk. Vesta is so huge its largest trench, named Divalia Fossa, is bigger than the Grand Canyon in Arizona, US. Amazing facts about Asteroids Tue, April 4, 2017 The first asteroid was Ceres, discovered by Giuseppe Piazzi in 1801. There are currently over 600,000 known asteroids in our solar system. Most asteroids are found orbiting in the Asteroid Belt, a series of rings located between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. Play slideshow Getty Images 1 of 10 There are Millions of Asteroids in the solar system, usually found in the Asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, however those in that pass the Earth are called Near-Earth objects But Vesta’s size is not the only reason why it is easy to spot the asteroid at night this month. Vesta has one of the largest brightness ranges observed on any rocky body NASA NASA said: “Vesta has one of the largest brightness ranges observed on any rocky body in our solar system. “The bright materials appear to be native rocks, while the dark material is believed to have been deposited by other asteroids crashing into Vesta. “Scientists on the Dawn team estimate that about 300 dark asteroids with diameters ranging from one to 10km (0.6 to six miles) hit Vesta during the last 3.5 billion years.” Asteroid 4 Vesta: The space rock is three times the surface of the UK Asteroid 4 Vesta: Stargazers can see the asteroid move through constellation Sagittarius

Heavy rains have battered the nothern and central Kerala since August 8. The state has been affected majorly by the Southwest Mosnoon Heavy rains have battered the nothern and central Kerala since August 8. The state has been affected majorly by the Southwest Monsoon. Death toll has reached 32 and according to state offcials, over 53,501 people have been displaced to relief camps across the state. Around 439 relief camps have been put up around Kerala. Army has been deployed in five coulmns for the eleven-severly hit northern distrcits of Kerala. state government has declared a situation of high alert. Indian Navy has also been put on alert after the water level of in Periyar river rose. According to officials almost all 40 rivers in the state are in full spate. Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday undertook an aerial survey of flood-hit Kerala to take stock of the situation in the southern state. Singh was accompanied by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Union Tourism Minister KJ Alphons and senior state and Home Minister officers. "Kerala is in the midst of an unprecedented rain havoc. Path to recovery can be long & arduous, but you can make a difference by joining the rebuilding efforts. CM Pinarayi Vijayan has urged all to contribute generously to the Chief Minister's Distress Relief Fund," the chief ministers's office tweeted. After a brief lull, rains started lashing several parts of Kerala since this morning, posing problems to the relief operations undertaken by multiple agencies in the flood and landslides hit regions.<doc-sep>The Union Home Minister Shri Rajnath Singh, accompanied by Shri K.J. Alphons, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Tourism, Director General, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Shri Sanjay Kumar and senior officers from the Ministry of Home Affairs, visited the flood/landslide affected areas of Kerala today. Shri Rajnath Singh also carried out aerial survey of the affected areas of Adimali, Aluva and ParavurTaluk as well as the Cheruthoni-Idukki dam and immediate areas downstream and reviewed the search, rescue and relief measures taken by the State Government and other Central Government agencies with the Chief Minister Shri Pinarayi Vijayan, Ministers of the State Government, Chief Secretary, Director General of Police and other senior officers of the Central Agencies and State administration. The Ministers also visited relief camp and met the affected people living in the relief camps. Based on aerial survey, field visit and interaction with the affected people, Shri Rajnath Singh expressed his satisfaction on the arrangements made by the State administration in managing the unprecedented floods/landslides in the State and in providing basic amenities, including food, water and medical service etc. in the rescue and relief camps. The Chief Minister thanked the Central Government for deploying 14 teams of NDRF and adequate resources of Defence Forces for search, rescue and assisting the administration in relief distribution. Union Home Minister assured State Government to provide additional teams of NDRF and other assets of Air Force, Navy, Army and Coast Guard, if any need is felt by the State Government. Shri Rajnath Singh announced that the Central Government has already released an assistance of Rs 80.25 crore as Second Installment of Central share under the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF). With a view to assist State Government, the Union Home Minister also announced release of Rs 100 crore in advance from the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF). He also informed that based on the Memorandum received from the State Government, an Inter-Ministerial Centre Team (IMCT) has already been deputed and is currently visiting the affected areas in the State for assessment of losses and the Government of India will consider providing additional relief from NDRF as per norms on priority. Briefing the media Shri Rajnath Singh expressed concern over the loss of human lives and damage caused to the crop. He assured that the Central Government will continue to provide all possible assistance to the State Government to cope with the flood situation. During the current South-West monsoon season, various parts of the State of Kerala have been affected by heavy rains/rain oriented calamities of varying degrees. 14 teams of NDRF consisting of 404 rescuers and 31 boats are already deployed in the worst affected districts viz. Thrissur, Ernakkulam, Kozhikode, Idukki, Wayanad and Alapuzha to assist the State administration in the relief and rescue operation as well as distribution of essential relief material and to provide medical support to affected people at the time of emergency. In addition to adequate number of column of Army, Navy and Coast Guard, helicopters of Indian Air Force, Navy & Coast Guard are also deployed in the State for assisting State administration in lifting and dropping of essential commodities.<doc-sep>Kerala floods LIVE updates: IMD says no heavy rain warning in state for next four days; 22,034 more people rescued on Sunday. Auto refresh feeds IMD withdraws red alert for Kerala for Sunday, reported DD News. Only three districts —Pathanamthitta, Idukki and Ernakulam — are on orange alert. All other districts have been issued yellow and green alert, hinting likely rainfall at some places. The 33 deaths reported during the day took place in Ernakulam, Thrissur, Idukki, Pathanamthitta and Alappuzha districts. The death toll due to rains and floods in Kerala has gone up to 368 (since monsoon began), as 33 more deaths were reported on Saturday even as around 58,000 people were rescued in different parts of the state. With mass evacuation from Kuttanad region beginning, the number of people shifted to relief camps across Kerala has crossed 8.45 lakh. The displaced people have been accommodated in 3,746 relief camps across the state. A Kerala Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA) official said that 2,10,119 people from Alappuzha have been sheltered in 678 camps across the district and neighbouring areas till 8 pm on Saturday. The maximum number of relief camps is in Thrissur district, where 1,99,720 people have taken shelter. The services at the Kochi international airport, which is among the busiest in the country, have been suspended till 26 August after flood water inundated the runway.The decisions were taken at a meeting of the National Crisis Management Committee (NCMC), the country's apex body to handle emergency situation, headed by Cabinet Secretary PK Sinha. In the wake of massive floods in Kerala, the Centre on Friday decided to open Kochi Naval airstrip for use by commercial aircraft by Monday and deploy five more choppers, taking the total number of aircraft used for rescue and relief to 96. Bus services between Karnataka and Kerala will begin plying as Kerala State Road Transport Cooperation has restored all its services to Kerala sector, Ernakulam, Kottayam, Trissur, Palghat, Calicut, Cannanore and Thiruvananthapuram (except Kasaragod), reported News18. The first service starts at 4 pm to Thiruvananthapuram from Bengaluru on Sunday. The Alappuzha police have arrested five people, who have refused to lend their houseboats for rescue operations in the Kuttanad region, where a massive evacuation is on following flood in the Pampa river. The arrests were made on the direction of Public Works Minister G Sudhakaran, who hails from the district. Earlier the district administration had warned that it will seize boats and arrest the owners if they did not cooperate with the authorities. The administration has so far seized 35 houseboats. More than 2.10 lakh people have been evacuated from the district till 8 pm on Saturday. The operation has resumed in the morning by pressing more boats into action. Kerala has been receiving financial aid from various state governments across the country. The social media has also helped in the collection of funds from individuals and organisations. Anbodu Kochi or Do for Kerala and Kerala Bleeding were some of the organisations that have opened collection centres in Ernakulam and Bangalore respectively to collect items like baby food, sanitary napkins, mosquito repellants. People in Mumbai gather essential items to be sent to flood-hit Kerala on Sunday. People from Mumbai gather essential commodities to be sent to flood-hit Kerala The number of people evacuated from flood-hit areas has gone up from 4.5 lakh at 8 pm on Saturday to 8,46,680 till 9 am on Sunday, according to Kerala State Disaster Management (KSDMA) control room officials. In all 2,076,40 families have taken refuge in 3,734 relief camps across the state. The officials said that 39 people who were missing are yet to be traced. Over 130 people who were injured in the flood are admitted in various hospitals. 2,076,40 families have taken refuge in 3,734 relief camps across the state: KSDMA The Kerala state committee of the IATA Agents Association of India has launched a helpline to provide assistance to those travelling to and from Kerala in the wake of the flood devastation. The suspension of operation in the Cochin International Airport has affected large number of people, especially the non-resident Keralites who normally take their annual holiday during the Onam festival season. The helpline numbers are 9846166668 and 9995049243. IATA Agents Association of India launches helpline to provide assistance to those travelling to and from Kerala In Tamil Nadu, an almost 100-year old bridge over the Kollidam river in Trichy, that connects Srirangam with the mainland, finally collapsed at midnight on Saturday, three days after cracks had developed in two of its pillars. The old steel bridge had been in disuse since 2015 when a new bridge was constructed adjacent to it keeping in mind its age and condition. It was only being used by pedestrians and two-wheelers, that too rarely. The gushing waters of the Kollidam (a distributary of the Cauvery), with a flow of 1.7 lakh cusecs, had finally sounded the death knell to the bridge. Authorities who been monitoring the situation since the cracks developed were predicting its imminent collapse. ( Inputs by Mydeen Abdul Kadar/101Reporters) Uttar Pradesh DGP OP Singh tweeted on Saturday mourning loss of lives in Kerala. "Deeply saddened by the loss of valuable lives & mass destruction caused by the Kerala Floods. @UPPolice prays for the safety & well being of people of Kerala in this hour of grief. I appeal to all UPPolice Personnel to voluntarily donate 1 day salary for #KeralaFloods relief," he said. Kovind also praised the relief agencies for their response and commitment. President Ram Nath Kovind spoke to Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Governor P Sathasivam on Saturday to inquire about the flood situation in the state. He expressed satisfaction that the Union and state governments were working in synergy in the rescue and relief operations in the state. He acknowledged the grit and resilience of the people of Kerala in coming together and assured that the entire nation was with them. Alappuzha District Collector S Suhas claimed that 97 percent of the people marooned in the flooded Kuttanad region have been evacuated and efforts are on to rescue the remaining.<doc-sep>A local politician, Saji Cherian, broke down in tears on TV on Friday describing the crisis there. "Please give us a helicopter. I am begging you. Please help me, people in my place will die. Please help us. There is no other solution, people have to be airlifted," he said.<doc-sep>

Union home minister Rajnath Singh conducted an aerial survey of some flood-hit areas in Kerala. More than 60,000 people have been accommodated in relief camps. Thiruvananthapuram: After a brief lull, rains started lashing several parts of Kerala since Sunday morning, posing problems to the relief operations undertaken by multiple agencies in the flood and landslides hit regions. However, the water level in the Idukki and Idamalayar reservoirs reduced, bringing some relief, with the authorities saying there was no need for any panic for people living downstream, officials said. There were no fresh casualties reported since Saturday and the toll in the rain-related incidents since the current monsoon fury from 8 August stood at 37, they said. Union home minister Rajnath Singh conducted an aerial survey of some flood-hit areas on Sunday. More than 60,000 people have been accommodated in relief camps set up in different areas, including in Wayand where over 14,000 people had been sheltered. Ten columns of army, a unit of Madras Regiment along with personnel of navy, air force and the NDRF were engaged in relief and rescue operations in badly-hit districts including Kozhikode, Idukki, Malappuram, Kannur and Wayanad, Defence sources said. Mananthavady and Vythiri in the hilly Wayanad district have been totally cut-off, with roads washed away and houses marooned by water. Water level in the Idukki dam, the biggest arch dam in Asia which was opened after a gap of 26 years, marginally declined to 2399.16 feet at 10 am on Sunday, after hovering close to its maximum of 2,403 feet in the past few days, officials said. There was a brief respite from the rains on Saturday in several parts of the state, but the fresh heavy downpour was making relief works difficult now, authorities said. The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) had on Saturday warned that heavy to very heavy rains were expected in 16 states, including Kerala, till Sunday. The weather department has issued a 'Red alert', asking people to be cautious as there was a possibility of heavy to very heavy rainfall in most places in Idukki, Wayanad, Kannur, Ernakulam, Palakkad and Malappuram districts. Around 1,500 houses were damaged partially and 101 have been destroyed completely in rain fury in the state during the last few days, according to the disaster control room officials. "Heading to Kerala to take stock of the situation in the state. Shall conduct a survey of the flood affected areas and also visit the relief camp sites', Rajnath Singh tweeted. The Chief Minister on Saturday undertook an aerial survey of rain ravaged areas of Idukki and Wayanad and said Kerala was in the midst of an unprecedented flood havoc and that the calamity has caused "immeasurable misery and devastation."

“Nobody thinks I have a tough job, so I’m not going to talk about a tough job,” he said. “My job being tough? We’ve been the leader of the pack for about 25 years, so we get everyone’s best shot. That’s the toughest thing. Our guys need to be ready for that each time. So it’s getting kids to understand that. They don’t get that in high school. They hardly play tough games because they’re the best players by far. And all of a sudden, every game they play is a T-shirt. They have blackout day, ‘GameDay,’ the most viewed game — all those things. We’ve played a lot of big games, and I do think it prepares us for this moment where everyone thinks it’s the biggest game.”<doc-sep>No. 9 seed Central Florida had top overall seed Duke up against the wall, poised to pull off one of the biggest upsets in March Madness history against a team with two national player of the year candidates and NBA top picks in Zion Williamson and R.J. Barrett. Ultimately, it was Williamson's bulldozing basket against 7-foot-6 center Tacko Fall and R.J. Barrett's put-back — both plays made in the final 14 seconds — that saved Duke's national title pursuit in the 77-76 thriller. But it was another star who stole the NCAA tournament's first weekend — even in defeat. Aubrey Dawkins came out firing on all cylinders and was the backbone behind the Knights' monumental upset attempt. The 6-6 junior guard, son of coach Johnny Dawkins, finished with 32 points on 12-for-18 shooting from the floor. Every time Duke punched with a surge of momentum, it was Dawkins spearheading a UCF rally as if to say, "not so fast." More:No. 1 Duke barely holds off Central Florida at buzzer in classic game More:The six defining plays that shaped Duke and Central Florida's March Madness classic While Dawkins' missed dunk in the closing minutes and a last-second tip-in attempt that rimmed out at the buzzer will stick with college basketball fans wishing for a legendary upset, what Dawkins did before that is what made Sunday's game an all-time classic. UCF had no shot without his heroics. It was Dawkins' scoring in the first half that made this a game from the onset. It was Dawkins' 3-pointer less than two minutes into the second half that shifted the momentum for UCF. It was his dunk with 11:25 left that knotted the score at 54 and then his assist to B.J. Taylor on the next play to give the Knights their first lead of the second half. When Duke was looking to pull away with 6½ minutes left, Dawkins made another three to keep UCF within striking distance. Brackets:Follow March Madness Dawkins' jumper with 3:10 left gave UCF a 72-70 lead and then his assist to Fall put the Knights up 74-70 with 2:09 remaining. If there was ever a moment when Duke, the national title favorite by a mile, was feeling the possibility of its season ending prematurely, it was then. And Dawkins' will had everything to do with it. Uniquely, Dawkins grew up with Duke basketball in his life with his father, a Duke player in the 1980s, serving on coach Mike Krzyzewski's staff for 11 years. That's what made winning so painful for Coach K, who remembered the younger Dawkins around the Durham campus as a kid. "I feel bad that they lost. It's the yin an the yang here because they were deserving of winning," Krzyzewski added at the postgame news conference. "I feel so proud that those kids played at the level of their coach (Johnny Dawkins). ...It's a tough moment. It's going to take me a little while to get through it. Same thing with Aubrey. You see him grow up from a little guy." Even in defeat, it was the younger Dawkins who Krzyzewski remembered growing up giving one of his most talented teams ever the ultimate scare. "(Dawkins) was magnificent. Not sensational. Magnificent," Krzyzewski said during the CBS interview.<doc-sep>COLUMBIA, S.C. – Central Florida coach Johnny Dawkins stands, arms folded, intensely following the ball as the starting unit weaves in and out of its offensive options at a practice earlier this season. The sound of sneakers squeaking and the thump from passes as leather meets flesh is dominant with no defense on the floor — until Aubrey Dawkins takes a handoff from Tacko Fall and casually flicks a pass toward B.J. Taylor that sails out of bounds. “Yeah, yeah, my bad,” Johnny Dawkins says sarcastically. “Get on the baseline. To turn it over in 5-on-0 is pathetic. That’s pathetic.” Aubrey’s head tilts and with his eyebrows furrowed, he looks as if he wants to say, “It’s like that?” But he already knows the answer as the entire unit lines up to run full-court sprints. It is indeed like that. He’s supposed to know better than that.<doc-sep>COLUMBIA, S.C. — It was UCF junior Aubrey Dawkins who flew above everyone to get his fingertips on the ball, tipping it toward the goal just before the game clock expired, because of course it would be the son of the Knights coach who would try to do one more incredible thing to deliver his father the greatest victory of his coaching career. There was no disputing it left his hand in time. The only matter in question as it traveled the few short inches toward the goal involved whether it would drop through the rim and into the net or fall to the floor as a missed field goal attempt. One way would present UCF with a victory over the nation’s No. 1 team, Duke, and be stored as an eternal highlight in NCAA Tournament history. The other would allow the Blue Devils to continue playing as if they hadn’t just been shaken to their core. If measured with a Rolex or a Patek Philippe — or, for that matter, the game clock at Colonial Life Arena — the amount of time Dawkins’ tip attempt hung on the rim might not fill even a half-second. In Human Dreams Standard Time, it felt like it was up there for a day. SN's MARCH MADNESS HQ Live NCAA bracket | Live scoreboard | Full TV schedule​ “In my head, it was just: 'Not like this, not like this, not like this,'” Duke forward Javin DeLaurier told Sporting News. “That would have been the most painful way for this season, with this group, to end: In the Round of 32, on a buzzer-beater.” He’d been assigned to defend the inbound pass from the sideline with 8.1 seconds left, and, fixated on UCF guard BJ Taylor’s drive down the right side, he’d missed Dawkins sliding in to his left. Dawkins had scored 32 points, making 12 of 18 shots, when he arrived above the rim and saw Taylor’s attempt at a floater catch the back rim and bounce back to the right. With no one else airborne to challenge him — Duke All-American Zion Williamson was focused on boxing out on the opposite block, point guard Tre Jones was out of the play on the right baseline after Taylor drove by to shoot and RJ Barrett was at the foul line defending his man and Cam Reddish was on the left wing doing the same — Dawkins got his right hand on the ball and guided it to the left. At that moment, it didn’t really matter that Dawkins’ father, Johnny, had played four years of college under Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski and won the Naismith Award in 1986 and served as a member of his coaching staff for a decade. It didn’t matter how close the two remained, that Coach K viewed Johnny as the most important recruit of his career. It only mattered that one team would continue in this tournament and one would not, that we would see one of the most colossal tournament upsets or the kind of narrow escape that sometimes serve as compelling anecdotes told by NCAA champions. “Honestly, I thought it was going in. I thought it was going in,” Duke point guard Jordan Goldwire told SN. He was leaning off the Duke bench to get a better look. “It just bounced our way. We got a rebound. And the rest is just excitement.” BERNSTEIN: Duke needs to give Zion more help Center Marques Bolden, who played 10 minutes as he recovers from a knee injury and was out of the game at the time, told SN it was difficult to put his thoughts about that moment into words. “Man, it all happened so fast,” he told SN. “It was a great effort by them, the last-second shot and everything. I’m just glad we came up with a tough stop, and important stop, at the end.” It is certainly within the realm of nonfiction to call it a “tough stop.” It would be more truthful to call it good fortune, or a blessing. “I was just hoping for it to fall out, exactly as it did,” Jones said. “It looked like it was almost falling back in, but with the rims how tight they are, he wasn’t able to get the bounce they wanted. I was just happy that happened, happy to be alive still and be one of the final 16 teams." It was almost a year ago to the day — 364 days, to be precise — the Devils had a shot to beat Kansas in regulation in the NCAA Midwest Region final and earn a trip to the Final Four. Senior guard Grayson Allen tried a pull-up jumpshot there, and that ball spent perhaps even more time on the rim than Dawkins' tip. It, likewise, spun out. Duke lost in OT. "I've been on both sides of the coin now," DeLaurier said. "We're 50-50. I think it's evened out."<doc-sep>

COLUMBIA, S.C. — The coach’s son was having the game of his life in the biggest game of his dad’s life. Down 1, UCF’s Aubrey Dawkins pushed a miss back up with his right hand with 2.5 seconds left. The ball bounced once, twice and then rolled off the rim. Overall No. 1 NCAA Tournament seed Duke survived to reach the Sweet 16. Dawkins, the son of UCF coach Johnny Dawkins who shot hoops with his dad on the Blue Devils home court when Johnny was a Duke assistant, hung his head as his teammates hit the floor. “Heartbreak. That’s the only way to sum it up.” Aubrey Dawkins quietly recalled 20 minutes later to reporters. Nothing left to do but console his teammates, sprawled across the floor after the 77-76 loss where UCF led 76-73 with 14 seconds left when Duke’s Zion Williamson drove right at UCF’s 7-foot-6 Tacko Fall. The superstar Williamson hit the layup while drawing the big man’s fifth and final foul. R.J. Barrett put back Williamson’s miss for the winning basket. B.J. Taylor drove on UCF’s last chance, but the short jumper came off the glass just a little too hard. Dawkins swooped in and… “It was up there forever, I felt like, in slow motion. Once I saw it go past the midpoint and roll out, it was, at that point, nothing left to do,” he said. Dawkins was the only reason UCF had a chance at the end. He scored 32 points — matching Williamson — on 12 of 18 shooting, including 5 of 7 on 3-pointers. He also had four assists and two offensive rebounds, including the putback he rolled off the rim. After the miss, he sank to his knees next to the frame supporting the basket. “Aubrey was the best player on the court today. He was magnificent,” said Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, who told reporters he was close to tears, heartbroken for the opposing coach who helped build Duke into a powerhouse in the mid-1980s and the boy he watched grow up in shooting sessions after practice with his dad in Cameron Indoor Stadium. Johnny Dawkins, who addressed his sobbing players in an emotional locker room speech after the loss, was the point guard for Krzyzewski’s first Final Four team. “Proud of you man, proud of you,” Johnny Dawkins said, hugging his son. “I know it’s hard. I know it’s hard.” Aubrey Dawkins wanted to go to Stanford and play for his dad, but the school didn’t admit him, saying he didn’t meet their academic standards. Johnny Dawkins said Saturday that may have been a blessing in disguise. He loved his son, but wasn’t sure he could coach him after spending so much time with him on the court through the boy’s childhood. Aubrey Dawkins spent his first two seasons at Michigan, but after his dad left Stanford for the Knights, the son decided to join him at UCF. Just before the 2017-18 season started, Aubrey Dawkins suffered a season-ending injury. He came back and averaged 15 points this season, but maybe more importantly, Aubrey Dawkins said he got to play for his dad. “Having the chance to be around him at this stage in my life and my career in basketball has just been priceless. That’s what I love most, just going every day next to him and learning from him and us getting closer as a father and son and also as a player and coach,” Dawkins said. And the father said his son playing like he did in the most important game of their lives meant a lot to him, too. “Aubrey was terrific. He’s capable of having moments like that, and he had one tonight on one of the biggest stages you could have it on,” Johnny Dawkins said. “He couldn’t have picked a better time for that.”

A popular observatory has been closed for a week now, but no one is saying why.On Thursday last week, the National Solar Observatory in Sunspot near Alamogordo was evacuated, along with a nearby post office. When KOAT reached out to the observatory for more information we were referred to the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA), the company that manages the site.On Friday AURA told KOAT they had decided that the observatory would "remain closed until further notice because of an ongoing security concern. "They did not disclose any more information as to the nature of that security concern.People posting on social media think the closure has to do with aliens. The FBI won't say how involved it is in the investigation but did say the security issue isn’t about UFO’s or aliens.As of now the neighbors who live in the community have no idea when they'll be able to go back to their homes.According to the observatory’s website, the site has been a “premiere facility for solar research since 1947.” A popular observatory has been closed for a week now, but no one is saying why. On Thursday last week, the National Solar Observatory in Sunspot near Alamogordo was evacuated, along with a nearby post office. Advertisement When KOAT reached out to the observatory for more information we were referred to the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA), the company that manages the site. On Friday AURA told KOAT they had decided that the observatory would "remain closed until further notice because of an ongoing security concern." They did not disclose any more information as to the nature of that security concern. People posting on social media think the closure has to do with aliens. The FBI won't say how involved it is in the investigation but did say the security issue isn’t about UFO’s or aliens. As of now the neighbors who live in the community have no idea when they'll be able to go back to their homes. According to the observatory’s website, the site has been a “premiere facility for solar research since 1947.”<doc-sep>The internet is speculating about aliens, FBI involvement and more. A mysterious solar observatory evacuation in remote New Mexico is sparking an array of conspiracy theories ranging from alien sightings to foreign spies. The Sunspot Solar Observatory was unexpectedly closed down and evacuated without publicly stated reason last Thursday -- and a week later, nobody seems to know why. While local law enforcement was requested at the scene in the town of Sunspot, they said they were left in the dark. Benny House of the Otero County Sheriff’s Office told ABC News that employees from the observatory called his team in around 10 a.m. on Thursday, September 6. He said the team stood by for a few hours while employees evacuated, but the security issue remained a secret. "They were tight-lipped about what was going on, no one would tell us what the threat was," House said, and confirmed the FBI had been there. A post office nearby was also evacuated. An official from the United States Postal Service told ABC affiliate KVIA in El Paso, Texas, that he did not know who ordered the postal workers to leave. The observatory is run by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, or AURA, which released a statement about the "security" incident. "AURA is addressing a security issue at the National Solar Observatory facility at Sacramento Peak, New Mexico and has decided to temporarily vacate the facility as a precautionary measure," Shari Lifson, AURA Corporate Communications Coordinator, said in a statement to ABC News. Lifson said AURA is working with authorities on the issue, but did not offer further information. Since last week’s evacuation, the Sunspot Observatory website has also posted a notice: "On Thursday September 6th, AURA made the decision to temporarily close Sunspot. The Sunspot Solar Observatory continues to work closely with AURA in order to allow for us to reopen as soon as possible. With the excitement this closure has generated, we hope you will come and visit us when we do reopen, and see for yourself the services we provide for science and public outreach in heliophysics." The lack of explanation left plenty of room for the internet to speculate and conspiracies to emerge. The Albuquerque FBI has not yet responded to ABC News' request for comment. Whether it be aliens, government secrets, foreign spies or none of the above, what is certain: The observatory remains shut down, with no word about when it will reopen.<doc-sep>Nicole Maxwell and Dylan Taylor-Lehman Alamogordo Daily News SUNSPOT - Sunspot Observatory was closed and evacuated Sept. 6 due to an undisclosed security risk. Federal officials aren't saying why it was closed, and the silence has led to international media coverage and plenty of speculation. Authorities remain tight-lipped. The FBI referred all questions to the group that manages the site, the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy. Officials there say they’re working with authorities. AURA released a statement Friday, stating it has "decided that the observatory will remain closed until further notice due to an ongoing security concern. The rest of the National Solar Observatory (NSO) facilities remain open and are operating normally." “Nothing’s changed from last week,” AURA spokeswoman Shari Lifson said by phone Thursday afternoon. Lifson offered no further information. Security guards from Alamogordo private security firm Red Rock Security were posted at the observatory's gate on Thursday due to the amount of curious visitors who have come to the site since the closure, said Red Rock security guard Angel Escalante. Approximately 35 people had come to the site by Friday afternoon, she said. "(Thursday) was way worse and that's why they had us come up here — tons of people were trying to get in," Escalante said. The guards are stationed at the gate around the clock, but they have not been in the facility and have no more of an idea about what's going on than anyone else, Escalante said. "We're just mainly right here making sure people don't come past this point," said Red Rock guard Joe Mangum. "Everybody was evacuated, and from that point, that's as far as they can go." A tent belonging to an employee and resident of the observatory was set up near the gate. The employee is allowed to enter the facility to do routine maintenance but can't stay in his home, Escalante said. "He just comes in to do what's he's got to do, work his shift, and that's it," she said. Everyone evacuated Everyone in the facility and the Sunspot community was evacuated on Sept. 6, said Sunspot Solar Observatory Director and New Mexico State University astronomy professor R.T. James McAteer. NMSU's four employees at Sunspot were evacuated, as were employees of AURA, McAteer said. AURA announced Friday that approximately nine NMSU and AURA staff are employed at the observatory. The U.S. Postal Service, which operates the Sunspot Post Office, evacuated its employees as well, though McAteer said he did not know how many people worked at the facility. There were also about 12 to 15 residents who were evacuated, he said. “Last Thursday, we got a phone call in the morning from AURA who told us to say that they were temporarily evacuating the site and asked us to evacuate our people,” McAteer said. “So, I called our people up and asked them to leave in a very sensible and calm manner and locked everything up. We’ve been out of there since Thursday morning.” McAteer said in an email to the Associated Press that it will be up to the astronomy research association to decide when Sunspot reopens. “We have paused observations, and are taking this opportunity to catch up with the back log of data from previous months,” he said. Sunspot observations Located atop Sacramento Peak, the observatory was established in 1947. It overlooks the Tularosa Basin – an expanse of desert that includes the city of Alamogordo, Holloman Air Force Base, White Sands Missile Range, White Sands National Monument and the site of the world’s first atomic bomb test. The telescope at Sunspot was originally built by the U.S. Air Force. After several years of operation, it was transferred to the National Solar Observatory, which is part of the National Science Foundation. New Mexico State University in 2016 launched an initiative funded by the foundation to upgrade and update the facility through the newly formed Sunspot Solar Observatory Consortium. Sunspot’s one-of-a-kind telescope produces some of the sharpest images of the sun available in the world, officials said. Data from observations done at Sunspot is sent to New Mexico State University servers and can be used by researchers around the world. “Those are the two building where we have our employees at in Sunspot: the telescope and the visitor’s center,” McAteer said. The staff is responsible for the guided tours and scientific data, he said. The Richard B. Dunn Solar Telescope, which McAteer and his team operate, rotates on a mercury float bearing at the top of the tower. The mercury was not the reason for the closure, McAteer said. “There’s no mercury incident. That’s a completely different set of protocols that would not have involved them locking all the doors,” McAteer said. “We have a very regular maintenance routine. There is no cause for concern there.” There's been no word whether, or if, evacuations will be lifted. The observatory posted this message to its website and social media platforms: "On Thursday Sept 6, AURA made the decision to temporarily close Sunspot. The Sunspot Solar Observatory continues to work closely with AURA in order to allow for us to reopen as soon as possible. With the excitement this closure has generated, we hope you will come and visit us when we do reopen, and see for yourself the services we provide for science and public outreach in heliophysics. If you have any questions about the science we perform at the telescope, or about the outreach we provide through our Visitors Center, please contact our Director, Dr McAteer at mcateer@nmsu.edu " The Associated Press contributed to this story.<doc-sep>

Nicole Maxwell Alamogordo Daily News SUNSPOT - Sunspot Observatory was closed and evacuated Sept. 6 due to an undisclosed security risk. Officials aren't saying why it was closed and that's led to media coverage and plenty of speculation. Authorities remain tight-lipped. “Nothing’s changed from last week,” Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, or AURA, spokeswoman Shari Lifson said by phone Thursday afternoon. Lifson offered no further information. The Sunpspot facility is a part of the National Solar Observatory and AURA maintains it. More:Is this a UFO flying over North Carolina? No, Goodyear blimp says: 'That's definitely us' More:Alien abduction: 45 years after alleged UFO encounter, Mississippi man breaks his silence “Last Thursday, we got a phone call in the morning from AURA who told us to say that they were temporarily evacuating the site and asked us to evacuate our people,” Sunspot Solar Observatory Director R.T. James McAteer said. “So, I called our people up and asked them to leave in a very sensible and calm manner and locked everything up. We’ve been out of there since Thursday morning.” McAteer is a professor of astronomy at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, about an hour and a half to the west of the observatory. The observatory is located high in Sacramento Mountains. The closest city is Alamogordo, at the base of the Sacramentos — about 15 miles as the crow flies, but nearly an hour's drive time away. The Sunspot Solar Observatory is run by a consortium of universities that provide funding to operate the telescope and adjoining visitor’s center, McAteer said. “Those are the two building where we have our employees at in Sunspot: the telescope and the visitor’s center,” McAteer said. Which means that they are responsible for the guided tours and scientific data, he said. NMSU's four employees at Sunspot were evacuated Sept. 6, as were five or six employees of AURA. The U.S. Postal Service, which operates the Sunspot Post Office, evacuated its employees, though McAteer said he did not know how many people worked at the facility. There were also about 12 to 15 residents who were evacuated, McAteer said. “The whole site was evacuated,” McAteer said. The Richard B. Dunn Solar Telescope, that McAteer and his team operate, rotates on a mercury float bearing at the top of the tower. The mercury was not the reason for the closure, McAteer said. More:Mysterious radio signal from space? Astronomers aren’t sure of origins More:7 'alien sightings' for World UFO Day “There’s no mercury incident. That’s a completely different set of protocols that would not have involved them locking all the doors,” McAteer said. “We have a very regular maintenance routine. There is no cause for concern there.” There's been no word whether, or if, evacuations will be lifted. The observatory posted this message to its website and social media platforms: "On Thursday Sept 6, AURA made the decision to temporarily close Sunspot. The Sunspot Solar Observatory continues to work closely with AURA in order to allow for us to reopen as soon as possible. With the excitement this closure has generated, we hope you will come and visit us when we do reopen, and see for yourself the services we provide for science and public outreach in heliophysics. If you have any questions about the science we perform at the telescope, or about the outreach we provide through our Visitors Center, please contact our Director, Dr McAteer at mcateer@nmsu.edu". Follow Nicole Maxwell on Twitter: @nicmaxreporter

The Socceroos and Uzbekistan will clash on 22 January at 1am AEDT at the Khalifa bin Zayed Stadium for a chance to meet either the United Arab Emirates or Kyrgyzstan in the quarter-final. Australia Australia had a very rocky start to the tournament with a 1-0 loss to Jordan, who have ended up at the top of Group B. The Roos then clawed back some pride with a clinical 3-0 win over Palestine and a 3-2 win over Syria thanks to a 90th-minute winner from Tom Rogic. They finished second in the group with six points. Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Reddit Email Share Key player: Chris Ikonomidis Ikonomidis has been outstanding for Australia with four assists and one goal, and there’s been only one goal for the whole tournament he’s not been involved in. He’s been put at striker and attacking midfield for the Glory but has played on the wing for Australia. If he is taken out of the game by the fullback from Uzbekistan, we are in deep trouble. Ikonomidis is our best crosser and linker, and by taking him out they would have to make Awer Mabil take on that job when Mabil is more of the ‘faster goalscorer’-type player. Where they will win With through balls and getting into space. Four of Australia’s six goals have came from through balls. In the 4-2-3-1 formation you’ve got three attacking midfielders, of which two are out wide, meaning one of the two wide midfielders can came in while one can stay put. Awer Mabil and Chris Ikonomidis are great at getting into space, while Tom Rogic and Ikonomidis are great at playing through balls. If we can continue that, we will be unstoppable. Advertisement Advertisement Where they will lose Underestimation. The Socceroos have a long history of underestimating teams. Of our two games against Thailand in the World Cup qualifiers, one was a draw and another was a 2-1 win. There was the opening game of the 2015 Asian Cup in which we conceded first to Oman but then won 4-1. But the underestimation that may haunt us forever is the 1-0 loss to Jordan in the opening match of this Asian Cup. We don’t want this to happen again. Predicted line-up Formation: 4-2-3-1 GK: Matthew Ryan LB: Aziz Behich CB: Trent Sainsbury CB: Milos Degenek RB: Rhyan Grant CDM: Mark Milligan CDM: Jackson Irvine LM: Chris Ikonomidis CAM: Tom Rogic RM: Awer Mabil ST: Jamie Maclaren The game against Palestine was the best for Australia, so why change it from there? Trent Sainsbury will return from suspension, so he will come in for Massimo Luongo, and Mark Milligan will go back into CDM. I don’t think the formation should change at all. Uzbekistan Uzbekistan started the tournament with a 2-1 win over Oman and then thrashed Turkmenistan 4-0. They finished the group stage with a 2-1 loss to Japan. Like the Socceroos, they finished second in their group (Group F) on six points. Key player: Odil Ahmedov I don’t know a lot about Uzbekistan, but I know Odil Ahmedov. He is a midfielder who has scored 18 goals in 92 games for his country and is known for his tough tackling and long shots, which is a great asset to any team. Where they will win: Speed Speed, I am speed. In their game against Turkmenistan all of their four goals came from players making runs that probably wouldn’t have been goals if the players weren’t fast enough. They will need to be on the jets again if they want to win this game. Advertisement Advertisement Where they will lose: On paper Let’s be realistic: Australia is just way better on paper. I have to basically start from scratch learning about this team. Not a single player from Uzbekistan plays in any of the top five European leagues or the leagues below those five leagues. But that could work in their favour as the Socceroos wouldn’t know much about them either. It probably won’t, though. Sports opinion delivered daily Predicted line-up GK: Ignatiy Nesterov LB: Egor Krimets CB: Farrux Sayfiyev CB: Davronbek Khashimov RB: Islom Tukhtakhujaev CDM: Dostonbek Khamdamov CDM: Ikram Alibaev LM: Sidikov Javokhir CAM: Otabek Shukurov RM: Fozil Musaev ST: Eldor Shomurodov I always thought that playing the same formation as your opponent would favour the team with the better players, but it didn’t seem like that in the game against Japan. I see them starting the same squad as the last game. Advertisement Advertisement Prediction: 2-0 Socceroos Australia has to win. There’s too much pressure on the team – and on Graham Arnold. Go Socceroos!<doc-sep>Al Ain: Socceroos coach Graham Arnold has implored his players to be more "ruthless" in front of goal and put their opponents away when they have the chance at the Asian Cup. Australia's campaign continues on Tuesday (1am AEDT) when they meet Uzbekistan in their round of 16 clash at the Khalifa bin Zayed Stadium in Al Ain. On paper and on form, the defending champions should win. Sharpen up: Graham Arnold wants the Socceroos to start putting teams away when they have the chance. Credit:AP Uzbekistan have never scored a goal against the Socceroos in three previous meetings, but the White Wolves will be no pushovers and represent a step up in class compared to the teams Australia faced during the group stage. Arnold is seeking further improvement from his team and believes it can come in attack, pointing to last week's spirited 3-2 win over Syria as an example.<doc-sep>

Former Socceroo Ned Zelic believes Uzbekistan have the weaponry to cause the Socceroos some problems in their last 16 match-up at the Asian Cup. Graham Arnold’s side take on the Uzbeks, helmed by highly rated Argentine Hector Cuper, on Tuesday morning in the do-or-die clash. “I still think we’ll do well,” Zelic said on Sunday Shootout. Australia's head coach Graham Arnold Source: AP “Certainly there are challenges there and the Uzbekis they play a real European style game. The fact that they’ve got Cuper in there as well, a tactical genius really as a coach does give them that extra mix of causing us a few problems. Get every match of the AFC Asian Cup LIVE only on FOX SPORTS. Sign Up Now! “Clearly there are a few players in there, [Odil] Akhmedov at No.6 who really does break up a lot of the play but has the ability as well to really find his teammates in good areas going forward. Up front as well, [Eldor] Shomurodov who’s been scoring goals is going to be a challenge for our central defenders. If we can shut down these influential players then certainly it is a positive start. When I see, certainly the game against Japan they had five players out and so they rested a lot of their good players, but in those previous games they were very impressive. “When they smashed Turmkenistan, when I see one of their players getting on the ball and playing a pass with the outside of the foot to Shamurodov then that shows you automatically there’s real technical ability in this side. “So itll be up to us to put in a balanced performance to shut them down, but what we want to play as well. You want to get Ikonomidis, Mabil on the ball. We saw against Japan, as soon as you get a few of those skilful speedy players on the ball you can cause them a lot of problems.” Watch the Socceroos take on Uzbekistan live on Fox Sports 505 from 12:30am on Tuesday morning.

On Friday afternoon, as Maine Sen. Susan Collins gave a speech on the Senate floor explaining why she would vote in favor of Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation to the Supreme Court, the progressive crowdfunding platform Crowdpac began receiving a flood of campaign donations for her eventual Democratic challenger when she runs for re-election in 2020. In fact, it appears that Crowdpac was deluged by so many donations that it shut down due to an internal server error. The website is still down as of this writing. Advertisement As Kavanaugh’s messy confirmation fight was raging over the past few weeks, Crowdpac had been collecting donation pledges ranging from $1 to $2,700 for two progressive Maine groups that would use the funds toward unseating Collins. However, the conceit was that these donations would only be processed if Collins voted “Yes” on Kavanaugh, since she was seen as one of the handful of senators who were on the fence about the nomination. Collins, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, and Republican election lawyer Cleta Mitchell alleged that this fundraising effort amounted to a bribery scheme to pressure the Maine senator into voting against Kavanaugh. The crowdfunding campaign had raised more than $1 million by early September. Advertisement Advertisement When Collins announced that she would in fact be supporting the nominee, donations for her eventual opponent skyrocketed. Earlier in the day, the raised funds stood at around $1.8 million. Because the Crowdpac site is currently down, it’s difficult to tell just how much money the campaign managed to raise after Collins’ decision became clear, but reports suggest that the total amount raised blew past the $2 million mark while she was still speaking. Advertisement JUST NOW: As Susan Collins speaks about Kavanaugh, the CrowdPac funding her opponent unless she votes NO just soars tens of thousands of dollars, surpassing the $2 million mark!https://t.co/doVlNyogCr pic.twitter.com/iSBRGZrAs8 — jordan (@JordanUhl) October 5, 2018 Crowdpac announced that it will be back online shortly.<doc-sep>U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, considered one of the few possible Republican "no" votes on Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, speaks to news media at Saint Anselm College, Friday, Sept. 21, 2018. WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 04: Comedian Amy Schumer waits to be led away after being arrested during a protest against the confirmation of Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh October 4, 2018 at the Hart Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. Senators had an opportunity to review a new FBI background investigation into accusations of sexual assault against Kavanaugh and Republican leaders are moving to have a vote on his confirmation this weekend. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images) (CNN) — Sen. Susan Collins was already one of the Democrats’ biggest Senate targets in 2020 when she took to the Senate floor Friday to announce she would vote to confirm Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. But Collins’ decision to back the Supreme Court nominee after he was accused of sexual assault was instantly controversial with not only the hundreds of activists who flooded the Capitol this week but also with Democratic activists in her home state of Maine who have opposed Kavanaugh’s nomination for weeks. By the time she finished her speech, Democrats in Maine had begun speculating who might challenge the moderate Republican. And progressive activists are pouring in money to fund the eventual challenger, raising millions of dollars online to unseat Collins. A half dozen Democratic operatives and lawmakers in Maine raised several names of potential candidates who are openly considering the job, including Chellie Pingree, the Democrat representing Southern Maine in the US House; Sara Gideon, the speaker of the Maine House of Representatives; Seth Berry, a former member of the Maine House of Representatives; and Hannah Pingree, a former speaker of the Maine House and Chellie Pingree’s daughter. Some Maine Democrats also mentioned Jared Golden, the veteran running in Maine’s 2nd Congressional District this year, as a possible challenger whether he wins or loses the race, as well as Emily Cain, a top operative at the Democratic group EMILY’s List and two-time congressional candidate from Maine. Maine’s Democratic bench is not very deep, said two operatives, so the seat could also be a chance for the party to draw in a national figure or political outsider. Susan Rice, the former national security adviser for President Barack Obama, caused a stir Friday afternoon when she tweeted “Me” when another former Obama official asked who could challenge Collins in 2020. Rice does have a home in Maine, a source said, and her family has ties to the state. In a follow-up tweet, Rice said: “Many thanks for the encourgement (sic). I’m not making any announcements. Like so many Americans, I am deeply disappointed in Senator Collins’ vote for Kavanaugh. Maine and America deserve better.” Brian Fallon, a former aide to Hillary Clinton who’s the head of a group that aimed to sink Kavanaugh’s nomination, suggested former Planned Parenthood head Cecile Richards for the job. “Doesnt @CecileRichards have a home in Maine?” Fallon asked. Richards does in fact own a home in the state. Collins’ speech, where she decried the process to get Kavanaugh’s nomination through the Senate and slammed outside Democratic groups for their actions throughout it, so animated Democrats in Maine that many wasted no time to tout that they were openly considering a run. “I would certainly not rule it out,” Berry, who spent a decade representing rural Maine, told CNN. “There are others who are equally qualified and I would want to look at the whole field before I make a decision, but clearly Sen. Collins made a choice that did not reflect the people of Maine and our values.” Gideon also leaned into a possible run minutes after Collins’ speech wrapped up, posting to her Facebook page that she will consider challenging the Republican. In an interview with CNN afterward, she called Collins’ plan to back Kavanaugh “a final straw” but not the only reason. “I am considering it,” she said. “I have a very important responsibility from now until November 6 to re-elect a Democratic majority (in the Maine House), so I am laser-focused on that in the next four and a half weeks. However, this is something I am seriously considering and once we get past November 6 then I will be really laying out everything and making a decision.” Gideon added: “As a woman, it is absolutely fundamentally tied to my belief about what he will do as a justice on women’s reproductive rights, but further than that, when the testimony of Dr. Ford came out, it really did become something different.” The Maine Republican Party stood firmly behind Collins after her speech, calling the remarks the “gold standard of speeches in explaining her vote and showing how a nominee should be evaluated.” But it seemed shortly after the remarks that Collins’ defense of Kavanaugh invigorated Democrats in the state and nationwide. “This will galvanize Democrats to come together and look for a strong challenger to Sen. Collins,” Joe Baldacci, a former mayor of Bangor, said in an interview. “I think these votes really go to the heart of important progressive issues and how they affect Maine families, and I think this vote will galvanize Democrats in Maine.” One thing was clear after Collins’ speech: Whoever runs will be well funded. As the senator spoke, grass-roots progressive donors poured money – more than $1 million, according to organizers – into an online effort led by the Be A Hero PAC designed to raise money for a potential Democratic challenger. When its Crowdpac site crashed, the group set up an account on Act Blue, another fundraising website, and said it likely crossed the $3 million threshold by the time Collins finished her remarks. Back in 2014, the last time she ran for re-election, Collins spent more than $5.5 million. Her opponent, Democrat Shenna Bellows, raised only $2.4 million. If Collins decided to oppose Kavanaugh, the pledges would have been canceled. But the group’s president, Liz Jaff, said that with Collins’ announcement, “Everybody’s going to get charged tomorrow.” The “Be A Hero” effort had picked up steam, and appeared in headlines, earlier in the confirmation process when Collins derided it as “bribery.” The money, which has been raised legally, is likely to change the early contours of the primary to replace her. “Nobody ever goes in that early, nobody is even thinking about, and what we’ve just done is set it up for a candidate to legitimately have a chance,” Jaff said. “Starting capital for any person running for Senate in Maine hasn’t even been close to what we just raised. So I think what happens is suddenly you will have a bunch of people who say, ‘I could never have raised that money. It’s just going to be too tough,’ are suddenly looking at a pool of capital they could have access to.”<doc-sep>Senator Susan Collins of Maine is not up for reelection until 2020. And she doesn’t even have an opponent yet. But given the Republican senator’s support of Brett Kavanaugh—and her long speech attempting to justify it—whoever runs against her will already have a ton of financial support. The Daily Beast reports a crowdfunding campaign has sprung up against Collins, and in support of whatever Democrat runs against her in 2020. The campaign was started by the groups Maine People’s Alliance and Mainers for Accountable Leadership, alongside activist Ady Barkan. Barkan, who has ALS and makes access to healthcare a key part of his activism, started the campaign back in August in an attempt to sway Collins to vote against Kavanaugh: This content is imported from Twitter. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. I may be losing my voice, but I can still send a message, and I have one for @SenatorCollins: If you vote for Kavanaugh we will fund your future opponent for 2020. Vote NO and #StopKavanaugh #BeAHero Pledge $20.20 to this campaign and share it: https://t.co/4HPtATVrXc pic.twitter.com/ZkdI3u57yY — Ady Barkan (@AdyBarkan) August 16, 2018 On Friday afternoon, Crowdpac announced the campaign had raised more than $2 million for Collins’ future Democratic opponent. This content is imported from Twitter. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. WOW. @AdyBarkan and @mfalpac have officially raised over TWO MILLION for @SenatorCollins future Democratic opponent. Let's keep this movement going ⬇️⬇️⬇️https://t.co/03SPe50yTI — Crowdpac (@Crowdpac) October 5, 2018 Shortly after that—and shortly after her speech wrapped—demand to donate was so high that it crashed Crowdpac’s website. “Senator Susan Collins has people more motivated than we’ve ever seen before,” the site noted on Twitter. This content is imported from Twitter. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. Senator Susan Collins has people more motivated than we've ever seen before. Hold tight, we'll be back shortly. — Crowdpac (@Crowdpac) October 5, 2018 Barkan tweeted for supporters to donate an apt $20.20 through ActBlue in the meantime. This content is imported from Twitter. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. Well we crashed Crowdpac but we arent stopping pledge $20.20 now here, its over for her: https://t.co/WsijVuUtAJ — Ady Barkan (@AdyBarkan) October 5, 2018 This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io<doc-sep>

WASHINGTON - Sen. Susan Collins' announcement Friday that she would vote "yes" on Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh likely ended the uncertainty over his confirmation. But while Collins spoke on the Senate floor and explained why she would be voting for Kavanaugh, people angry over her decision were donating cash to defeat her in her next election. More than $50,000 was given over the course of her nearly 45-minute speech, bringing the total raised on an online crowdfunding campaign to defeat Collins in her 2020 election to more than $3 million as of 7 p.m. The campaign by three activists groups, Be A Hero Team, Maine People's Alliance and Mainers for Accountable Leadership, had been criticized by Collins and others over several weeks as a possible attempt to bribe Collins into voting against Kavanaugh. The groups started raising money in August, asking people across the nation to donate to Collins' opponent in an attempt to show her the stark opposition to Kavanaugh. No one has yet filed to run against Collins in 2020. Susan Rice, former President Barack Obama's National Security Adviser and United Nations Ambassador, suggested on Twitter Friday that she could challenge Collins. The donation page, titled "Either Sen. Collins VOTES NO on Kavanaugh OR we fund her future opponent" went down briefly on crowdfunding website crowdpac.com Friday afternoon because of "overwhelming" traffic to the page, Be a Hero said in a statement. The groups are also raising money on the website ActBlue and say in total, between the two the amount has topped $3 million. The groups say donations are coming in every three seconds. More:Sen. Susan Collins a 'yes' on Kavanaugh, drawing anger from protesters and praise from GOP More:Brett Kavanaugh moves towards Supreme Court confirmation after Susan Collins, Joe Manchin pledge support The page has said those donating wouldn't be charged if Collins voted no on Kavanaugh. But on Friday, Collins seemingly put an end to the uncertainty, giving a nearly 45-minute speech on the Senate floor that explained her process and why she'd be voting to confirm him. "Susan Collins has betrayed the people, and especially the women and survivors, of Maine," the campaign organizers said in a statement. "Thousands of Mainers wrote, called, visited, protested, begged and pleaded with Susan Collins to do the right thing - to be a hero - and vote no. She ignored them." The statement continued, "For years she has claimed to be an independent, a different kind of Republican, but today she shattered that facade forever. Her vote will reverberate long after she has left the Senate." The organizers said they were committed to defeating Collins in 2020 and pledged to "never let her forget" this decision. "Maine deserves a Senator who would recoil at the idea of confirming a proven liar, an emotionally unstable partisan, to the Supreme Court," the statement said. "Maine deserves a Senator who will believe survivors, who will listen to their stories, and who will represent them with honor. Susan Collins is no longer capable of that." During her speech on the floor, Collins went through the issues, from Obamacare, same-sex marriage and abortion rights, and said Kavanaugh's record and pledges before Congress were enough to keep her vote. She said Christine Blasey Ford, who alleged Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her when they were teens, offered a compelling testimony before Congress, but ultimately no one could vouch for her claims or even remember the party. Collins said the allegations, in her eyes, "fail to meet the 'more likely than not'" standard. She said she believes voting against Kavanaugh without witnesses or proof could start a "dangerous" precedent. "I do not believe that these charges can fairly prevent Judge Kavanaugh from serving on the court," Collins said, adding that her decision should not be "misconstrued as suggesting that unwanted sexual contact of any nature is not a serious problem in this country." A watchdog group asked the Justice Department to investigate the campaign against Collins out of concern the money donated was an attempt to bribe Collins' vote and called it illegal. It's illegal if "the payments are made in return for an explicit promise or undertaking by the official to perform or not to perform an official act," the Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust (FACT) wrote in a letter to the Justice Department.

Five homes surrounding the fire were evacuated as crews worked to tame inferno CALGARY (660 NEWS) – Several residents in Douglas Glen were jolted awake shortly before 4:30 a.m. Sunday by a loud bang, followed by smoke and flames shooting into the sky. “When our crews arrived one house was fully involved, immediately they called for a second alarm for additional resources, fire already was spreading to a neighbouring home,” said Carol Henke, public information officer with the Calgary Fire Department who added the initial calls came in reporting a potential explosion. “There were flames shooting up, there was an orange glow in the sky,” neighbour Renee said. “Within 10 minutes that house was gone and the two on each side were in flames.” Footage from neighbours following an explosion in the Douglas Glen Close SE area and more from the smoky scene hours later. pic.twitter.com/6nbyS0KCX8 — Crystal Laderas (@CrisLaderas) February 17, 2019 Renee described a very scary situation to see nearly a dozen fire trucks on scene trying to tame the inferno. “The wind has died down and thank God because they had trouble containing it.” Christian Robinson also lives nearby and said when the explosion happened, his bed shook. “I thought someone was in my house and had kicked my bed or something,” he recalled. “I looked out and there was a bright orange glow… I could see the flames overtop the houses.” He said it was very nervewracking and he was concerned more houses would go up in smoke. “I wondered, ‘Should I get my stuff ready and get in my car’ [to evacuate]. '” Another neighbour said it was like someone landed a plane on his roof. People here telling me the scene was chaotic – a child was missing for a brief time and the flames were at least 50 feet high. The homeowners are believe to be in Thailand – no word yet on basement tenant #YYC — Ian Campbell (@news_ian) February 17, 2019 Shirley walked 660 NEWS through a similar story–she said she, among others, was looking around to figure out what had happened. “We heard a big boom and our windows shook and our house shook. “About an hour later we could smell the smoke and gas. It was really bad until about 11 a.m.” A charred carcass is all that’s left of the home where crews believe the fire started. The destruction is so extreme firefighters have not been able to search the house for any occupants that may have been inside at the time of the incident. One neighbouring home sustained severe damage due to the explosion and subsequent fire. Damage to other homes includes broken windows and melted siding. Five homes were evacuated and Henke said they asked Calgary Transit to supply two transit buses to shelter the evacuees from the cold weather. -with files from Jenna Hamilton, Ian Campbell<doc-sep>LATEST ON THIS STORY: Death of man in Calgary house explosion ruled 'not suspicious' One home was destroyed and several others were damaged by an apparent explosion in the southeast Calgary community of Douglas Glen early Sunday morning. It's not yet known whether anyone was injured in the blast. Calgary fire spokesperson Carol Henke said more than 25 calls were made to 911 about 4:20 a.m. "Callers reported hearing a loud bang, then seeing fire and smoke coming from the house," she said. "Some callers were several blocks away. When fire crews arrived on scene, they encountered a fully involved house fire with flames spreading to neighbouring residences." Strong winds and cold temperatures hampered efforts by fire fighters to get the flames under control. The temperature at the time was -17 C and there were wind gusts up to 40 km/hr. This photo was taken about 4:20 a.m. after an explosion destroyed a home and damaged several others. (Submitted photo) The fires have since been brought under control. "The debris pattern around the neighbourhood would indicate there was an explosion," said Capt. Paul Frederick with the Calgary Fire Department. Investigators will begin sifting through the rubble looking for a cause once firefighters have finished putting out hot spots, said Frederick. Neighbour Dale Frizzell heard the blast and ran outside to see the second storey of the home across the street had been blown away. Frizzell says the owner of the destroyed home is in Thailand, where he spends six to eight weeks each winter. Neighbour Dale Frizzell said the owner of the destroyed home is in Thailand, where he spends six to eight weeks each year, however a renter is unaccounted for. (Sarah Lawrynuik/CBC) "He's lost everything, he had his car in the garage, he had his truck in his garage. He also had the house rented out," he said. "We're just hoping the renter wasn't here. We haven't seen him for about a week or two, so we're hoping he's not here, that he's somewhere else. That's the main concern for us as neighbours." Anika MacLachlan and her son, Evan, were asleep in their home about 100 metres away when they were awakened by an explosion. This is NOT how you want to be woken in the early morning! Around 4:20am. Douglasglen. Across from our front yard. 🤞no one was home. Trying to save all the… https://t.co/AIrGt8wIPT —@JSBlades "It was a violent shake of our house, to the point where the cupboards rattled and the glass inside was rattling," said Anika. She did a quick check of their own home, then went outside. "That's when we saw massive flames shooting up not far away," she said. Five homes were evacuated on Douglas Glen Close S.E. A second alarm was called in, meaning additional fire resources sent to the scene, and Calgary Transit also brought in two buses to keep evacuees warm. Some of those evacuated have been allowed back inside their homes. Five homes were evacuated following an explosion in the community of Douglas Glen. (Anis Heydari/CBC) "The neighbouring home sustained pretty significant damage as well, but there were some other homes that just had some more minor damage like broken windows and melted siding," said Henke. Henke is asking anyone who has photos or videos of the fire to email them to her.<doc-sep>Article content Sources have confirmed a body has been recovered from a burned out home after an explosion sparked a two-alarm blaze on Sunday morning. Police are still investigating the cause of the fire but the death is not being treated as suspicious. We apologize, but this video has failed to load. tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or UPDATE: Body found in southeast house fire, death not suspicious Back to video Dozens of 911 calls around 4:20 a.m. reported “a loud bang” in the 300 block of Douglas Glen Close S.E., the fire department said in a statement. One caller said they heard “a loud sound, glass shattering and then flames visible from the second floor of the single-family home.” When fire crews arrived they found a home fully engulfed in flames with fire spreading to neighbouring residences. The fire department called a second alarm for additional resources to fight the fire, aggressively attacking the source home fire while fighting the spreading flames from both inside and outside the neighbouring homes. Denise Sullivan’s home backs onto the fire. She said she woke to “a big, huge bang like an explosion” on Sunday morning.<doc-sep>

Send this page to someone via email First responders were at the scene of a house fire in the southeast Calgary community of Douglas Glen Sunday morning. At around 9:30 p.m. investigators removed a body from the home. The incident occurred in the 300 block of Douglas Glen Close S.E. Police have not confirmed any further details, except to say they’ve taken over the investigation. Officers said they would hold the scene for several hours, possibly longer. WATCH: The Sunday morning blast destroyed one home in southeast Calgary and damaged two neighbouring houses. Michael King reports. 1:08 Investigation continues into explosion in southeast Calgary Investigation continues into explosion in southeast Calgary – Feb 17, 2019 Fire officials said they received over 25 calls to 911 at around 4:20 a.m. Story continues below advertisement Many callers reporting they heard a loud bang, glass shattering, and saw flames visible from the second floor of the home. When crews arrived, they found a home fully engulfed in fire, with the flames spreading to a second home. WATCH: A fire started in the 300 block of Douglas Glen Close S.E. in Calgary on Sunday. When crews arrived, they found a home fully engulfed in fire, with the flames spreading to a second home. Adam MacVicar has more. 1:47 Officials investigate explosion, fire in southeast Calgary Officials investigate explosion, fire in southeast Calgary – Feb 17, 2019 According to Calgary fire, a neighbouring home suffered severe damage to the possible explosion and fire; damage to other homes included melted siding and broken windows. Five homes were evacuated in all, according to fire officials. Two transit buses were brought in to shelter evacuees, but residents with homes that sustained minor damage have since been allowed to return home. Story continues below advertisement READ MORE: Smoking materials to blame for 2 deadly Calgary fires Crews shut off power and gas to the affected homes. A second alarm was called to the scene, due to damage and the need to change out crews because of the cold weather. One neighbour said he heard a loud explosion that shook his house a block away. BREAKING: Several houses on fire on Douglas Glen Close, hearing that at least one house is destroyed, and a second is badly damaged; no word yet on injuries #yyc @GlobalCalgary pic.twitter.com/wFL7l15YFx — Michael King (@MKingGlobal) February 17, 2019 According to a neighbour who spoke to Global News, the owner of the home was away in Thailand and a renter was living there at the time of the explosion. “We hadn’t seen him in a few weeks and we were just hoping and praying he wasn’t in there,” Dave Frizzell said. “We are a family. It’s hard to swallow sometimes but that’s what we do, help each other through tough times. “I feel bad for the owner, he lost everything, she lost everything, and he’s going to come home to a house with nothing and have that person who passed away in his basement.” Fire officials continue to investigate the cause of this incident and are asking any witnesses who have information, photos or video, especially prior to the arrival of fire crews on scene, to email piofire@calgary.ca. Story continues below advertisement WATCH: The incident occurred in the 300 block of Douglas Glen Close S.E. When crews arrived, they found a home fully engulfed in fire, with the flames spreading to a second home. 3:21 Calgary Fire investigating possible explosion in southeast neighborhood Calgary Fire investigating possible explosion in southeast neighborhood – Feb 17, 2019 – With files from Michael King

Lionel Messi is back in training for Barcelona after missing the last two games because of a broken bone in his arm. Messi suffered the injury on October 20 in their 4-2 win against Sevilla which was expected to sideline the Argentina forward for several weeks. But the 31-year-old, who missed the Champions League win over Inter and Sunday's 5-1 El Clasico triumph against Real Madrid, joined his team-mates in a photo tweeted by the club with the words 'Leo Messi returns to training'. Lionel Messi is back in training with Barcelona having made a quicker return than expected Coach Ernesto Valverde will check Messi's fitness before deciding whether to bring him back for Saturday's league game at Rayo Vallecano or delay his return until next Tuesday, when Barcelona travel to the San Siro to face Inter in the Champions League. Messi had been in stunning form before his injury, netting 12 goals in as many games. This included four in his last three against Sevilla, where he suffered his injury, Valencia and Tottenham Hotspur. Messi was forced off against Sevilla earlier in the month with a broken arm The Argentine forward was wearing a sling at the Nou Camp during his side's Champions League victory over Barcelona just days later Barcelona are currently progressing well domestically and in Europe as they sit top of La Liga by a point from surprise outfit Deportivo Alaves, while they look all but certain to reach the Champions League last 16 as group winners. Barca are back in action on Wednesday in the Copa del Rey when they travel to Cultural Leonesa, with Messi's stand-in Ousmane Dembele is expected to start. Dembele has struggled to settle at the Nou Camp following his £96million arrival from Borussia Dortmund last term, with the Spanish side considering cashing in on the forward who is being tracked by Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea. The Gunners are also weighing up a swoop for another Barca outcast in Malcolm, but are expected to face a fight with Tottenham Hotspur to secure his signature.<doc-sep>Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window) Lionel Messi was originally expected to miss nearly a month after breaking his right arm on Oct. 20, but now appears intent on returning in nearly half the time. [ MORE: Roberto Martinez the new front runner for Real Madrid job ] The Barcelona superstar missed a Champions League victory over Inter Milan last week followed by Sunday’s El Clasico destruction of Real Madrid, but returned to light training on Wednesday, 11 days after suffering the injury. Messi isn’t in the squad to face Cultural Leonesa in the Copa del Rey round of 32 on Wednesday, but his return to training signals the possibility he could be available to face Rayo Vallecano in La Liga action on Sunday. Follow @AndyEdMLS<doc-sep>Lionel Messi has returned to training with Barcelona only 11 days after fracturing his arm against Sevilla. The Argentine star was forced off the La Liga game after 15 minutes following a nasty fall which saw him awkwardly bend his arm. Reports after the game suggested he would be sidelined for about three weeks, and he missed El Clasico against Real Madrid on Sunday night, a 5-1 thrashing which saw the end of Julen Lopetegui's reign as Madrid coach. However, pictures on Barcelona's official Twitter account on Wednesday morning certified Messi was back at the Joan Gamper training complex for a training session with the rest of the squad. Although he will not take part in the team's Copa del Rey fixture against Cultural Leonesa on Wednesday, he could make a return on the bench for their league clash against Rayo Vallecano on Saturday. Barcelona will resume their Champions League campaign when they travel to face Inter Milan at San Siro next Wednesday.<doc-sep>

Lionel Messi returned to training on Wednesday after missing Barcelona's wins over Inter Milan and Real Madrid in the last week. Messi, 31, did some fitness training at the club's training ground and was able to do some ball work for the first time since breaking a bone in his arm on Oct. 20. The forward is on track to return within the three weeks he was initially ruled out for but sources have told ESPN FC that Barca won't take any risks with his recovery. Barcelona face Cultural Leonesa in the Copa del Rey on Wednesday before travelling to Rayo Vallecano in La Liga on Saturday. Messi will not be available for either game but his return to training led to hopes he could return for next Tuesday's game at Inter. Failing that, he will almost certainly be back to face Real Betis on Nov. 11, which is Barca's final game before the international break. Lionel Messi during Barcelona's Clasico win against Real Madrid. Photo by David S. Bustamante/Soccrates/Getty Images He injured his arm in the win over Sevilla earlier this month but his absence has not hampered Barca on the pitch. So far he has missed the 2-0 Champions League win over Inter and the 5-1 Clasico humiliation of Madrid at Camp Nou. Messi trained with Jordi Alba and Gerard Pique on Wednesday as the first team travelled to Leon for their cup game. Ernesto Valverde has named an inexperienced squad for the match, resting seven of his more senior players, including Ivan Rakitic, Philippe Coutinho and Luis Suarez.

In his first Champions League match with Juventus, Cristiano Ronaldo was sent off in the 29th minute for what looked like patting (maybe forcefully patting?) Valencia defender Jeison Murillo on the head, after Murillo went down in the box. I’m no Ronaldo super fan, but that has to be the most ridiculous red card I’ve ever seen. Here’s another angle: Advertisement In the unlikely event Ronaldo is gven more than the UEFA-mandated one-match suspension, he’d miss Juve’s Oct. 23 match against Manchester United and his highly anticipated return to Old Trafford. After Ronaldo was sent off, Juventus scored twice for what is currently a 2-0 lead, so they look like they’ll be fine, but still, that call was garbage.<doc-sep>The Portuguese superstar was sent off during his side's 2-0 win over Valencia, casting doubt over his participation in upcoming games Cristiano Ronaldo stole all of the headlines on the second night of the 2018-19 Champions League group stage, as he was sent off during Juventus' 2-0 win over Valencia. The Portugal international was shown his very first red card in Europe's premier club competition after he appeared to pull the hair of defender Jeison Murillo. Ronaldo was astonished at the decision to the point that he was even reduced to tears as his first return to Spain since his departure from Real Madrid turned sour. Indeed, he had to be helped from the turf after collapsing upon seeing the card, and took a number of minutes to leave the pitch. UEFA assess cases on an individual basis, though they do institute an automatic one-match suspension for a straight red dismissal. So how long will Ronaldo be banned for and what game - or games - will he miss? What did Ronaldo do to get sent off? After running into the box, Ronaldo and Murillo clashed, the defender claiming he was kicked by the 33-year-old. Ronaldo reacted to that, raising his arm in protest, before appearing to scratch Murillo's head with his hand. The moment that saw Cristiano Ronaldo see red [🎥: U.S. only] pic.twitter.com/IB3ffZweXw — B/R Football (@brfootball) September 19, 2018 How we didn’t expect Cristiano Ronaldo’s Champions League debut for Juventus to end... ⚪️ With a goal ⚪️ With a hat-trick 🔘 In tears He’s received his first-ever red card in the competition 😮 pic.twitter.com/VbOqOAh07q — Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) September 19, 2018 Murillo then squared up to the forward, and players from both teams were forced to intervene. Referee Felix Brych consulted the official behind the goal, and a decision was taken to send Ronaldo off, leaving him in tears. You can watch the incident in the videos above. Will Ronaldo miss Juventus' game against Man Utd? A fairytale return to Old Trafford remains on the cards on October 23 after UEFA confirmed that Ronaldo will only be banned for one Champions League game. That means the only game he is certain to miss is Juve's next encounter, against Young Boys, on October 2 in Turin. Ronaldo was unable appeal his ban, but faces an anxious wait to see if that suspension will be extended by UEFA. Game Ronaldo will miss Date Opponent Venue Oct 2 Young Boys Allianz Stadium, Turin There was a possibility that it might have been extended to two games, meaning he would have had to sit out the Old Trafford clash. Former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg believes Ronaldo's red card was harsh - he claims he would have shown both Murillo and the Portuguese a yellow, and awarded Valencia a free-kick - and thinks a one-match ban will suffice. Writing in the Daily Mail, he said: "The contact looked very slight and I cannot see how the additional assistant, standing some 20 yards away, could deem it violent conduct. "If I had been officiating this game, I would have given Valencia a free-kick and shown a yellow card to each player. Ronaldo will serve a one-match ban but anything more would be harsh." Reaction to Ronaldo's red card vs Valencia Ronaldo's sending off sent social media into a frenzy, with Twitter users across the globe either mocking the crying superstar or criticising the referee. Indeed, one user claimed that the decision was "one of the most ridiculous sendings off ever". Leonardo Bonucci indicated that his team-mate was left "angry" at the decision, while Juve boss Massimiliano Allegri believes VAR would have saved the star . Miralem Pjanic went one step further, despite scoring the two penalties that won Juve the game, and insisted that the red card was "absurd". "Football is a strange game. We could have been 4-0 up after the opening period, then came that absurd sending off," Pjanic said, via the club's website. And Emre Can took a slightly different tact , claiming that "we're not women"! Article continues below “That’s supposed to be a red! ?” he exclaimed when shown footage of the action by DAZN . “I just heard that he said it was because of hair pulling. We’re not women, we’re playing football. “If you’re giving that as a red card, you can be sent off for any foul. One hundred per cent, that is not a red card.”<doc-sep>Cristiano Ronaldo is consoled by teammate Federico Bernardeschi after receiving a red card during the Champions League, group H soccer match between Valencia and Juventus. (AP Photo) Cristiano Ronaldo is consoled by teammate Federico Bernardeschi after receiving a red card during the Champions League, group H soccer match between Valencia and Juventus. (AP Photo) UEFA, Europe’s football governing body, on Thursday initiated a disciplinary case over Cristiano Ronaldo’s controversial red card in Champions League, and stated that it will be assessed on September 27, news agency AFP reported. The Portuguese superstar was shown a straight red card for tugging the hair of Jeison Murillo in the 29th minute of the Group H match between Juventus and Valencia on Wednesday. Falling on the ground in disbelief, Ronaldo reacted emotionally to the referee’s decision as he left the pitch with teary eyes. The former Real Madrid footballer, who received his first red card in Champions League, will miss Juventus’ next match against Swiss side Young Boys at home. However, it would be interesting to see if UEFA extends it to a two-match suspension, as it will also see Ronaldo being ruled out of the team when Juventus clash with his former club Manchester United at Old Trafford. A ten-men Juventus, however, prevailed over their Spanish opponents as Miralem Pjanic successfully converted two spot kicks, eventually leading his team to a 2-0 victory. Speaking about the red card incident, Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri expressed disappointment, while insisting that it shouldn’t have been a red card. He also added that the VAR technology in these circumstances would had been more useful. “I’ll only say that in this sort of occasion VAR would help. It’s disappointing because now we’ll lose him for a few games and instead if there had been VAR it would have been seen that it wasn’t a sending-off offense,” Allegri said.<doc-sep>Quality Sport Images/Getty Images Juventus will reportedly only be without Cristiano Ronaldo for one UEFA Champions League game following his red card against Valencia on Wednesday, meaning he would be available to face former club Manchester United. The Portuguese was sent off in the first half of the clash after it appeared he tugged on the hair of Jeison Murillo. The dismissal carries a standard one-game ban, although UEFA could have extended the sanction to two or three matches. However, according Richard Tanner of the Daily Mirror, that's unlikely to be the case for Ronaldo. It means that while he would miss the European showdown with Young Boys, he would be available for both matches against former club Manchester United later in the competition. Here's a look at the moment that saw Ronaldo dismissed: Videos you might like "There is no right of appeal over the one-game ban, but sources say that disciplinary officials, who have viewed television footage of the incident, do not regard Ronaldo's indiscretion as worthy of an increased punishment, even though he took a long time to leave the pitch amid heated protests," added Tanner. The dismissal was a disappointing way for Ronaldo to start his Champions League career with Juventus, having joined from Real Madrid in the summer. The Portuguese inspired Los Blancos to win the last three editions of the tournament, as well as four of the last five. However, throughout his career Ronaldo has been far from perfect when it comes to his disciplinary record, per Sky Sports Statto: The red card on Wednesday has triggered plenty of debate, though, as many have questioned whether or not the action was worthy of a dismissal. Dermot Corrigan of ESPN FC believes the forward has actually been involved in more serious altercations previously: Overall, the sending off continued what has been an eventful start to Ronaldo's career at Juventus. In Serie A it took the forward four games to get off the mark, as he netted a brace in Sunday's 2-1 win over Sassuolo. Prior to that double he'd been frustrated in front of goal, although the team have been performing well, winning all four of their top-flight matches. Juve also turned in an impressive performance against Valencia on Wednesday after their star man's dismissal, as two Miralem Pjanic penalties gave them a 2-0 win at the Mestalla. After three points on the road the Serie A side are now in a strong position to qualify and appear poised to jostle with United for top spot. Having Ronaldo available for those games will not only make for a special occasion, but enhance Juve's chances of a more favourable run when they reach the knockout stages.<doc-sep>

VI-Images/Getty Images Cristiano Ronaldo will only miss one UEFA Champions League game following his red card against Valencia, meaning he will be available for Juventus' two matches against former club Manchester United. After the dismissal, the Bianconeri feared Ronaldo would be absent for the games against the Red Devils, but as Sky Sports News noted, he will only miss the upcoming contest with Young Boys: Ronaldo was given his marching orders on his debut in the competition for Juventus after he tangled with defender Jeison Murillo. It appeared as though the Juve star tugged on the Valencia man's hair. Here's a reminder of the incident in question: Ronaldo faced a three-game ban if his sending off were deemed worthy of an increased punishment. However, the Portugal international will only be absent for the match in Turin on Tuesday. Juventus will be the big favourites for that one regardless. After they beat Valencia 2-0 despite the red card in their first match of this year's competition, they are in brilliant shape to qualify for the knockout stages. The matches against United will be vital in determining which team makes it through the group stage and who finishes top, so manager Massimiliano Allegri will be delighted that his premier goalscorer is available. Video Play Button Videos you might like After all, when it comes to the Champions League, nobody raises his game quite like Ronaldo: Not only will the games be important, but the wi'll also be special occasions, as the Portuguese is a legendary figure at Old Trafford. When he returned with Real Madrid in 2013, the forward received a rapturous reception from the crowd before a controversial 2-1 win for the La Liga side. That result knocked United out in the round of 16, with Ronaldo on target in a 1-1 draw at the Santiago Bernabeu in the first leg. Despite that—and the fact that supporters will want to see their team win—given what Ronaldo accomplished in red, you suspect he will lauded again: Ronaldo will be desperate to make an impact as he continues to settle into life at Juventus following his move from Madrid, with whom he won the Champions League on four occasions. In Serie A, Ronaldo has scored three times and laid on two assists in six appearances for the Bianconeri. The Italian champions have a perfect league record through their opening six games in 2018-19.

Ivanka Trump, US President Donald Trump's daughter and senior adviser, will help choose the new World Bank President, the White House has said. Jessica Ditto, a White House spokeswoman, said on Monday that Ivanka Trump was asked because "she's worked closely with the World Bank's leadership for the past two years", The New York Times reported. Ivanka Trump, who had been rumoured to be a contender for the position herself, will not be a candidate, Ditto said. But she will assist the Treasury secretary, Steven Mnuchin, and the acting White House Chief of Staff, Mick Mulvaney, in choosing a successor to Jim Yong-kim, the current president of the World Bank who announced his resignation last week. Administration officials are expected to begin the interview process for the job on Tuesday. The White House did not provide any names of contenders. Ivanka Trump, Mnuchin and Mulvaney will make recommendations to the President, who will nominate a candidate for the position. Member countries of the World Bank will then vote on the nominee. Traditionally, the American President's pick is accepted and Europe chooses the leader of the International Monetary Fund because both institutions were founded during World War II. Jim, a former Dartmouth College president and a global health expert, was selected for the post by former President Barack Obama in 2012.<doc-sep>Ivanka Trump will assist U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin in choosing the new head of the World Bank. Trump, the Jewish daughter of President Donald Trump, had been rumored to be a contender for the position, The New York Times reported. World Bank President Jim Yong Kim announced last week that he was stepping down. He was nominated in 2012 by President Barack Obama. Jessica Ditto, a White House spokeswoman, told The Times that Ivanka Trump was asked to be involved because “she’s worked closely with the World Bank’s leadership for the past two years.” The position always has gone to an American. The president nominates a candidate and member countries of the World Bank vote on the choice. Trump, an entrepreneur, has been criticized in the past for her involvement with the World Bank.<doc-sep>President Donald Trump's daughter Ivanka Trump is one of a small handful of Trump administration officials being considered for the head of the World Bank after its Obama-appointed head Jim Yong Kim resigned suddenly this week, shocking staffers, the Financial Times reported Friday. The president has already been accused of nepotism for appointing his daughter to the role of special adviser, and her White House role is unpaid in order to avoid accusations of ethics breaches. Since taking up this official role, Ivanka Trump has met with numerous heads of government and even appeared to replace her father at a G20 world leaders meeting, where she sat next to British Prime Minister Theresa May and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Many at the time noted that this move was unprecedented. She was also reportedly considered for the role of United Nations ambassador after Nikki Haley announced that she would resign. Trump dismissed the rumors, noting that he would be accused of nepotism if his daughter were appointed. "So nice, everyone wants Ivanka Trump to be the new United Nations Ambassador. She would be incredible, but I can already hear the chants of Nepotism! We have great people that want the job," Trump tweeted in October. The president's eldest daughter does have some experience with the World Bank, however. In 2017 she worked with the World Bank to develop a fund for women's entrepreneurship. The news of Kim's departure left staff at the World Bank confused and uncertain about the future. Kim had been unpopular among some staffers for his previous criticism of the institution he eventually led and his desire to use the bank as an instrument to promote global development. But it was still rare and unexpected for a World Bank president to leave the institutions three and a half years before his term is up. Kim was appointed by former President Barack Obama, and his sudden departure means that Trump will be able to appoint his successor. The World Bank president is chosen by the bank's board, with the voting shares distributed based on how much money each country has given to the bank. A deal between the U.S. and European shareholders has ensured that the U.S. candidate is selected to run the World Bank while the Europeans lead the International Monetary Fund. This arrangement has been increasingly criticized by countries like China, however. For now, Kristalina Georgieva, a Bulgarian politician and former European Union commissioner who has been working as the World Bank's chief executive, will act as interim president until Kim is replaced.<doc-sep>

White House adviser Ivanka Trump Ivanka TrumpMichael Cohen predicts Trump will turn on family after revelation of criminal probe Eric Trump buys .2M home near father's golf club in Florida Melinda Gates tapped divorce lawyers in 2019 after Epstein links to husband: report MORE is going to help pick the new World Bank president, but she herself is not under consideration for the position, the White House said. Trump will work with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin Steven MnuchinDemocrats justified in filibustering GOP, says Schumer Yellen provides signature for paper currency Biden's name will not appear on stimulus checks, White House says MORE and White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney Mick MulvaneyHeadhunters having hard time finding jobs for former Trump officials: report Trump holdovers are denying Social Security benefits to the hardest working Americans Mulvaney calls Trump's comments on Capitol riot 'manifestly false' MORE to help manage the U.S. nomination process, according to the statement, which said it was "false" that she was under consideration for the role. “Secretary Mnunchin and Chief of Staff Mulvaney have asked Ivanka Trump to help manage the U.S. nomination process as she’s worked closely with the World Bank’s leadership for the past two years – however, reports that she is under consideration are false,” White House spokeswoman Jessica Ditto said in the statement. ADVERTISEMENT The Financial Times last week reported Trump was one of multiple possible contenders for the U.S. nomination. The report sparked backlash from multiple lawmakers and public figures, including Rep. Ted Lieu Ted W. LieuAsian American lawmakers say State's 'assignment restrictions' discriminate Democrats, activists blast Trump DOJ effort to get journalists' phone records Lawmakers praise Biden for expected recognition of Armenian Genocide MORE (D-Calif.) and Democratic mega-donor Tom Steyer, who claimed the move would be an act of nepotism. World Bank chief Jim Yong Kim announced earlier this month that he will resign from his post on Feb. 1, three years before his term was set to expire. The financial institution's CEO, Kristalina Georgieva, is expected to act as interim president following Kim's departure. The World Bank works to promote economic development and poverty eradication through loans and technical support. -- Updated at 5:23 p.m.

It’s the second game of a back-to-back set for the Houston Rockets, who are coming off of a win last night against the Charlotte Hornets. They’ll be taking on the Miami Heat back home at the Toyota Center, and they’ll also be back in the hole on the injury front. Kenneth Faried and Iman Shumpert, who were injured in last night’s contest, will both be out tonight. And in somewhat of a surprise, Eric Gordon will also be out tonight with a sore knee. Rockets guard Eric Gordon is out with a sore knee. Gerald Green to start. — Jonathan Feigen (@Jonathan_Feigen) February 28, 2019 The Rockets are facing another under .500 team, but as we’ve seen time and again with this year’s squad, that’s no guarantee of a victory. The short rotation means we’re likely to see at least some of Terrence Jones, who was a -8 in one minute of action last night, a feat pretty impressive for its awfulness. He also ran into James Harden at one point and generally looked completely out of sorts. Hopefully, we see Gary Clark instead. As for the Heat, they’ll be without James Johnson and Hassan Whiteside. Make sure you check out AK’s preview before the game. Go Rockets!<doc-sep>-- "Seeding is probably more important," he said. "I think we're probably OK because the starting group played together for a year. We're OK there, just as long as each guy physically is in a good spot. I think as a team we're OK."<doc-sep>It looked as if the Houston Rockets were going to suffer another one of those disheartening losses to an under .500 team. It was the second half, they were down double digits, and the defense couldn’t stop a thing. After falling behind by 21, The Beard turned on the afterburners, finishing with 58 points, 7 rebounds, 10 assists, and 4 steals, and he shot 16-32 from the field, 8-18 from three, and a perfect 18-18 from the free throw line to lead the Rockets to a come-from-behind 121-118 victory over the Miami Heat. The Rockets also got 14 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists from Chris Paul, and though he was just 4-12 from the field and 1-6 from deep, he hit a mid-range dagger with time running down to help close out the win for the Rockets. This was Houston’s fourth win in a row, but for a while, it appeared they were going to get blown out. The defense was sluggish and a step slow most of the night, giving up 118 points on 51 percent from the field, 15-28 from deep, and 46 points in the paint, including 32 in the first half alone. But they were able to put the clamps on when it mattered, holding Miami to just 20 points in the fourth quarter. Combine that with MVBeard’s supernova, and you got another win for the good guys in red despite being shorthanded. Eric Gordon, Kenneth Faried, and Iman Shumpert all missed tonight’s game with injury. In addition to Harden and CP3, the Rockets also got 14 points and 5 rebounds from spot starter Gary Clark. He hit also hit three triples, and it was nice to see the rook step up in time of need. Austin Rivers also made a major impact, hitting on 7-8 from the field for 17 points, including 3 threes. The Rockets were 19-46 from deep as a team. The Heat were led by Kelly Olynyk and Goran Dragic who had 21 apiece, as the Heat had seven players finish in double figures, including all five starters. Justise Winslow had 19 points, 7 rebounds, and 8 assists, Josh Richardson had 18, Dwyane Wade had 12, Dion Waiters had 11, and Bam Adebayo finished with 10, but they were still no match for Harden’s heroics. The Rockets now move to 37-25 on the season and are now just 1.5 games behind the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Portland Trail Blazers, who are tied for third in the Western Conference standings. Houston is now off until Sunday, when they travel to Boston to take on the Celtics in a nationally televised contest on ABC. The Beard will be looking for another feather in his MVP cap, this time in front of a massive audience.<doc-sep>

The first game of the season between the Houston Rockets and Miami Heat is a memorable one for Rockets fans, as it featured a hamstring injury that kept Chris Paul off the court for almost two months. Tonight marks Dwyane Wade’s final game in Houston (unless something really crazy happens in the playoffs). Wade is a first-ballot Hall of Famer, and he hit his fifth career buzzer beater last night to knock off the Golden State Warriors. So you can expect the Heat to get the “Warriors win bump” that most teams enjoy after beating the defending champions. The first time these teams met, it was a defensive slugfest with both teams shooting solidly below 40% from the field. With how poorly Houston has been defending of late, the guess is that the game will feature a few more fireworks than the 101-99 matchup provided. Goran Dragic has been coming off the bench for the Heat since his return from injury, and he dropped 27 points against the Warriors. He’s probably not long for the bench as the Heat gear up for a playoff push. Another player looking to have a big night is Houston native Justise Winslow. Hassan Whiteside and James Johnson are day-to-day for the Heat. For Houston, Nene is day-to-day, and Kenneth Faried and Iman Shumpert are dealing with minor issues that might hold them out. This is a game that Houston should be favored to win. More than anything, I would like to see the Rockets get a double-digit lead and then proceed to not give it away immediately. Tip-off is at 7pm CT

Here are up-to-minute results in Georgia's July 24 runoff election. Georgians went to the polls Tuesday to vote in a wide variety of runoffs in advance of the Nov. 6 general elections. In the nation's most watched governor's election, Secretary of State Brian Kemp won a sold victory over Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle in a hotly contested runoff to determine who will face Democrat Stacey Abrams this fall. (Full elections results below -- App users click here) The GOP runoff for lieutenant governor between state Sen. David Shafer and Geoff Duncan was a virtual tie. Once the secretary of state certifies the election, the runner-up will have five days to request a recount. Brad Raffensperger defeated David Belle Isle to win the GOP secretary of state nomination. A number of other runoffs throughout Georgia were also on the July 24 ballot. Ga. candidates for governor cast their votes in the runoff 1/15 2/15 3/15 4/15 5/15 6/15 7/15 8/15 9/15 10/15 11/15 12/15 13/15 14/15 15/15 1 / 15 PHOTOS : Brian Kemp wins GOP governor's nomination 1/5 2/5 3/5 4/5 5/5 1 / 5 RELATED STORIES | ►FULL ELECTION RESULTS | 11Alive.com/elections ►GEORGIA ELECTION GUIDE | These are the runoff candidates<doc-sep>David Shafer and Geoff Duncan are tied in a runoff to determine who will face Democrat Sarah Riggs Amico this fall. Don't tell the two men who are tied to become GOP nominee for lieutenant governor that every vote doesn't count. With 100 percent of the precincts reporting, Geoff Duncan was leading state Sen. David Shafer by less than 1,500 votes, effectively putting both men at 50 percent. Once the Georgia Secretary of State certifies the election, whoever finishes second has the right to request a recount within five days, almost a certainty given the importance of becoming the state's No. 2 elected official. Either Duncan or Shafer will face Democrat Sarah Riggs Amico on Nov. 6 in the race to replace Casey Cagle, who lost a bid to become the GOP gubernatorial nominee Tuesday night against Brian Kemp. Shafer and Duncan finished first and second, respectively, back on May 22, while Amico defeated her primary opponent. The race between Shafer and Duncan took a nasty turn late in the campaign, with both candidates launching a series of negative, attack ads on the other. The lieutenant governor's position is widely seen throughout the state as a launching point for higher office, including governor, U.S. senator and Congress. Cagle became the state's first Republican lieutenant governor in history 12 years ago.<doc-sep>Republican Brad Raffensperger will face Democrat John Barrow this fall. Brad Raffensperger defeated David Belle Isle Tuesday night to win the GOP nomination for secretary of state. Georgians will choose a new secretary of state for the first time in eight years. Raffensperger and Barrow are seeking to replace Brian Kemp, who defeated Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle in a runoff for the GOP governor's nomination. Georgia may replace its electronic voting machines with a system that has a paper backup. Whoever wins the Nov. 6 election will oversee that system's implementation. Belle Isle is a former Alpharetta mayor, while Raffensperger is a private businessman. Barrow is a former U.S. congressman from central Georgia.<doc-sep>They've been political adversaries for years, and now they're facing each other in a governor's race that could have historic implications. Georgia’s governor’s race -- already the nation’s most watched gubernatorial election this fall – is poised to go nuclear after the results of Tuesday night’s GOP runoff. Brian Kemp, who a decisive victory over Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle, now faces Democrat Stacey Abrams on Nov. 6, in a battle between two elected officials who have been at odds with each other for years. Kemp led early as the results came in and never relinquished his lead. Cagle conceded the race just after 8:30 pm, and Kemp claimed victory to his supporters around 9 pm. Kemp finished second behind Cagle back on May 22 in the GOP primary. But less than a month before Tuesday’s runoff, the race tightened, and an 11Alive poll released just days before the runoff showed Kemp with a slight lead over Cagle, but with more than 20 percent of voters still undecided. The runoff gained national attention when President Donald Trump endorsed Kemp and Vice President Mike Pence making a campaign appearance for him on Saturday. Cagle's campaign was also severely damaged by a series of secret recordings that portrayed him in an unflattering light. The recordings were made by a former GOP gubernatorial rival, Clay Tippins, of conversations between the two men. Abrams is attempting to become the nation’s first African-American female governor, while Kemp seeks to continue the GOP’s domination of state government that has existed since 2002. Congratulations @BrianKempGA. You ran a great campaign & Georgia Republicans trust you to carry our mantle forward. To the #CagleLead supporters, Nita and I are truly touched by your dedication and commitment to our future!! We gave it our all & I’m proud of all we accomplished! — Casey Cagle (@CaseyCagle) July 25, 2018 The differences between Kemp and Abrams couldn't be clearer. Kemp is proud of his politically incorrect image, burnished by campaign ads where he aims a shotgun at one of his daughters' potential suitors and driving around in an old pickup truck he says he'll use to round up criminal illegal aliens. Abrams, on the other hand, is hoping the thousands of minority voters she has registered over the last four years, combined with millennials and Trump-hating voters, will help her make history this fall. Kemp and Abrams have been political enemies since 2014, when Kemp, as secretary of state, investigated Abrams’ New Georgia Project. Abrams and Rev. Rafael Warnock of Ebenezer Baptist Church were attempting to register thousands of minority voters for the gubernatorial and U.S. Senate elections. Kemp, who chaired the state election board, and the bi-partisan board itself led a three-year investigation that determined that, out of nearly 90,000 applications that the group collected during the drive, 53 were found to be possibly fraudulent. “The reason that this case was so serious on the front end is because we were getting complaints from voters that their signatures had been forged on those voter registration applications,” Kemp said at the time. “We’re not going to tolerate fraud, but we’ll also work with people that want to do things the right way.” Warnock said the election board's investigation cleared the organization. While the NRA endorsed Cagle in the GOP primary, expect the powerful organization to endorse Kemp. It certainly won't endorse Abrams, who proudly touts her "F" rating from the organization. Expect President Trump to once again tout his support for Kemp this fall and perhaps make a campaign appearance for him as well. Several nationally prominent Democrats have already appeared for Abrams, including U.S. Sens. Kamala Harris and Cory Booker, both of whom have been mentioned as possible White House contenders in 2020. Abrams is an unabashedly left-leaning progressive. Expect Kemp to paint Abrams as an extreme, left-leaning progressive liberal unfit to govern what still remains a solidly Republican state. PHOTOS : Brian Kemp wins GOP governor's nomination 1/5 2/5 3/5 4/5 5/5 1 / 5<doc-sep>

Brian Kemp will face Stacey Abrams this fall in the nation's most watched governor's race. Georgians went to the polls Tuesday to vote in a variety of runoff elections. (Click here for a voter's guide). Refresh this page for continuous updates through the day. ►►Bookmark this page for election results after 7 p.m. 11alive.com/elections◄◄ 9:03 pm -- Kemp addresses his supporters. 8:48 pm -- Gov. Nathan Deal congratulates Kemp on his victory: My congratulations to Brian Kemp on his victory tonight. Both he and Casey Cagle ran passionate, hard-fought campaigns. Now, it’s time to unite behind Brian to keep moving Georgia forward. (1/2) — Governor Nathan Deal (@GovernorDeal) July 25, 2018 Together, we’ll continue to keep our state the best place in the country to live, work and raise a family. This November, join me in electing Brian the 83rd governor of Georgia. (2/2) — Governor Nathan Deal (@GovernorDeal) July 25, 2018 8:40 pm -- Associated Press declares Kemp the winner. 8:34 pm -- Cagle concedes race to Kemp, calls to congratulate him. 8:24 pm -- Kemp 66%, Cagle 34% 8:15 pm -- Kemp 65%, Cagle 35%, with 15% reporting. 7:55 pm -- Kemp 62%, Cagle 38%, with 7% reporting. 7:47 pm -- Kemp, 62%, Cagle 38%, with 2% precincts reporting. 7:38 pm -- Kemp's lead widens further, 59% to 41%. No metro Atlanta counties reporting. 7:31 pm -- Kemp's lead widens to 57% to 43% with 1 percent still reporting. 7:17 pm -- Kemp's lead narrows to 52% over Cagle's 48%. 7:14 pm -- Kemp jumps out to an early lead over Cagle, 54% to 46%, with 1 percent of precincts reporting. 7 pm -- Polls close throughout Georgia. 5:18 pm -- Some metro Atlanta voters reported trouble voting at their polling locations on Tuesday. 11:30 a.m. UPDATE - Casey Cagle tweets a message insisting he will "make sure @JulioJones_11 reports to training camp" if he's elected governor. Jones is in the middle of a contract dispute with the Atlanta Falcons. 9:30 a.m. UPDATE - President Donald Trump tweeted a message of support for Brian Kemp, days after his endorsement of the gubernatorial candidate. Today is the day to vote for Brian Kemp. Will be great for Georgia, full Endorsement! https://t.co/yPND2bJ219 — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 24, 2018 8:30 a.m. UPDATE - Brian Kemp touts his support and endorsement by President Trump. As governor, I will unapologetically stand with President @realdonaldtrump to secure our border, deport criminal aliens, crush gangs, and ensure a bright and promising future for our families. #maga #gapol #tcot #teamkemp #gafirst pic.twitter.com/BOKO9xdOoS — Brian Kemp (@BrianKempGA) July 24, 2018 7 a.m. UPDATE - Polls open in Georgia. RELATED STORIES | ►FULL ELECTION RESULTS | 11Alive.com/elections ►GEORGIA ELECTION GUIIDE | These are the runoff candidates ► Have a news tip? Email news@11alive.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter feed. PHOTOS : Brian Kemp wins GOP governor's nomination 1/5 2/5 3/5 4/5 5/5 1 / 5

This booking photo provided by the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Department shows ex-NFL football player Lawrence Taylor, who was arrested on August 2 in Palm Beach County, Florida on a DUI charge. US actor Shia LaBeouf(L) during his He Will Not Divide Us livestream outside the Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria, in the Queens borough of New York January 24, 2017 as a protest against President Donald Trump. LaBeouf has installed a camera at the Museum of the Moving Image in New York that will run a continuous live stream for the duration of Trumps presidency. LaBeouf is inviting the public to participate in the project by saying the phrase, He will not divide us, into the camera. / AFP / TIMOTHY A. CLARY (Photo credit should read TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images) HOLLYWOOD, CA - MAY 10: Rob Kardashian and Blac Chyna arrive at her Blac Chyna Birthday Celebration And Unveiling Of Her "Chymoji" Emoji Collection at the Hard Rock Cafe on May 10, 2016 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Greg Doherty/Getty Images) FILE - SEPTEMBER 14: It has been reported that actress Heather Locklear has been hospitalized after driving her car into a ditch in Thousand Oaks, California. BEVERLY HILLS- CA - AUGUST 16: In this handout photo provided by Discovery, Actress Heather Locklear attends TLC "Too Close To Home" Screening at The Paley Center for Media on August 16, 2016 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Amanda Edwards/Discovery via Getty Images) Brown bonded out on $2,000, according to jail records. Booking Date/Time: 07/05/2018 23:00 Release Date: 07/05/18 Time: 23:52 Gretchen Wilson arrives at the 50th annual CMA Awards at the Bridgestone Arena on Wednesday, Nov. 2, 2016, in Nashville, Tenn. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP) (CNN) — Prosecutors say at least six more possible victims have come forward in the rape case against Grant William Robicheaux, who charmed TV audiences by lamenting how hard it was for a busy surgeon like him to meet the right woman. Orange County DA Grant William Robicheaux and Cerissa Riley will be arrainged on October 25. And more than 30 people have called investigators in California about the case, according to Orange County District Attorney Chief of Staff Susan Kang Schroeder. Prosecutors say Robicheaux, 38, and his current girlfriend, Cerissa Laura Riley, 31, used their good looks and charm to drug and rape at least two women. Robicheaux, 38, and Cerissa Laura Riley, 31, are charged with rape by use of drugs, oral copulation by anesthesia or controlled substance, assault with intent to commit sexual offense, and possession of a controlled substance for sale. Robicheaux is also accused of firearms violations. After investigating videos on Robicheaux’s phone, authorities worry there may be hundreds more victims. But attorneys for the suspects say they did nothing criminal. How the alleged attacks unfolded Investigators believe Riley approached the women at a bar or restaurant, then invited her boyfriend over, Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas said Tuesday. He said Riley and Robicheaux met one woman, 32, at a restaurant in Newport Beach in April 2016. On another occasion, they invited her to a party and took her back to his apartment once she was intoxicated, Rackauckas said. Afterward, they drugged and raped the woman, the district attorney said. He said the incident was recorded on video. The woman contacted Newport Beach police the next day and tested positive for multiple controlled substances. Six months later, prosecutors say, another woman alleged the couple sexually assaulted her at the apartment after she got drunk at a bar with them. The district attorney’s office said she woke up and screamed for help until a neighbor called police to the scene. Authorities don’t know if that incident was also recorded, Rackauckas said. What the suspects’ attorneys say From Bravo TV Robicheaux was featured in an episode of Bravo's "Online Dating Rituals of the American Male" in 2014. Attorneys Philip Cohen and Scott Borthwick issued a joint statement on behalf of Riley and Robicheaux denying the allegations of nonconsensual sex. “They have been aware of these accusations for a number of months, and each of them will formally deny the truth of these allegations at their first opportunity in court,” the attorneys said. “Dr. Robicheaux and Ms. Riley believe that such allegations do a disservice to, and dangerously undermine, the true victims of sexual assault, and they are eager to have the proper spotlight shed on this case in a public trial.” The district attorney said investigators want to talk to Robicheaux’s patients, though so far there is no evidence any incidents happened in a medical setting. The defense attorneys said Robicheaux’s medical practice has nothing to do with the claims. “None of the allegations in this matter relate to or concern Dr. Robicheaux’s medical practice or patients in any way,” the attorneys said. Riley and Robicheaux each paid $100,000 bail last week when they were arrested. They will be arraigned October 25. ’There might be many unidentified victims out there’ On Robicheaux’s phone, investigators found hundreds of clips of women in various states of consciousness, Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas told reporters Tuesday. He said that many of the women in the videos appeared unable to consent to sexual contact. Many of the videos also included Riley, he said. He said many of the women in the videos appeared unable to consent to sexual contact. Many of the videos also included Riley, he said. Rackauckas estimated more than 1,000 videos were on Robicheaux’s phone. He did not say whether the same women were seen in multiple clips. “Based on this evidence we believe that there might be many unidentified victims out there,” he said. In 2014, Robicheaux appeared on an episode of Bravo’s “Online Dating Rituals of the American Male.” The district attorney said no women from the Bravo show have been connected with the cell phone videos. The district attorney’s office asked that any women who think they may have been sexually assaulted by the couple contact the office’s lead investigator, Eric Wiseman.<doc-sep>A California surgeon who once appeared on a Bravo TV dating show and his girlfriend are accused of drugging and raping two women and authorities believe there could be many other victims. Grant Robicheaux and Cerissa Riley were arrested on September 11 on rape and several other charges, the Orange County District Attorney’s Office said in a press release. Robicheaux is a 38-year-old Newport Beach resident who appeared on the Bravo show “Online Dating Rituals of the American Male” in 2014. Riley, 31, is from Brea, California, and has worked as a dance teacher. They are accused of working “in tandem” to supply drugs to their victims and then sexually assault the women while they were unable to consent, District Attorney Tony Rackauckas said in the press release. “The defendants may have traveled together to various festivals and locations since 2015 including Burning Man in Black Rock Desert, Nevada, Dirtybird Campout festival in Silverado, Splash House festival in Palm Springs, and landmarks near Page, Arizona,” the district attorney’s office said. Robicheaux and Riley were both released on $100,000 bond on September 17. They are scheduled to appear in court in October. “All allegations of non-consensual sex are unequivocally denied by Grant Robicheaux and his girlfriend Cerissa Riley,” a statement provided to Heavy on behalf of their attorneys said. “They have been aware of these accusations for a number of months, and each of them will formally deny the truth of these allegations at their first opportunity in court. Dr. Robicheaux and Ms. Riley believe that such allegations do a disservice to, and dangerously undermine, the true victims of sexual assault, and they are eager to have the proper spotlight shed on this case in a public trial. “It must be noted that none of the allegations in this matter relate to or concern Dr. Robicheaux’s medical practice or patients in any way. They both thank their families and friends for their continued support,” the statement from the couple’s attorneys said. Meanwhile, Rackauckas said the couple used their looks and status to gain the trust of the alleged victims. “People often assume rapists are creepy, scary men who lunge out from hiding amongst bushes and attack unsuspecting women. The reality is that rapists come in all socioeconomic groups, any background,” Rackauckas said at a press conference on September 18. “It’s important to understand that rapists can look like anyone. They can be anyone. They can be either gender.” He continued, “This morning, my office is announcing the filing of charges and arrest of well-known orthopedic surgeon Grant Robicheaux and his female companion Cerissa Riley. In the materials we’ve seized, there are thousands and thousands of videos and images on Robicheaux’s phone, many also including Riley, which we’re now meticulously going through. There are several videos where the women in the videos appear to be highly intoxicated beyond the ability to consent or resist and they’re barely responsive to the defendant’s sexual advances. Based on this evidence, we believe there may be many unidentified victims out there.” Here’s what you need to know about Grant Robicheaux and Cerissa Riley: 1. The DA Says Robicheaux & Riley ‘Used Their Good Looks & Charm to Lower the Inhibitions of Their Potential Prey’ According to prosecutors, the first incident occurred in April 2016, when Grant William Robicheaux and Cerissa Laura Riley met the 32-year-old victim at a Newport Beach restaurant. On April 10, the couple invited her to a party in Newport Beach and then escorted her to their apartment “once she was intoxicated,” the district attorney’s office said. “The defendants are accused of supplying multiple drugs to the victim then raping and orally copulating her while she was prevented from resisting due to intoxicating and controlled substances and they should have reasonably known of her condition,” according to the press release. The woman went to the Newport Beach Police Department the next day and underwent a forensic exam, which tested positive for multiple controlled substances, according to prosecutors. The district attorney’s office said Robicheaux and Riley met the second victim at a Newport Beach bar on October 2, 2016. They are accused of drinking alcohol with her until she was “no longer conscious.” Prosecutors say the couple then brought her back to Robicheaux’s apartment, where they are accused of “sexually assaulting her with intent to commit rape.” According to the press release, the woman woke up and screamed for help until a neighbor called police, who responded and investigated the case. Rackauckas told reporters there is no evidence any of the alleged crimes took place in a medical setting. He also said they don’t know whether all the incidents happened the same way. “But we do see is that there is bar, the couple is in a bar, Cerissa introduces her, meets the lady and then introduces her to Robicheaux and then they invite her to a party.” In one case, the party was on a boat, Rackauckas said. “She’s having some drinks, she feels more intoxicated by the drinks than would ordinarily be expected, pretty soon she’s very intoxicated and hardly knows what’s going on. They take her to his apartment and perform all of these sex acts on her. So that’s the general way that we’ve seen it.” Rackauckas said at the press conference, “women who have encountered these two might have felt a false sense of security due to the fact that both defendants are clean cut and good looking. We tend to trust doctors who take an oath to do no harm. The second defendant being a female is key. A woman purporting to be his girlfriend clearly paid a significant role in disarming the victims and making them feel comfortable and safe. We believe the defendants used their good looks and charm to lower the inhibitions of their potential prey.” Robicheaux was charged with rape by use of drugs, oral copulation by anesthesia or controlled substance, assault with intent to commit sexual offense, four counts of possession of a controlled substance for sale and two counts of possession of an assault weapon.<doc-sep>At least six more potential victims have come forward with allegations against a California doctor and his girlfriend who were charged with drugging and sexually assaulting at least two women. Grant William Robicheaux, an orthopedic surgeon who previously appeared on the Bravo show Online Dating Rituals of the American Male, and Cerissa Laura Riley were charged with drugging and assaulting two women, the Orange County District Attorney’s office said Tuesday. A spokesperson for the district attorney’s office told TIME on Thursday that at least six additional women have come forward in the case and that more than 30 others have called investigators regarding Robicheaux. Prosecutors say Robicheaux, 38, and Riley, 31, may have traveled together to festivals like Burning Man and other locations since 2015. They are alleged to have worked together to bring victims to Robicheaux’s apartment, through supplying them with drugs and alcohol, according to Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas, who said the pair “used their good looks and charm to lower the inhibitions of their potential prey.” Investigators said they believed there would be additional victims in the case. The couple’s attorneys denied the allegations in a statement to TIME on Wednesday. “All allegations of non-consensual sex are unequivocally denied by Grant Robicheaux and his girlfriend Cerissa Riley. They have been aware of these accusations for a number of months, and each of them will formally deny the truth of these allegations at their first opportunity in court,” the statement said. “Dr. Robicheaux and Ms. Riley believe that such allegations do a disservice to, and dangerously undermine, the true victims of sexual assault, and they are eager to have the proper spotlight shed on this case in a public trial. It must be noted that none of the allegations in this matter relate to or concern Dr. Robicheaux’s medical practice or patients in any way. They both thank their families and friends for their continued support.” Get The Brief. Sign up to receive the top stories you need to know right now. Please enter a valid email address. * The request timed out and you did not successfully sign up. Please attempt to sign up again. Sign Up Now An unexpected error has occurred with your sign up. Please try again later. Check the box if you do not wish to receive promotional offers via email from TIME. You can unsubscribe at any time. By signing up you are agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Thank you! For your security, we've sent a confirmation email to the address you entered. Click the link to confirm your subscription and begin receiving our newsletters. If you don't get the confirmation within 10 minutes, please check your spam folder. Write to Mahita Gajanan at mahita.gajanan@time.com.<doc-sep>A combination of photos released by the Orange County District Attorney’s Office shows g Grant William Robicheaux, 38, and Cerissa Laura Riley, 31, who have been arrested and charged with allegedly sexually assaulting two women by use of drugs, in Newport Beach, California. Photo: EPA<doc-sep>

LOS ANGELES – Six more women may be victims of sexual assault by a prominent orthopedic surgeon – who was featured in a TV reality dating show – and his girlfriend, authorities said Wednesday. The six potential victims came forward to authorities after two women alleged that Grant William Robicheaux, 38, and girlfriend Cerissa Laura Riley, 31, lured them from local bars and festivals by drugging and then involving them in sexual acts, the Orange County, California, District Attorney's office reports. Two of the latest potential victims were from out of state, said office Chief of Staff Susan Kang Schroeder, but they could still testify at a trial. She said the victims met the suspects under different circumstances. "We are very encouraged that the victims would feel confident in the legal system and come forward," Schroeder said. Orange County officials suspect Robicheaux and Riley may have traveled together to "various festivals and locations since 2015, including Burning Man in Black Rock Desert, Nevada, Dirtybird Campout Festival in Silverado, California, and the Splash House music festival in Palm Springs, California," according to a news release issued by prosecutors earlier this week. In the Coachella Valley, law enforcement personnel in Palm Springs and Indio said they don't have any information on the suspects and there have been no reports – of the kinds of offenses Robicheaux and Riley are accused of – filed locally. More:Reality TV contestant and girlfriend arrested for drugging, raping women Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas said Tuesday there could be many victims, based on videos and photos seized as part of a search of Robicheaux's apartment in Newport Beach, and urged them to step forward. The materials showed other women involved in sex acts with the suspects, including some who appeared to be drunk or drugged. Robicheaux was featured on a Bravo TV show called "Online Dating Rituals of the American Male." He and Riley were free on bail pending an arraignment scheduled for Oct. 25. His brief celebrity likely helped him attract women. Laguna Beach resident Lauren Hayden, 24, said she found Robicheaux last year on the dating app Tinder. She thought he was good looking and saw a flattering article about him. When he invited her over for dinner at his apartment, she accepted and met him on Oct. 11, 2017. After Robicheaux cooked dinner, they had a glass of wine and later went to his hot tub. Hayden said he began trying to rip her clothes off and force her to his bedroom. “As I was putting on my clothes, he kept trying to rip them back off,” Hayden recalled in a telephone interview Wednesday. “I smiled and said I had to go and that I found the way he was talking to me to be disrespectful. I even said to him, ‘I don’t think you understand the way you’re coming off is really aggressive and kind of reminds me of previous sexual assault encounters that I’ve had, so I’d appreciate it if you’d stop.’” Robicheaux did not hold her down or force her to do anything after that. Hayden said she is now thinking of the women he allegedly raped and stressed that what he did to them was not their fault. “I want something positive to come from this,” Hayden said. “We need policy change around this issue.” Robicheaux faces charges that include rape by use of drugs, assault with intent to commit sexual offense, possession of drugs with intent to sell and possession of assault weapons. The charges also include having performed oral copulation with victims who were anesthetized. Robicheaux and Riley, who lives in Brea, California, were each released on a $100,000 bond pending a hearing Oct. 25. Robicheaux's medical practice was based in Newport Beach. Lawyers representing Robicheaux and Riley could not immediately be reached for comment. "They have been aware of these accusations for a number of months and each of them will formally deny the truth of these allegations at their first opportunity in court," Philip Cohen and Scott Borthwick, attorneys for the defendants, said in a joint statement to various media outlets. "Dr. Robicheaux and Ms. Riley believe that such allegations do a disservice to, and dangerously undermine, the true victims of sexual assault, and they are eager to have the proper spotlight shed on this case in a public trial."

Lewis Hamilton didn't quite manage to join Juan Manuel Fangio as a five-time Formula 1 world champion at the United States Grand Prix over the weekend. However, he still has plenty of opportunities left in the season to seal the title and has vowed to 'come back stronger' in Mexico. The nail-biting US Grand Prix was a chance for Hamilton to win the title, but the race was eventually won by Ferrari's Kimi Raikonnen, while Hamilton came third with his main rival Sebastian Vettel just behind in fourth. Lewis Hamilton (R) reflects on a missed opportunity as Kimi Raikkonen celebrates victory Raikkonen's win in front of Verstappen means Hamilton's coronation as champion is delayed Raikkonen takes the checkered flag in front of Max Verstappen for his first win in 113 races Mercedes made a rare error in their strategy for the race, leaving Hamilton too much to do with too little time to do it towards the end of the Grand Prix. 'There are a lot of things that we could have done better and there are certain things that weren't optimum for us which made it look even worse than it was,' Hamilton told Sky Sports. 'Ferrari gained a bit of pace and we seemed to lose a little bit of pace here. But we'll go back to the drawing board and that's why we're the best because as a team because in there no one is to blame, we all take the blame together. 'I know the guys will do great analysis from today over the next couple of days and we'll come back stronger the next race.' Hamilton is 70 points ahead in the title race, with only 75 more points on offer through the rest of the season. Vettel is still in the hunt, but it will take something major to deny the Brit the title. In Mexico, Hamilton just needs to come in seventh place to secure his fifth world championship. 'I thought we could do better, but we have to keep pushing at the next race,' said Hamilton on Sunday. 'I had way, way too far to go to get to the front. I don't know what happened with the strategy.' US GRAND PRIX RESULTS AND TITLE STANDINGS 1 Kimi Raikkonen (Fin) Ferrari 1hr 34mins 18.643secs 2 Max Verstappen (Hol) Red Bull 1:34:19.924 3 Lewis Hamilton (Gbr) Mercedes 1:34:20.985 4 Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Ferrari 1:34:36.865 5 Valtteri Bottas (Fin) Mercedes 1:34:43.387 6 Nico Hulkenberg (Ger) Renault 1:35:45.853 7 Carlos Sainz (Spa) Renault 1:35:53.637 8 Sergio Perez (Mex) Force India 1:35:59.723 9 Brendon Hartley (Nzl) Toro Rosso at 1 Lap 10 Marcus Ericsson (Swe) Sauber at 1 Lap 11 Stoffel Vandoorne (Bel) McLaren at 1 Lap 12 Pierre Gasly (Fra) Toro Rosso at 1 Lap 13 Sergey Sirotkin (Rus) Williams at 1 Lap 14 Lance Stroll (Can) Williams at 2 Laps Not Classified: 15 Charles Leclerc (Mon) Sauber 31 Laps completed, 16 Daniel Ricciardo (Aus) Red Bull 8 Laps completed, 17 Romain Grosjean (Fra) Haas 2 Laps completed, 18 Fernando Alonso (Spa) McLaren 1 Lap completed, DSQ Esteban Ocon (Fra) Force India, DSQ Kevin Magnussen (Den) Haas Fastest Lap: Lewis Hamilton 1min 37.392secs on Lap 40 1 Lewis Hamilton (Gbr) Mercedes 346pts 2 Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Ferrari 276 3 Kimi Raikkonen (Fin) Ferrari 221 4 Valtteri Bottas (Fin) Mercedes 217 5 Max Verstappen (Hol) Red Bull 191 6 Daniel Ricciardo (Aus) Red Bull 146 7 Nico Hulkenberg (Ger) Renault 61 8 Sergio Perez (Mex) Force India 57 9 Kevin Magnussen (Den) Haas 53 10 Fernando Alonso (Spa) McLaren 50 11 Esteban Ocon (Fra) Force India 49 12 Carlos Sainz (Spa) Renault 45 13 Romain Grosjean (Fra) Haas 31 14 Pierre Gasly (Fra) Toro Rosso 28 15 Charles Leclerc (Mon) Sauber 21 16 Stoffel Vandoorne (Bel) McLaren 8 17 Marcus Ericsson (Swe) Sauber 7 18 Lance Stroll (Can) Williams 6 19 Brendon Hartley (Nzl) Toro Rosso 4 20 Sergey Sirotkin (Rus) Williams 1 Constructors': 1 Mercedes 563pts, 2 Ferrari 497, 3 Red Bull 337, 4 Renault 106, 5 Haas 84, 6 McLaren 58, 7 Force India 47, 8 Toro Rosso 32, 9 Sauber 28, 10 Williams 7 Advertisement Despite starting second on the grid, Kimi Raikkonen made a stunning start to the Grand Prix Heading uphill into turn one, Raikkonen sneaks ahead of Hamilton as they head into the corner Raikkonen maintained his advantage following the first corner to take control of the Grand Prix Vettel's race and title hopes were almost over before the end of Lap 1 👀 #USGP 🇺🇸 #F1 pic.twitter.com/o13JaOxub8 — Formula 1 (@F1) October 21, 2018 Vettel smokes his tyres which saw him drop down to 15th and leave his title hopes dangling After staunch defending from Verstappen, Hamilton looked like he had got the job done<doc-sep>Mexico won the right to be the first Latin American nation to host the event, which will be held on January 19-20. The Race of Champions' purpose-built circuit will be built entirely within the famous stadium section - the Foro Sol - of the grand prix circuit. “We are delighted to be bringing the Race Of Champions to Mexico City," said ROC President Fredrik Johnsson. "The Foro Sol is an incredible arena to watch motor sport, and it’s no surprise that it has already reached iconic status with fans of Formula 1. "It is a perfect location for ROC Mexico, where the greats of motorsport will show off all their skills in identical supercars on our purpose-built track. “Rest assured we will put together a memorable event for fans of fast cars and even faster drivers. "Mexican race fans are passionate about their sport and I’m sure they will enjoy the competition and shows we put on – with a perfect view of all the action from every seat." The Race of Champions is run over two days, with the ROC Nations Cup to be held on Saturday January 19 and featuring two drivers from each nation fighting to win the title of 'World's Fastest Nation'. The following day is the Race of Champions itself, where individual drivers battle for the crown. Driver announcements are yet to be made for this year's event, which has traditionally pitched competitors from disciplines such as F1, IndyCar, NASCAR, World Rallycross, Le Mans and the World Rally Championship against each other. Previous winners of the event include David Coulthard, Sebastian Vettel, Juan Pablo Montoya, Mattias Ekstrom and Sebastien Loeb.<doc-sep>Lewis Hamilton needs a top-seven finish in Sunday's Mexican GP to be sure of clinching his fifth Formula 1 world title. The Mercedes driver needs just five points over the season's final three races to be sure of the title, even if Vettel wins every race. Hamilton leads Vettel by 70 points with 75 still available over the final three races. Hamilton needs to be 50 ahead by the end of the Mexican race to wrap up the title with two rounds to spare. So Vettel must outscore Hamilton by 21 points in Mexico to take the fight on to Brazil - meaning he must take the 25 points available for a race win to have any chance. But even if Vettel does win the race, Hamilton only needs five points to close out the crown. A seventh-placed finish, which is worth six points, would be sufficient. How Hamilton can win title in Mexico If Vettel wins in Mexico, Hamilton must finish seventh If Vettel is second or lower in Mexico, Hamilton is world champion Hamilton is already guaranteed to emerge ahead in any tie-break situation were he and Vettel to finish level on points at the end of the season as he has nine race wins to his Ferrari rival's five, with only three races left. Where has Lewis won his previous titles? Year Grand Prix How may races left? 2017 Mexico 2 2015 USA 3 2014 Abu Dhabi 0 2008 Brazil 0 How can Mercedes clinch the Constructors' Championship? It could prove a double celebration for Hamilton and Mercedes with the Brackley team having their first chance to clinch a fifth Constructors' Championship in succession. Leading Ferrari by 66 points, Mercedes need to outscore their Italian rivals by 20 points to settle the battle in Mexico. However, this remains an outside shot with Mercedes only scoring that many more points than Ferrari at a single event three times this season. Ferrari (2000-2004) are the only team to win five drivers' and constructors' title doubles in a row, a feat Mercedes can match. Sky F1's Mexican GP schedule Sunday, October 28 (Don't forget, the clocks go back an hour on Sunday morning!) 5.30pm: Pit Lane LIVE! 6.30pm: On The Grid LIVE! 7.10pm: THE MEXICAN GP LIVE! 9.30pm: Paddock Live Sky Sports F1 is the only place to watch every Formula 1 Grand Prix, qualifying and practice session live in 2018. Get Sky Sports F1.<doc-sep>

Lewis Hamilton insists he knows what went wrong at the US GP. LEWIS Hamilton says Mercedes already understand more of the reasons for their surprise US GP struggle and will “go back to the drawing board” for Mexico, when he will have a second chance to clinch his fifth world title. Hamilton was made to wait at least seven days to seal the Drivers’ Championship after slipping from pole position to third place in a pulsating Austin race won by Kimi Raikkonen. Hamilton has won the previous four races but conceded Mercedes “weren’t quick enough” in Texas when he was beaten by both a Red Bull and a Ferrari. Get every remaining F1 practice, qualifying and race LIVE & EXCLUSIVE. SIGN UP TODAY! “There are a lot of things that we could have done better and there are certain things that weren’t optimum for us which made it look even worse than it was,” said Hamilton, who was the only top-five finisher to make two pit stops. “Ferrari gained a bit of pace and we seemed to lose a little bit of pace here. But we’ll go back to the drawing board and that’s why we’re the best because as a team because in there no one is to blame, we all take the blame together. “I know the guys will do great analysis from today over the next couple of days and we’ll come back stronger the next race.” UNITED STATES GRAND PRIX: RICCIARDO ‘RUNNING OUT OF RACES’ FOR RED BULL CELEBRATION US GRAND PRIX BRANDED ‘BAD COPY’ OF INDY500 Lewis Hamilton leads the Drivers’ Championship by 66 points going into Mexico. Source: Getty Images Mercedes’ lead of the Constructors’ Championship from Ferrari was trimmed to just 66 points in America after Hamilton finished two places behind Raikkonen and Silver Arrows team-mate Valtteri Bottas was overtaken by Sebastian Vettel on the penultimate lap. While acknowledging a return to form for the Scuderia, Hamilton, fresh from Mercedes’ post-race debrief, added: “There were a lot of things that were against us. I’ve only just discovered certain things, which make a lot of sense. “Naturally then being that we were on the back foot, you could say strategy and all these different things, we weren’t quick enough today. “But we are still in a great position and for me there is frustration because I want to win the title for the team. Today we lost points in the constructors’ with the team and collectively we’ve lost performance in some areas. But I think we know where it is. We still have three races to go.” This story originally appeared on Sky Sports.

Gas prices hit record levels in Metro Vancouver on Friday, believed to be due, in part, to this week's increase to the provincial carbon tax. The highest reported price for regular Friday was 169.9 cents per litre in White Rock, where gas is full-service — a full six cents above last year's high of 163.9. Other self-serve gas stations in the region were selling gas for one cent less. B.C. 's carbon tax went up from $35 to $40 per tonne this month, adding an additional 1.1 cents to the per-litre price of gas — a price already inflated because two of the four refineries in Washington state that supply the province have been shut down, leading to a cinched supply. "We're not the only ones starting to see record prices," said gas analyst Dan McTeague, citing sky-high prices in California. "We are in new territory and I suspect, for most people, the pain at the pumps will continue." Werner Antweiler, a business professor at the University of British Columbia, said the additional taxes and higher prices could have locals searching for alternatives to gas-powered vehicles. "People will eventually start buying more fuel-efficient vehicles as a result of high fuel taxes — whether it's a carbon tax or any other fuel tax," he said earlier this week. Another 1.5 cent per litre price increase is expected on Canada Day, when TransLink's regional fuel tax rises from 17 cents to 18.5 cents per litre.<doc-sep>Share this Story: Metro Vancouver drivers see another painful record as gas prices jump Metro Vancouver drivers see another painful record as gas prices jump The cost of fuel around Metro Vancouver is rising again, break previous record-high prices that were set only a week ago. Photo by Alan Diaz / AP Article content With Metro Vancouver gas prices hitting record highs for the second week in a row and Jason Kenney vowing to “turn off the taps” if elected premier of Alberta on Tuesday, the B.C. government has a big problem on its hands, according to one petroleum analyst. “I wouldn’t want to call Jason Kenney’s bluff,” GasBuddy.com analyst Dan McTeague said Friday. “He’s not fooling around.” We apologize, but this video has failed to load. tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Metro Vancouver drivers see another painful record as gas prices jump Back to video Earlier this week, the United Conservative Party candidate said he’d stop the flow of Alberta oil and gas to B.C. in retaliation for the provincial government’s attempt to block construction of the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion. In response, Attorney General David Eby said B.C. would challenge that move in court with an immediate injunction. Premier John Horgan said the outcome of the election was up to the people of Alberta. “Whoever they choose to run their government is someone I’m going to have to work with, and I look forward to that,” Horgan said during a media availability Thursday. Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content When asked about gasoline, the premier blamed record-high prices on fuel companies and gas stations, rather than taxation. “There’s been no tax increase this week,” he said, referring to the increase in the provincial carbon tax that seemed to bump up prices April 1, “yet we’ve seen massive price increases at the pump. I think the travelling public understands the issue here is not taxation specifically.” Horgan said it was “going to be a long summer,” before launching into an explanation of the province’s strategy for combating the price hikes. “It’s critically important that we drive resources into alternatives for people. That’s why transit is so important. That’s why … we’re providing opportunities going forward to make sure that people can get out of their gas-guzzling cars and get into lower-emission vehicles. That helps the climate and it also reduces the hit on pocketbooks.” Horgan said he’s also directed his deputy minister to look at B.C.’s “refining challenges.” But McTeague wasn’t buying it: “(B.C. has) the highest taxes in the country. The premier can’t say he can’t do anything. The government has created the climate for high prices, and the fact is they’ve just lathered on an extra couple cents of carbon tax.” With another increase expected this year on the dedicated TransLink tax in Metro — from 17 cents to 18.5 cents per litre — drivers should expect the gas taxes levied by the province to go up, not down. Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content Provincial taxes make up 34 cents of every litre of gas purchased in Metro. Federal taxes, including GST, bump up the total tax to 52 cents, almost one-third of the cost of a tank when prices are around $1.60 per litre. Only those immune to the price hikes seemed to be smiling Friday, when some Metro gasoline stations were advertising gas for $1.689. “My reaction to the gas rates going up is that I don’t care,” said Corinne Herringer, standing beside her electric car. “I charge my car every night, and I get up in the morning, and it’s ready to go. I never have to hit a gas station, so the prices of gas don’t matter.” Gary Behnke picked up his new electric car three days ago. “I’m getting quite the chuckle as I’m driving by, knowing that I’m never going to have to fill up again,” he said. Behnke estimated he used to pay $3,000 per year for gas. He expects his costs will be about $400 now. “Friends and family hop in the car and see how much fun it is to drive … They are considering it for their next vehicle,” he said. Gas prices are expected to go up again Sunday. gluymes@postmedia.com twitter.com/glendaluymes Share this article in your social network Latest National Stories Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Vancouver Sun Headline News Sign up to receive daily headline news from the Vancouver Sun, a division of Postmedia Network Inc. Email Address There was an error, please provide a valid email address. By clicking on the sign up button you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. You may unsubscribe any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link at the bottom of our emails. Postmedia Network Inc. | 365 Bloor Street East, Toronto, Ontario, M4W 3L4 | 416-383-2300 Thanks for signing up! A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it please check your junk folder. The next issue of Vancouver Sun Headline News will soon be in your inbox. We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again Trending<doc-sep>Send this page to someone via email Brace yourself, drivers, gas prices are breaking records again. Just as predicted, prices at the pumps hit another all-time high in Metro Vancouver early Friday morning, with some stations in Burnaby jumping to $1.68.9. It got even worse later that day, with prices in White Rock seen one cent higher at $1.69.9. The same price was also reported in other cities within the region, marking the highest price ever seen in any North American city. That’s after record prices of $1.67.9 were recorded in Coquitlam last Thursday. WATCH: (Aired April 4) Catherine Urquhart reports on the record gas prices in Metro Vancouver last week 1:59 New record gas prices at Metro Van pumps New record gas prices at Metro Van pumps – Apr 4, 2019 Petroleum analyst Dan McTeague said Friday the sky-high prices will be here for a while, as Metro Vancouver competes with the entire U.S. West Coast for gasoline south of the border. Story continues below advertisement That’s being complicated by the shutdown of six refineries in Washington state and California. “We just don’t see any price movement here at least until Wednesday,” McTeague said. “That means the high prices in Metro Vancouver are going to linger for four or five more days. No change tomorrow. No change Sunday.” That doesn’t mean the prices are that high everywhere, with some stations in municipalities like Maple Ridge and Abbotsford posting prices 20 cents cheaper per litre. While that may be driving business, McTeague said the sales strategy will ultimately hurt those stations in the long run. “I like to use the term “#GasBarShenanigans,” he said. “Those gas bars that are selling for $1.48, I mean good luck to them, but they’re buying their gasoline wholesale. “I would recommend every driver fill up there, because sooner or later, they’re going to get a call from their bank saying, ‘Losing eight, nine cents a litre, it can’t be replaced by selling volumes of beef jerky or whatever they’re selling in the store. '” Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "I would recommend every driver fill up there, because sooner or later, they're going to get a call from their bank saying, 'Losing eight, nine cents a litre, it can't be replaced by selling volumes of beef jerky or whatever they're selling in the store.'" Story continues below advertisement Political ramifications Prices have been white hot across the Lower Mainland in the wake of B.C.’s carbon price hike on April 1, which added an extra cent to every litre of gasoline. When asked about the rising prices at a press conference Thursday, Premier John Horgan said provincial taxes aren’t to blame, and think the public agrees. WATCH: (Aired April 9) Alberta UCP Leader Jason Kenney threatens to cut off B.C.’s gas supply 2:02 Alberta UCP leader Jason Kenney threatens to cut off B.C.’s gas supply Alberta UCP leader Jason Kenney threatens to cut off B.C.’s gas supply – Apr 9, 2019 “I think the travelling public absolutely understand that the issue here is not taxation specifically,” the premier said. “It’s about a cumulative impact of a whole host of issues, but at the root of it is significant increases in the price going to providers, not going to government.” Story continues below advertisement There are also fears that prices could rise again in the wake of the provincial election in Alberta, where presumed front-runner and UCP Leader Jason Kenney has vowed to “turn off the taps” of gasoline to B.C. if he’s elected premier. Horgan says his government would likely win any court challenge that stems from Kenney following through on his threat. In the meantime, he told reporters he would look to get more gasoline from refineries in Washington state. That won’t work, McTeague said Friday. “They don’t have additional spare barrels of gasoline and if they do, they’re going to charge a lot more than what they’re charging now,” he said. “It’s nice to think that way but I would have to think the way you want to look is towards the Asian-Pacific markets — that’s where you’ll find additional barrels of gasoline but it will cost a lot more.”<doc-sep>VANCOUVER—The cost of fuel around Metro Vancouver is rising again, break previous record-high prices that were set only a week ago. Prices at some Vancouver-area stations were listed at $1.68.9 per litre early Friday, a jump of more than one cent overnight and an increase of about five cents since last Thursday. Analysts blame the trend on issues ranging from gas shortages to reduced capacity at refineries in the western United States as those facilities do annual maintenance or switch to summer-blend fuels. An increase to British Columbia’s carbon tax on April 1 also added about one cent per litre to the cost of gasoline. After prices reached $1.64 per litre on April 4, Premier John Horgan pledged his government would monitor the situation, but he also said carbon and other taxes were not the only reasons for expensive fuel. Dan McTeague, petroleum analyst with Gasbuddy.com, says wholesale gas sells for $1.56 per litre, so he doubts retail prices will drop soon, and just two weeks ago predicted drivers should expect “$1.60 to $1.65 will be the new normal.” Read more about:<doc-sep>

Send this page to someone via email If you can, you may want to wait to fill your tank until Sunday. That’s the advice of petroleum analyst Dan McTeague with GasBuddy.com, who is forecasting that Metro Vancouver gas prices will set another all-time record on Friday. Last week, the price of gasoline already reached a new, all-time high in Metro Vancouver. It reached $1.67.9 a litre at a gas station in Burnaby early Thursday morning in Coquitlam. It's official: Metro Vancouver has shattered its all-time highest gas price record. This Esso at Austin Ave & Poirier St. in Coqutilam was selling fuel for $1.67.9 around 10 a.m. on Thursday. The previous record was $1.63.9 pic.twitter.com/zKCnoaZaOn — Global BC (@GlobalBC) April 4, 2019 The persistent high prices include the new one-cent bump in the carbon tax and refineries’ switch to a pricier summer blend in recent weeks, McTeague said. Story continues below advertisement But McTeague said the continued upward pressure is a result of Metro Vancouver competing with the entire U.S. West Coast for gas amid refinery maintenance and shutdowns at six American facilities in Washington state and California. “That’s the main reason why we see prices moving up as quickly as they are, not just here in Vancouver, where the problem is exaggerated by a constant (reliance) on external sources for most of our gasoline needs,” he said. WATCH: Alberta UCP leader Jason Kenney threatens to cut off B.C.’s gas supply 2:02 Alberta UCP leader Jason Kenney threatens to cut off B.C.’s gas supply Alberta UCP leader Jason Kenney threatens to cut off B.C.’s gas supply – Apr 9, 2019 McTeague said Washington’s Cherry Point refinery is expected to complete planned maintenance on Saturday, easing pressure on tight supply and potentially leading to as much as a two-cent drop in prices. “There seems to be light at the end of the tunnel,” he said. Story continues below advertisement McTeague also weighed in on the possibility of Alberta “turning off the taps” of gasoline should Jason Kenney be elected premier. He said that in such a situation, prices could climb by 20 to 25 cents per litre with highs potentially beginning to enter the $2 per litre realm.

A fire late Wednesday that destroyed 16 townhouses in Stony Plain "could be suspicious," town officials said Friday. "The preliminary investigation has indicated the cause of the Sommerville Springs fire could be suspicious," the town said in a news release. RCMP in Stony Plain have brought in a private fire investigator, the release said. Stony Plain's fire department will support the RCMP in the ongoing investigation, it added. In a separate news release Friday, Stony Plain town manager Tom Goulden spoke about the town's frustrations with the developers of the townhouses that burned on Wednesday night. "What began as an interesting project slowly became a site that challenged our organization and residents, Goulden said. He said the town had used its legal authority to stop the project because of "deficiencies in infrastructure and building construction." Portions of the land ended up in a judicial sale process "which is only now being resolved," he said. Tom Goulden, Stony Plain's town manager, spoke about the town's frustrations with the developers behind the townhouses that burned on Wednesday night. (Town of Stony Plain) Goulden said he expects portions of the land may be under new ownership by the end of the month. The town has conducted engineering assessments and building code reviews of the development's existing structures. Next steps will be recommended by the town's consulting engineers, he said. A website for Elegant Development Inc. lists Sommerville as one of its current projects. CBC News contacted the president and CEO of the company, who said he is no longer a part of the project and declined comment. The fire was reported at 11:30 p.m. Wednesday. About 28 firefighters from Stony Plain, Spruce Grove and Parkland County worked on the fire for two hours, bringing it under control around 1:30 a.m. Thursday. In addition to the 16 townhouses destroyed, 14 others were heavily damaged.Neighbours said they haven't seen any substantial work at the site for at least two years, when the town erected a fence around the construction zone. "I think they should just rip it all down. They've had so much trouble there, the buildings have been empty for so long. "There's no work on them and it's been a few years now," said Melanie Wilson, who lives near the site. "It's just an eyesore."<doc-sep>An investigation is underway, after firefighters were called to a fire at a Stony Plain townhouse complex late Wednesday night. Crews were called to the complex, which is under construction off golf course road near Highway 628 in Stony Plain at about 11:30 p.m. Firefighters had to truck in water to battle the blaze, as the area is under development and hydrants were not operational. “This was a defensive fire.” Stony Plain Fire Chief Trevor Mistal said in a statement. “Due to it rapidly moving, safety hazards around the site, and the extreme heat and huge fire load, our priority was to prevent any injuries and to ensure no damage to other buildings or property outside the Sommerville Springs development.” Stony Plain officials said it’s believed 16 townhouses were destroyed in the fire, another 14 sustained varying levels of damage. The fire was deemed under control at about 1 a.m. Officials said the last building collapsed nearly an hour and a half after crews arrived. Early Thursday morning, crews remained on the scene putting out hotspots. The town said the development had been the source of headaches in the past. “The Town has been frustrated with the development and the developers of this site. Our efforts to mitigate risk and work through the court system to resolve the problems with this area are still ongoing. This situation just adds to the list of grievances we have,” town manager Tom Goulden said in a statement. “We commend the efforts of our Fire Department, protecting their own lives and surrounding buildings was the right call under the circumstances. No injuries were reported as a result of the fire, and buildings our property outside of the development were not damaged.<doc-sep>Fire investigators are looking for the cause of an overnight blaze that destroyed an estimated 16 under-construction townhouses and damaged another 14. Article content Mounties and the Stony Plain Fire Department are looking for the cause of an overnight blaze that destroyed an estimated 16 under-construction townhouses and damaged another 14. Around 11:30 p.m. Wednesday, firefighters were called to the Sommerville Springs development — a fenced-off work site where construction has stalled, said town spokeswoman Stephanie Barsby Boisvert. We apologize, but this video has failed to load. tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Massive Stony Plain fire destroys 16 townhouses under construction Back to video Sixteen units, which were all connected, were engulfed in flames by the time Stony Plain fire Chief Trevor Mistal arrived, he said in a Thursday news release. “His priority, along with the other firefighters, was just to make sure that this didn’t spread,” Barsby Boisvert said Thursday. Trevor Mistal An adjacent row of townhouses in the same development sustained heat damage from the fire. Firefighters from Stony Plain, Spruce Grove and Parkland County had the blaze under control by around 1 a.m. No one was injured. The town has been involved in a court action to “resolve problems” with the developer, the news release said. Barsby Boisvert didn’t immediately know if the fire was considered suspicious.<doc-sep>Send this page to someone via email A large fire west of Edmonton late Wednesday night lit up the sky and a huge cloud of thick smoke filled the air, as flames consumed part of a stalled construction townhouse complex. The fire happened at the Sommerville Springs development near Golf Course Road on the south side of Stony Plain, where a row of townhomes was burnt to the foundation. Firefighters responded to a 911 call shortly after 11:30 p.m. Wednesday. “Upon arrival there were multiple townhouses fully involved,” Stony Plain fire chief Trevor Mistal said. Crews from Spruce Grove and Parkland County were called in to help, with a total of 28 firefighters on scene. “We immediately went to defensive strategy, just due to the limited access. We had no water supply and just the amount of fire and fuel load we were faced with.” Story continues below advertisement View image in full screen A large fire in Stony Plain, Alta. on Thursday, June 21, 2018. Courtesy: Hayden Reed The area has no fire hydrants, so tankers were used to truck in water to help extinguish the blaze. The fire was brought under control at around 1 a.m., but crews were expected to remain on scene throughout the day to put out hot spots. The town said the last building collapsed about 80 minutes after crews arrived. The fire broke out in a new development of duplexes, triplexes and fourplexes located in a field between the Southridge and High Park neighbourhoods. In total, 16 units were destroyed and another 14 were damaged by the intense heat. The homes were all in various stages of construction. The town said only a few units had drywall installed, and most were framed and unprotected. Mistal said work on the site came to a halt some time ago. Story continues below advertisement “It’s been under construction for the last few years, it’s basically stalled right now,” Mistal said. “There were no occupants living here at all.” The large fire could be seen from kilometres away. Video showed flames reaching twice the height of the buildings and the wind carried flaming debris several blocks away. “There were a lot of embers and sparks being picked up and thrown into other neighbourhoods in proximity to this one,” Mistal said. Kalin and Kelly Fisher’s home backs onto the field where Sommerville Springs was being built, but they said the site had seen little recent activity until Wednesday night. “We came outside and the fire was pretty well taller than the trees. Everything was engulfed in flames,” Kalin Fisher told Global News. Fisher said embers were falling in their backyard, and firefighters came over to make sure the debris wouldn’t cause more fires. “There was quite a cloud of glowing embers coming across the field,” he said. Embers burnt some holes through the plastic tarp cover of a storage shed in their yard, but their house was OK. Fisher said the entire field behind their house was slated for development, but the site has been a dead zone for years. Story continues below advertisement “It’s been enclosed for the past three years.” In a statement, Stony Plain town manager Tom Goulden said: “The Town has been frustrated with the development and the developers of this site. Our efforts to mitigate risk and work through the court system to resolve the problems with this area are still ongoing. This situation just adds to the list of grievances we have.” Story continues below advertisement A 2016 story by the Spruce Grove Examiner said after the project was abandoned, the town put up fences around the vacant site because it was becoming a target of vandalism and a safety concern. “We commend the efforts of our fire department, protecting their own lives and surrounding buildings was the right call under the circumstances,” Goulden added. No one was injured. The cause of the fire is under investigation and a damage estimate has not yet been completed. Stony Plain is about 25 kilometres west of Edmonton in Parkland County.<doc-sep>

The Stony Plain Fire Department is investigating a blaze at a problematic residential construction site that destroyed 16 townhouses and damaged 14 others late Wednesday. The call came in at 11:30 p.m. and "upon arrival multiple houses were fully involved," fire chief Trevor Mistal told CBC Thursday. "There were massive amounts of calls because it was such a huge fireball that we were getting calls from all over town," Mistal said. The Sommerville Springs development, near Golf Course Road, included duplexes, triplexes and fourplexes that were in various stages of construction, he said. There is no water supply to the area, so a tanker truck had to be brought in. Sixteen townhouses were destroyed and another 14 were heavily damaged in a fire Wednesday night. (Town of Stony Plain) Neighbours say they haven't seen any substantial work at the site for at least two years, when the town erected a fence around the construction zone. "I'm surprised it didn't happen sooner," said Melanie Wilson, who lives near the site. "I think they should just rip it all down. They've had so much trouble there, the buildings have been empty for so long. There's no work on them and it's been a few years now," she said. "It's just an eyesore." 'We wanted to contain it' About 28 firefighters from Stony Plain, Spruce Grove and Parkland County worked on the fire for two hours, the fire chief said. Most of the crews focused on the fire while others were "roving" the area. "With the wind and the embers and sparks that were flying out of there we wanted to contain it to that property, we didn't want it spreading to other neighbourhoods," Mistal said. FIrefighters continued to put out hot spots on Thursday. (CBC) There were no injuries. All the houses were unoccupied. Mistal described the project as "stalled." "The 16 townhouses that were destroyed, two or three of them had drywall inside, the rest of them were just framed," he said. Town manager Tom Goulden said in a news release Thursday the town has been frustrated with the development and the developers. "This situation just adds to the list of grievances we have," Goulden said. "Our efforts to mitigate risk and work through the court system to resolve the problems with this area are still ongoing." Investigators are now looking for the cause of the fire, Mistal said.

Hide Transcript Show Transcript CONTINUED TO BATTLE THE FLAMES LEFT BEHIND. ALSO BREAKING AT NOON, A SHOOTING AT THE REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER IN ORANGEBURG HAS LEFT ONE PERSON INJURED. THE SHOOTING HAPPENED AROUND 8:45 THIS MORNING IN THE EMERGENCY ROOM. THE SUSPECT IS NOW IN POLICE CUSTODY AND THE VICTIM IS CURRENTLY IN SURGERY. THE CONDITION IS NOT KNOWN AT THIS TIME, WITH THE EXCEPTIO Advertisement Gunman in SC hospital shooting identified; 1 in critical condition Shooting reported in emergency room of hospital Share Shares Copy Link Copy One person is in critical condition following a shooting inside the Regional Medical Center-Orangeburg on Wednesday.During a Wednesday afternoon press conference, the hospital president Charles Williams said the suspect, who was not named, was originally a patient at the hospital, left the emergency room, and returned with a gun, shooting a hospital employee. Williams said employees tried to get the person to stay but could not.The shooting happened around 8:50 a.m. and the suspect was detained shortly thereafter. The victim was immediately taken into surgery after the shooting and is in critical condition at this time.According to Sheriff Leroy Ravenell, with the Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Office, “The suspect had surrendered himself to the security guard as we were entering.”The suspect hasn’t been identified publicly at this time. Orangeburg County Sheriff Leroy Ravenell said he’ll be charged with assault and battery with the intent to kill.Watch the press conference here. Williams said it’s been a tough day for staff working, or as he likes to call them "family. "“As you can imagine...It’s difficult,” Williams said. “Whenever you have someone of your family, we’re family here, it’s tough”Officials say within minutes the suspected gunman was in custody. The hospital immediately issued a code silver and locked down the hospital as law enforcement went door to door to ensure the safety of all patients.Vivian, who did not want to share her last name tells WIS she was about to visit her sister in the hospital when she drove up to dozens of police cars surrounding the hospital.“I’m disturbed where can you be safe now?” Vivian said. “It can happen anywhere. I’m just so sorry it happened here.”Zenovia Harris, an Orangeburg resident tells WIS “It’s very very scary. You know you bring your kids to a public place or your family is in a public place and you want them to feel safe.”Safety and security is a big concern for visitors of the hospital, as well as those who work here.“I can assure you, for individuals coming here, the employees, the patients, and the community, we are putting steps in place that we will not only ensure that it is safe, and promote an environment that continues to be safe, but we’re going to be putting increased things,” Williams said.The hospital is no longer under a lockdown and all functions, including the emergency room, have reopened.The shooter has been identified as Abrian Sabb. Orangeburg County Sheriff Leroy Ravenell said Sabb be charged with assault and battery with the intent to kill.Per the Associated Press, Democratic Rep. Gilda Cobb-Hunter of Orangeburg said on the House floor Wednesday she was told by the Orangeburg County administrator that a nurse was hit in a random shooting by someone with mental problems.An Employee Assistance Program (EAP) counselor will be on site shortly and communication will be forthcoming advising of arrival.<doc-sep>Abrian Dayquan Sabb, of Orangeburg, is charged with attempted murder and possession of a weapon during a violent crime. ORANGEBURG COUNTY, S.C. — A 23-year-old man is facing prison time after allegedly opening fire at a local hospital. However, deputies say this wasn't his first run in with the law. Abrian Dayquan Sabb is charged with attempted murder, possession of a weapon during a violent crime and burglary. His bond was denied Thursday. Sabb is accused of firing multiple shots into the emergency department at the Orangeburg Regional Medical Center Wednesday. He reportedly came back to the hospital after receiving care earlier that morning. After surrendering to a hospital security, Sabb was apprehended by Orangeburg County deputies, and eventually put in custody. However, deputies say Sabb was involved in at least two other incidents prior to the hospital shooting — and both involved a gun. The first incident was an accidental shooting on April 9, the day before the hospital shooting. According to a report, deputies recovered a 9 mm handgun from Sabb and handed it over to his father. Sabb gained possession of a gun the next day when he broke into a woman's home around 8 a.m. Wednesday — less than an hour before the hospital shooting. He then allegedly loaded the gun, fired multiple shots inside the home, then left.<doc-sep>

A shooting at the Orangeburg Regional Medical Center has left one person seriously injured, and a suspect in custody Wednesday. ORANGEBURG, S.C. — A nurse remains in critical condition after a man opened fire at the Orangeburg Regional Medical Center Wednesday morning. A call came into the Orangeburg County Sheriff's Department regarding the shooting around 8:51 a.m. Deputies arrived on scene 3 minutes later to find a suspect already in custody by a security guard. That suspect, identified as 23-year-old Abrian Dayquan Sabb, was reportedly a patient at the hospital earlier Wednesday morning, around 7:29 a.m. The suspect was treated, but decided to leave on his own, according to Charles E. Williams, president of Orangeburg Regional Medical Center. Around 8:45 a.m., Sabb returned to the treatment area of the emergency department and began shooting, striking a male nurse in the .abdomen That employee underwent surgery, an is now is guarded condition. A family member says the victim has been on life support since Wednesday morning. "What most important at this time is that we all pray for the individual who is lying in a bed right now wanting to be healed," Williams said. Minutes after the shooting began, the suspect reportedly turned themselves into a security and was taken in for questioning by the sheriff's department. Sabb is now charged with attempted murder and possession of a weapon during a violent crime. His bond was denied during a Thursday hearing. An official with Orangeburg County told News 19 that the suspect had come in to the emergency room for mental health treatment Tuesday and was told to return Friday, because they did not have a bed available. When asked during a press conference Wednesday, Williams declined to comment on the suspect's mental state. However, the hospital's president did comment on a statement regarding a similar incident at the hospital in previous years. He claimed that Wednesday's shooting was the first to occur on the hospital's campus. When it comes to the hospital's security Williams discussed how the hospital has gone through training to prepare for a situation like this, and will continue to do so in the future. He also went on to say that the sheriff's department's quick response was fundamental in the incident's outcome.

Frik Russouw, senior investigator of the South African National Parks Environmental Unit, walks towards the scene where a poached rhino was found in the Kruger National Park in South Africa on Aug. 21, 2018. (Wikus De Wet/AFP/Getty Images) Poacher Eaten by Lions After Getting Killed by Elephant A poacher was allegedly killed after being trampled by an elephant and his remains later eaten by a pride of lions before being recovered by park rangers in Kruger National Park in South Africa on April 4. According to a press release from South African National Parks, members of the poachers group called the family of the deceased and notified them that their relative had been killed by an elephant on April 2 while they were in Kruger Park to poach rhinoceros. The family then called Skukuza Regional Ranger Don English, who assured the family he would do everything possible to bring them closure and recover the man’s remains. English arranged a search party, composed of rangers on foot, accompanied by members of the KNP Airwing. KNP Airwing flew over the described area, but due to nightfall could not locate the remains. . @APIGSA SAPS #Airwing, incl #chopper & pilots are deployed in KNP re #RhinoPoaching (pic at Skukuza airport) SD pic.twitter.com/mFAR2axL8g — SA Police Service (@SAPoliceService) March 23, 2015 The team resumed the search on the morning of April 4, after being provided with further information from the deceased’s alleged accomplices, who had been arrested during the previous evening by police. “Indications found at the scene suggested that a pride of lions had devoured the remains leaving only a human skull and a pair of pants,” said the Kruger National Park press release. Further investigations into the incident are being conducted by Skukuza police. The South African Police Service (SAPS) tweeted that, “A human skull found in the Kruger National Park (KNP) is believed to be that of a man reportedly killed by an elephant while poaching with his accomplices on 01/04; duo arrested, rifles & ammo seized.” #sapsMP Komatipoort: A human skull found in the Kruger National Park (KNP) is believed to be that of a man reportedly killed by an elephant while poaching with his accomplices on 01/04; duo arrested, rifles & ammo seized. MEhttps://t.co/XXsXpJqTjA pic.twitter.com/4Oye38Eddh — SA Police Service (@SAPoliceService) April 6, 2019 According to a press release on April 6 from the South African Police Service (SAPS), the poachers set out into Kruger National Park on April 1 and claimed to have carried the dead man’s body out to the road, so that he would be found by those passing by in the morning. They then fled the park and were arrested after a joint intelligence operation by police. The human skull and pieces of clothing were found during the search operation by police and rangers. In total, three men aged between 26 and 35 were arrested and two .375 hunting rifles and ammunition were seized. 06:35 3 Shishangeni males and 2 female lions on the move north direction S25, 3km W of H4-2 Near Crocodile Bridge 5/5 Tinged by Jean Discover Kruger Safaris pic.twitter.com/dHzbnv98r1 — Kruger Sightings (@LatestKruger) April 6, 2019 The suspects appeared in court on April 5 and faced charges of conspiracy to poach, trespassing, and possession of firearms and ammunition without a license. They are due back in court on April 12, pending a formal bail application. Glenn Phillips, managing executive of Kruger National Park, commended those who participated in the search party and helped the family find closure, offering condolences to the relatives of the deceased. “Entering Kruger National Park illegally and on foot is not wise, it holds many dangers and this incident is evidence of that,” said Phillips in the press release. “It is very sad to see the daughters of the diseased mourning the loss of their father, and worse still, only being able to recover very little of his remains.”<doc-sep>Elephants in Kruger National Park killed a rhino poacher, whose body was then eaten by lions, on April 2, 2019. Here, an image of an elephant walking behind a pride of lions in the national park in South Africa. A suspected rhino poacher in South Africa's Kruger National Park was killed by an elephant last week, park officials have announced. Lions then scavenged the poacher's remains. The story has emerged as something of a feel-good tale on social media, even as conservationists warn against viewing poaching in simplistic terms. "This is always disappointing to see," tweeted Sabah Ibrahim, a naturalist and environmental educator. "The demand for rhino horn comes from extremely wealthy consumers who almost never face any form of justice, and the poachers themselves are more often than not desperate people existing in crushing post-colonial poverty." [In Photos: The Last 5 Northern White Rhinos] Death and lions The news originated with a press release from Kruger National Park. Officials there report that they were contacted by the family of a man who said that their relative's body had been left in the park. The man was allegedly with at least four others who were hunting rhinoceroses when he was killed by an elephant on Tuesday, April 2. Park rangers searched for the body on foot and in an aircraft, but they weren't able to find it until Thursday morning, after they arrested the other alleged poachers and found out from them where they had left the body. By that time, park officials said, lions had scavenged the man's corpse, leaving behind only his skull and a pair of pants. The news was shared on Twitter alongside comments like, "karma" and "finally some good news." But many conservationists were troubled by the rhetoric. "Did the death of this poacher cause even the tiniest iota of reduction in the demand for rhino horn?" Ibrahim tweeted. "Did the person at the other end of the transaction suffer at all? No. So there's no 'karma.'" Solving poaching Poaching is a tragic problem in Kruger National Park and elsewhere. In 2017, a white rhinoceros was killed, even while it was in a zoo in France, highlighting the risks poachers are willing to take to get rhinoceros horn. Although the horn is just keratin, the same material that makes up nails and hair, it is valued in traditional Eastern medicine and often bought as a status symbol. Even as rhinoceros numbers dwindle, poaching has skyrocketed over the past decade. A 2016 report by conservation group Save the Rhino found that the rarity of rhino horns was part of the appeal among Chinese consumers, particularly those who saw the horns as a luxury good. An international report released in 2017 found that 1,342 rhinoceroses in Africa were poached in 2015, compared with only 60 in 2002. And, since Kruger National Park is home to Africa's largest rhino population, it has suffered the most severe rhino poaching of any area, that report noted. The largest importer of rhino horn, at least as measured by seizures by law enforcement, was Vietnam, that report found. China and Hong Kong followed. The international black market that supplies these horns relies on hunters willing to risk their lives in Africa for far less money than the horns will eventually secure, once sold. (This is not the first time that lions have eaten a poacher.) "Entering Kruger National Park illegally and on foot is not wise; it holds many dangers and this incident is evidence of that," Kruger managing executive Glenn Phillips said in a statement. "It is very sad to see the daughters of the [deceased] mourning the loss of their father, and worse still, only being able to recover very little of his remains." Originally published on Live Science.<doc-sep>The poachers told the man’s family what happened. The relatives then called park officials, who started a search to recover his remains. A human skull and a pair of pants were recovered Thursday. A pride of lions is believed to have eaten the man after he was crushed. Park officials offered a warning and their condolences to the man’s family.<doc-sep>

Animals got the upper hand in a battle with poachers in Africa's Kruger National Park. A man who was poaching rhinos with a group in the national park was trampled to death by an elephant and his remains were then eaten by a pride of lions, the Letaba Herald reported. While the other hunters escaped death from the elephant, they didn't get out completely unscathed. After the elephant trampled their hunting partner to death, the remaining members of the group notified the man's family. The relatives of the deceased man then called park officials, who launched a search for the man and also arrested the remaining four members of the group for poaching. The search crew in the park was eventually able to find the missing hunter's remains, which at that point was only a human skull and a pair of pants. The lions ate the rest, park officials said. Park officials offered condolences to the man's family, but also issued a warning to others about entering the park on their own. "Entering Kruger National Park illegally and on foot is not wise, it holds many dangers and this incident is evidence of that," park manager Glenn Phillips told the Letaba Herald. "It is very sad to see the daughters of the deceased mourning the loss of their father, and worse still, only being able to recover very little of his remains." This is not the first time that a poacher has gotten the worst of an encounter with a wild animal. Last February, a poacher who was hunting lions at a private game reserve in South Africa was attacked and killed by a pride of lions. As the Daily Mail reported, some workers at Ingwelala Private Nature Reserve heard the hunter screaming for help and fired guns to scare away the lions, eventually finding his bloodied body. Lions are critically endangered in the area, but are frequently targeted by poaches for their skeletons, skins, teeth, and fur. The lion's teeth alone can fetch up to $700, while a full skin is worth more than $4,000. Suspected rhino poacher killed by elephant then eaten by lions on game reserve, authorities say https://t.co/NKtHbRWyNP pic.twitter.com/xPUFyHPbkF — The Hill (@thehill) April 6, 2019 It's not clear what punishment the rhino poachers could face after being arrested in Kruger National Park, but some African countries have come down very hard on poachers. As the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project noted, three poachers arrested for targeting rhinos in South Africa were given more than 500 years in prison for killing 55 animals between 2013 and 2016.

For years, Illinois universities have watched as thousands of the state's best and brightest students headed elsewhere for college. Lured by generous scholarship offers, and spooked by the state's budget stalemate and rising tuitions, Illinois students have increasingly pursued their higher education in other states. Enrollment has slid, and Illinois is losing far more local students to other states than it is attracting nonresidents to attend college here. Now, the University of Illinois and a bipartisan group of lawmakers want to change that. On Monday, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is announcing a free tuition and fees program for admitted Illinoisans whose family income meets or falls below the state median. That follows several bills signed recently by Gov. Bruce Rauner aimed at persuading local students to choose Illinois colleges. One new measure sets aside $25 million for public universities to match and create a pool of merit-based scholarships, not based on financial need. Education officials have spent years warning that the state's problems with enrollment, infrastructure, tuition and funding -- all of which were exacerbated by the yearslong budget impasse -- were giving higher education in Illinois a black eye. Universities in other states have, in turn, aggressively courted top students from Illinois with generous, merit-based financial aid packages. But in a shift, many now see signs that state politicians are embracing the same urgency to retain local students and are willing to back it up with new public policy. "We've been making this case as strongly as we could for quite a while, and we're very happy to see the state legislators and the governor and the Higher Education Working Group start to focus on this issue," said Tim Killeen, president of University of Illinois. "It's not just for U. of I. but for the whole state." Sen. Pat McGuire, D-Crest Hill, is among the legislators who formed that working group last year; its 12 members come from both houses and parties. After months of research and collaboration with university experts, the group listed a half-dozen immediate initiatives. Rauner signed four bills born out of that group, all of which generated near unanimous support in Springfield. "Yes, we feel urgency. We have a sense of common purpose," McGuire said. "I hope that it will help students and families gain a sense of confidence about Illinois higher education." "This is the first we've seen in a long time, a public policy interest in higher education in Illinois," said Joni Finney, director of the Institute for Research on Higher Education at the University of Pennsylvania. "Now it's about finding the set of public policies that you have to put together to be in place for the long term to turn this ship around." U. of I. 's new program, Illinois Commitment, launches in fall 2019 for freshmen and new transfer students under 24 years old. The program pledges to pay tuition and basic fees for in-state residents accepted to U. of I. and whose family income is $61,000 or less. The family must also have less than $50,000 in assets to be eligible. Posted tuition and fees for in-state students this year are between $16,000 and $21,000, according to U. of I. 's website. Illinois' truth-in-tuition law requires tuition to remain the same for students for four years. The funding is good for up to four years of uninterrupted enrollment for new students and three years for transfer students, provided they make satisfactory progress toward a degree. Illinois Commitment covers tuition for any program -- areas like engineering typically charge more -- but not room and board, books, course or laboratory fees, all elements that comprise a sizable chunk of the cost to attend college. U. of I. is spending $4 million each of the next four years to support the initiative, officials said. Illinois long has shouldered a reputation for being too expensive, particularly for low- and middle-income families, Chancellor Robert Jones said in an interview. While the three Illinois campuses have frozen base tuition for four years, first-time undergraduate costs at Urbana-Champaign are higher than many schools of similar enrollment and research activity, according to school officials and federal data. U. of I. devotes the majority of its financial aid based on need, and the majority of students do not pay the full published price of attendance. But that has not done enough for some prospective students, Jones said. "We know firsthand there are far too many students who have worked hard that really don't bother about applying because of the optics out there that they can't afford it," Jones said. Jones said officials want more applicants from underrepresented geographic and socioeconomic groups. But Illinois also loses ground on affordability when admitted students enroll elsewhere for better financial aid. "It's a key part of the overarching process -- accessibility to a world-class education," Jones said. "We have not been in a very competitive position in the two years I've been here, and this will be a course correction that we think is going to have a tremendous impact." While Illinois invests more heavily in income-based financial aid, state legislators also focused in on merit-based aid -- a tool other states have successfully wielded to lure high-achieveing Illinoisans to their institutions. The University of Alabama, for example, has nearly quintupled its merit scholarship pool over the past decade. Illinois students have followed. Alabama awarded 203 full-tuition scholarships, out of 305 total, to freshman Illinoisans in 2017, defraying more than $100,000 in costs per student. In response, lawmakers established the AIM HIGH Grant Pilot Program, a merit-based scholarship program for Illinoisans. Starting in 2019, schools can apply to the Illinois Student Assistance Commission for a share of $25 million, which the schools must match with institutional funds. Universities then may award scholarships covering whatever costs the schools determine for admitted full-time students. The provision establishing the grant will be repealed in October 2024. It is not clear how much money the state legislature will allocate to it in upcoming years. "It makes sense, given competition from out-of-state schools, to offer additional merit-based scholarships so that more families see our universities as affordable," Al Bowman, executive director of the Illinois Board of Higher Education, said in a statement. Another new policy establishes a priority system in 2020 for the Monetary Award Program, which distributes state-funded grants for low-income students. Returning students who previously received MAP grants can jump to the head of the line to receive funding. Students must reapply for MAP each year and submit a federal student aid application by an early deadline to take advantage. The goal is to provide better year-over-year assurance of grants. It does not guarantee grants because it relies upon the state renewing and timely providing MAP funding. Grants were severely delayed during the budget impasse, and some universities picked up the tab to help students stay enrolled. Two higher education experts pointed to these issues in evaluating some of Illinois' recent moves. Finney of UPenn consulted with Illinois legislators on their policy development. She said she was concerned about increasing merit-based aid and said Illinois instead should devote more resources to MAP. State data show MAP is persistently underfunded and can support neither the total number of eligible students nor the full cost of tuition for recipients. Thomas Harnisch, director of state relations and policy analysis for the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, had similar reservations. "Merit-based aid has traditionally benefited wealthier students who would likely go to college anyway," Harnisch said. "The best response would be sufficient and sustained funding of the state's public colleges and universities along with robust financial aid for the state's needy students. " Other new laws endorsed by Rauner allow students to use any state university credits toward a community college associate's degree; set new requirements for academic advising; and establish a statewide task force to collect and analyze high school and college student data. McGuire, the state senator, said the working group is gearing up again with plans to tackle another Illinois bugaboo: public university funding. State dollars comprised three-quarters of university income as recently as 2002. Now tuition and fees dominate, driving up the prices for families.<doc-sep>University of Illinois announced Monday a new program that offers free tuition for qualifying in-state students. Beginning with the 2019 incoming class, the university said the new program will offer families with incomes of $61,000 or less the four-year tuition coverage. In addition to the family’s income, recipients must be an Illinois resident, admitted as a new freshman or transfer student, be under the age of 24 and have less than $50,000 in family assets. The program will cover the full cost of tuition and campus fees for up to four years. It does not, however, cover room and board, fees related to specific courses, summer and winter classes, study abroad, books and other charges. The university said the move is part of their “mission as a land-grant institution.” “That’s Illinois Commitment,” the school said on their website. For more information or to see if you qualify, click here.<doc-sep>EMBED >More News Videos Take a closer look at who may qualify for free tuition at the University of Illinois. URBANA, Ill. (WLS) -- It's a plan designed to keep more Illinois students in-state for their college education. On Monday, the University of Illinois announced a free tuition offer for residents who may not otherwise be able to afford it.Eric Quezada is looking forward to being the first in his family to go to college. About to start his senior year in the IB program at Amundsen High School, the 17-year-old said choosing a college will all depend what school offers the most money. "Colleges offer different deals and you are going to take the best deal, if it means going out of state, we have to go out of state trying to get the best deal," Quezada said.Leaving the state has become an option for many Illinois students who have found better deals else where. To stem the tide of quality students leaving, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has announced it will provide free tuition and campus fees for in-state students whose family income is less than $61,000 a year. "We think it's going to be critically important in keeping folks here so, they can graduate and be part of the economy that helps drive the economic vitality in years ahead," said Robert J. Jones , the chancellor of the Urbana campus.At a cost of $4 million a year, U of I will pay for the program with existing funds. It will be open for entering freshman in the Fall of 2019, just in time for Quezada, who said U of I is now on the top of his list. "I will definitely apply now, knowing what they are going to offer," Quezada said.Amundsen school counselor David Tucker said that while many factors go into making a college choice, the talk of trying to be debt-free when graduating is something very attractive to his students as well as staying close to home. "We worked with students with low to moderate income communities and the opportunity to have free tuition at U of I will really incentivize kids to remain in Illinois," said Tucker.According to Chancellor Jones, U of I has the revenue to offer free tuition for at least 4 years. The university hopes the second wave of financing will come from philanthropy. Jones is hoping alumni step up with financial contributions.<doc-sep>

For years, Illinois universities have watched as thousands of the state's best and brightest students headed elsewhere for college. Lured by generous scholarship offers, and spooked by the state's budget stalemate and rising tuitions, Illinois students have increasingly pursued their higher education in other states. Enrollment has slid, and Illinois is losing far more local students to other states than it is attracting nonresidents to attend college here. Now, the University of Illinois and a bipartisan group of lawmakers want to change that. On Monday, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign announced a free tuition and fees program for admitted Illinoisans whose family income meets or falls below the state median. That follows several bills signed recently by Gov. Bruce Rauner aimed at persuading local students to choose Illinois colleges. Education officials have spent years warning that the state's problems with enrollment, infrastructure, tuition and funding — all of which were exacerbated by the yearslong budget impasse — were giving higher education in Illinois a black eye. Universities in other states have, in turn, aggressively courted top students from Illinois with generous, merit-based financial aid packages. But in a shift, many now see signs that state politicians are embracing the same urgency to retain local students and are willing to back it up with new public policy. "We've been making this case as strongly as we could for quite a while, and we're very happy to see the state legislators and the governor and the Higher Education Working Group start to focus on this issue," said Tim Killeen, president of University of Illinois. "It's not just for U of I but for the whole state." Sen. Pat McGuire, D-Crest Hill, is among the legislators who formed that working group last year; its 12 members come from both houses and parties. After months of research and collaboration with university experts, the group listed a half-dozen immediate initiatives. Rauner signed four bills born out of that group, all of which generated near unanimous support in Springfield. "Yes, we feel urgency. We have a sense of common purpose," McGuire said. "I hope that it will help students and families gain a sense of confidence about Illinois higher education." U of I's new program, Illinois Commitment, launches in fall 2019 for freshmen and new transfer students under 24 years old at the Urbana-Champaign campus. The deal does not apply to the Springfield and Chicago campuses. The program pledges to pay tuition and basic fees for in-state residents accepted to U. of I. and whose family income is $61,000 or less. The family must also have less than $50,000 in assets to be eligible. Posted tuition and fees for in-state students this year are between $16,000 and $21,000, according to U of I's website. Illinois' truth-in-tuition law requires tuition to remain the same for students for four years. The funding is good for up to four years of uninterrupted enrollment for new students and three years for transfer students, provided they make satisfactory progress toward a degree. Illinois Commitment covers tuition for any program — areas like engineering typically charge more — but not room and board, books, course or laboratory fees, all elements that comprise a sizable chunk of the cost to attend college. U of I is spending $4 million each of the next four years to support the initiative, officials said. Illinois long has shouldered a reputation for being too expensive, particularly for low- and middle-income families, Chancellor Robert Jones said in an interview. While the three Illinois campuses have frozen base tuition for four years, first-time undergraduate costs at Urbana-Champaign are higher than many schools of similar enrollment and research activity, according to school officials and federal data. U of I devotes the majority of its financial aid based on need, and the majority of students do not pay the full published price of attendance. But that has not done enough for some prospective students, Jones said. "We know firsthand there are far too many students who have worked hard that really don't bother about applying because of the optics out there that they can't afford it," Jones said. While Illinois invests more heavily in income-based financial aid, state legislators also focused in on merit-based aid — a tool other states have successfully wielded to lure high-achieveing Illinoisans to their institutions. The University of Alabama, for example, has nearly quintupled its merit scholarship pool over the past decade. Illinois students have followed.

"This investigation is still in its early stages but I would like to reassure the local community that a robust police response was launched yesterday and will continue in the days to come."<doc-sep>A teenage girl killed in the Wiltshire town of Calne on Friday has been named as 17-year-old Ellie Gould. The year 12 pupil at Hardenhuish School was pronounced dead after emergency services were called to a house in Springfield Drive at 3.15pm on Friday. Wiltshire Police arrested a 17-year-old boy, who was known to Ms Gould, in the nearby town of Chippenham later that afternoon on suspicion of murder. He remains in police custody. As the force released a picture of the victim chosen by her family, a spokesperson said the investigation into the circumstances surrounding her death continues. Superintendent Conway Duncan said: “Our thoughts remain with Ellie’s family, her friends and schoolmates. Ellie’s family will continue to receive support from specially trained officers and we are aware that her fellow pupils are being encouraged to seek support being organised by Hardenhuish School. Ellie Gould (Wiltshire Police) “We fully appreciate the level of shock, anxiety and upset in and around Calne and Chippenham and our officers are continuing to progress their inquiries as swiftly and diligently as possible. “I would like to take this opportunity to thank our communities in Calne for the support and patience they have shown our officers as they undertake their inquiries.” In a statement, Hardenhuish School said: “The Hardenhuish community is shocked and saddened by the tragic death of Ellie Gould. “Ellie was a talented, popular and much-loved member of our school community who will be dearly missed. Our thoughts and condolences are with Ellie’s family at this devastating time. UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures Buildbase FA Vase Trophy Gary Kenny lifts the Buildbase FA Vase Trophy after Warrington Rylands won the FA Vase Final against Binfield at Wembley Stadium Getty UK news in pictures 21st May 2021 A family buffeted by the wind whilst crossing the the Millennium Bridge in London, with wind and rain forecast to ravage the UK on the first Friday that people have been allowed to meet in large groups outside in England PA UK news in pictures 20 May 2021 Devon And Cornwall Police Demonstrate Their Skills For Policing The G7 Summit Getty Images UK news in pictures 18 May 2021 An employee stands before a costume for the Queen of Hearts by Bob Crowley on display at the Alice: Curiouser and Curiouser exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London PA UK news in pictures 17 May 2021 Passengers prepare to board an easyJet flight to Faro, Portugal, at Gatwick Airport after the ban on international leisure travel for people in England was lifted following the further easing of lockdown restrictions in England PA UK news in pictures 16 May 2021 Emergency workers at the scene of a suspected gas explosion, in which a young child was killed and two people were seriously injured, on Mallowdale Ave Heysham which caused 2 houses to collapse and badly damaged another PA UK news in pictures 15 May 2021 Pro-Palestinian activists and supporters let off smoke flares, wave flags and carry placards during a demonstration in support of the Palestinian cause as violence escalates in the ongoing conflict with Israel, in central London AFP via Getty UK news in pictures 14 May 2021 Member of staffs tighten screws and paint a Marlin skeleton, before it goes on display at the Natural History Museum in London, as the museum prepares to reopen to the public on 17 May, following the further easing of lockdown restrictions in England PA UK news in pictures 13 May 2021 A worshipper at the Baitul Futuh Mosque in Mordon, south London, ahead of Eid al-Fitr. The celebration marks the end of the Muslim month of fasting, called Ramadan. PA UK news in pictures 12 May 2021 A couple have wedding photos taken in Westminster, London Getty UK news in pictures 11 May 2021 The sun rises on Coquet Island, off Amble on the Northumberland coast, where as many as 35000 seabirds cram onto this tiny island to breed PA UK news in pictures 10 May 2021 Newly elected for a second term Mayor of London Sadiq Khan during his signing in ceremony at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre on London’s Southbank PA UK news in pictures 9 May 2021 People mill around St. Michael's tower on top of Glastonbury Tor as it is seen through blooming yellow rapeseed on a day of mixed weather in Glastonbury, Somerset PA UK news in pictures 8 May 2021 Wales First Minister Mark Drakeford elbow bumps newly elected MS Labour candidates Elizabeth Buffy Williams, Rhondda, left, and Sarah Murphy, Bridgend & Porthcawl Labour, right, as they meet in Porthcawl, Wales PA UK news in pictures 6 May 2021 A group of five Sisters from Carmelite Monastery in Dysart cast their vote in the Scottish Parliamentary election at Dysart Community Hall, West Port, Dysart PA UK news in pictures 5 May 2021 Leader of the Labour Party Sir Keir Starmer (centre) with West Midlands Metro Mayor candidate Liam Byrne (far right) and Labour Deputy Leader, Angela Rayner (far left) during a visit to Birmingham, whilst on the election campaign trail PA UK news in pictures 4 May 2021 Artists Heather Ackroyd and Dan Harvey stand within 100 oak saplings which form part of a living art installation entitled Beuys' Acorns by the UK-based artist duo, outside the Tate Modern in London PA UK news in pictures 3 May 2021 Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie feeds the Gentoo penguins during a visit to Edinburgh Zoo on the campaign trail for the forthcoming Scottish Parliamentary Election on May 6 PA UK news in pictures 2 May 2021 Chelsea players celebrate their fourth goal during the Women’s Champions League semi-final second leg against Bayern Munich, at Kingsmeadow Stadium in south west London.<doc-sep>Police are continuing to question a teenage boy in connection with the murder of a 17-year-old A'level pupil, who was found dead at her home in a quiet Wiltshire town last week. Ellie Gould, a talented horsewoman, who represented her school at equestrian events, was pronounced dead after paramedics were called to her family home in Calne, Wiltshire on Friday afternoon. Police detained a 17-year-old boy, who is thought to be known to Ellie, a short time later in the town of Chippenham around 7 miles away. The cause and circumstances of her death have not been released, but police have sought to reassure the worried local community. The suspect was arrested on suspicion of murdering Ellie, who was a Year 12 pupil at Hardenhuish school and sixth form. A member of a local pony club since childhood, Ellie was a talented equestrian eventer, competing across the country.<doc-sep>"We fully appreciate the level of shock, anxiety and upset in and around Calne and Chippenham and our officers are continuing to progress their inquiries as swiftly and diligently as possible."<doc-sep>

A TEEN boy has today appeared in court charged with the stabbing murder of 17-year-old Ellie Gould. The teenage girl was found in her family's home in Calne, Wilts, on Friday - with a 17-year-old boy arrested later than afternoon - seven miles away. 6 Ellie Gould was found dead at the family home on Friday Credit: SWNS:South West News Service 6 Forensic experts could be seen at the site after the young girl died Credit: SWNS:South West News Service The teen, who cannot be named due to legal reasons, today appeared at Salisbury Magistrates Court in Wilts via video link. Dressed in a grey sweatshirt, the teen today spoke only to confirm his name, date of birth and nationality. He was remanded in custody and will appear at Bristol Crown Court on Thursday. The teen's court appearance comes as Wiltshire Police today confirmed Ellie had died from stab wounds. The Year 12 pupil at Hardenhuish School, was pronounced dead after emergency services were called to a house in Springfield Drive at 3.15pm on Friday. Police detained the suspect in the nearby town of Chippenham later that afternoon. Inspector Don Pocock said: "I would like to again thank the communities of Calne and Chippenham for the support and patience they have shown so far to our officers as they have carried out inquiries as part of this murder investigation. "A case like this takes time and will understandably have an impact on the local community - so thank you for your help and understanding. "Over the past few days, people living in Calne and Chippenham would have seen an increased police presence which I appreciate can add more anxiety and upset to what is already a tragic situation. "However, I want to reassure everyone that the officers and detectives involved have been working hard to carry out their duties as swiftly as possible to minimise the impact on those living and working here. TRIBUTES FOR ELLIE "Inevitably there has been a lot of interest and discussion into this case on social media and the like - however, now that a person has been charged and court proceedings have started, please be mindful not to speculate or comment publicly on anything to do with the investigation." Lisa Percy, head teacher of Hardenhuish School, said: "I would like to thank everyone for all of the messages of support that we have received from past, present and future parents, colleagues and other members of the community. "We would like to express our thanks to all partner agencies who have supported us too. "The students, staff and parents have found comfort in being together and paying their respects to Ellie and our thoughts remain with her family and friends at this time." Most read in news 'HELP ME!' Mum's screams as baby 'slipped under duvet and died while sleeping with parents' Exclusive IT’S HIGH TREESON Dad who spent 3 months building huge kids' treehouse told to demolish it NUCLEAR DOM Cummings brands PM 'unfit for the job' & says tens of 1000s died needlessly 'UNBEARABLE PAIN' Family's anguish as boy, 16, knifed to death ‘protecting his girlfriend’ HOUSE ABOUT IT You won't believe what this ordinary London home looks like on the inside Exclusive TOM'S LEGACY Captain Tom Moore — who raised £39m for charity — left family £73k in will Forensic teams were still working over the weekend at the £300,000 home she shared with dad Matthew, 50, mum Carole, 48 and brother Ben, 19. Candles were lit at the village's St Mary's Church, while police continued to stand guard at her school, which previously said in a statement that she was a "talented, popular and much-loved member of our school community". A concerned neighbour said: "It's very sad, and very unsettling. They [the police] said there's no security risk but I don't know how they can be sure." 6 A murder probe has been launched into the death of a teenage girl in Calne, Wilts Credit: SWNS:South West News Service 6 She was found dead in Calne, Wiltshire 6 The murder happened on this residential street in Calne, Wilts Credit: SWNS:South West News Service 6 A boy, 17, has been arrested on suspicion of murder in relation to the death in Calne Credit: SWNS:South West News Service

DES MOINES, Iowa — Breaking down Saturday’s East Region second-round game between No. 2 Michigan State basketball and No. 10 Minnesota the 2019 NCAA tournament: Records: No. 2 seed Michigan State (29-6, 16-4 Big Ten); No. 10 Minnesota Golden Gophers (22-13, 9-11 Big Ten). Fast facts: Appx. 7:45 p.m., Saturday (CBS), at Wells Fargo Arena, Des Moines, Iowa. Winner plays next Friday in the Sweet 16 against either No. 3 LSU or No. 6 Maryland in Washington, D.C. About MSU basketball Tournament record: 66-31, 32 years (last appearance, 2018). Scoring: Team (78.7 ppg); Cassius Winston (19.1); Nick Ward (13.8); Matt McQuaid (9.9); Xavier Tillman (9.6); Kenny Goins (8.1). Rebounds: Team (40.8); Goins (8.9); Tillman (7.2); Ward (6.2); Aaron Henry (3.6); Winston (3.1). Assists/turnovers: Team (18.7/12.9); Winston (7.5/2.9); Goins (2.3/1.5); McQuaid (2.2/0.9) 3-pointers: Team (.381); Winston (76); McQuaid (67); Goins (50); Ahrens (20); Henry (11). Last 10: 9-1. Overview: The Spartans struggled into the middle of the second half against 15-seed Bradley before closing the game with a 22-10 run over the final 6:24 to pull away to a 76-65 victory in Thursday’s first round at Wells Fargo Arena. Winston continued to be a strong finisher, scoring eight of his game-high 26 points in that closing stretch. MSU also made 25 of 26 free throws, including 11 of 12 in the final 2:04, and held Bradley scoreless for a 4:39 stretch late in the half while going on a 9-0 knockout run. Tillman had 14 points and 11 rebounds, while McQuaid added 10 points. The Spartans won the only meeting with Minnesota, 79-55, on Feb. 9 in East Lansing. About Minnesota basketball Tournament record: 14-12 (8-9 with vacated appearances), 13 years (last appearance, 2017). Scoring: Team (71.2 ppg); Amir Coffey (16.3); Jordan Murphy (14.9); Daniel Oturu (10.9); Gabe Kalscheur (10.3); Dupree McBrayer (9.2). Rebounds: Team (37.0); Murphy (11.3); Oturu (7.1); Coffey (3.7); McBrayer (2.3). Assists/turnovers: Team (14.7/11.8); Coffey (3.2/2.4); McBrayer (3.0/1.2); Isaiah Washington (2.9/1.0); Murphy (2.7/2.3). 3-pointers: Team (.325); Kalscheur (77); McBrayer (42); Coffey (40). Last 10: 5-5. Overview: The Gophers got hot in the Big Ten tournament, winning two games including a second upset of Purdue in 10 days, before falling to Michigan in the semifinals. On Thursday, the Gophers upset 7-seed Louisville by shooting 50 percent and making 11 3-pointers despite entering the game 344th nationally in made 3s per game. Freshman guard Kalscheur scored 24 points and made five 3-pointers, while Coffey and Murphy each scored 18 points. It was Richard Pitino's first NCAA win in six seasons in Minneapolis, which is less than four hours from Des Moines. Saturday will be the first time Minnesota and MSU have met in an NCAA tournament and the earliest matchup between two Big Ten teams since the field expanded to 64 teams in 1985. Prediction: MSU 78, Minnesota 70 Contact Chris Solari at csolari@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @chrissolari. Read more on the Michigan State Spartans and sign up for our Spartans newsletter.<doc-sep>After a grind against Bradley, the Spartans have advanced in the NCAA Tournament to take on Minnesota. The Spartans downed the Golden Gophers 79-55 earlier this season, but the Gophers are playing solid basketball right now. Who will win? See what our writers think. Ryan O’Bleness Michigan State 81, Minnesota 70 Michigan State was tested by a Bradley team that had nothing to lose, but I think MSU will play better overall against Minnesota. The Gophers are a familiar opponent, and though they are a much better team now than they were when the Spartans beat them by 24 on Feb. 9, I think MSU still matches up well and is the superior team. Minnesota played inspired basketball against Louisville and could be getting hot at the right time, but I just have a hard team seeing them pull off the upset. My fear, though, is that the injuries and fatigue have finally caught up to the Spartans. The depth is depleted. With all due respect to my main man, Conner George, I’m really hoping his services won’t be needed and the regular rotation remains intact. Go Green! Matt Hoeppner MSU 73, Minnesota 64 This team is getting to the second weekend if it kills them, and I just don’t see anyway that they can lose this game. Quick turnaround favors MSU in the coaching department, and it’s just not a great matchup for Minnesota. The Spartans shut down Coffey and Murphy last time around, and I expect the same game plan this time. Spartans win and advance to the sweet sixteen and we all gear up for next weekend in Washington. David Harns MSU 77, Minnesota 66 The NCAA Tournament is about matchups and Michigan State should match up better with a “conventional team” in Minnesota on Saturday - a team that has a couple bigs. The Spartans should be able to stay away from the “bizarre lineups” and feature more Nick Ward. If Kenny Goins finds his shooting touch again, this game won’t be close. Matt Sheehan MSU 72, Minnesota 65 The Spartans we saw on Thursday were a team that felt the pressure of once again losing to a 15 seed, and it showed. Now MSU gets a conference team they beat by roughly 1,000 points this year in the second round. I think that’ll give them some comfort. I truly think Kenny Goins has a comeback game on offense (and let’s not discount his great defense on Thursday despite a rough game shooting the ball) and the post game gets clicking early. Also, when is it too early to start drinking? Samuel Tyler MSU 82, Minnesota 75 Rip-roaring up and down game. Coffey and Kaluscher play great, but Winston closes it out. Izzo not pleased with the defense, but proud of a gutty team advancing to play another B1G team in Maryland in the sweet 16... the longest conference season ever. Just. Won’t. End. Zach Manning MSU 78, Minnesota 73 Minnesota is playing well right now, and the Spartans are coming off of a tough game against Bradley. However, MSU has more talent and the best player in the game, so I think that’ll be enough to pull out a win. Kenny Goins will play a big role in the win, knocking down a few key shots throughout the game. Kyle Thele MSU 74, Minnesota 60 This is not good for any MSU fan’s health. After a lackluster performance in the first round, the Spartans have to play a red-hot Minnesota team, all with the thought of not reaching the second weekend for the fourth straight year. But with that being said, the Spartans get the job done and advance to the Sweet Sixteen. Playing someone they are familiar with will actually help the turnaround process and give everyone a chance to rest their legs a little more. Added cherry on top, Aaron Henry hits a three and a highlight dunk.<doc-sep>Welcome to our live game coverage of Michigan State basketball in the 2019 NCAA tournament. On Saturday in the East region, the No. 2 Spartans take on No. 10 Minnesota in Des Moines, Iowa (approximately 8 p.m., CBS). In Thursday's first round, MSU beat Bradley, 76-65, and Minnesota upset Louisville, 86-76. The Spartans crushed the Golden Gophers in their regular season meeting in East Lansing on Feb. 9, winning 79-55 in front of Magic Johnson and the 1979 champs. The winner will face No. 3 LSU — which beat Maryland, 69-67 — in the Sweet 16 in Washington D.C. Join the live analysis and banter, led by Free Press special writer Joey Yashinsky. More:How Michigan State and Minnesota will make history in second round More:I played for Tom Izzo at Michigan State. Here's why I'm glad I did Live blog Live blog for mobile users.<doc-sep>

Michigan State takes on a recognizable program in Minnesota on Saturday in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The No. 2 seed Spartans will square off with the No. 10 seed Golden Gophers with a trip to the Sweet 16 on the line. Below are details on how to watch or listen to the game, as well as links to relevant stories from throughout the week: When: Saturday, March 23, approximately 7:45 p.m. TV channel: CBS (Kevin Harlan, Reggie Miller, Dan Bonner, Dana Jacobson) Stream: fubotv.com, CBS.com/all-access, CBS All-Access app, NCAA March Madness app Radio: Spartan Sports Network (94.9 FM/1240 AM in Lansing; 760 AM in Detroit). Click here for a full list of SSN affiliates Records: MSU (29-6), Minnesota (22-13) All-time: 70-60 MSU Last meeting: Feb. 9 at MSU. MSU won 79-55. Current streak: MSU +2 The Spartans desperately want to reach the second weekend of the Big Dance after failing to do so the past three seasons. Minnesota hasn't reached the Sweet 16 since 1997 when it made the Final Four, though that appearance was later vacated. The Gophers ran into an ambush in East Lansing when these two teams met on Feb. 9. MSU was hungry and ready to take out the anger of a three-game losing streak on someone else. Plus, the Spartans had their 1979 national championship team in the house for a reunion, which amped up the home crowd even more. Nick Ward dominated Minnesota that day as MSU cruised 79-55. Both teams have evolved quite a bit since that game. "It is different," MSU head coach Tom Izzo said. "Kenny (Goins) is back and he wasn't there but for a couple of minutes of that game. Kyle (Ahrens) is not there and he played in that game and maybe the biggest difference was I think Nick had 22 or 20 points. And Nick is pretty good defensively, especially on a good post player. Now, I think a guy like (Jordan) Murphy or (Daniel) Oturu are both better at putting the ball on the floor than they were early. We're both different. "If they shoot the ball like they did (against Louisville), that makes them a lot different than they've been all year. They've been a low 30s shooting team from the 3 and they're just shooting the ball better right now or at least did (Thursday)." Get the latest info on Michigan State football, basketball and recruiting sent straight to your inbox. Just enter your email address HERE to sign up for our free Spartans newsletter now!

TOKYO (AFP) - Japan on Friday (July 20) enacted a controversial law to allow casinos that the government says will boost tourism and growth but was bitterly opposed by the opposition. In a last-ditch attempt to delay the vote on the Bill in the Upper House, opposition lawmakers called a confidence vote on Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's Cabinet, despite the premier being guaranteed an easy win by his large parliamentary majority. Japan's government has long touted the drive for mega "integrated resorts" (IRs) that will include casinos, entertainment venues, restaurants, hotel and conference halls, on the Las Vegas model. It argues the casinos will bring in tourist and business spending, like other regional gambling destinations in Singapore and Macau, and provide a shot in the arm for a stagnant economy. But legislation has been controversial, including among activists concerned about Japan's already well-documented problem with gambling addiction. The law enacted on Friday allows the construction of three IR facilities, and comes after the more powerful Lower House approved the same Bill in June. "Japanese IRs are not only about casinos," top government spokesman Yoshihide Suga told reporters Friday, ahead of the vote. Related Story Casino school in Japan starts training for croupiers in anticipation of integrated resorts Related Story Gambling addiction rate under control: Survey "It is an integrated resort facility that will help increase tourism across Japan," Suga said, adding that the law would help Japan "become a major tourism nation," and boost the economy as a whole. 'HOLY GRAIL' OF GAMING Japan was long the only developed nation banning casinos but passed legislation in 2016 paving the way to legalise the industry. Public opinion is heavily against the legislation, with 62 per cent of voters saying in a survey earlier this month that they opposed it. Just 22 per cent were in favour, with 16 per cent unsure. Bolstered by public opinion on the issue, the opposition fought hard with administrative measures to delay a vote on the legislation. They also criticised the government for prioritising the Bill over measures to address a massive floods and landslides that hit western Japan earlier this month killing more than 200 people. "There are countless reasons that the Abe administration deserves a no-confidence (resolution)," said Yukio Edano, leader of the main opposition. The casino Bill is "not something that we have to make a hasty decision on" as Japan still faces disaster relief measures in western Japan, Edano said in the Lower House after submitting the no-confidence resolution. Despite the new legislation, experts say it will likely still be years before casino operators start breaking ground on facilities. And they do not expect casinos to actually open for another 5-7 years. The legislation kicks off a process that will see local regions bid for the right to host one of the three facilities, but no timeframe has been set for that process and issues including establishing a regulatory body remain to be resolved. Japan is often viewed as the Holy Grail of gaming in Asia due to its wealthy population, proximity to gamblers from China and an appetite for other forms of legal gambling, including horse racing and pachinko, a slot machine-style game. Economists estimate the casino industry could bring in takings of 2.0-3.7 trillion yen (S$24.6 billion to S$46.4 billion) a year. National and regional governments plan a combined tax of 30 per cent on gaming revenues.<doc-sep>Japan is finally moving forward with a long-awaited casino industry. On Friday, the Japanese parliament passed a new piece of legislation that outlines how the country’s potentially lucrative casino market would be run. An earlier bill passed in late 2016 to start the process. Under the new law, lawmakers approved three Las Vegas-style casinos, but there’s no specifics yet on where they’d be built. The casino industry is eyeing a Japanese gaming market that could be worth as much as $25 billion annually. For comparison, the U.S. casino industry stands at more than $70 billion per year. Several top American casino firms, including MGM Resorts and Las Vegas Sands, are interested in Japanese casino projects. “Japan took a giant step toward strengthening its economy, attracting international travelers and implementing stringent gaming regulation that protects consumers and eliminates criminal activity," the American Gaming Association said in a statement. "In the years ahead, Japanese communities will realize the many integrated resorts-related benefits that have enhanced dozens of major destinations around the globe. The gaming industry is excited to help Japan achieve its economic goals and eager to partner with the governments and people of Japan to build a world class gaming market.” Per a report from the Wall Street Journal, Japan is hoping to grow its tourism industry to 60 million foreign visitors annually by the year 2030. It had under 30 million last year. Thanks to concerns about potential gambling addiction among the Japanese populace, the law passed Friday calls for a roughly $50 entrance fee for Japanese residents. Foreign visitors would not have to pay. Additionally, Japanese guests would be limited to 10 visits every four weeks. Casinos would be required to pay 30 percent of their gambling winnings to the government. In an effort to make sure the casinos are entertainment complexes and not simply gambling dens, the government will impose a limit on gaming floors, which could be set at no more than three percent of the square footage of the entire resort.<doc-sep>Let the competition begin. Now that Japan has enacted a law outlining a road map for casino resorts, foreign operators from Las Vegas Sands Corp. to MGM Resorts International can start to seek out partners in their bid to tap a gaming market that may be worth as much as $25 billion. It could also be a boon for Japanese industries — from companies that oversee resort projects to construction giants building infrastructure. There is still a long road ahead, but talks between Japanese companies and Western operators will become more serious now that the government has given the green light. Municipalities will eventually start requesting proposals from consortium groups that want to pitch their plans. “This business becomes a legitimate viable business after the bill passes,” said Masaru Sugiyama, an analyst at Goldman Sachs Group Inc. “Companies that weren’t willing to come public with their aspirations — we’ll see them be more active with press releases, briefings, blueprints coming out for what kind of projects they want to do and where, and who they want to partner with.” Here are the companies that could play an active role in the build out of casino resorts in Japan. Some of the names mentioned have yet to express an interest in getting involved in the gaming business. Unless otherwise noted, the companies either declined to comment or couldn’t be reached. Casino Operators: Executives such as Las Vegas Sands’ Sheldon Adelson and MGM’s James Murren have said they’re willing to spend as much as $10 billion building an integrated resort in Japan. “Japan is known worldwide for a unique culture of customer-focused hospitality known as ‘omotenashi,’ ” Wynn Resorts Ltd. CEO Matt Maddox said in a statement. “This important Japanese tradition of creating a unique guest experience makes it clear to us that Japan will develop extraordinary integrated resorts that are not found in any other country.” MGM, Sands and Melco Resorts & Entertainment want to operate a resort in a large city with easy transit options. Caesars Entertainment Corp. has said it’s flexible with location, and has unveiled mock-ups for large cities and smaller regional areas. MGM CEO Jim Murren said the company was going to “advance our relationships with key stakeholders and together create a coalition of Japanese business partners who will collectively define a vision for a uniquely Japanese, world-class integrated resort.” Hard Rock Cafe International Inc. is also in the running, and has opened an office in Hokkaido. Other casino operators seeking inroads include Galaxy Entertainment Group and Genting Singapore. Osaka, Yokohama and Tomakomai in Hokkaido are the leading cities to win government approval for the first three locations allowed to build integrated resorts. Gaming: Sega Sammy Holdings Inc., widely known for its video games, has a business selling gaming machines. It’s also one of the few Japanese companies with experience running a casino — South Korea’s Paradise City. “We’ll be speaking with localities seriously about what kind of IR (integrated resort) they want to build and propose a plan that will best highlight the charms of the regions,” Chief Operating Officer Haruki Satomi said. Konami Holdings Corp., a supplier of slot and gaming machines, has set up a panel to explore its stake in Japan casinos. It holds over 400 gaming licenses in North America, Australia, Singapore and South Africa. Tourism: Travel agency HIS Co. has been actively trying to attract a firm to build a casino as part of its Nagasaki theme park Huis Ten Bosch, which recreates a Dutch town. “We are working on it with the prefecture and the city,” a theme park spokeswoman said. Construction: Obayashi Corp. created a project team in May to participate in the building of a casino resort in the Osaka area. “We want to cooperate in making IRs a reality in Japan and offer our company’s expertise,” spokesman Junichi Ichikawa said. Other major contractors that could play a role include Taisei Corp., Shimizu Corp. and Kajima Corp. Infrastructure and transit: Orix Corp., the financial-services firm that operates hotels, parking garages as well as one of Osaka’s airport concessions, is seen as a contender for an Osaka resort. SMBC Nikko analysts cite its expertise in property management and financing as strengths. An Orix spokesman said no decisions had been made yet. Transit companies operating in locations that win licenses should benefit. The selection of Yokohama would make Keikyu Corp. a winner. “We expect it could help boost the value of our railway line as it could increase the need for residences,” a spokesman said. Airlines are likely to see a boost in travelers from home and abroad, particularly China where casinos expect to get an influx of wealthy gamblers. “We expect IRs to stimulate job creation and promote tourism in areas around Japan,” All Nippon Airways Co. spokeswoman Yuko Yoshimura said. Financing: IRs are large projects that will take money to build, and money is cheap in Japan. Banks such as Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc., Mizuho Financial Group Inc., and Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc. are all possibilities for running the financing for a large consortium. Technology: Panasonic Corp. already provides TV monitors and security solutions for Genting’s Resorts World Sentosa casino in Singapore. Company executive Yasuyuki Higuchi said in June he would consider casino opportunities in Japan. PHOTO GALLERY (CLICK TO ENLARGE)<doc-sep>

When she she looks back on her childhood, Noriko Tanaka isn’t surprised she grew up to be a problem gambler. Her grandfather spent every spare moment playing pachinko – a pinball-like game with payouts – while her father bet regularly on bicycle races. At home, they taught Tanaka how to stake money on card games before she had reached her teens. “It was that kind of household, although no one drank alcohol,” she said. “Everyone lived for gambling.” She married an inveterate gambler, and by the time she was in her 30s realised that the casual bets she once placed on motorboat races had become a compulsion that had left her and her husband deep in debt. As head of a group campaigning to raise awareness of gambling addiction, Tanaka now faces a battle on another front. Having lifted the ban on casinos in 2016 after 15 years of debate, Japan’s parliament recently passed a bill setting out how they should be run, in response to claims that they will create a new generation of problem gamblers. Once described as the “final frontier” for casinos, Japan has dropped its official resistance to their legalisation amid evidence that it stands to gain billions of dollars in tax revenue and could rival Las Vegas and Macau as a magnet for foreign tourists. Industry analysts believe the move will create tens of thousands of jobs and boost the economies of cities such as Osaka, the current favourite to host the country’s first casino. With its large middle-class and growing popularity as a tourist destination, Japan has attracted the attention of leading operators, including Las Vegas Sands and MGM Resorts, which have suggested they are each prepared to invest $10bn (£7.6bn) in a proposed casino project in Osaka. Economists have estimated the casino industry could bring in takings of ¥2tn to ¥3.7tn ($18bn to $34bn) a year, with national and local governments helping themselves to a 30% tax on revenues. The casinos, which will initially be built in three locations starting sometime around 2022, will be part of “integrated resorts” that include hotels, conference rooms, shops, restaurants and event spaces. The government said it will take steps to deter organised crime, such as running background checks on firms that apply for casino licences, with fines of up to 500m yen for those who submit false applications. But critics said the new law has failed to address the problem of gambling addiction. Last year a government survey found that an estimated 3.2 million Japanese have at some time in their lives been hooked on pachinko, football pools, lotteries and government-run races involving horses, bicycles, speedboats and motorbikes. Most are addicted to pachinko, in which players get around strict gaming laws by exchanging prizes and tokens for cash off the premises. While the sector has declined in recent years, its 4.3m machines at 10,000 locations across the country together generate revenue of more than ¥20tn a year. In an attempt to limit exposure to slot machines and poker tables, Japanese citizens will be charged ¥6,000 admission to casinos, with visits restricted to three times a week or 10 times a month. Admission will be free for foreign tourists. Ichiro Tanioka, the president of Osaka University of Commerce and an expert in the economics of gambling, supports lifting the casino ban but describes measures outlined to address addiction as “meaningless”. “The law calls on the industry to cooperate to tackle addiction, but nowhere does it say how much funding will be provided and how it will be spent. Unless these details are worked out then these can’t be described as measures to tackle addiction,” he said. The Japanese public remains firmly against casino legalisation. A recent poll by Kyodo news agency found that 65% opposed it, with 26% in favour. Tanaka, who hasn’t gambled for 14 years, believes the government should immediately make ¥5bn available to fund services to address what she believes will be an inevitable rise in the number of addicts. “There are very few specialists in gambling addiction in Japan, and the number of self-help meetings here is a fraction of that in the US,” she said. “The arrival of casinos will bring Japan to the brink of an addiction crisis.”

Jim Young/Associated Press Chicago Blackhawks goalie Corey Crawford is expected to make his official return to the ice for Thursday night's game against the Arizona Coyotes after being held out of action for the past 10 months because of lingering concussion symptoms. Crawford has not appeared in an NHL game since Dec. 23, 2017. "We'll see how he feels in the morning, but we expect him to play tomorrow," Chicago coach Joel Quenneville said on Wednesday, per the team's official Twitter account. The Blackhawks will wait until game day to make a decision, but as of Wednesday, the veteran was ready for action. "It feels good to be back to myself," Crawford said, according to The Athletic's Mark Lazerus. "I'm feeling good, feeling clear. I'm sure I'll be a little anxious getting into it, some nerves. I'm definitely excited, I'll tell you that." Jitters aren't the only thing Crawford may have to overcome in his first game back. He may have to shake off some rust as well after being out for such a long period. However, when he's healthy and on top of his game, there have been few better than him over the years. Crawford has 230 career wins, including 23 shutouts, and has helped Chicago hoist the Stanley Cup on a pair of occasions. Prior to last season, he had made at least 55 appearances in six of his seven full seasons with the team, providing stability in net. Before the injury last season, he went 16-9-2 (including two shutouts) with a .929 save percentage and a 2.27 goals-against average in 28 games. Without Crawford, the Blackhawks struggled to a 33-39-10 record and missed out on the postseason for the first time since 2007-08. Video Play Button Videos you might like With Crawford sidelined to start the season, offseason acquisition Cam Ward has held down the fort in the crease for Chicago. The former All-Star has guided the Blackhawks to a 3-0-2 start, although he has allowed at least three goals in every game this season.<doc-sep>Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Corey Crawford is starting in Thursday night's game against the Arizona Coyotes, coach Joel Quenneville said after the morning skate, marking the netminder's first game action in nearly 10 months. Crawford has been sidelined since last season with lingering concussion symptoms. He said Wednesday that he was planning to play, but how he felt after the morning skate was the final hurdle. "It's exciting," Quenneville said. "I'm sure he's looking forward to it and we all are excited about him in there as well. It'll be a fun situation for the guys seeing him back in net as well, so we're looking for everybody to be excited about tonight's game." Crawford, 33, last played in a game Dec. 23, 2017. He was placed on injured reserve with a concussion four days later. Crawford played in 28 games last season, going 16-9-2 with a 2.27 goals-against average and .929 save percentage before the injury. With Crawford out, the Blackhawks missed the playoffs for the first time in 10 years. "We felt like last year was an example of how important [Crawford] was," Quenneville said. Before this season, Crawford had played in every Blackhawks season opener since 2011-12. Teammate Patrick Kane said it was great to have Crawford back, adding, "I think the whole time the organization did a great job of not trying to rush him back." The Blackhawks signed longtime Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Cam Ward to a one-year, $3 million contract in free agency as insurance. Ward hasn't sparkled in his first five starts with the Blackhawks, posting a 4.07 GAA and .879 save percentage. The Blackhawks are 3-0-2 on the season, having gone to overtime in each of their first five games, an NHL record. On Thursday, they will host a Coyotes team that has struggled on offense, scoring only three goals in their first five games. Arizona's 0.60 goals per game is the worst mark in the league. Beginning with the matchup with the Coyotes, the Blackhawks have three games in the next four nights and seven in the next 11 days. "We'll see how that goes. I know that we have three right now on our roster," Quenneville said about the goaltending situation. "With three in four nights, we'll see how that plays out." To make room for Crawford on the roster, the Blackhawks sent forward Luke Johnson to the Rockford IceHogs of the AHL. Also, forward Brandon Saad was in the lineup for Thursday. He is off to a slow start this season, was demoted to the fourth line in the last game and even wore a white jersey in practice this week -- which usually indicates a player who will be scratched in the next game. Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.<doc-sep>

Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Corey Crawford says he plans on starting in Thursday's game against the Arizona Coyotes, which would mark his first game action in nearly 10 months. Crawford, who has been sidelined since last season with lingering concussion symptoms, said the official decision will be made after he gets through Thursday's morning skate. Crawford said it's ultimately his decision. Corey Crawford says he will play Thursday vs. the Arizona Coyotes, meaning he'll return to the ice for the first time since a concussion on Dec. 23. Patrick Gorski/Icon Sportswire "It feels good to be back to myself," Crawford said after practice Wednesday. "I'm feeling clear." Coach Joel Quenneville was a bit more assertive on Crawford's status for Thursday, saying: "We expect him to play." The 33-year-old Crawford last played in a game Dec. 23, 2017. He was placed on injured reserve with a concussion four days later. Crawford played in 28 games last season, going 16-9-2 with a 2.27 goals-against average and .929 save percentage before the injury. With Crawford out, the Blackhawks missed the playoffs for the first time in 10 years. "We felt like last year was an example of how important [Crawford] was," Quenneville said. Before this season, Crawford had played in every Blackhawks season opener since 2011-12. Teammate Patrick Kane said it was great to have Crawford back and "I think the whole time the organization did a great job of not trying to rush him back." The Blackhawks signed longtime Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Cam Ward to a one-year, $3 million contract in free agency as insurance. Ward hasn't sparkled in his first five starts with the Blackhawks, posting a 4.07 GAA and .879 save percentage. The Blackhawks are 3-0-2 on the season, having gone to overtime in each of their first five games, an NHL record. On Thursday they will host a Coyotes team that has struggled on offense, scoring only three goals in their first five games. Arizona's 0.60 goals per game is the worst mark in the league. Crawford will need to be activated from injured reserve, so a corresponding roster move will happen Thursday morning, Quenneville said. The coach has previously said he doesn't want to carry three goaltenders, so eventually backup Anton Forsberg could be put on waivers.

Emotions were flowing in Tampa after Baylor defeated Notre Dame 82-81 in dramatic fashion. TAMPA, Fla. — Confetti fell, the net was cut and tears of joy flowed. The Lady Bears put on an incredible performance against Notre Dame to secure the program's third national title. Now, only Geno Auriemma and Pat Summitt have more national championships as a coach than Baylor's Kim Mulkey. Mulkey was emotional after her squad bested Notre Dame in the National Championship. In the third quarter, All-American Lauren Cox went down with a knee injury. Baylor led by as much as 17 points before Cox's injury, and Baylor's defense absolutely stifled Notre Dame. Once Cox was out, the Fighting Irish lived up to their name, and they clawed out of the hole they were in. Baylor stood strong in the face of adversity, and came out on top. Despite Notre Dame's push in the fourth quarter, Mulkey said her team's performance overall was dominant. Mulkey also said the win reminded her that family comes first. KCEN Channel 6 sports reporter Jessica Morrey went to the locker room after the game. Morrey asked players what went through their head as the clock finally hit zero. Grad transfer Chloe Jackson, who was selected as the tournament's Most Outstanding Player, said a ton of emotions went through her mind. Sophomore guard Moon Ursin said the win was a relief, because she was a big proponent of the team's motto "Together To Tampa" all season. Sophomore guard DiDi Richards said she thought of her grandpa, who is from Tampa and recently passed away. She said she dedicated the win to him. Freshman forward NaLyssa Smith played like a veteran against the Irish, putting up 17 points on seven of nine shots from the field. Smith said her play shows how deep the team is. Coach Mulkey praised the freshman's performance. Lady Bear parents were in Tampa Sunday night to see their stars shine on the brightest stage. One parent said she never lost faith in Baylor, even when the game was tied. Lauren Cox's mom said her daughter brought energy back to the team when she showed up to the sideline to keep cheering on her squad, despite her injury. Although fans said they felt stressful when Notre Dame stormed back, they're pumped they made the journey to Tampa to witness history.<doc-sep>Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images The Baylor Lady Bears are national champions for the third time after they defeated the Notre Dame Fighting Irish 82-81 on Sunday in the 2019 NCAA women's basketball tournament title game. Chloe Jackson gave Baylor an 82-80 lead with 3.9 seconds remaining. With 1.9 seconds left, Moon Ursin fouled Arike Ogunbowale to send her to the free-throw line for a shot at tying the game. Ogunbowale missed the first and sank the second. Too little time was left on the clock for the Fighting Irish to foul Baylor and hope for a desperation shot attempt at the buzzer. This is the second time Baylor beat Notre Dame in the final, with the Lady Bears also getting the better of the Fighting Irish in 2012. Defense was Baylor's calling card all season. The Lady Bears allowed the 10th-fewest points per game (55.0) and ranked first in opponent field-goal percentage (31.6 percent). Notre Dame was another victim of that suffocating defense, shooting 38.9 percent as a team. Ogunbowale was the hero of last year's Final Four, hitting game-winners in both the national semifinals and national championship. The pair of Juicy Landrum and DiDi Richards couldn't hold Ogunbowale in check as the senior guard had 31 points in the defeat. Jackson's last-second layup capped off a fantastic performance. She had a team-high 26 points, adding two rebounds, five assists and two steals. Kalani Brown was also a force inside for Baylor, scoring 20 points and grabbing 13 rebounds. Video Play Button Videos you might like The game was something of a Pyrrhic victory for Baylor. With 1:22 left in the third quarter, Lauren Cox was getting into position for a rebound when Brown inadvertently stepped on her leg. Cox's left knee bent at an awkward angle, and she immediately fell to the floor clutching her left knee. The Baylor trainers placed the junior forward in a wheelchair and took her back to the locker room. Beyond the emotional blow Cox's injury had for her teammates, she was the team's second-leading scorer (13.2 points per game) and leading rebounder (8.4 per game) entering Sunday night. The loss of one of Baylor's best players opened the door for Notre Dame, and Ogunbowale gave the Fighting Irish a much-needed momentum boost when she connected on a three-pointer to end the third quarter. Notre Dame opened the fourth quarter on a 14-6 run to make it a three-point game, 72-69. As the Fighting Irish were working their way back, Cox's absence was especially noticeable. Although Brown was still an imposing figure inside, points in the paint became much easier to find. Marina Mabrey finally tied the game at 74 with a three-pointer at the 5:18 mark of the final quarter. That set the stage for a breathless final five minutes as Baylor and Notre Dame exchanged the lead three times. Before her game-clinching layup, Jackson hit an even more difficult floater to put the Lady Bears ahead inside the final minute. Rather than irreparably damaging her team's national championship hopes, Cox's injury had a galvanizing effect for Baylor. Perhaps the Lady Bears would've pulled away in the fourth quarter with her healthy, but her presence on the bench gave them one more reason to bring the title home. After the final buzzer, Brown and Cox shared an emotional moment on the court. Sunday's win caps off one of the best seasons in Baylor history. The Lady Bears' 37 wins are their second-most in a single season, only falling short of their perfect 40-0 season in 2012. Baylor was the best team in the country, earning the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA tournament. In the semifinals, the Lady Bears successfully neutralized Sabrina Ionescu, then they shut down a Notre Dame team firing on all cylinders and fresh off a hard-fought victory over the Connecticut Huskies. In time, the focus will shift to the health of Cox because the Lady Bears have the pieces to successfully defend their championship. Although Brown and Jackson will graduate, the trio of Landrum, Cox and Richards all return. Depending on the severity of Cox's injury, though, her availability for 2019-20 could be in question. For now, Baylor will savor its place atop the summit of women's college basketball.<doc-sep>TAMPA, Fla. — One by one, Baylor players and coaches scaled a ladder to trim away the net under the south hoop at Amalie Arena, a celebratory parade capped by coach Kim Mulkey, her daughter Makenzie Marie Robertson and Mulkey's grandson. Perhaps sensing the moment, the in-arena DJ queued up "Circle of Life," the generational hit from the movie The Lion King. The Mulkey clan responded: Up the grandson went above his mother's head, like a young Simba, before coming back down, sliding into his father's arms and unleashing a burp down his chin and onto his Baylor shirt. The Lady Bears' third national championship wasn't perfect — it was even sloppy, like a burp-stained championship shirt, and nearly dribbled away in the second half. It was a "battle," Mulkey called it, physically demanding and emotionally draining. It was in hand late in the third quarter, nearly blown after losing star forward Lauren Cox to injury and then won, in no small part thanks to the same player. "We all wanted to win the game for her," said freshman forward Caitlin Bickle. "We wanted to carry that out for her just because we’ve worked so hard to get here and we wanted to win that for her." The Bears' performance on Sunday night can be evenly split into two parts: With Cox and without. With the junior, the Bears thoroughly outplayed Notre Dame, the defending national champions, in what turned into a thrilling 82-81 win. Without Cox, it took every ounce of energy, a few fortuitous bounces and the reversal of recent Final Four history for Baylor to pull out its third championship under Mulkey. "For us to win probably was a miracle in itself when you lose a player of that caliber," Mulkey said. "Not only the talent she has, but she's our leader, people." Cox was the center of two turning points, one that seemed to shift the game in Notre Dame's favor and the other that turned the game back toward Baylor. NOTRE DAME:Last year's hero Arike Ogunbowale comes up just short With 1:22 left in the third quarter, Notre Dame forward Jessica Shepard corralled a rebound and banked in a layup, drawing the Fighting Irish within 12 points at 62-50. Meanwhile, two Baylor players had become tangled in the chase for the loose ball. One, center Kalani Brown — who herself battled a hip injury — was fine. The other, Cox, laid prone on the court, gripping her left knee and screaming, her voice loud enough to be heard clearly in a hushed arena. Cox was in tears. Her parents, shown on the ESPN broadcast, were also emotional. As a wheelchair came onto the court and rolled Cox toward the locker room, Mulkey and her staff spoke to a huddled team: "It's sports," they said, Bickle recalled. "It happens. Take care of it." Baylor players were stunned. "I felt like my whole face just shattered," junior guard Juicy Landrum said. Cox is "the heart and soul of our team," said Bickle. It's no coincidence that Cox's exit was greeted by Notre Dame's run. To that point, Baylor had scored 42 points in the paint. Cox was well on her way to her second double-double of the Final Four, joining the Bears' win against Oregon in the semifinals. The Bears had found a formula: Pound the ball inside. It was no longer an effective option without Cox. "We controlled that game from the start until the time she went off the floor," Mulkey said. "We were losing the momentum at that point with Cox gone." Down by 11 points entering the fourth quarter, the Irish would go on a 19-8 run to tie the game at 74-74 with five minutes left. Mulkey called timeout. Fifteen seconds later, Cox hobbled back to the Baylor bench, her left leg in a brace and her arms on crutches. To see Cox on the bench was "a little frustrating," Landrum said, but "it was a big lift," providing Baylor with a needed boost. You've got this, Cox told her teammates. "It meant everything to us, just to see that she was alright," said freshman NaLyssa Smith, who replaced Cox and scored six of her 10 points in the fourth quarter. "That just gave us a whole bunch of momentum." Momentum helped stem the Notre Dame run, altering what seemed like a preordained finish. A season ago, the Irish rode late heroics to the national title. Again in Friday's semifinal against Connecticut, the Irish recovered from a sluggish start to defeat the rival Huskies for the second postseason in a row. On Sunday night, however, the bounces went Baylor's way. Chloe Jackson's game-winning lay-up with 3.9 seconds left bounced twice off the rim — the left and the front — before falling through the net. Shooting two free throws with a chance to tie the game with a second left, Notre Dame's Arike Ogunbowale's first try did a similar dance around the hoop before falling off. Seemingly trying to miss her next attempt, Ogunbowale instead made the free throw. Notre Dame had exhausted its postseason magic, and Baylor would win by a point. After the final whistle, Brown raced to embrace Cox, telling her teammate, "We did this for you." "We had to pull it together, pull it out for her," Brown said. "The whole time, she was coaching on the sideline. She was still involved. I mean, she came out of that tunnel ... I think that speaks volumes of her character." It helps to tell the story of Baylor's title. The program's last winners, in 2012, raced through the year unbeaten, becoming the first team in college basketball history to finish 40-0. This one may have cruised through the final two-plus months of the regular season but had to sweat out April, surprisingly pushed by Oregon and then nearly tripped up by Notre Dame. In the face of by far its biggest challenge — the talent of Notre Dame combined with the loss of its junior star — Baylor delivered the third championship in program history.<doc-sep>Chloe Jackson drives in for a layup to put Baylor up by two with 3.9 seconds left. (0:23) TAMPA, Fla. -- Everything about the first 29 minutes of the NCAA women's championship game said Baylor was going to win. The Lady Bears dominated in the paint, with their guards, in transition, making Notre Dame look a step slow and totally out of sync. With 1:22 left in the third quarter, Lauren Cox fell to the court, clutching her left knee. Her teammates looked on, stunned. The arena fell silent. "I wanted to cry," Chloe Jackson said. "My head went blank," NaLyssa Smith said. "Like a stab in the heart," DiDi Richards said. "It was like, 'What are we going to do?'" Baylor coach Kim Mulkey went to check on Cox. She vowed the Bears would win the game for Cox. Meanwhile, assistant coach Bill Brock huddled the players together. "He said, 'Guys this is basketball. It happens, but we're Baylor. And we're here in this moment right now. Let's go finish this game, let's go win this ball game,'" Moon Ursin said. "We just wanted to get it done for her." Jackson did that when her driving layup with 3.9 seconds left helped give Baylor its third national championship. But the Lady Bears' 82-81 win over Notre Dame on Sunday night was as much about Cox as it was about how Baylor reacted, and how a grad transfer point guard kept a promise she made to all her teammates and became the Women's Final Four's most outstanding player. "I couldn't come this far and then go home without the victory," Jackson said. When Cox left the floor in a wheelchair, nobody knew the severity of her injury, or whether she would even come back to the bench. The entire game changed in that one moment. When Lauren Cox went down with an injury to her left knee, Baylor led 62-50 with 1:22 to play in the third quarter. Notre Dame eventually took the lead 77-76, but Baylor rallied for an 82-81 win. Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports Notre Dame, a second-half team throughout the tournament, looked emboldened and far more aggressive. The Fighting Irish went on a 13-5 run with eight points from Arike Ogunbowale to close the gap to three early in the fourth quarter. Then, Notre Dame's Marina Mabrey got going from the 3-point line, hitting three straight to help tie the game at 74 with 5:18 to play. Two minutes later, Notre Dame had its first lead since the 8:20 mark of the first quarter. "LC just has such an impact on the game -- when a player like that goes out, things are going to change, and we just had to figure it out," Ursin said. "They took advantage of that, and they made the best out of it when LC went out. We had to dig a little deeper. We had to figure out what to do, and we did down the stretch." They did it not only thanks to Jackson, but thanks to Cox, who returned to the bench on crutches, with a knee brace on for the final five minutes. You could see her teammates' spirits lift when they saw her smiling. "I needed to be there, to reassure them that I was OK and I'm still over here cheering for them," Cox said. She told her teammates to keep believing they would win, but she also offered advice about plays to run. Cox noticed the play they kept running for Jackson was working. After trading buckets and free throws, Jackson hit a jumper with 33.8 seconds left to put Baylor ahead. But Jessica Shepard was fouled and hit both her free throws, tying the game at 80. Mulkey called the same exact play she called for Jackson in the semifinal against Oregon: Jackson took the ball, Richards hit a perfect screen and Jackson had a wide-open lane to the basket. Her driving layup with 3.9 seconds remaining Sunday put Baylor ahead 82-80. "I've never felt so valuable. That screen was something serious!" Richards said. Baylor's Chloe Jackson celebrates with teammates after scoring or assisting on the Lady Bears' final six points, including the game-winning layup. AP Photo/Chris O'Meara But there was no time to celebrate. Not surprisingly, Ogunbowale got the ball on the other end. The star of last year's Final Four has become such a clutch player in the fourth quarter, it almost felt like a given she would make something happen. She drew a foul and went to the line with 1.9 seconds remaining. Ogunbowale is an 80 percent free throw shooter. She lives for pressure situations. As she stepped to the line, Jackson prayed, "Just let her miss one." The first one missed. She tried to miss the second one, but it went in. Baylor successfully inbounded the ball, denying the Irish a chance to repeat as champions. "The game didn't come down to that free throw," Notre Dame coach Muffet McGraw said. As the final buzzer sounded, Kalani Brown embraced Cox on the bench. The two post players have formed the backbone of Baylor's team, and the motto "Together to Tampa" was largely inspired to try to get Brown the championship in her senior season. "I just told her, 'We did this for you,'" said Brown, who scored 20 points and had 13 rebounds. "When she went down, we got a little rattled. But we had to pull it together, pull it out for her." Baylor would not have pulled it out without a career night from Jackson, who scored a season-high 26 points. It was only the third time all season she scored 20 or more points. Though she made the go-ahead layup against Oregon, Jackson had a tough shooting night against the Ducks and had just six points. But that winning shot gave her much-needed confidence, and she vowed to be more aggressive against the Irish. "Since 7 this morning, I kept saying, 'We're gonna win,' and Chloe's like, 'DiDi, I know we're going to win. I promise. I got it,'" Richards said.<doc-sep>

The Baylor Lady Bears are the 2019 national champions after defeating Notre Dame 82-81 in the women's NCAA Tournament title game on Sunday in Tampa, Florida. After Baylor squandered a 17-point lead, the Lady Bears' Chloe Jackson capped the best game of her career with a driving layup with 3.9 seconds remaining to put Baylor up 82-80. On the other end, Arike Ogunbowale got fouled, but her first free-throw attempt rimmed out. Though she tried to miss the second one, it was all net, and with fouls to give, that was the game. For much of the game, Baylor continued the dominance they've shown all season long. They jumped out to a 25-14 lead after the first quarter, and held Notre Dame at an arm's length with their typical stout defense, and command of the paint through All-Americans Kalani Brown and Lauren Cox. With Baylor up by as much as 17 points, this season's title game looked like it was going to be a repeat of the 2012 championship between these two teams, when Baylor, led by their star center Brittney Griner, cruised to a 80-61 victory. But late in the third, Cox went down with a nasty looking leg injury that forced her to leave on a wheelchair, and knocked her out of the game. And with Cox's injury, and a buzzer-beating 3-pointer by Ogunbowale to end the third quarter, it was clear the momentum was changing. Baylor coach Kim Mulkey could sense the game slipping away when Cox went down. "We controlled that game from the start till the time she went off the floor," Mulkey said. "We had to regroup. For us to win probably was a miracle in itself when you lose a player of that caliber, not only the talent she has, but she's our leader, people. She's our leader." The Irish burst out of the gates in the fourth quarter, thanks to some hot shooting from the school's all-time leading 3-point shooter, Marina Mabrey. The senior knocked down three triples in a two-minute span, including one to tie it at 74-74 with just over five minutes to play. From there, the teams traded bucket for bucket down the stretch, as the game turned from a snoozer into an all-time classic as Baylor won the third national title in school history. Here are a few takeaways from Baylor's victory: Cox's game-ending injury shows her impact Cox has been tremendous for Baylor all season long, but she's often been overshadowed by her frontcourt partner Brown. But if there was any doubt about Cox's impact on this Lady Bears team, it was put to rest after she went down with a leg injury in the closing minute of the third quarter. To that point, Cox was playing a typically impressive game on both ends of the floor. She had eight points, eight rebounds, two assists and three blocks, and most importantly was leading the Bears to another strong defensive performance. Baylor was the No. 1 field goal defense in the country this season, and Cox's leadership was a big reason for that strength. That defense forced Notre Dame into a 1 of 13 start from the field, and just six points in the paint in the first half. That's impressive against any team, but especially an elite offense like the Fighting Irish. Up until the point that Cox went down, Baylor was up 62-50, and Notre Dame was just 19 of 51 from the field through nearly three quarters. After Cox's injury, the Irish shot 9 of 21 from the field, and scored 31 of their 81 points in just 11 minutes. Now, that wasn't all because Cox was no longer in the game, but it was certainly a big reason. Without Baylor's two elite defenders inside, it was much easier for Notre Dame to get into the paint. In fact, on Notre Dame's very first possession after her injury, Ogunbowale sliced into the paint for one of the easiest looks she got all night. And on the other end, even with some big buckets from freshman NaLyssa Smith, Baylor had a much tougher time scoring without Cox in the game. They were unable to go to their classic high-low action with Brown and Cox, and it became much easier for Notre Dame's defense to key in on Brown and deny her the ball. Scenes like this were commonplace, with multiple defenders eating up Brown's space. Notre Dame's defense keying in on Brown.

Hearing a petition against the sit-in by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal at the office of Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal, Delhi High Court today asked the Aam Aadmi Party leader if he has the authorisation to organise a ‘dharna’ there. “Thing is that you're sitting on a 'dharna’. Who authorised to sit on a dharna like this?" asked the court, according to the Times of India. “If it is a strike or dharna, it has to be somewhere else,” the Bench comprising Justices A K Chawla and Navin Chawla said. "This can’t be called a strike. You can’t go inside someone’s office or house and hold a strike there," the bench added. Kejriwal, along with Health Minister Satyendra Jain and Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, has stayed put at LG’s office since Monday evening. According to the party, the leaders want to Baijal to discuss two demands - one, that he step in to end the alleged strike by senior officials in Delhi, and two, approve the scheme for doorstep delivery of services which was rejected earlier. Apart from this petition, the court also heard a plea against the alleged strike by the IAS officers in the national capital. Bharatiya Janata Party MLA and Leader of Opposition in the Delhi Assembly Vijender Gupta has also approached the court against Kejriwal’s dharna.<doc-sep>Kejriwal Live updates: Delhi High Court pulls up Kejriwal govt over dharna Who authorised Kerjiwal's dharna at LG residence? Delhi HC raps AAP NEW DELHI: Delhi high court (HC) today asked who authorised the sit-in , or 'dharna', that Delhi's Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government ministers including Delhi chief minister (CM) Arvind Kejriwal have been on since June 11 at the Lieutenant Governor's official residence.The observation by a bench of Justices A K Chawla and Navin Chawla came during the hearing of two petitions, one against the sit-in byand the others against the alleged strike by the IAS officers of Delhi government. The HC was also today approached by BJP MLA Vijender Gupta who's seeking a court order to Kejriwal to end his 'dharna'.The AAP leaders are demanding that IAS officers in the Capital end their 'undeclared strike'. Kejriwal, deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia and cabinet minister Gopal Rai and health minister Satyendar Jain have been on a sit-in strike at Raj Niwas, the official residence of Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal, since June 11. They want Baijal to issue a directive to the civil servants to end their strike, among other demands.The lawyer representing the Delhi government ministers told the court that these IAS officers yesterday acknowledged they aren't attending meetings called by ministers. The HC turned the question on the AAP leaders. "Thing is that you're sitting on a 'dharna'. Who authorized to sit on a dharna like this?" asked the HC.When the Delhi government lawyer said it was the ministers' individual decision, the HC again demanded to know, "Is it authorised? ", and added that such a demonstration can't be termed a strike. "This can’t be called a strike. You can’t go inside someone’s office or house and hold a strike there," the HC added. The bench pointed out that the CM and others are sitting inside the LG's office and not outside his office or at the door.The bench also decided to make the IAS association a party to the proceedings and adjourned the case for Friday.The Capital's bureaucrats are allegedly on strike to protest an alleged assault on chief secretary Anshul Prakash in February by two AAP MLAs at Kejriwal's residence. Delhi's IAS association yesterday held an unprecedented press conference to counter AAP's claim that its officers are on strike and said that they are being "targeted "and "victimised".The officers were addressing the media after Delhi government alleged that bureaucrats in the national capital have been "hindering" the work of the AAP-led government and have alleged that they have been staging a strike for the last four months.Last week, Kejriwal wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi , seeking his intervention to end the IAS officers' "strike" claiming that Lt Governor Baijal was doing "nothing" to break the impasse.In his letter to Modi, Kejriwal cited instances when the government work was stuck as the officers have not been attending meetings with ministers for the past three months.He said cleaning of drains before monsoon, setting up of mohalla clinics and measures to curb air pollution in Delhi are stuck because of the alleged strike by the IAS officers.Two days ago, several opposition chief ministers came out in support of the Kejriwal government. CMs Mamata Banerjee , N Chandrababu Naidu, Pinarayi Vijayan and H D Kumaraswamy urged PM Modi to resolve Kejriwal's standoff with the bureaucracy in the Capital.The CMs sought Modi out during the meeting of the Niti Aayog's governing council here on Sunday with Banerjee tweeting, "I, along with CMs of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala, have requested PM today to resolve problems of the Delhi government immediately."<doc-sep>The sit-in protest inside Raj Niwas by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and some of his cabinet colleagues entered day 8. (Source: PTI) The sit-in protest inside Raj Niwas by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and some of his cabinet colleagues entered day 8. (Source: PTI) The Delhi High Court asked the government Monday whether permission had been obtained for the week-long sit-in protest by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his cabinet colleagues at the office of Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal. While refraining from issuing interim directions on three PILs, the court also asked for the meaning of “dharna or strike”. “This can’t be called a strike,” observed a vacation bench of Justices A K Chawla and Navin Chawla, “You can’t go inside someone’s office or house and hold a strike there.” The court also said: “Who authorised the strike/dharna? You (Kejriwal and others) are sitting inside the LG’s office. If it’s a strike, it has to be outside the office.” The HC also asked if permission had been obtained from the Lt Governor in this regard and also sought to know from the Delhi government counsel whether Kejriwal, his deputy Manish Sisodia, Health Minister Satyendar Jain and Labour Minister Gopal Rai were on “strike or dharna”. “What is the meaning of strike or dharna? Can anyone explain it,” the bench said while refraining from issuing any interim directions on three PILs that sought to stop the sit-in protest at the Lt Governor’s office. The court said it would take up the matter next on June 22. Kejriwal and his colleagues have been on the sit-in protest at Raj Niwas since the evening of June 11. Sisodia and Jain, who also started a hunger strike have been hospitalised. Responding to the query by the bench, senior advocate Sudhir Nandrajog, who appeared for the Delhi government, said Kejriwal and his cabinet colleagues took the decision to protest in their individual capacity and they were empowered to do so under the Constitution. When the Delhi government lawyer said it was an individual decision by the ministers to hold a strike, Justice A K Chawla again asked, “Is it authorised?”, and added that such a demonstration could not be termed a strike. The bench also pointed out that the CM and others were sitting inside the Lt Governor’s office and not outside or at the door. The oral remarks were made while the court heard two petitions: by Delhi-based lawyer Hari Nath Ram through advocates Shashank Deo Sudhi and Shashi Bhushan against the sit-in by AAP leader Kejriwal on June 14 and another against the alleged Delhi government IAS officers strike by advocate Umesh Gupta on June 15. The sit-in protest at Baijal’s office was also challenged Monday by Delhi Leader of the Opposition Vijender Gupta. BJP MP Parvesh Singh Sahib, rebel AAP MLA Kapil Mishra and BJP MLA Manjinder Singh Sirsa are joint petitioners with Gupta. Kejriwal said they would not leave Baijal’s office until their demands are met, which include directions to IAS officers to end their alleged strike, action against such officers and approval to an AAP proposal for doorstep delivery of ration to the poor. During arguments, the Centre told the court that no IAS officers were on strike and urged the bench to direct Kejriwal and others to vacate the Lt Governor’s office. The court asked petitioner advocate Umesh Gupta, who moved a plea against the alleged strike by the bureaucrats, to make an association representing IAS officers as a party in the matter. Advocates Sudhi and Bhushan told The Indian Express that they will now approach the Supreme Court against Kejriwal’s sit-in protest.<doc-sep>Delhi High Court The Delhi High Court on Monday asked the AAP government who authorised the sit-in by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and some of his cabinet colleagues at the lieutenant governor's office and observed that strikes are usually held outside an establishment or office and not inside. The observation by a bench of Justices A K Chawla and Navin Chawla came during the hearing of two petitions, one against the sit-in by Aam Aadmi Party leader Kejriwal and the other against the alleged strike by the IAS officers of Delhi government. "Who authorised the strike/dharna (sit-in by Kejriwal)? You are sitting inside the LG's office. If it's a strike, it has to be outside the office," the court told lawyers appearing for the Delhi government in the two matters. Apart from the two petitions, a separate plea was moved by Leader of Opposition in the Delhi assembly Vijender Gupta against the sit-in by Kejriwal at Lt Governor Anil Baijal's office. The matters are likely to be heard on June 22. The court said the association representing the IAS officers should also be made a party in the matter.<doc-sep>

The Delhi High Court on Monday asked Delhi’s Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government who authorised chief minister Arvind Kejriwal’s sit-in at Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal’s office, observing it was not a place to protest. Kejriwal, deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, health minister Satyendar Jain, and development minister Gopal Rai have camped at Baijal’s waiting room since June 11, refusing to leave until the L-G makes IAS officers working in the Delhi government end an alleged strike. “You are sitting inside the L-G’s office. If it’s a strike, it has to be outside the office,” said a bench comprising Justice A K Chawla and Justice Navin Chawla, reported news agency PTI. Senior advocate Sudhir Nandrajog, who represented the Delhi government, said Kejriwal and the three ministers took the decision to protest and the Constitution empowers them to do so. Nandrajog argued the only direction the court can give was to ask IAS officers to attend routine departmental meetings held by the ministers. He said an association representing the IAS officers had admitted in a press conference on Sunday that they were not attending routine meetings. The Central government rejected his statement and told the court that IAS officers were not on strike and the AAP ministers must be ordered to vacate Baijal’s office. The court was hearing two petitions: one against Kejriwal’s protest and another against the alleged strike by the IAS officers. The court is likely to hear the two petitions and one filed by Bharatiya Janata Party’s Vijender Gupta, who is Leader of Opposition in the Delhi assembly, on June 22. AAP leaders accompanied by thousands of party workers on Sunday marched towards the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s residence on Sunday in support of their ministers’ protest. IAS officers have said they are not on strike and that there was an atmosphere of “fear” and “mistrust” in the bureaucracy in the national capital. (With inputs from PTI)

The youngest sister of Queen Máxima of the Netherlands has been found dead in her apartment in Bueno Aires. Inés Zorreguieta, 33, who worked as a researcher at the United Nations in Panama and was also a talented guitarist, was reported by Argentinian and Dutch media to have killed herself. The King of the Netherlands, Willem-Alexander, and Queen Máxima are flying to Argentina for the funeral. Zorreguieta enjoyed a close relationship with her sister and was bridesmaid at her wedding to the then Dutch Crown Prince Willem-Alexander in 2002. She was godmother to the royal couple’s youngest daughter, Princess Ariane, 11. The Queen, originally from Argentina, was said by the royal household to be “very shocked and very sad”. Máxima, 47, has two brothers, Martin and Juan, and three half sisters, Maria, Dolores and Ángeles. Inés Zorreguieta with her sister Queen Máxima of the Netherlands. Photograph: Patrick van Katwijk/Getty Images The Dutch prime minister, Mark Rutte, said: “The sudden death of Queen Máxima’s sister comes as a big shock. It is intensely sad and heartbreaking news that can hardly be comprehended for those who stay behind. “With our hearts and our thoughts we are with the queen and her family. I wish them all the strength necessary to carry this horrible loss together. And I trust that they will get the peace and space for that.” A Dutch government spokesperson told Dutch NOS TV that Zorreguieta’s death appeared to have been suicide. Zorreguieta was a psychologist who worked on social policies at the office of Argentina’s president, Mauricio Macri. She had also worked for the social development ministry in Buenos Aires province and at a UN office in Panama. Her father, Jorge Horacio Zorreguieta, who served as agriculture minister during Argentina’s brutal military dictatorship, died last year in Buenos Aires, aged 89. His past caused some controversy in the Netherlands, and prompted a debate in the Dutch parliament before his daughter’s marriage to the crown prince. Associated Press contributed to this report<doc-sep>He had served as agriculture minister during Argentina's brutal military dictatorship - a link that caused some controversy in the Netherlands, and led to a debate in the Dutch parliament, before his daughter married the crown prince.<doc-sep>When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they'll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. Our Privacy Notice explains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time. Sign up fornow and never miss the top Royal stories again. Inés Zorreguieta was discovered at her apartment in Buenos Aires on Wednesday night, the Dutch government has confirmed. The cause of her death is currently unknown but a post-mortem examination will take place. Ms Zorreguieta, godmother to Queen Maxima’s 11-year-old daughter Princess Ariane, is believed to have suffered from depression. She was briefly admitted to a psychiatric ward, according to royal central.<doc-sep>Queen Maxima of the Netherlands’ sister was found dead of an apparent suicide at her apartment in Buenos Aires on Wednesday night Queen Maxima of the Netherlands' Sister, 33, Found Dead in Her Home of Apparent Suicide Queen Maxima of the Netherlands’ sister was found dead of an apparent suicide at her apartment in Buenos Aires on Wednesday night, according to reports, including the BBC. She was 33. “It is presumed that it was a suicide,” a spokesman of the Dutch government told the Argentinian newspaper, La Nacion. Get push notifications with news, features and more. Inés Zorreguieta, the younger sister of Queen Maxima, a native Argentinian, worked for the government in Argentina as an official in the Ministry of Social Development. In a statement to Dutch newspaper, De Volkskrant, the Dutch government said that Queen Máxima is “shocked and devastated” by the news of her sister’s death. According to reports, Inés suffered from depression and mental health issues. (FILE PHOTO) Queen Maxima of Netherlands' Sister Found Dead Ines Zorreguieta with Queen Maxima in October 2016 | Credit: Patrick van Katwijk/Getty (FILE PHOTO) Queen Maxima of Netherlands' Sister Found Dead Ines Zorreguieta and her father, Jorge Horacio Zorreguieta, in October 2016 | Credit: Patrick van Katwijk/Getty Maxima has canceled all of her upcoming scheduled appearances and is believed to be making plans to travel to Buenos Aires. Inés was the godmother to Queen Maxima’s youngest daughter, Princess Ariane, 11. Queen Maxima, 47, married then Dutch Crown Prince Willem-Alexander in 2002 after meeting in Seville, Spain, in 1999 during the Seville Spring Fair. They have three daughters. Maxima has said that she didn’t know her future husband was a royal when they met, and that he introduced himself as “Alexander.” Their relationship initially resulted in controversy due to the fact that Maxima’s father, Jorge Horacio Zorreguieta, was a controversial figure, who at one point even threatened Maxima’s marriage to Willem-Alexander. Day 1 - Dutch Royals Visit Portugal Queen Maxima of the Netherlands | Credit: Patrick van Katwijk/Getty The Dutch Royal Family Hold Annual Photo Call In Lech King Willem-Alexander, Queen Maxima and their children, Princess Ariane, Princess Alexia and Princess Catharina-Amalia | Credit: Jan Hetfleisch/Getty Zorreguieta served as the Secretary of Agriculture the during the dictatorship of President Jorge Rafael Videla (who is now not recognized as a legitimate president by the Argentinian government), as well as the beginnings of the Dirty War, a military regime that saw the disappearance and murder of thousands of Argentinians, according to the New York Times. Zorreguieta resigned before the end of Videla’s presidency argued that he wasn’t aware of the Dirty War, as he was a civilian during the majority of it. However, public outcry was so strong in the Netherlands that the Dutch Parliament asked an outside expert, Professor Michael Baud to look into the matter. Baud announced that Zorreguieta’s ignorance of the crimes would have been unlikely. The marriage was still approved by Parliament, because Maxima herself was not involved, but Zorreguieta was not permitted to attend their wedding, according to Dutch News. Her mother also did not attend the nuptials, out of respect for her husband. queen-maxima-1 Credit: Patrick van Katwijk/Getty (2) Though he wasn’t able to attend his daughter’s wedding, as it was seen as a state occasion, Zorreguieta did attend the christenings of all three of his granddaughters, which were considered private, family events. Last summer, Maxima traveled with her husband and their daughters to attend the funeral of her father, who died in August at the age 89 following a battle with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.<doc-sep>

The sister of Dutch Queen Maxima committed suicide in her apartment in Buenos Aires, officials said. Inés Zorreguieta, 33, was found at her home in Argentina after a battle with depression and mental health issues, according to the BBC. “It is presumed that it was a suicide,” a spokesman for the Dutch government told Argentinian newspaper La Nacion. Queen Maxima, 47, a native of Argentina, is “shocked and devastated” by her younger sister’s death, according to a statement to Dutch newspaper De Volksrant. She canceled her upcoming engagements including a state visit to Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Zorreguieta was a bridesmaid at her sister’s wedding to then-Dutch Crown Prince Willem-Alexander in 2002 and was godmother to their youngest of three daughters, 11-year-old Princess Ariane. She was a civil servant who had been working for the Argentinian government since 2016, in an office that oversees social policies. Between 2009 and 2011 she worked at the United Nations headquarters of Panama but returned to Argentina in 2012 after a breakup. Reports of her receiving medical treatment for problems with her diet and depression began circulating when she returned to the country. Aside from her royal sister, Zorreguieta has two brothers, Martin and Juan, and three half-siblings. The father of Inés and Maxima, Jorge Zorreguieta, served as agriculture minister during Argentina’s brutal military dictatorship and died last year of Hodgkin’s lymphoma at 89. His post caused an uproar in the Netherlands — the Dutch parliament held a debate before Maxima married the crown prince and her father wasn’t allowed to attend their nuptials. Tributes were paid to the “very beautiful and talented” Zorreguieta on a video her brother Martin posted of her singing and playing the guitar last year.

IMMIGRATION Pablo Casado Partido Popular, PP - Responsible immigration policies. Immigration should be legal, orderly and linked to work contracts and the wish to integrate and respect the customs of the nation. - Statute of temporary protection for Venezuelans, granting them temporary residency, freedom of movement and work permits. - Special plan to combat illegal immigration. - Support the work of social services in the care given to refugees who have fled dictatorships, wars or religious persecution. - Integration of legal migrants and advance policies which guarantee that second generations feel like full Spanish citizens. - Enable the recruitment of migrants in their own country. Pedro Sánchez Partido Socialista Obrero Español, PSOE - Access to Spanish citizenship by residency must be seen as a result of a process of integration of foreigners in Spain. - Prioritise countries in America and Africa for closer co-operation - Put in place a "state pact for safe, orderly and regular immigration". - Promote the common European asylum and immigration policy. - Promote full integration and equal opportunities for so-called second generations, paying special attention to education. - Reinforce a fair border policy. Pablo Iglesias Unidas Podemos - Establish legal and safe entry routes into Spain and guarantee the civil rights of migrants. - Make the process of family reunification, humanitarian visas and new visa programmes more flexible, such as job searches. - Reinforce the Maritime Rescue Service, which will remain as a public and civil service and whose sole function will be the safeguarding of life at sea. - Shut detention centres for foreigners (CIE). - Build a country without racism. - Promote a new asylum law that includes those who have to flee their homes because of environmental issues. - Guarantee that unaccompanied foreign minors receive treatment according to the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Albert Rivera Ciudadanos - Set up a "points-based" immigration system to attract the best foreign talent. - Pursue mafia organisations that profit at the expense of the lives and safety of migrants. - Protect the officers of the state security forces that monitor our borders. - Increase resources for the state security forces dealing with irregular migration, reinforcing effective and non-aggressive action. Santiago Abascal Vox - Deport illegal migrants to their countries of origin. - Deport migrants who are legally in Spanish territory but who have committed minor offences or serious crimes. - Strengthen our borders. Build an insurmountable wall in Ceuta and Melilla (Spanish cities on the African continent bordering Morocco). - End the attraction: any migrant who enters Spain illegally will not be allowed to legalise their situation, ever. - Eliminate the "arraigo" process that allows illegal migrants to stay in Spain under exceptional circumstances. - Raise the levels of language ability, tax contributions and integration as requirements for citizenship. ECONOMY Pablo Casado Partido Popular, PP - Approve a reduced fee for self-employed workers whose income does not exceed the minimum wage. - Encourage active aging and the voluntary extension of working life beyond the statutory retirement age. - Make the process of setting up companies easier. - Establish mechanisms that penalise unjustified temporary contracts. - Autonomous communities where PP is in power will reduce income tax for people under 35 and families with at least one child. - Eliminate inheritance tax for transactions between parents and children, and their descendants. - Pensions must maintain their purchasing power. Pedro Sánchez Partido Socialista Obrero Español, PSOE - Create ways of boosting co-responsibility and work-life balance. - Strengthen the progressivity of the tax system, increasing the contribution of large companies and taxpayers with higher incomes and larger assets. - Gradually increase the minimum wage. - Simplify and reorder the offer of employment contracts to three types: indefinite, temporary and training. - Modify the system for self-employed workers so that they can contribute according to their real income. Pablo Iglesias Unidas Podemos - 34-hour working week. - Work towards internet connection as a basic right, with free access. - Reach a minimum wage of €1,200 (US $1,350). - Strengthen anti-trust laws. - Penalise companies that make excessive use of temporary contracts. - Fight against tax havens. - Special unemployment protection for young people. - Restore rights for those in most vulnerable jobs, especially in sectors dominated by women. Albert Rivera Ciudadanos - Guaranteed salary supplement to help workers in poverty and fight the abuse of the temporary contracts. - Self-employed workers whose real incomes are below the minimum annual salary will not pay contributions. - Promote a favourable legal framework for innovative companies in their initial stages. - Guarantee that suppliers are paid within a maximum of 30 days in public contracts or 60 days in other cases. - Eliminate temporary contracts: all contracts will be indefinite. - No-one will ever have to renounce an inheritance because they cannot pay inheritance tax. Santiago Abascal Vox -10% reduction of company contributions for new permanent contracts for Spanish workers. - Strong support for large families and the birth rate in general. - Support for self-employed workers. Zero contributions if income does not reach the minimum wage. 100% reduction in contributions if a self-employed worker is out of work. - Support for the unemployed aged over 50 and for the long-term unemployed. - Drastic reduction of income tax. - Elimination of property tax and inheritance tax. EQUALITY Pablo Casado Partido Popular, PP - Local offices for Assistance for Pregnant Women so that no woman stops being a mother because of her economic, social or family circumstances. - Improve social protection and support for pregnant young women and young families, temporarily adapting, if necessary, their schooling, so that motherhood does not pose an obstacle. - Reform the penal code to extend the option of permanent remand to cases of murder in which some gender violence is suspected. - Training in equality and the fight against gender violence to be given to all professionals who might come across the issue in their career. - Plan to close the wage gap in Spain. - Encourage more women into the labour market to reach levels similar to the European average. Pedro Sánchez Partido Socialista Obrero Español, PSOE - End surrogacy (which is currently illegal in Spain). - Reform of the criminal code to ensure that the lack of explicit consent of the victim is key in sexual crimes. If a woman does not say yes, it means no. - Prohibit segregated education in schools supported by public funds. - In schools, promote the prevention of gender violence and respect for sexual diversity. - Reform gender identity law, eliminating the need for medical diagnoses and making it easier for under 16s to change name and sex records. - Allow non-transferable parental leave for both parents. - Implement urgent measures to ensure equal treatment and employment opportunities for women and men. Pablo Iglesias Unidas Podemos - Guarantee immediate housing alternatives for women and their children who suffer domestic violence. - Introduce feminism classes. - Equal and non-transferable paternity and maternity leave. - Offer help with assisted reproduction and facilitate access to the latest contraceptive methods, emergency contraception and voluntary terminations for all women. - Legal protection of trans people and the right to self-determination of gender identity and expression. - Establish equality in local authorities. - Launch a plan to fight domestic violence, with an annual allocation of €600m ($675m). Albert Rivera Ciudadanos - End male-preference in the royal line of succession. - Protect marriage between LGTBI people and include the right to non-discrimination based on sexual orientation. - Approve a surrogacy law so that women who cannot conceive and LGTBI families can fulfill their dream of forming a family. - Expand maternity and paternity leave to up to 16 weeks for each parent. - Combat intolerance and hate speech, including on social networks. - Promote a greater presence of women in visible positions of responsibility, guaranteeing an equality balance in public office. Santiago Abascal Vox - Protection of life from conception to natural death. - Elimination of quotas (by sex or for any other reason) in electoral lists. - Repeal gender violence law and any rule that discriminates against a person's sex. Instead, enact a law of intra-family violence that protects the elderly, men, women and children alike. Suppression of subsidised "radical feminist" organisations, effective prosecution of false allegations. - Extension of maternity leave to 180 days that would be extended to one year in the case of children with disabilities.<doc-sep>According to Vox, Spain’s new hard-Right force, today’s general elections are about the survival of Spain as a national entity. Most European observers, however, will be looking to see how strongly Spain’s forces of moderation can survive the first real assault of Right-wing, anti-immigration and slightly Eurosceptical populism the country has experienced. With no elections due this year in any of Europe’s biggest nations, all eyes are today on Spain as a bellwether for next month’s European Parliament poll, in which populist movements are expected to make a bigger impact than ever. Spain, despite its political fragmentation that has brought about this, its third election in less than four years, has been making solid economic progress in the past half-decade, while also putting order in its public finances. With unemployment still close to 15 per cent, the economy might have been expected to feature prominently in the campaign. But instead Spaniards have been beaten around the head with the strategic importance of the country’s first general election since the Catalan regional government’s unconstitutional referendum and declaration of independence in 2017. Despite the fact that his Socialist party (PSOE) minority government fell because Catalan pro-independence parties withdrew their confidence and supply support, the incumbent Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has been accused of betraying Spain for trying to launch a negotiation process with Catalonia’s leaders.<doc-sep>

Spain heads to the polls for the third time in four years, with the ruling socialist party expected to win the most votes but fall short of a majority and the far-right Vox party poised to achieve a national breakthrough. The general election was called by the prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, in February after Catalan separatists joined rightwing parties in rejecting his 2019 budget. Sánchez’s Spanish Socialist Workers’ party (PSOE) has governed Spain since last June, when it used a no-confidence vote to oust the corruption-ridden conservative People’s party (PP) from office. But his minority government has struggled to advance its legislative agenda as it holds only 84 of the 350 seats in the congress of deputies. Sánchez’s opponents accuse him of being weak and too beholden to the Catalan independence parties that supported his successful no-confidence motion. They argue that he should take a far tougher line on the independence issue, which has dominated Spanish politics since the regional government’s secession attempt in autumn 2017. The territorial crisis has also fuelled the emergence of Vox, which, until last year, was a fringe party without the support to win seats in congress. That changed last December when the far-right party, led by Santiago Abascal, exceeded expectations, picking up 12 seats in the Andalucían regional election. Vox then demonstrated its abilities as kingmaker by agreeing to support an Andalucían regional government between the PP and the centre-right Citizens party, which ended decades of PSOE control in the southern Spanish region. Speaking Sunday shortly after casting his ballot, Sánchez said he wanted the ballot to yield a parliamentary majority that can undertake social and political reforms in the country. The prime minister said he wanted the lower house to support “a stable government that with calmness, serenity and resolution looks to the future and achieves the progress that our country needs in social justice, national harmony and political cleansing.” Citizens’ Albert Rivera said that a high turnout was needed Sunday to “usher in a new era.” Pablo Casado, who recently took over leadership of the conservative PP and has steered it to the right in an effort to stop the draining of votes to Vox, called the ballot the country’s “most decisive” in recent years. Vox’s uncompromising stance on Catalonia, which includes proposals to ban pro-independence parties, has helped it build momentum, as have its attacks on feminism and what it describes as political correctness. The party has succeeded in shaping the political agenda and fragmenting the conservative vote by dragging both the PP and Citizens further to the right in a bid to stop voters deserting them for Abascal’s grouping. If the polls are correct, Vox could secure about 11% of the vote on Sunday, making it the first far-right grouping to win more than a single seat in congress since Spain returned to democracy after the death of General Franco in 1975. Sánchez has warned that the party could then try to repeat its Andalucían strategy to build a three-party rightwing coalition government with the PP and Citizens. “No one thought that Trump would be president in the US, nor Bolsonaro in Brazil,” Sánchez tweeted on Friday. “And people reckoned Brexit wouldn’t happen either. A vote for the PSOE is the difference between a Spain that looks towards the future and a Spain that slides back 40 years. No one should stay home on Sunday!” Although the PSOE is forecast to increase its seat count in the election, it is not expected to secure anything like the 176 needed for a majority. It could turn once again to Podemos for support, but the anti-austerity party has been weakened by internal rivalries and is not the electoral force it was three years ago. The socialist could also seek to make a deal with Citizens – although the centre-right party’s leader has firmly ruled out such a pact.

Apple is rebuilding Maps from the ground up The company is rolling out more detailed maps built from its own data for the first time I’m not sure if you’re aware, but the launch of Apple Maps went poorly. After a rough first impression, an apology from the CEO, several years of patching holes with data partnerships and some glimmers of light with long-awaited transit directions and improvements in business, parking and place data, Apple Maps is still not where it needs to be to be considered a world-class service. Maps needs fixing. Apple, it turns out, is aware of this, so it’s re-building the maps part of Maps. It’s doing this by using first-party data gathered by iPhones with a privacy-first methodology and its own fleet of cars packed with sensors and cameras. The new product will launch in San Francisco and the Bay Area with the next iOS 12 beta and will cover Northern California by fall. Every version of iOS will get the updated maps eventually, and they will be more responsive to changes in roadways and construction, more visually rich depending on the specific context they’re viewed in and feature more detailed ground cover, foliage, pools, pedestrian pathways and more. This is nothing less than a full re-set of Maps and it’s been four years in the making, which is when Apple began to develop its new data-gathering systems. Eventually, Apple will no longer rely on third-party data to provide the basis for its maps, which has been one of its major pitfalls from the beginning. “Since we introduced this six years ago — we won’t rehash all the issues we’ve had when we introduced it — we’ve done a huge investment in getting the map up to par,” says Apple SVP Eddy Cue, who now owns Maps, in an interview last week. “When we launched, a lot of it was all about directions and getting to a certain place. Finding the place and getting directions to that place. We’ve done a huge investment of making millions of changes, adding millions of locations, updating the map and changing the map more frequently. All of those things over the past six years.” But, Cue says, Apple has room to improve on the quality of Maps, something that most users would agree on, even with recent advancements. “We wanted to take this to the next level,” says Cue. “We have been working on trying to create what we hope is going to be the best map app in the world, taking it to the next step. That is building all of our own map data from the ground up.” In addition to Cue, I spoke to Apple VP Patrice Gautier and more than a dozen Apple Maps team members at its mapping headquarters in California this week about its efforts to re-build Maps, and to do it in a way that aligned with Apple’s very public stance on user privacy. If, like me, you’re wondering whether Apple thought of building its own maps from scratch before it launched Maps, the answer is yes. At the time, there was a choice to be made about whether or not it wanted to be in the business of maps at all. Given that the future of mobile devices was becoming very clear, it knew that mapping would be at the core of nearly every aspect of its devices, from photos to directions to location services provided to apps. Decision made, Apple plowed ahead, building a product that relied on a patchwork of data from partners like TomTom, OpenStreetMap and other geo data brokers. The result was underwhelming. Almost immediately after Apple launched Maps, it realized that it was going to need help and it signed on a bunch of additional data providers to fill the gaps in location, base map, point-of-interest and business data. It wasn’t enough. “We decided to do this just over four years ago. We said, ‘Where do we want to take Maps? What are the things that we want to do in Maps?’ We realized that, given what we wanted to do and where we wanted to take it, we needed to do this ourselves,” says Cue. Because Maps are so core to so many functions, success wasn’t tied to just one function. Maps needed to be great at transit, driving and walking — but also as a utility used by apps for location services and other functions. Cue says that Apple needed to own all of the data that goes into making a map, and to control it from a quality as well as a privacy perspective. There’s also the matter of corrections, updates and changes entering a long loop of submission to validation to update when you’re dealing with external partners. The Maps team would have to be able to correct roads, pathways and other updating features in days or less, not months. Not to mention the potential competitive advantages it could gain from building and updating traffic data from hundreds of millions of iPhones, rather than relying on partner data. Cue points to the proliferation of devices running iOS, now over a billion, as a deciding factor to shift its process. “We felt like because the shift to devices had happened — building a map today in the way that we were traditionally doing it, the way that it was being done — we could improve things significantly, and improve them in different ways,” he says. “One is more accuracy. Two is being able to update the map faster based on the data and the things that we’re seeing, as opposed to driving again or getting the information where the customer’s proactively telling us. What if we could actually see it before all of those things?” I query him on the rapidity of Maps updates, and whether this new map philosophy means faster changes for users. “The truth is that Maps needs to be [updated more], and even are today,” says Cue. “We’ll be doing this even more with our new maps, [with] the ability to change the map in real time and often. We do that every day today. This is expanding us to allow us to do it across everything in the map. Today, there’s certain things that take longer to change. “For example, a road network is something that takes a much longer time to change currently. In the new map infrastructure, we can change that relatively quickly. If a new road opens up, immediately we can see that and make that change very, very quickly around it. It’s much, much more rapid to do changes in the new map environment.” So a new effort was created to begin generating its own base maps, the very lowest building block of any really good mapping system. After that, Apple would begin layering on living location data, high-resolution satellite imagery and brand new intensely high-resolution image data gathered from its ground cars until it had what it felt was a “best in class” mapping product. There is only really one big company on earth that owns an entire map stack from the ground up: Google. Apple knew it needed to be the other one. Enter the vans. Apple vans spotted Though the overall project started earlier, the first glimpse most folks had of Apple’s renewed efforts to build the best Maps product was the vans that started appearing on the roads in 2015 with “Apple Maps” signs on the side. Capped with sensors and cameras, these vans popped up in various cities and sparked rampant discussion and speculation. The new Apple Maps will be the first time the data collected by these vans is actually used to construct and inform its maps. This is their coming out party. Some people have commented that Apple’s rigs look more robust than the simple GPS + Camera arrangements on other mapping vehicles — going so far as to say they look more along the lines of something that could be used in autonomous vehicle training. Apple isn’t commenting on autonomous vehicles, but there’s a reason the arrays look more advanced: they are.<doc-sep>Apple yesterday made the surprising announcement that it is in the process of rebuilding Apple Maps from the ground up. The move comes six years after the original introduction of Apple Maps, the launch of which went anything but smoothly. Now, Apple says it is committed to rebuilding Apple Maps without reliance on any third-party data providers. Speaking to TechCrunch, Apple’s VP of Internet Software and Services Eddy Cue explained that the company is focused on building “the best map app in the world.” Furthermore, Apple wants to do this using its own mapping data, not a combination of external data providers. Apple is collecting its data from iPhone users in an anonymous fashion, as well as through the Apple Maps vans we have seen driving across the United States in recent years: “We specifically don’t collect data, even from point A to point B,” notes Cue. “We collect data — when we do it —in an anonymous fashion, in subsections of the whole, so we couldn’t even say that there is a person that went from point A to point B. We’re collecting the segments of it. As you can imagine, that’s always been a key part of doing this. Honestly, we don’t think it buys us anything [to collect more]. We’re not losing any features or capabilities by doing this.” Apple, however, faces stiff competition in the mapping industry from the likes of Google Maps and Waze. Whether or not Apple’s completely overhauled Apple Maps will be able to compete head-on with those applications remains to be seen. Personally, I generally rely on Google Maps more than Apple Maps. This is primarily due to the fact that Google Maps offers much superior walking directions where I live than Apple Maps does. I find Waze to be useful in certain instances, but I’m not a fan of the app design. What about you? Which mapping application do you use? Do you think Apple Maps 2.0 could convince you to switch back? Let us know in the poll below and down in the comments! Subscribe to 9to5Mac on YouTube for more Apple news: FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More. Check out 9to5Mac on YouTube for more Apple news:<doc-sep>Image : Apple Even among the most die-hard Apple fans, the kind who swear by first-party apps like Safari, Apple Photos, and Messages, there’s still one app that often gets ignored in favor of something made by Google: Apple Maps. Advertisement When it was released in 2012, Apple Maps was a mess, and even Apple knew it. O ver time, Apple has done a lot to improve M aps by adding things like additional satellite imagery, pedestrian navigation, and more, yet Maps still falls badly short of the more accurate, full-featured experience you get from Google’s alternative. (Seriously, check out this incredible comparison to see the big gaps Google’s and Apple’s map apps). But in an in terview with TechCrunch, Apple revealed its plans today to completely rework Apple Maps from the ground up with new first-party data and mapping. Apple apparently plans to launch the new version of Maps with coverage of San Francisco and Bay Area in the next version of the iOS 12 beta, before expanding coverage to northern California later this fall. Originally, Apple Maps data came from a mishmash of third-party sources, including TomTom, OpenStreetMap, and others, and had been slowly expanded upon by Apple over the last few years. But with the new rework, Apple has built a team of in-house cartographers and gathered data from its own take on Google’s StreetView vehicles to create something closer to a purely Apple solution. Like Google, Apple says it will gather data from users to help flesh out its maps, though the company apparently put a strong emphasis on privacy, claiming that Apple will never record start and ending location data, and that any info Apple does use is carefully anonymized to prevent sensitive info from leaking out. While being interviewed by TechCrunch, Apple senior vice president Eddy Cue, who is now in charge of Apple Maps , said that he didn’t want to “rehash all the issues we’ve had when we introduced [Apple Maps],” and instead wanted to focus on “trying to create what we hope is going to be the best map app in the world, taking it to the next step. That is building all of our own map data from the ground up.” Based on TechCrunch’s experience checking out the work going into the next version of Maps, it seems like Apple in typical fashion is paying attention to many of the little details needed to make its offering a worthy rival to Google Maps. That includes things like licensing all the fonts and type faces such as Helvetica used in major subways systems in places like New York City, and tailoring the amount of information you see at various zoom levels . Advertisement And in a similar move to what Google has been doing with its maps, Apple will also combine satellite imagery with data taken from its mapping vehicles to add more things like the shapes of buildings, foliage, and walking paths to its maps to more accurately represent a given area. However, the one thing the Apple won’t change, at least to start, is Apple Map’s visual style. Cue says in order to protect its users, “We don’t want to combine those two things at the same time because it would cause a lot of confusion.” Advertisement If Apple can pull this off, it might finally have a worthy competitor in Apple Maps. But even with years of data gathering for the new Apple Maps going back as early as 2015, with updates scheduled to roll out across the U.S. over the next year, it’s still going to be a while before Apple has the same level of detail and coverage as Google. [TechCrunch]<doc-sep>

Apple today announced that it will be rebuilding its Maps app "from the ground up" with street-level data collected from its fleet of Apple Maps vehicles, high resolution satellite imagery, and anonymized, random segments of navigation sessions from iPhone users, which Apple refers to as "probe data." Image: TechCrunch TechCrunch 's Matthew Panzarino has published an in-depth overview of the changes coming to Apple Maps, which will be available in the San Francisco area starting with the next iOS 12 beta next week, cover all of Northern California by this fall, and roll out across the rest of the United States over the next year. In short, Panzarino says Apple Maps will be switching to its own base map, reducing but not fully eliminating its reliance on third-party providers like TomTom, which will yield significant improvements to traffic, real-time road conditions, road systems, new construction, changes in pedestrian walkways, and more. Apple also promises more relevant search results that, as Panzarino quips, are hopefully on the same continent now. In a follow-up question-and-answer piece, Panzarino noted Apple Maps will more accurately display foliage like grass and trees, pools, parking lots, exact building shapes, sports areas like baseball diamonds, tennis and basketball courts, and pedestrian pathways that are commonly walked but previously unmapped. His questionnaire also confirms that the overall design of Apple Maps will remain similar for now, beyond the additional detail. Image: TechCrunch "Since we introduced this six years ago — we won't rehash all the issues we've had when we introduced it — we've done a huge investment in getting the map up to par," said Cue. "When we launched, a lot of it was all about directions and getting to a certain place. Finding the place and getting directions to that place. We've done a huge investment of making millions of changes, adding millions of locations, updating the map and changing the map more frequently. All of those things over the past six years." Panzarino spoke in detail about the changes with Apple senior vice president Eddy Cue, who oversees Apple Maps: Cue noted further improvements will take Apple Maps to "the next level": "We wanted to take this to the next level," says Cue. "We have been working on trying to create what we hope is going to be the best map app in the world, taking it to the next step. That is building all of our own map data from the ground up." More from Cue: "We don't think there's anybody doing this level of work that we're doing," adds Cue. "We haven't announced this. We haven't told anybody about this. It's one of those things that we've been able to keep pretty much a secret. Nobody really knows about it. We're excited to get it out there. Over the next year, we'll be rolling it out, section by section in the US." Cue's notion that nobody really knew about these plans is debatable, as its Apple Maps vehicles have been a telltale sign since 2015, the same year Mark Gurman reported that Apple would switch to its own base map by 2018. Apple's in-house base map will continue to improve thanks to probe data. When an iPhone user is navigating with Apple Maps, Apple may collect anonymized data from middle segments of the trip, but never the beginning or end point. Apple says no personal information is ever attached to the data it receives. The secret sauce here is what Apple calls probe data. Essentially little slices of vector data that represent direction and speed transmitted back to Apple completely anonymized with no way to tie it to a specific user or even any given trip. It’s reaching in and sipping a tiny amount of data from millions of users instead, giving it a holistic, real-time picture without compromising user privacy. Despite the privacy push, iPhone users can still disable the collection of probe data from their device, if they so desire, by opening the Settings app and tapping Privacy > Location Services > Maps > Never. Image: TechCrunch "For example, a road network is something that takes a much longer time to change currently. In the new map infrastructure, we can change that relatively quickly. If a new road opens up, immediately we can see that and make that change very, very quickly around it. It's much, much more rapid to do changes in the new map environment."

A diver from Yorkshire who helped the 12 boys trapped in a cave in Thailand reach safety has been praised for his brave work. Jason Mallinson was among the team of divers who navigated an intense 11-hour journey to and from the remote cave. The rescue operation that captured the world’s imagination involved 90 divers from around the world and hundreds of rescue workers. Expert diver Jason Mallinson was one of four Brits that helped lead the boys to safety (Picture: MEN Media) In the end, it proved a resounding success as all 12 of the young football players and their coach were successfully rescued. Mr Mallinson, from Huddersfield, took part in all three dives which brought the boys out. exclusive Instagrammer accused in £4,000,000 forex 'scam' finally breaks silence In a statement, the 50-year-old’s parents Ray and Anne Mallinson said: ‘We are very proud of Jason. He went out on Wednesday with half a tonne of equipment. ‘We know he is one of the four British lead divers that brought them out. ‘They know each other really well. The whole family is very proud of him.’ To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video The divers navigated tight spaces over a long period of time to complete the rescue (Picture: MEN Media) All 12 boys are recovering after having been safely rescued (Picture: Reuters) The dive that Mr Mallinson, who is the father of an 18-month-old boy, and other divers completed was highly dangerous. This was highlighted when former Thai navy diver Saman Funan died when he ran out of oxygen on Friday. Anne Mallinson added: ‘We knew Jason was going on the Tuesday before he flew out. We have not had much contact with him but we do know that he has done three trips to bring the boys out. ‘All the rescue divers are very modest, they do not get any financial reward. They love their jobs and are prepared to take the risks despite knowing how dangerous it is.’ A call has been made to honour all the British divers involved in the rescue operation. Two other British divers, Rick Stanton and John Volanthen, were the first to reach the group, nine days after the boys and their coach went missing in the underground network in northern Thailand. The tunnels they navigated through to discover the boys were so narrow they had to remove their air tanks to pass, the rock at the top and bottom of the tunnels touching their chest and back as they squeezed through. They, along with a number of other British elite divers, had flown to the region with specialist equipment to assist at the request of the Thai authorities. Got a story for Metro.co.uk? If you have a story for our news team, email us at webnews@metro.co.uk. You can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter.<doc-sep>‘We'll get them all out, but there’s a good chance some will die.’ That was the grim warning by British cave diver Jason Mallinson and his colleagues to the Thai authorities as they prepared to rescue 12 frightened and weakened schoolboys trapped two and a half miles deep inside a dark, flooded cave. But it was thanks to their incredible courage and skill this gloomy prophecy never materialised. Mission accomplished: Chris Jewell, above, helped guide the boys to safety from the cave complex in Thailand Before Mallinson’s arrival at Tham Luang in Thailand’s Chiang Rai province where the boys were trapped inside the vast cave system, the authorities had been considering leaving the football team and their coach there for months. But with monsoon rains looming, the boys’ health deteriorating and oxygen levels in the cave dropping, it soon became clear there was just one option – a daring rescue mission which was to captivate the world and involved more than 1,000 rescuers, including Thai Navy SEALs, teams from around the world and scores of volunteers. Today, for the first time, Jason, 50, and fellow cave diver 35-year-old Chris Jewell – who between them rescued seven of the 12 boys – give their compelling account of the high-risk mission, revealing just how close it came to disaster, despite meticulous planning. Jason Mallinson, a diver from Yorkshire, also helped to free the 12 boys trapped in a cave in Thailand. He is pictured upon his safe return home to Huddersfield In their astonishing and brutally honest account, much of which debunks the official line and previous reports, the cave divers tell how: Plans to leave the boys in the cave until the end of the four-month monsoon season would have ended in certain death; An attempt to lay an oxygen pipe was never completed, making a dive rescue inevitable; On his final run, Jewell, while guiding a boy to safety, lost his grip on the rope guideline for four terrifying minutes in zero visibility; The safety and equipment protocols of the Thai Navy SEALs were ‘completely wrong’ for cave diving and the tragic death of one of them made the authorities realise they were ‘out of their depth’. Trapped by floodwater for more than two weeks deep inside a network of fetid caves, the 12 boys aged between 11 and 16 of the Wild Boars football team, plus their coach, were found alive nine days into their ordeal – sparking the huge international operation to bring them out alive. As the world held its breath, the final three agonising days of the drama saw the boys – reportedly sedated on ketamine to calm them for the extraction – emerging one by one, and the operation hailed as ‘a miracle’. This file photo released by Tham Luang Rescue Operation Center shows the missing boys and their soccer coach as they were found in a dark, partially flooded cave, in Mae Sai, Chiang Rai, Thailand But those modest miracle workers shrug off any talk of their own courage. They have nonetheless been thrust into the limelight and their inspiring story is one of rare bravery in an unforgiving environment where few would willingly venture. And they are acutely aware that they were entrusted with the gravest responsibility – the lives of children. Father-of-one Mallinson, from Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, was swaying high up on a power station chimney in Scunthorpe, carrying out his day job as a self-employed rope access worker, when he received a text message which was his call-out to attend the ‘most difficult cave rescue ever attempted’. The rescue in progress with boys being carried out on flexible stretchers with face masks as they leave the depth of the tunnel to the mouth of the cave A cave diver for nearly 30 years, he is on the British Cave Rescue Council’s list of experts to summon in the event of emergency both in the UK and globally. Together with Jewell, he was asked to go to Thailand to join cave-diving colleagues Rick Stanton and John Volanthen, who discovered the boys and their coach on Monday, July 2. Once in Thailand, Mallinson and Jewell’s first mission on Friday, July 6, was to familiarise themselves with the ‘sumps’ – the six long treacherous underwater sections totalling more than a kilometre, often with narrow ‘choke points’ presenting a deadly hazard to the boys’ escape. At one stage the Thai authorities had rejected suggestions from the Britons that taking the boys out underwater – even though it might cost lives – was the only option The other vital job was to test the failing oxygen quality in ‘cavern nine’ where the boys were being looked after by their coach and four Royal Thai Navy SEALs. Tragically, another former SEAL, Saman Gunan, who volunteered to help the operation, had died in a diving accident in the tunnels the day before Mallinson and Jewell’s arrival. On entering the cavern where the boys, dressed in T-shirts and shorts, were huddling together on a muddy shelf, it was obvious to Mallinson immediately that the air quality was poor. Each cave diver prepared a boy for rescue, helping them into the neoprene wetsuits and making sure the full-face masks had a waterproof seal around their face ‘You only had to try to do something physical like pulling yourself out of the water up the steep muddy slope and it was a real strain because of the thinness of the air – you’d be panting and sweating much more than normal. It’s a bit like being at high altitude,’ he said. Carrying an underwater notebook, Mallinson decided that writing short messages home would boost the boys’ spirits – and bring encouragement for their desperate parents outside. After taking the air readings in the cave and using a finger pulse oxymeter to analyse the oxygen level in each boy’s blood, it was time for Mallinson and Jewell to leave them. The Thais clung on to the hope that the boys might last inside the cave until the monsoon was over in October - but the rescue was brought forward Despite the jokey banter they had developed with them, Mallinson could not avoid darker thoughts. ‘When I looked around the cave, a voice in the back of my mind was telling me this could be the last time anyone sees these kids,’ he said. ‘Chris and I exchanged glances and I thought they are in a real predicament here. It is going to be really, really tough to get these kids out of here. ‘I did not think they would survive the rainy season if they were left in there for four months.’ Until that point the Thai authorities had rejected suggestions from the Britons that taking the boys out underwater – even though it might cost lives – was the only option. The Thais clung on to the hope that the boys might last inside the cave until the monsoon was over in October. The death of 38-year-old Mr Gunan was crucial in convincing his commanders that the British expertise should be heeded. His death was a wake-up call for the Thai authorities, according to Mallinson: ‘They realised they were way out of their depth and they had been lucky to get those guys into that last chamber with the boys and we were the only people who could remedy the situation.’ From then on, diving the boys out was accepted as the plan. Meanwhile, the BCRC – along with other European cave rescue organisations – put out the call for more divers to perform a support role. Among them were Met Office forecaster Josh Bratchley, 27, who cut short his holiday in the Dolomites, and serving Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers soldier Connor Roe. They would both be stationed at points in the tunnels to help the four primary rescuers to switch air cylinders and navigate the boys on flexible plastic stretchers called ‘skeds’ over one long section of dry land between two sumps. Mallinson recalled: ‘Once we decided to extract them, Chris and I were two of the four who went in to prepare them for the dive, but there hadn’t been a chance to practise with the masks on them. ‘I brought the first one out. We didn’t know if our plan was going to succeed, so we did a test with some kids in a nearby swimming pool.’ Each cave diver prepared a boy for rescue, helping them into the neoprene wetsuits and making sure the full-face masks had a waterproof seal around their face. Then came the moment in the dark, dank cave when the boys, lying face down in the water, were gently pushed under the surface. ‘There was a degree of sedation which helped, but when you go under the water, it’s surprisingly calming, even for a non-diver,’ said Jewell. ‘They were incredibly brave and I never saw any signs of panic from any of them.’ The first section of the dive was the longest sump – 350 yards entirely underwater, but unlike some other sumps it was fairly wide, and the divers could haul themselves and their precious cargo along it using the rope ‘dive line’ – laid throughout the tunnels to guide the divers to safety – and the fins on their feet in about 20 minutes. ‘The boys could understand only a few words of English. It was mostly a case of me saying, “OK?”, to try to calm them down. ‘It was one person per kid. Depending on the section, we’d have to move the boys around – sometimes passing them beneath us,’ said Mallinson. ‘Each of them had a buoyancy jacket, so we could grip the straps of that across their back. There was also a tether between the boy and me. We had to keep hold of the guide line at all times. If we’d lost the guide line, we’d have both been lost.’ As Chris Jewell was to discover on his final dive, losing the dive line with no visibility was a terrifying experience [see panel opposite]. The daring rescue mission in the treacherous confines of a flooded cave in northern Thailand has saved all 12 boys and their soccer coach who were trapped deep within the labyrinth, ending a grueling 18-day ordeal that claimed the life of an experienced volunteer diver and riveted people around the world Mallinson added: ‘It’s a big deal being totally responsible for someone’s life. I had to be so careful I didn’t dislodge the lad’s mask. Having that responsibility for someone so young is nerve-racking.’ Inch by inch along the tunnels, sometimes having to ‘post’ the boys ahead of them through narrow slits only 15in wide while holding both the boys’ and their own air cylinders, the divers made their way through silty water ‘with all the visibility of a caffe latte’. Divers would normally wear neoprene gloves in such conditions, but wanting to feel their way and protect the boys from rocks or stalagtites, both men removed the gloves for increased sensitivity, a decision which left Jewell in particular with severely battered hands and knuckles. Hardened outdoor worker Mallinson jokingly dismissed his IT consultant colleague’s injuries as a ‘keyboard warrior who looks as though he’s been punching walls’. But as the smile disappeared, he added: ‘If we had bashed the boys against the wall or the air supply had failed, they would have died. There would have been nothing you could do except swim as fast as you could to get them to the next air chamber. ‘It took a couple of hours to bring each boy out to where we passed them on to the Americans and Thais. It was an unprecedented distance – up to a kilometre underwater, with the visibility nil at times. ‘But once you got used to each child and the way they breathed, we got into a rhythm. ‘The only way you could tell they were breathing was the bubbles coming out of the exhaust valve on the mask just above the chin on the side. 'Some of the kids had a nice regular breathing pattern, but others were shallow and there would be a long gap between breaths. You couldn’t always see the face mask but you could hear the bubbles.’<doc-sep>

One of the hero cave divers who helped rescue 12 boys and their football coach from flooded caves in Thailand is from Huddersfield. Jason Mallinson took part in all three dives which brought the boys out in a daring rescue mission, reports the Huddersfield Examiner. Now Lord Ashcroft is calling for those involved to be awarded with a George Cross or George Medal. The former deputy chairman of the Conservative Party said: "Please retweet if you would support a George Cross or George Medal to the two volunteer Brit cave divers who found the missing Thai boys and participated in their difficult rescue..." His tweet has been retweeted more than 2,900 times and liked more than 2,200. The boys and their football coach suffered a terrifying ordeal for 17 days after they got trapped underground. The members of the Wild Boars football team aged between 11 and 17 had entered the Tham Luang cave system in the province of Chiang Rai during an excursion with their coach. Their plight saw a massive, dangerous three-day-long operation to get them out involving a team of 90 expert divers – 40 from Thailand and 50 from overseas. They guided the boys and their coach through darkness and submerged passageways towards the mouth of the cave system. Jason’s parents, Ray and Anne Mallinson, said: “We are very proud of Jason. He went out on Wednesday with half a tonne of equipment. (Image: REX/Shutterstock) (Image: REUTERS) “We know he is one of the four British lead divers that brought them out. They know each other really well. "The whole family is very proud of him.” Jason, who has just turned 50 and lives in Oakes with his partner and 18-month-old boy, had plenty of challenges taking part in the rescue. The dangerous nature of the caves was underlined by the death of a former Thai navy diver who lost his life there on Friday. Saman Gunan was returning from a mission to provide the group with air tanks when he ran out of oxygen. Anne added: “We knew Jason was going on the Tuesday before he flew out. "We have not had much contact with him but we do know that he has done three trips to bring the boys out. “All the rescue divers are very modest, they do not get any financial reward. "They love their jobs and are prepared to take the risks despite knowing how dangerous it is.” (Image: REUTERS) (Image: REUTERS) The group got trapped on June 23 after heavy rains flooded their way back out. They were found by British divers last week, huddled in darkness on a ledge amid fears they could be forced to stay there for months until water receded. There were cheers as a daring rescue operation involved dozens of divers and hundreds of other rescue workers came to an end on Tuesday evening. It’s not the first time Jason has been involved in a daring rescue mission. In 2004 he attracted international attention after flying to Cuetzalan with colleague Richard Stanton to help rescue six Brits trapped in the Cueva Alpazat cave network in the centre of Mexico. And Jason led a team in 2010 on a two-and-a-half day life-risking dive into the unexplored Pozo Azul cave system in Spain. The expedition took Jason to territory never reached before, breaking the previous world record which was 4.8 miles. It’s been likened to climbing Everest and it’s made the four-strong team world record breakers.

The Kottayam native left a note hinting at suicide after watching the Argentina game on Thursday... A tragic news has emerged from the football-loving state of Kerala after Thursday night's World Cup game between Argentina and Croatia. Local media reports that Dinu Alex, who hails from Kottayam district in Kerala, has attempted suicide after Argentina's 3-0 loss at the hands of Croatia. South American footballing countries have a huge number of fans in Kerala, a hotbed of football in India. And rivalries between Argentina and Brazil fans in the state is very common during World Cup season. Police believe that Dinu Alex jumped into a nearby river named Meenachil and a search for him by the state Fire Force unit is on. "The search is ongoing. On the basis of suspicion, we are searching the Meenachil river and the surrounding area. "The police and Fire Force unit are on it (the case). We cannot confirm the motive (Argentina loss) but the search is definitely on," Kerala Police told Goal. He had left a note after the game which read in Malayalam, "I've seen everything that had to be seen. What's there to see now? I'm diving into the depths." The members of his family confirmed that Dinu is a hardcore fan of the Albiceleste. His father also told media that Dinu had expressed concern about facing trolls by friends if Argentina lost. The police also checked his mobile phone and found Messi's pictures. The cops are also investigating the possibility that he might have run away from the area to avoid facing the abusive trolls.<doc-sep>Dinu Alex, 30, has been missing since 5 am today. Highlights Dinu Alex is a die hard fan of Argentina striker Lionel Messi He has been missing since 5 am today Rescue teams are conducting extensive search near his house A distraught football fan has gone missing from his home in Kerala, reportedly over Argentina's shocking defeat against Croatia in a FIFA world cup match, police said.Dinu Alex, 30, who according to police, is a die hard fan of Argentina striker Lionel Messi, has been missing since 5 am today. Mr Alex, who was last seen by his parents watching the late night match at home, has left a suicide note, police sources have confirmed.The suicide note in Malayalam reads, "I have nothing more left to be seen in this world. I am going down into the depths".Police teams along with Fire and Rescue service personnel are conducting an extensive search near his house in Kottayam, which is surrounded by water bodies.Croatia powered into the last 16 with a 3-0 rout of Argentina at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium on Thursday night. Argentina, which has just one point from two games in so far in the world cup in Russia , will have to beat Nigeria in their last game and hope other results go their way to avoid elimination. Recently, a football crazy fan from the state cycled all the way to Russia to watch the tournament and realise his dream of meeting Argentina's living legend Lionel Messi. Clifin Francis , 28, flew to Dubai from Kerala on February 23, bought a cycle, took a ship to the port city of Bandar Abbas, the capital of Hormozgan province on the southern coast of Iran, before embarking on his cycling odyssey to Russia. "I am very happy. It was a four-month-long journey," Mr Francis told news agency PTI.<doc-sep>A LIONEL Messi superfan in India is suspected to have killed himself after Argentina's shock loss to Croatia in the World Cup. Dinu Alex, 30, is reported to have left a note before he left his home in the football-loving state of Kerala and jumped in a river. 3 Argentina superfan Alex Dinu is suspected to have killed himself after the team lost to Croatia in the World Cup The letter found in his bedroom said he could not bear the pain of seeing his beloved Argentina lose, the Hindustani Times reported. His family told the local paper he seemed "disturbed" after the game and went missing a few hours later. They told the police who sent a rescue team to search for Alex along the Meenachil river despite the heavy downpour. His relative Joice Kottathil said Alex had very few friends but passionately followed football, according to the Times of India. 3 Argentina and the team captain Lionel Messi are now on the brink of crashing out of the tournament Credit: Getty - Contributor "Messi, my life is for you, waiting to see you lift the Cup," he reportedly wrote in one of his books. In another, the football fanatic penned: "My team is starting its journey, carrying my life. I will do it." His father said he watched his son go to bed at around 11.30pm but when the family woke up, he was gone. All they found was Alex's Argentina jersey, a mobile phone cover adorned with an image of Messi and the suicide note. 3 Police sent a rescue team to search for Alex along the Meenachil river Credit: Alamy Police sniffer dogs are reported to have traced his scent from the bedroom to the nearby river. Authorities suspected he used the torch on his phone to find his way to the water in the middle of the night. Kerala police told Goal: "On the basis of suspicion, we are searching the Meenachil river and the surrounding area. Read the latest from the World Cup UP FOR THE CUP World Cup could be held every TWO years after Fifa backs controversial plans EURO BLOW Southgate fears Super League will hurt England plans with players facing BANS BEST OF REST Messi & Ronaldo among European Super League best XI facing BAN from World Cup EUR OUT European Super League players could be BANNED from World Cups and national teams FOOTIE FEST Eden Park to stage 2023 Women’s World Cup opener with final set for Australia YOUR TIMO'S UP Watch Chelsea’s Werner miss SITTER in shock Germany loss to North Macedonia "The police and Fire Force unit are on it. We cannot confirm the motive (Argentina loss) but the search is definitely on There is still a very slim chance that Argentina, who drew their first match to Iceland, could stay in the competition. To progress from Group D, they must beat Nigeria next Tuesday and hope for two other fixtures to go their way. We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at tips@the-sun.co.uk or call 0207 782 4368. You can WhatsApp us on 07810 791 502. We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours<doc-sep>The police suspect that Dinu Alex, a private firm employee in Kottayam, might have killed himself after Argentina's loss because they have recovered a suicide note from the youth's house. The purported suicide note, found from Alex’s bedroom, said, “I have nothing else left to watch in this world. I am going to the unfathomable depth of death. Nobody else is responsible for my death.” Apparently, the young boy had bought a new Argentina jersey just before Messi's high intensity match against Croatia and 3-0 drubbing in the end turned out to be too much for the young boy to handle. Kerala: A 30-year-old fan of Argentina's player Lionel Messi went missing on Thursday, hours after Argentina's 3-0 loss to Croatia in 2018 FIFA World Cup. Visuals of police investigating the spot, yesterday. pic.twitter.com/M6zWK0nqpG — ANI (@ANI) June 23, 2018 Alex was last seen by his mother around midnight when he was watching the match. Accoridng to reports, Ayarkunnam police station house officer Anil Kumar V S said, a sniffer dog, which was brought to Alex’s house in Arumanoor village, had traced his scent to the banks of nearby Meenachil river. “ Kerala is famous for its football fever which goes to another level around the World Cup time as you find crazy football fans sporting the jersey of their favourite teams with their faces painted in those colours. Teams such as Brazin, Argentina, England and France have fans associations even in hinterlands of the state. Huge flex boards with photos of star players or teams have come up everywhere in the state.<doc-sep>

Dinu Alex was missing from his home since June 21, the night when Croatia defeated Argentina Highlights Dinu Alex allegedly committed suicide after Argentina's poor performance He was missing since June 21, body found two days later Alex was an ardent fan of Argentina captain Lionel Messi The body of 30-year-old Dinu Alex was found in a river on Sunday. An ardent fan of the Argentina football team and its captain Lionel Messi, Dinu Alex, allegedly committed suicide after the team's poor performance in the World Cup, Kerala police said. The body of the 30-year-old was found in a river on Sunday.Dinu Alex was missing since June 21, when he left his home in Arumanoor. He reportedly left a note in his room, saying he did not want to live anymore as he was upset over Argentina's 0-3 loss against Croatia in the World Cup. His family filed a missing person's complaint following which the police along with fire brigade personnel launched a search.In the suicide note, Dinu Alex wrote "Nothing is left for me to see in this world. I am leaving. Nobody is responsible for my death," said the police. In one of his books he had reportedly scribbled "Messi, my life is for you, waiting to see you lift the Cup," and in yet another book Alex wrote, "My team is starting its journey, carrying my life. "Two days later, his body was found about 10 km from his village, near Illickal Bridge, in Meenachil River.Alex's father told the police that his son was a great fan of Lionel Messi. His family last saw him watching the match between Argentina and Croatia said the police.Argentina is at the bottom of the Group D, with just one point from their two games in the World Cup in Russia. Dinu Alex was a chemistry graduate and was working as an accountant with a private firm.Recently, a football crazy fan from the state cycled all the way to Russia to watch the tournament and realise his dream of meeting Argentina's living legend Lionel Messi.

NorthEast United FC played host to Bengaluru FC in their first ever semi-final appearance in the Indian Super League at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium Guwahati. It was a historic game for the team from Guwahati as they made their maiden ISL playoffs. Both, the teams came into the game without being in their best run of form as both the sides managed only two wins since Christmas. The game promised to be an exciting encounter as on the previous two occasions when both the sides met during the league stages they produced two mouth-watering clashes. The match started on a bright note for Northeast United as they as they took control of the game from the beginning. Bengaluru FC looked out of place during the initial few minutes. Redeem Tlang gave NorthEast United the lead in the 20th minute by scoring a world-class goal. NorthEast went into the half time break leading Bengaluru FC 1-0. Bengaluru came back stronger in the second half and played a much better brand of football. They finally equalised in the 82nd minute through Francisco Hernandez. Northeast wrapped up the game in added time through a Juan Mascia penalty to give Northeast a slender advantage in the semifinals against Bengaluru FC. The scoreboard at fulltime read 2-1 in favour of the Highlanders. On that note let us take a look at five talking points from today's game #5 Bengaluru FC's lacklustre display after the international break continues Some teams were bound to be affected by AFC Asian Cup break, and it seems like Bengaluru FC have suffered the most from the break. After the break, they haven't been able to regroup and get their act together. They have managed to win to only two games after the break. One reason could be the fact that Sunil Chhetri, Udanta and Gurpreet have all had a recent dip in form after the Asian Cup. Losing Eric Paartalu to an injury has also affected BFC's performance in the last few matches. Bengaluru FC was poor in the first half especially and was completely overrun in midfield. There seemed to be a complete lack of cohesion in the side, and Carles Cuadrat will hope that his boys can get their act together on Monday. 1 / 5 NEXT<doc-sep>NorthEast United added a fresh chapter in their remarkable season in the Indian Super League by recording their maiden win over table toppers Bengaluru FC in the first leg of the semi-final tie. Guwahati: NorthEast United added a fresh chapter in their remarkable season in the Indian Super League by recording their maiden win over table toppers Bengaluru FC in the first leg of the semi-final tie. The Highlanders will take a 2-1 lead to Bengaluru for Monday night’s second leg. Their spirited performance in Guwahati makes Eelco Schattorie’s team an extremely uncomfortable opponents for the Blues who are looking to become the first ISL team to reach consecutive finals. Bengaluru were clear favourites for the tie given their quality and consistency, with NorthEast United’s growing injury list contributing to the gulf between the teams. However, the Highlanders had no plans to roll over and started the game on a strong note. Cheered on by a vocal crowd of around 21,000, NorthEast United’s intensity caused problems for Bengaluru who struggled to settle into any kind of an attacking rhythm. The visitors tried to press the home side to gain control, but the hosts’ ploy of crowding their own half during the build-up proved to be quite successful. While building up from the back, both full-backs tucked in to create an overload in midfield while the wide midfield players dropped into the space vacated by the full-backs to provide another option out wide. Thus, NorthEast United were comfortably able to bypass the Bengaluru press. In central midfield, Jose Leudo and Rowlin Borges’ tenacity proved to be vital factor in linking up the defence with attack. They were quicker, stronger and hungrier in every challenge they made to dominate the midfield area. Without the ball, the full-backs regained their original position as the Highlanders transitioned into a very solid 4-5-1 formation from their fluid 4-1-4-1 when they had the ball at their feet. The visitors who lined up in a typical 4-2-3-1 were too passive and static to cause a vibrant NorthEast any problems. The home side, who dominated the central midfield area, were able to bring in the wide players into play a lot more often compared to Bengaluru. In the first 20 minutes, NorthEast United had launched four crosses into the Bengaluru box who had none of their own. The first goal did come from an assault from wide left when Redeem Tlang was allowed run into the box and send a left-footed curler past a helpless Gurpreet Singh Sandhu. The goal cemented the beliefs of the NorthEast United player who went on to dominate the first half. Bengaluru were too disjointed with big distance between their forward, midfield and defensive lines. Thanks to their work rate and fluid movement, NorthEast United were able to successfully exploit those gaps and create openings. Bengaluru needed to go few notches up in terms of intensity, but the hosts never allowed Carles Cuadrat’s men sustained spell of possession. Their incessant closing down of passing lanes forced Bengaluru into errors and their counter-attacks never materialised in the first half. The only blemish on the Highlanders’ first half was the injury to center forward Bartholomew Ogbeche who had to be replaced just before the interval due to a hamstring injury. His replacement Juan Mascia had attributes of his own, but holding the ball up like Ogbeche wasn’t one of it.. Things were to get worse for NorthEast United when midfielder Rowlin Borges had to come off after aggravating his own hamstring injury that he had sustained during a set-piece training session on Wednesday. The home side were able to keep the intensity going for another fifteen minutes until Cuadrat threw Xisco Hernandez to help Bengaluru have a greater influence with the ball in the tight central spaces. Eventually the absence of a midfield passer and a target man begin to feel as Bengaluru seized the initiative. Recognising his team’s struggles at maintaining the work rate and intensity post the hour mark, Schattorie threw in an extra defender to switch to a 5-4-1 system to see the remainder of the game out. Bengaluru though were able to find a breakthrough, albeit controversially, when Xisco tapped home a neatly measured cross from Sunil Chhetri. NorthEast complained about a foul in the build-up on substitute striker Mascia, but their protests perhaps led to their downfall as the momentary lapse in concentration allowed Xisco a free run into the six yard area to finish Chhetri’s cross. The game was there for the taking for the visitors, but the home side did well to hang on. In the end, a moment of madness from Harmanjyot Khabra gifted NorthEast United a chance to restore the balance of the tie by winning the first leg of the semi-final. Mascia under immense pressure converted the spot kick to give the Highlanders a much-deserved lead in the semi-final tie. NorthEast United, who boast a fine record away from home, are certain to make life difficult for Bengaluru at the Kanteerava, who will now have to pin hopes of reaching the final on their usual heroics at their fortress. With Ogbeche and Borges likely to miss the second leg, Schattorie will have to come up with a different tactical plan to counter the threat of Bengaluru in the second leg, The Dutchman has more often than not delivered the goods when similar challenge has been thrown at him in the past. The slender lead which the Highlanders take to Bengaluru means the battling NorthEast United will have a say at the Kanteerava. Bengaluru need to match the energy level and intensity of their hosts on Thursday, to enable their superior technical quality to make a difference on Monday. NorthEast United even without their most priced resources are no pushovers. Thursday’s result shows Bengaluru will need a special night at fortress Kanteerava to ensure passage to yet another final. An intriguing second leg awaits!<doc-sep>NEUFC vs BFC 1st playoffs: NorthEast United FC will take on previous season’s runners-up Bengaluru FC in the first leg of the first semi-final on Thursday. (File Photo) NEUFC vs BFC 1st playoffs: NorthEast United FC will take on previous season’s runners-up Bengaluru FC in the first leg of the first semi-final on Thursday. (File Photo) NorthEast United vs Bengaluru FC: NorthEast United FC will take on previous season’s runners-up Bengaluru FC in the first leg of the first semi-final of Indian Super League on Thursday. The match will be played at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium in Guwahati and the kick-off is scheduled at 7.30 pm. The Highlanders secured a berth in the play-offs for the first time after the team finished fourth, just two points above Jamshedpur FC. Despite sharing equal points and same number of wins with FC Goa, Bengaluru FC were placed top of the table thanks to a better head-to-head record. When is Indian Super League semifinal match between NorthEast United and Bengaluru FC? The Indian Super League semifinal between NorthEast United and Bengaluru FC will be played on March 7, 2019. Where is Indian Super League semifinal match between NorthEast United and Bengaluru FC? The Indian Super League semifinal match between NorthEast United and Bengaluru FC will be played at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium in Guwahati. What time does Indian Super League semifinal match between NorthEast United and Bengaluru FC? Indian Super League semifinal match between NorthEast United and Bengaluru FC will begin at 7.30 pm. The teams will be announced around 6.30 PM IST. Which TV channels will broadcast Indian Super League semifinal match between NorthEast United and Bengaluru FC? Indian Super League semifinal match between NorthEast United and Bengaluru FC will broadcast on Star Sports 1, Star Sports 3, Star Sports 1 HD, Star Sports 1 HD Hindi, Star Sports 1 Tamil and Star Sports 1 Bangla for regional commentary. How do I watch online live streaming of Indian Super League play-offs match between NorthEast United and Bengaluru FC? Indian Super League semifinal match between NorthEast United and Bengaluru FC live streaming will be available on Hotstar. You can catch live scores, live updates and live commentary on IndianExpress.com.<doc-sep>ISL 2018-19 Semi-Final highlights, Northeast United vs Bengaluru FC Football Live Score Streaming: NEUFC aim to make history. ISL 2018-19 Semi-Final highlights, Northeast United vs Bengaluru FC Football Live Score Streaming: NEUFC aim to make history. ISL 2018-19 Semi-Final highlights: Juan Mascia converted a spot-kick deep in the stoppage time to hand NorthEast United a thrilling 2-1 win over table toppers Bengaluru FC. After earning the penalty for his team, Mascia stepped up for the challenge as he blasted the ball into the top corner in the final minute of the match. The hosts dominated over their opponents right from the word go as they went into the first-half break with a one-goal advantage. Redeem Tlang broke the deadlock in the 20th minute as he took a touch inside the box before curling it inside the far post. However, Bengaluru FC showed signs of a fightback as they started the second half on a brighter note. Substitute Xisco Hernandez scored the equaliser in the 82nd minute for the visitors after he tapped in a low cross, which was brilliantly created by Sunil Chhetri. [show_isl_scorecard id =27236]<doc-sep>

The Hero Indian Super League (ISL) 2018-19 season is in its business end as NorthEast United will host Bengaluru FC in the first leg of the first semi-final. The entertaining fixture will take place at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium of Guwahati on Thursday. NorthEast United will be over the moon, making their first playoffs in the history of the league. Things went very well for the Highlanders right from the start, with the club finding key players at most departments. Bartholomew Ogbeche, Rowllin Borges and Mato Grgic have been all at their best to hand the team a place in the Top 4 for most of the season. Eelco Schattorie had the perfect plans in his books to seal 7 trumping victories throughout the season. NorthEast also had one of the best defences in the league, conceding the least number of goals - 18. Having qualified at the 4th position, the home game would be a real test for Schattorie and his boys. Bengaluru FC came into the season under a new coach - Carles Cuadrat. Though there were initial doubts regarding his appointment, Cuadrat was successful in implementing his plans well. BFC, who remained unbeaten till January, had some tough time towards the end of the season. After the international break, they lost 4 games, thereby denting their confidence. However, the Miku-Chhetri combination never lost its glamour and would again be the manager's trump card at the big stage. Finishing at the top of the table even after the gloomy matchdays was a job well done and they will be walking into the semi-finals with their heads held high. NorthEast United vs Bengaluru FC: Match Information Date: 7 March 2019 Kickoff: 7:30 PM IST Live Stream: Star Sports Network and Hotstar Live commentary: NorthEast United vs Bengaluru FC Live Score | Commentary and Updates Venue: Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium, Guwahati NorthEast United vs Bengaluru FC: Team News NorthEast United Mislov Komorski was earlier ruled out with an injury leaving a void in defence. And Gurwinder Singh, who was doing a fair job in his place, was sent off with a red card in the previous game. As a result, he will be suspended for the first leg. Bengaluru FC The latest news from the BFC camp is that Erik Paartalu will not return this season and the club have acquired the services of Alex Barrera as a replacement. All other players are known to be available for the playoffs. NorthEast United vs Bengaluru FC: Probable Lineups NorthEast United (4-2-3-1): Pawan Kumar, Keegan Pereira, Mato Grgic, Janeiler Rivas, Reagan Singh, Lalthathanga Khawlhring, Rowllin Borges, Federico Gallego, Redeem Tlang, Panagiotis Triadis, Bartholomew Ogbeche Bengaluru FC (4-2-3-1): Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Rahul Bheke, Juanan, Albert Serran, Nishu Kumar, Harmnajot Khabra, Dimas Delgado, Udanta Singh, Xisco Hernandez, Sunil Chhetri, Miku NorthEast United vs Bengaluru FC: Form Guide NorthEast United: D-D-W-D-L Bengaluru FC: L-W-L-L-D NorthEast United vs Bengaluru FC: Head-to-Head NorthEast United: 0 Bengaluru FC: 3 Draw: 1 NorthEast United vs Bengaluru FC: Key Players NorthEast United NorthEast United have two major pillars on whom the result of the tie could depend. Bartholomew Ogbeche in attack and Rowllin Borges in midfield will have a busy day at work against Bengaluru. Both these players have been the best performers of the team this season and would be wanting to repeat the same on the home leg of the semi-finals. Ogbeche has 12 goals this season and has been the reason for fear for every defender. On the other hand, Borges has done a silent job by scoring 2 goals and providing 4 assists from the midfield. Bengaluru FC Bengaluru FC will have their major duties assigned to Sunil Chhetri and Xisco Hernandez. With Erik Paartalu missing from action, Xisco will have to take up more defensive workloads. Chhetri has been playing a vital part as always, scoring 8 goals and 2 registering assists. If the Spanish man too can contribute his part well, BFC could very well come out victorious. NorthEast United vs Bengaluru FC: Predictions The best two teams are coming face-to-face and thus it is extremely tough to make predictions. The tussle will be between the midfield of the two sides. With both the coaches likely to go for a double-defensive midfield and a single striker, it will be up to the players to prove their mark. In an action-guaranteed semi-final game, it might be Bengaluru FC heading home with the lead. Predicted Score - NorthEast United 1:2 Bengaluru FC

After giving India a massive scare in the Asia Cup in Dubai on Tuesday, Hong Kong captain Anshuman Rath has urged the International Cricket Council to take Associate cricket more seriously. Chasing 286, Hong Kong seemed on course for a famous win after openers Rath (73, 97b) and Nizakat Khan (92, 115b) raised 174 runs in 34 overs. The fall of Rath though changed the momentum as the inexperienced middle order batsmen faltered, giving India a 26-run victory. Rath said his players showed the cricketing world what they were capable of. “Today was bittersweet. We proved to the world what we can do, but in saying that, we had India by the horns and should have really finished it off. If we’re being hard on ourselves, which we should be, we should have finished that game off,” he was quoted as saying by ESPNCricinfo. With Hong Kong stripped of their ODI status after the game, uncertainty hovers over the team’s future. But Rath hopes Tuesday’s performance persuades ICC to give them more exposure. ICC meets in Madrid next month to chart a future path for Associate nations. “We don’t know what the ICC have planned for us. Hopefully this performance helps. The next three-four years will be quiet for us, going into a rebuilding phase, but hopefully the ICC recognise that Associate cricket has got a lot better and we proved that today,” he said. Rath emphasised the need to follow the Afghanistan model. He pointed out how Afghanistan were like Hong Kong four-five years ago. They used to cause the odd upset but would be bowled out for 140-150 on good tracks. Hong Kong were skittled out for 116 against Pakistan in their opening match in the Asia Cup. By playing regularly against top sides, Afghanistan got better and their 91-run demolition of Sri Lanka shows they can defeat any side. “With the right backing, they (Afghanistan) started getting better and better, started training a lot harder, and became fully contracted with professionalism coming in. Now they’re pretty much about to top group B. That’s something that lacks in Associates - the exposure to high level of cricket and today we proved we’re capable of it, and a lot of teams are. Look at Scotland at the World Cup qualifiers, they narrowly missed out. We just need that recognition.”<doc-sep>India vs Hong Kong Asia Cup match preview DUBAI: It's not easy to stay motivated playing cricket for an associate nation. The lopsided results against top teams - like the one Hong Kong endured against Pakistan on Sunday - don't bring the kind of money or fame enjoyed by players of Test-playing nations.Anshuman Rath, a 20-year-old with roots in Odisha , is these days torn between pursuing a career in international cricket and completing his graduation in economics in the UK. "My Indian genes compelled me to take up cricket in Hong Kong. We haven't been to Odisha for years. But I watched India do well in the 2003 World Cup and that's when I started playing cricket," Rath, leading his team in the ongoing Asia Cup , told TOI on Monday. "The only thing Indian about me is that I like playing cricket," he stated.Rath has grown up in the UK in a boarding school and then joined the university. "I had to make a decision. My parents always ensured academics went hand in hand with cricket. But I had to put my studies on hold because visa and immigrant laws in UK didn't allow me to play professional cricket in UK," Rath talked about his tough decisions. "I'll give myself another year to take a firm decision on my academics. "Rath is aware of the standard of cricket in Hong Kong. Turning professional isn't easy for him. He says he can't pursue his County ambitions because of the visa laws. "There's a lot of difference between Hong Kong and other associates. Other associates have seven or eight players who can take on top international teams. But Hong Kong hardly has two such players in the team," he reckoned.Is coming back to India an option? "It's very competitive in India. My father keeps telling me that people from Odisha cricket association are making offers through Hong Kong cricket. But if I don't get an assurance, I can't make that move," the young batsman said. "I have been to India only once two years ago for the World T20, although my grandparents are still in Bhubaneshwar. I have not tasted Oriya cuisine for a long while because of the diet that I need to follow. "In such a scenario, New Zealand seems to be a fertile option for him. He has seen Mark Chapman, the most prolific cricketer to have represented Hong Kong, shift base to New Zealand and subsequently play international cricket. "The immigration laws can help me finish my education and also pursue my cricket," he reasoned.As he grapples with these decisions, he remembers Kumar Sangakkara 's words from a T20 tournament in Hong Kong: "Just forget everything. Don't think about technique and intricacies of the game. Just keep playing."<doc-sep>ASIA CUP 2018 No excuses for the way we batted: Anshuman Rath by Prakash Govindasreenivasan • Last updated on There were as many as four starts during their innings but none of those Hong Kong batsmen converted it into a substantial score against Pakistan on Sunday. © AFP Day 2 at the Asia Cup was a far cry from the opener. Dubai clearly has a massive Bangladesh fan base, and those supporting Pakistan are probably saving their energy - which is not easy to expend in the unforgiving heat of the day in Dubai - for the India fixture on Wednesday. Hong Kong thus, walked out to barren stands. But that was hardly the downer, for a side about to play the first of its last two ODIs for its foreseeable future. As far as Asia Cup is concerned, Hong Kong emerged as the 'sixth best' Asian side and thus made it to the tournament proper, but the main motive for a team like Hong Kong was to provide yet another piece of evidence that Associate Nations are being treated unfairly. Sunday, though, wasn't one such evening. Hong Kong trained for four days in the UAE to get a hint of what conditions lay ahead, and their coach Simon Cook stressed on the need for his players to 'repeat their skills', something he reckoned players from the top sides pull off. Afghanistan coach Phil Simmons too talked about finding the gulf in ability and performance after his team's humbling experience in Bangalore on their Test debut. As Nizakat Khan and captain Anshuman Rath came to bat after the latter's victory at the toss, there were murmurs and expectation of an early finish, whispers of Pakistan facing a target of 60 or 70 even did the rounds, only for them to be earnestly turned down by the way the two openers began. All it took was a classy flick from Nizakat off Mohammed Amir in the second ball of the innings that raised eyebrows in the press box and changed opinions. The next 10-odd minutes fortified that feeling, until an elementary error while taking evasive action against a throw sent Nizakat packing. Rath's repertoire was still encouraging, as he peeled off a few elegant hits past third man and backward point. The cut shots were coming off, but he nicked an away mover and departed. Inside the first nine overs, two out of the four Hong Kong batters that managed double-digit scores were gone. Cook's call for 'repeat, repeat, repeat' your skills weren't adhered to. The result, hence, was an incredibly sub-par total of 116. "There's no excuse with the way we batted. Three [four] people getting to double figures is not enough, especially none of them converting, myself included. Getting starts is great but you've to kick on. That's certainly a lesson we'll look to rectify in the next game against India," Rath said in a post-match press conference. The only other form of fight came from the middle-order duo of Kinchit Shah and Aizaz Khan - Hong Kong's bowling hero from the Asia Cup qualifier final. Their partnership was longer, effort much better than the openers, but even the third-best sixth-wicket stand for Hong Kong (of 53 runs) proved to be precious little. "I think [there are] not a lot of positives to take from today, but the partnership between Kinchit and Aizaz was very good in the middle order, for them to notch up a 70-run [53] partnership against this Pakistan attack was very good. And Ahsan Khan's bowling as well. He really stuck out there despite not having a lot to bowl at." At the end of such a tough day at the very top level of the game, there can be a lot of retrospective feelings. Rath wondered if it would've served any purpose to have played against better quality oppositions in the lead-up to the tournament but admitted his team still had sufficient game time in Malaysia and have no excuses for what they've pulled off. "Yeah I think it might have helped getting used to these conditions a bit more, but in saying that we did play the qualifiers in Malaysia a couple of weeks ago. So we're not shy of cricket," Rath said. Shy of cricket they weren't, but had very little idea of how the rest of the teams in the Asia Cup operate. Rath stated that Hong Kong too have a video analyst and the players themselves take initiative to do their homework, but to get a matchday experience of how a top ODI side - with the advantages of far superior infrastructure and facilities - operates must be priceless. "It's great. For us all it is a fantastic experience to see how a top team operates. Especially since we haven't played that much against the top five sides essentially. It's good to see how they go about their things and hopefully our boys will pick up some lessons from them," Rath said. Where do they go from a defeat like this, some would ask? The answer to that is less philosophical and more dreadfully factual, as the No. 2 ODI side pose another big challenge in two day's time. But Rath's chuckling at what's in store, thanks to a very Hong Kong-specific trend. "Well, you know all I can say is we don't have the greatest starts to tournaments. If you look at our history - in the Asia Cup qualifiers we lost the first game to Malaysia. In the T20 World Cup qualifiers we lost to Jersey in our first game. We don't start well in tournaments. Going into the India game, we've got nothing to lose. Hopefully guys will pick themselves up and learn from their mistakes, myself included," he concluded. © Cricbuzz TAGS RELATED STORIES<doc-sep>

Anshuman Rath hails India as best ODI side in the world | Photo Credit: AP Hong Kong captain Anshuman Rath, who has his roots in Odisha, was in for a special evening as he got to play against the country which he supported as a 6-year-old in the 2003 ICC World Cup. Anushman himself was brilliant with the bat, forming a 174-run partnership with fellow opening batsman Nizakat Khan before the middle-order failed to keep the momentum going and succumbed to the pressure posed by Indian bowlers. Speaking at the post-match presentation, Anshuman admitted that it would have been great had his side defeated the best ODI team in the world. “We are proud but it is bitter sweet,” said the Kong Kong captain after the conclusion of the match. “We were in a position to win and probably should have. We had a good start but lost too many key wickets in the middle but credit to the Indian bowlers. They bowled well and bowled to their plans.” Hong Kong were fearless in their approach and showed a different intent to the game after going down in a rather humiliating manner in the opening match against Pakistan. With the India clash being a do-or-die encounter, Anshuman admitted that his boys had no pressure ahead of the game and with the sort of performance they put, they can only be proud of themselves. (READ | Asia Cup 2018, India vs Hong Kong: Rohit Sharma admits bowling lacked experience, but says that's no excuse) “We have had no pressure coming into the tournament and wanted to play with a smile on our faces on the big stage. We've done that and done ourselves proud.” On being asked whether the team responded well after the Pakistan defeat, Anshuman added: “Yes, would have been great if we had rolled over the best team in the world, wasn't to be but super proud of the boys.” Hong Kong have a lot of positives to take from the valiant effort they put in against India, with Nizakat's batting being the biggest of all after the batsman almost spilt water on India's plans. (READ: Who is Anshuman Rath? Here's Hong Kong captain's India connection) “Loads of them (positives), Nizakat's innings at the top was really good, he had been batting at 4 during the Qualifiers and gave the nod to bat up. Then our bowling in the death, gave just 48 off the last 10 overs and that against the best ODI side in the world really means a lot. Shows the brand of cricket we play,” Anshuman also held special praise for Shikhar Dhawan and Ambati Rayudu, the two top-scoring batsmen for India, admitting that if it wasn't for Hong Kong's brilliant death bowling, the Men in Blue could have scored 350. “The way Shikhar batted, Rayudu batted well and they could have got 350 but we stuck at it in this heat to pull it back,” he concluded.

Word to your mother, Bradley Cooper! After presenting the award for Best Picture to Green Book, Julia Roberts closed out the 2019 Oscars on Sunday with the cutest sign-off, a shout-out to nominee Cooper's mom Gloria Campano, who accompanied him and his partner Irina Shayk to the awards and sat with them in the front row. "Well, apparently, that wraps up the 91st Academy Awards," Roberts said onstage. "I would like to say congratulations to all the nominees, and good night to Bradley Cooper's mother and my children, and thank you for watching." While Cooper did not take home any individual awards, his film A Star Is Born did win Best Original Song for his and Lady Gaga's duet "Shallow." The two performed the ballad onstage at the Oscars.<doc-sep>Watch : Charlize Theron Brings Mother as Date to 2019 Oscars The 2019 Oscars is a big night…for moms! It appears that several Hollywood stars have chosen to forgo traditional plus ones as many have brought along their mothers as their respective dates. Cue the awwws, right? The Internet practically lost its mind when Black Panther's Michael B. Jordan took to Instagram to announce that his mom would be accompanying him to the 91st Academy Awards. "My mama about to make me have to fight somebody she looking so pretty," the Creed II star gushed on the picture sharing site. Of course, Jordan wasn't the only notable name to bring along a parental plus one. In fact, Charlize Theron had her mother Gerda join her during an interview with Ryan Seacrest. "She's my date! There she is," the 43-year-old actress happily expressed. "Come say, 'Hi!'" Even Bradley Cooper, who has been nominated for three Academy Awards, turned the red carpet into a family affair. Specifically, both mom Gloria Campano and partner Irina Shayk accompanied the A Star Is Born director for film's biggest night. Since the supermodel is the mother of Cooper's daughter Lea De Seine Shayk Cooper, it's safe to say that the Russian-born looker is tied for "Most Important Mom" in Bradly's life. For all of this and more, be sure to take a peek at the images below!<doc-sep>Eat This, Not That! On a diet? Eat these foods, say experts—and also make sure they feel right for life. You should like them. Enjoy them. Desire them. "When food cravings are reduced, it is easier to stay within a calorie deficit in order to lose weight," says Melissa Mitri, MS, RDN, Owner of Melissa Mitri Nutrition, LLC. "Your body also has to work harder to break down protein than carbs or fats, which burns more calories. The best 'diet' is one that you can sustain for life, where you can eat nourishing, energizing foods that help you meet your weight loss goals." With that in mind, Mitri and Lorraine Kearney BASc, CDN, CEO New York City Nutrition and Certified Dietitian Nutritionist, provided us with their best foods to eat when on a diet. Read on—and to ensure your health and the health of others, don't miss these 19 Ways You're Ruining Your Body, Say Health Experts. 1 On a Diet? Eat Whole Wheat Bread, Pasta and Grains "Many of my clients fear eating bread when we first start working towards their health goals, but bread can be part of a balanced diet," says Kearney. "The glucose from bread and other carbohydrates is the body's main source of energy and also helps support brain function. Pairing a slice of whole wheat toast with avocado and an egg is a great breakfast option as it contains healthy fats, complex carbohydrates, and protein." 2 On a Diet? Eat Tuna "Tuna is a low fat, lean protein source that is naturally low in calories. Research shows that diets higher in protein are most effective for weight loss," says Mitri. "Tuna contains a whopping 29 grams of protein with only 132 calories per 4 ounce serving. To reduce added calories and fat, choose tuna packed in water, not oil." 3 On a Diet? Eat Frozen Vegetables "Frozen vegetables are fantastic to have on hand to whip up a delicious meal at home," says Kearney. "Frozen vegetables are picked at peak ripeness and then blanched to preserve their bright colors, and maintain their nutritional value. Simply add them to a pan with a little olive oil and season with garlic and onion powder and pair with a grain and lean protein." 4 On a Diet? Eat Eggs "Eggs are one of the best foods to eat when you're trying to lose weight." says Mitri. "Eggs are packed with high-quality protein, and are thus very satiating. And unless you have high cholesterol, you can eat the whole egg without worry. Studies have shown that eating eggs specifically for breakfast increased weight loss on a calorie-restricted diet. Having eggs for breakfast sets your metabolism on the right path for the day, so you are satisfied for longer and experience less cravings." 5 On a Diet? Eat Fruit "Yes, fruit is not a bad food and does not cause weight gain! Fruit has gotten such a bad reputation nowadays, with many popular diets adding fruit to their 'do not eat' list. However, there is no research to back this up," says Mitri. "In fact, studies have shown that those who eat more fruit actually tend to weigh less! Therefore, the old saying of 'an apple a day keeps the doctor away' still applies today." 6 On a Diet? Eat Dark Chocolate "Dark chocolate contains 3.4g of iron per 1 oz. serving and rich in a polyphenol known as flavonols which helps support insulin sensitivity, increase HDL and lower LDL," says Kearney. "When purchasing dark chocolate remember to read the ingredient list as some brands include added sugars, artificial flavors and may process the chocolate with an alkali. This alkali processing is also known as Dutch processing and can significantly decrease the antioxidant benefits of flavonols. Opt for a dark chocolate that is 70% or above." 7 On a Diet? Eat Leafy Green Vegetables "Leafy greens such as kale, spinach, collard greens, and swiss chard are some of the best vegetables for weight loss," says Mitri. "They are naturally low in calories and carbs, but packed with fiber to keep you full. Fiber is an essential nutrient in any weight loss diet, and may also support a healthy gut and heart. In fact, several studies have shown fiber-packed foods like leafy greens can increase weight loss." 8 On a Diet? Eat Skinless Chicken Breast "Eating more lean protein foods like chicken can support weight loss and reduce cravings. One study showed that consuming at least 25% of your calories from protein can cut food cravings by up to 60%," says Mitri. 9 On a Diet? Eat Bananas "Bananas are a great source of fiber, potassium, vitamin B6 and vitamin C," says Kearney. "They're a great pre workout snack as potassium helps prevent muscle cramps and is needed for muscle contraction, plus the glucose from the banana helps with endurance. I love to pair a banana with 1-2 tablespoons of peanut butter before breaking a sweat. "RELATED: I'm A Doctor And Warn You Never Take This Supplement 10 On a Diet? Eat Raspberries "Diet culture has created a fear of eating fruit as it contains sugar, but there is nothing to fear about eating fruit," says Kearney. "Fruit has many wonderful health benefits to the body as it contains fiber, vitamins and minerals that are needed to support your body. One cup of raspberries contains 8g of fiber and helps stabilize blood sugar. The fiber keeps you full for longer and can decrease the need or want for snacking later. "RELATED: This Supplement Can Raise Your Heart Attack Risk, Experts Say 11 On a Diet? Eat…Your Favorite Meal! "Many diets on the market focus on restricting foods that you love and make you believe you must omit them to reach your health goals, but restriction can lead to an unhealthy relationship with food to where we view food as 'good' or 'bad.'" says Kearney. "This may lead to binge eating later on and promote feelings of guilt. If you do consume foods that taste good to you, enjoy them and move on!<doc-sep>Walking the red carpet is a time-honored tradition at the Oscars, and who you walk it with is no laughing matter. These actors may be critically-acclaimed and Academy Award nominees, but everyone needs their mother from time to time. So it only makes sense that some of Sunday's biggest stars brought the women who raised them along as their dates. Michael B. Jordan In a pre-Oscars Instagram post, the Black Panther actor let his fans know even before he arrived on the red carpet who he'd be bringing as his date. This content is imported from Instagram. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. Regina King The nominee and winner for Best Supporting Actress for If Beale Street Could Talk thanked her mother in the front row with tears in her eyes. This content is imported from Twitter. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. “I’m an example of what it looks like when support and love is poured into someone.” — the divine Miss @ReginaKing, as the camera cut to her tearful date: her mom #oscars pic.twitter.com/VA36xjuq21 — shauna (@goldengateblond) February 25, 2019 Mom, I love you so much. Thank you for teaching me that God is always leaning, always has been leaning in my direction," the star said. Bradley Cooper A Star is Born's Bradley Cooper walked the red carpet with two women on his arm: girlfriend Irina Shayk, and the woman who caught an equal amount of attention, his mother. Look at her—tan, shades, and all. MARK RALSTON Amy Adams For the Vice actress, the Oscars was a family affair. Adams was joined on the carpet by her mother and sisters. "It's my first time bringing them and it's super exciting and I'm looking forward to us having a really fun time tonight," the actress said, according to The Hollywood Reporter. This content is imported from Twitter. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. I can’t get over how much Amy Adams sisters look like her. And how young her mom looks. #Oscars pic.twitter.com/bTgHDuhkO9 — Lance Ulanoff (@LanceUlanoff) February 25, 2019 During ABC's Red Carpet Pre-Show, Adams spoke to Maria Menounos with her sisters and mother beside her. According to THR, when asked how proud she is of her daughter, Amy’s mother replied, “There’s not even words. Amy’s just amazing.” Yalitza Aparicio The Roma actress made history at Sunday's Oscars; Aparicio is the first indigenous woman to be nominated for an Oscar. It only makes sense she bring her mom along to celebrate. This content is imported from Twitter. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. A remarkable moment: An indigenous preK teacher from a far-flung Mexican town, up 4 Best Actress, w/her mother, a domestic worker, walking hand in hand on one of the world’s most powerful and impenetrable stages: the #oscars⁠ ⁠ red carpet. @YalitzaAparicio #roma pic.twitter.com/b1b1u6IGRX — Esmeralda Bermudez (@BermudezWrites) February 25, 2019 In an interview with BAZAAR.com, Aparicio opened up about her mother's impact on her work on the film: “She [my mother] is a domestic worker as well, and she would tell me of the children of the family she worked for, things like, ‘No, they are my children too,’ or, ‘It is also my family' … She took care of those children as much as she took care of us and she looked out for that family as she looked out for our family. Charlize Theron Theron debuted a drastic new look when she hit Sunday's carpet, but we couldn't help but notice the woman on her arm during her red carpet appearance. This content is imported from Twitter. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. Charlize Theron brought her mom as her date to the #Oscars, and their relationship is like no other. #ERedCarpet pic.twitter.com/6Kob3ZgEzi — E! News (@enews) February 25, 2019 On Sunday's carpet, the actress recalled her 2004 Oscars acceptance speech for Best Actress in Monster, where she thanked her mom for her never-ending support. “I knew that I couldn’t look at her because if I looked at her, I wouldn’t be able to get through it,” Theron said. Rami Malek The newly-minted Oscar winner for Best Actor in Bohemian Rhapsody made sure the most important woman in his life was right by his side. In fact, when Malek won the Oscar, he opened his speech with a shout-out to his mom: "I love you, lady." KiKi Layne The mother-daughter relationship between If Beale Street Could Talk's KiKi Layne and Regina King is remarkably touching, but the film's star made sure to bring her own mom along on her first Oscars red carpet. Getty Images This content is imported from {embed-name}. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io<doc-sep>

With all eyes on Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga as A Star is Born rakes up nominations this awards season, it's only natural for viewers to be curious about who they'll bring as coveted plus ones on the red carpet. For last night's Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards, Gaga brought her fiancé and talent agent Christian Carino while Cooper brought his mother Gloria Campano, instead of his long-time girlfriend and mother of his daughter, model Irina Shayk. Dimitrios Kambouris Getty Images Bradley and Irina have kept their relationship relatively low-profile, and hardly ever make red carpet appearances together. For the Golden Globes, the great people of the Internet collectively lost it when Cooper walked the red carpet in a white tux with Irina, who stunned in with a freshly cut bob and gold Versace gown. The two shocked us again when they showed up to another public event together days later, this time in Bonnie and Clyde-esque outfits for the National Board of Review Awards Gala in New York City. For the 25th annual SAG Awards, which was held at the Shrine Theater in LA, Bradley donned a black Gucci suit, white shirt, black tie and a watch by IWC Schaffhausen. His mother Gloria sported a black dress, burgundy velvet short sleeve coat with green and multicolor marabou trim on the shoulder pads, and a giant pair of sparkling aviator sunglasses. Kevork Djansezian Getty Images While the film and cast of A Star is Born did not win in any of the four SAG categories they were nominated in—which included Male Actor in a Leading Role (Cooper) and Cast in a Motion Picture—Cooper and Gaga still appeared to be in high spirits. Gaga and her man were spotted showing plenty of affection last night while Bradley and his mom were grinning in almost every photo from the ceremony. With Oscars about a month away, it'll be interesting to see which lovely lady in Bradley's life will be his plus one to the biggest night in the film industry.

Bradbury willing to play any position on the offensive line for the Vikings. MINNEAPOLIS — Garrett Bradbury, the Vikings first round draft pick, showed off his skill-set today in the day one of the Vikings rookie-camp. Bradbury, the former N.C. State center, was brought in to help bolster the offensive line. While he played tight end in high school, to center in college, Vikings Head Coach Mike Zimmer is still unsure of where he will have Bradbury lined up. B Bradbury has said that to play in the National Football League at a high level, you have to know how to play all positions on the offensive line, which is something that he has brought into rookie camp saying he is ready to learn.<doc-sep>With rookie minicamp being held May 3-5, Minnesota Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer fielded questions from the media regarding some of this season’s prospect, both drafted and free agents. Q: Is there much of a difference in seeing Irv Smith Jr. here in person as opposed to watching him on tape? A: Well you always like to see them with your own eyes. I know we had someone down at the Alabama workout, but I wasn’t there. But it’s just good. [Dru] Samia, he looked huge to me today, just maybe because he’s been on the banquet circuit too, I don’t know. Just looks bigger than he did on tape. Sometimes you get some of those kind of things. Q: What would your message be to undrafted free agents trying to catch on with the team? A: First of all, I told them last night, every year we sign somebody from here, whether it be Adam Thielen or Chad Beebe or Marcus Sherels, the list goes on and on. Really what I told them last night is that we’re looking for guys that number one are good people, and number two, they have to have athletic ability. Come out and do what they’re being coached to do. Like I remember last year with Beebe, you could see him right away with his athleticism and the way he never slowed down when he was running a route. I think it’s a little bit different for each position. Q: How difficult is it in a tryout environment to identify which players are worth trying to sign? A: It’s hard. We’ve missed guys in the past, we’ve had them in these workouts and they’ve signed other places and been good players. A lot of times it’s being in the right system, being in the right fit. It’s really about can the guy get lined up. You give him different formations, things like that, and if they can’t get lined up right, that’s kind of a red flag. That’s part of it. Or if they’re slow thinking when they’re seeing the plays, things like that. Q: What do you like about Alexander Mattison’s skill set? A: I like a lot of things about him. He catches the ball well, he’s physical, and he’s got a long, strong lower body. Most of the time when he made contact he was always falling forward. I think he’s a good prospect to work with. Q: How much did the workload that he had in college impress you? A: That’s always important. The stamina, whatever position it is, is very important as far as being able to stay healthy and be on the field and be available. Q: As a coaching staff what do you like about Jake Browning? A: The guy won a lot of games, he’s a very good athlete. We felt like he’s got a lot of upside to work with, a lot of tools. But we thought he was a good athlete and he won a lot of games, so that was important to us. Q: In these early stages of the spring what do you look for from the offensive line? A: Athleticism, balance. Getting to the right guy. A lot of those things, but they’re working real hard right now. They don’t have a lot of plays in for the offensive line. It’s pretty simple right now, but it’s taking the right steps and [having] the athleticism and the quickness to get there and get a guy reached, get a guy cut off. Things like that. Q: What’s the plan for how much you’re going to work Garrett Bradbury at center versus guard during the spring? A: We’ll make a decision quickly and let it go. Q: How quickly do you think you’ll make that decision? Do you have it in your mind already, even if you might not tell us? A: Maybe. You’re right about that, I might not tell you. Q: What do you guys like about Olisaemeka Udoh? A: He did good at the Senior Bowl. He’s from a small college, but he’s great size and a really, really good athlete, so we figured he would be a guy that has a lot of upside to work with. I know coach [Rick] Dennison mentioned him a long time ago. He said he’d like to take a swing at this guy in the sixth or seventh round because he sees the upside in him. Q: What is the biggest challenge for tight ends transitioning from college? A: A lot of times, not so much for Alabama, these guys line up as wide receivers in college so that is always a much bigger adjustment. We are fortunate enough that Irv [Smith Jr.] lined up in a normal tight end spot, lined up in the backfield, lined up wide as well. I think his transition will probably be a little bit quicker. Q: Is there benefit to the AAF players having played football and in shape already? A: Yeah, I think so. They played four or five weeks. Just being around professional football just understands the tempo of the drill, the footwork. They have to learn different coverages and things like that. All of these guys have pretty much been in camp before. Some of these guys look pretty good out here. We are just running around in shorts so it’s hard to tell. Q: Is Armon Watts a guy you anticipate playing like you did rotating Shamar Stephen between two spots? A: Yeah, probably. He is obviously a very, very good athlete. He had a lot of production in the things that he did. He has a lot of things to work on obviously. Andre [Patterson] stood on the table early for him in the draft process. Q: What does it say about a guy like Watts with his type of production and not becoming a starter until last season? A: It could be a late developer, it could be that he had a new coaching staff last year, it could be a lot of things clicking in. Sometimes it’s just maturity, sometimes it’s a different scheme, the light just kind of goes on. Q: How long does it take learning players’ learning styles? A: For instance, Harrison Smith, I really never have to yell at him because he’s a guy that understands what I am saying all the time. You can give him a look because he knows you are mad at him. Some guys just take a little bit longer. When we first got here, Xavier [Rhodes] made great strides as far as starting to understand the scheme and the things that we are trying to do. Some guys just take a little bit longer. [Anthony] Barr is a brilliant guy so it doesn’t take him much. Each guy is a little bit different. I had a safety one time that he never wanted to be embarrassed in front of everyone else. You had to talk to him much differently than some other safety. It took him a while to get things, but once he got it, he had it. Q: Was this always your approach for all players? A: I think you be yourself and then you see what they respond best to. At the end of the day, you are trying to get them to be the best player they can possibly be. Whatever buttons you have to push, that is how you try to do it. You figure out what they respond best to. Like that safety, I used to have to correct him and I would come over, put my arm around him and I would talk real quiet to him and say, “Here is what you need to do. Try this, try that.” Then there are other guys that need a kick in the rear end.<doc-sep>

Rookie minicamp begins for the Minnesota Vikings on Friday and the team has released a list of all the players that will be participating. With this year’s NFL Draft now over, the Minnesota Vikings will shift their focus on getting their roster set for the start of training camp. After adding 12 prospects in the draft and signing 10 more undrafted free agents, the Vikings’ current roster includes a total of 89 players. Minnesota is allowed to have up to 90 guys on their roster until the start of the regular season. The Vikings will likely reach their roster limit following this weekend’s rookie minicamp though. The three-day event begins on Friday and will take place at Minnesota’s TCO Performance Center. Taking part in the minicamp will be 30 players who already have a spot on the Vikings’ roster and 37 more who will be hoping to earn the team’s final opening. Among the 30 players who currently have a spot on Minnesota’s roster are a few guys who spent time with the organization last season. Wide receiver Jeff Badet, defensive tackle Curtis Cothran, offensive lineman Storm Norton, and offensive tackle Adam Bisnowaty all spent at least a portion of 2018 as a member of the Vikings. Of the 37 players who will be trying out, two of them will be kickers. Former Concordia-St. Paul kicker Jonas Schenderlein and former Kentucky kicker Austin MacGinnis will be attempting to make Minnesota’s roster and add some more competition for Dan Bailey during training camp later this summer. The brother of current Vikings wide receiver Stefon Diggs will also be trying out for the team over the next three days. Mar’Sean Diggs went undrafted this year as a safety out of UAB. Rookie minicamp is where star Minnesota receiver Adam Thielen made his first impression on the organization and eventually landed a spot on the team. For many of the players participating in this weekend’s practice sessions, they will be hoping to follow in Thielen’s footsteps.

The Seattle Seahawks are nursing a three-game losing streak, as the preseason reaches its season finale on Thursday. What's that you say? The three-game losing streak matters about as much as what socks you pick to wear each day? Well, you're right and why are you always talking about socks during these things. Throw the records out the window when running back Marshawn Lynch, outside linebacker Bruce Irvin, offensive line coach Tom Cable and the Oakland Raiders come to town, because well, uh, the records don't much matter anyway as they don't count in the record books. And while Lynch and Irvin come to town on Thursday -- Lynch for his return trip, Irvin his second preseason return -- Cable, in his first trip back since being fired in January, will actually probably work the hardest in preseason game number four. The Seahawks and Raiders starters and/or players with secure roster spots won't see much action in stake-less game number four, as remains the tradition in the finale of meaningless football season. So that fact means anyone with vengeance in their heart will have to wait for week six in jolly ol' London, England to exact any meaningful revenge. Seahawks defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr. will have to do the same, as he faces his former team for the first time since being fired midway through the 2017 season. Although those guys aren't playing for much; plenty remains on the line for players on the roster bubble heading into this final opportunity to try to make their respective team's final rosters. Before we tell you how to watch the "Marshawn Lynch's isn't playing tonight" Bowl live and in-person, let's review the schedule. Week 1: Seahawks vs Indianapolis Colts 19-17 L Week 2: Seahawks at Los Angeles Chargers 24-14 L Week 3: Seahawks at the Minnesota Vikings 21-20 L Week 4 (Aug. 30, 10 p.m EST): Seahawks vs the Oakland Raiders As the schedule so clearly notates, we're in the end game for the Seahawks training camp and preseason schedule. After months and months of signings, cuts, predictions, re-adjusted predictions, re-adjusted predictions back to the original predictions, we're finally to the final stage. The Seahawks will let their roster bubble players shine on Thursday and make 37 roster cuts by Saturday. Expect the final cuts to come out whenever the Seahawks feel like it, as is customary, despite the early afternoon NFL deadline. In the meantime, here's how to see those cheeky bubble players fight for their right to party 53-man roster style. (Seahawks training camp is over but the preseason and roster cuts are on deck. Don't MISS any updates. Stay informed right along with us -- take five seconds to Sign up for our Free Seahawks newsletter now!) Location: CenturyLink Field, Seattle, Washington Date: Aug 30 Kickoff: 10 p.m.EST National TV: No live national TV broadcast Local TV: QFox 13 Radio: 710 ESPN Seattle, KIRO Radio 97.3 Follow: CBS Sports app Stream: fuboTV, NFL app Odds: -3 (Seahawks) We're almost there. Can't you taste it? Real living and breathing football is almost back in your life but it's not quite there yet. It's just out of reach. One more game and 37 roster cuts stand between you and real football in two Sundays. In the meantime, enjoy one last hit of the fake stuff the best you can.<doc-sep>Just one more game left in the preseason before the Raiders set sail for the regular season. Their final game is in Seattle against the Seahawks who they usually face in the preseason due to their close proximity. Jon Gruden has said most veterans won’t be appearing in this game, which I assume means veteran starters. I wouldn’t really expect to see many starters at all in this one. This last game is to showcase the skills of some bubble players and those who are not going to make the team, but would like to put something on tape for other prospective teams. The cutdown day is Saturday, September 1. So, these guys are fighting for jobs. It’s the last game that doesn’t matter, so let’s make it count. Game details: Location: CenturyLink Field, Seattle WA Game time: Thursday, August 30, 7:00 pm Pacific (10:00 pm ET) TV channel: Raiders broadcast: KTVU (FOX/2 - San Francisco/Oakland), KQCA (My/58 - Sacramento), KTLA (CW/5 - Los Angeles), KVVU (FOX/5 - Las Vegas), KHON (FOX/2 - Honolulu). Seahawks broadcast: KCPQ (FOX/13 - Seattle), KPTV (FOX/12 - Portland OR)KAYU (FOX/28 - Spokane WA)KCYU (FOX/41 - Yakima WA)KFFX (FOX/11 - Tri-Cities WA)KEVU (My/23 - Eugene OR)KFXO (FOX/39 - Bend OR)KFBI (My/48 - Medford OR)KIVI (ABC/6 - Boise ID)KSAW (ABC/51 - Twin Falls ID)KTBY (FOX/4 - Anchorage AK)KATN (FOX/2.2 - Fairbanks AK)KHNL (NBC/13 - Honolulu) (Do I get the game?) NFL Network will not show the game live. A replay is scheduled for 10pm Pacific. Online streaming: NFL Game Pass Preseason live Radio: Listen online here. Bay Area — KCBS-740 AM. Select games on 95.7 The Game and 106.9 KFRC. Las Vegas — 102.7 The Coyote and 720 AM. (Brent Musberger, Lincoln Kennedy). Spanish broadcasts on La Z 1490-AM/107.5-FM. Announcers: Raiders broadcast - Beth Mowins, Matt Millen, Rich Gannon. Seahawks broadcast: Curt Menefee, Brock Huard Enemy blog: Field Gulls Twitter: @SilverBlakPride Facebook: Please like us!<doc-sep>The Seattle Seahawks will wrap up their preseason Thursday night against the Oakland Raiders at CenturyLink Field. The game marks the 17th preseason meeting between the two teams and the 13th time the clubs have faced off in their final exhibition game of the summer. The Seahawks hold the series lead at 12-4. Thursday night will feature mostly younger players and those still fighting for roster spots ahead of Saturday’s cutdown deadline. “We’ll just wait it out (and) give these guys every chance,” coach Pete Carroll said Monday. “I mean, that’s part of our mentality, is to continue to see these guys making it and coming through and doing it. Our coaches are developmental coaches for that reason – to hold that thought throughout and not ever cancel a guy’s opportunity out and so we’re trying to do that as best we can.” The Seahawks must trim their roster to 53 players by Sept. 1 at 1 p.m. PT. Here’s everything you need to know to catch the Seahawks this week in their final preseason appearance. WHEN: Thursday, Aug. 30 at 7:00 p.m. PT WHERE: CenturyLink Field TV: Q13 Fox, channel 13 in the Seattle area RADIO: 710 ESPN Seattle and KIRO 97.3 FM STREAM: fuboTV (try it here for free) Be sure and follow the Seahawks Wire on Facebook and Twitter for all the news and gameday updates.<doc-sep>

OAKLAND, CA - SEPTEMBER 01: Russell Wilson #3 of the Seattle Seahawks warms up before their preseason game against the Oakland Raiders at the Oakland Alameda County Coliseum on September 1, 2016 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) Seahawks extend contract of one of the league’s most dangerous weapons Seahawks extend contract of one of the league’s most dangerous weapons by Todd Vandenberg Seahawks vs. Raiders: Three things to watch for Seattle by Lee Vowell There won’t be a lot to learn about the Seahawks from preseason game four, but enjoy it anyway, 12s. Thursday is the last day of Seahawks preseason football and then the real games can begin. And to be honest, there probably is not a lot we will learn from this game other than who makes some roster spots. One position battle to keep an eye on is at safety. Tedric Thompson will not play with an injury. And clearly Bradley McDougald and Earl Thomas (if he decides to play this season, of course) will make the team. This means lots of snaps tonight for Delano Hill and Maurice Alexander. May the best man make the Seattle football team. Otherwise, this completely meaningless game is even more meaningless. No Russell Wilson. And the starters will play little or, most likely, not at all. The schemes will be non-existent. But maybe Seattle can win so they can at least have a positive in the win column this preseason. Where, when and how to watch the Seahawks and Raiders When: Thursday, August 30th at 7 pm PT Where: CenturyLink Field, Seattle, Washington All-time Matchup: Seahawks trail 24-28 (Not that this game will count in real time) How to Watch: TV: FOX (Q13 in Seattle) and the NFL Network Announcers: Curt Menefee (play-by-play) and Brock Huard (analyst)

When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they'll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. Our Privacy Notice explains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time. Sign up forfor news on the biggest players and tournaments Nadal will face the winner of Coric vs Fognini in the semi-finals tomorrow after he beat Guido Pella. The Spaniard is on course to win a 12th Monte Carlo Masters title and is the clear favourite following Novak Djokovic’s shock exit. However, the world No 2 apparently has a preference on who he would like to face in the next round. And that is No 9 seed Coric over No 13 seed Fognini.<doc-sep>Standing on the verge of defeat against Andrey Rublev in the opening round, the 13th seed Fabio Fognini has managed to shift into a higher gear and overcome the Russian, receiving the second round bye to face Alexander Zverev in the battle for the quarter-final. The young German has been struggling so far in 2019 and he played another match to forget, losing 7-6, 6-1 to send the Italian into his fifth Masters 1000 quarter-final, the second here in Monte Carlo. Zverev won their previous two encounters in 2017 easily but there was not even a glimpse of that in today's clash, leaving the court after an hour and a half and losing the points he grabbed for the place in the semi-final a year ago. Playing well on both the first and second serve, Fognini lost 18 points in ten service games, facing only one break point and mounting the pressure on the other side of the net. Alexander converted that lone chance but he needed more to stay in touch, losing more than 40% of the points behind the initial shot and getting broken three times from seven opportunities offered to Fabio who had the upper hand in set number two to seal the deal and earn his most significant win in terms of the ranking since Rome 2017. Hitting just 11 winners and 25 unforced errors, Zverev was far from his usual level, struggling to keep the pace with the Italian who outplayed him completely in the mid-range rallies to forge the triumph and secure the spot in the last eight. Fabio drew first blood in the fifth game when Zverev hit a double fault, staying in front only for a few minutes before losing serve to bring the youngster back to the positive side of the scoreboard. Alexander saved a couple of break points in the seventh game and stayed in touch until 6-6 in the tie break, spraying a colossal forehand error that gave Fognini the crucial mini-break, closing the opener with a smash winner in the 14th point in just under an hour. Zverev had nothing left in the tank in set number two, staying away from break points and giving serve away in the second game after a weak volley at the net. A forehand winner delivered another break for Fabio at 4-1 and the victory was in his hands after a hold at 15 in the next game. Italy will have two players in the Masters 1000 quarter-final for the first time since Hamburg 2005 (Andreas Seppi and Filippo Volandri) thanks to a qualifier Lorenzo Sonego who ousted Cameron Norrie 6-2, 7-5 in an hour and 24 minutes for already the ninth ATP win in 2019, entering the season with five in total! Competing in only the fourth Masters 1000 event, Lorenzo has been on fire so far this week and there was nothing Cameron could do to stop him, with the Italian losing just 13 points in ten service games, saving two out three break points and challenging the Briton to do the same in his games. That never happened, though, with Norrie losing 45% of the points behind the initial shot, facing ten break points and suffering four breaks to send Lorenzo through. Sonego had 20 winners and 17 unforced errors, staying far in front of Norrie's 16-30 ratio and having the upper hand in the quickest rallies up to four strokes and in the mid-range ones to seal the deal in straight sets. After trailing in the bigger part of the clash, Cameron managed to extend the match with a late break in game ten of the second set before Lorenzo broke him again in the next game, holding at love with a service winner at 6-5 to move into the quarters and start a huge celebration. The 9th seed Borna Coric is through to the seventh Masters 1000 quarter-final, toppling Pierre-Hugues Herbert 6-4, 6-2 in an hour and 41 minutes, saving all three break points he faced and delivering three breaks of serve against the rival who landed only 45% of the first serve in. The Frenchman was there with Borna in the segment of the shortest points and Coric did the magic in those that were more challenging, playing better and better as the match progressed to book the place in the last eight.<doc-sep>

Heading to Monte Carlo with just four ATP wins in 2019, Fabio Fognini stood on the verge of defeat in the opening round against Andrey Rublev before performing a comeback to stay in the tournament. A few days later, Fabio has defeated the 9th seed Borna Coric 1-6, 6-3, 6-2 in just under two hours to book the place in his second Masters 1000 semi-final, the first since Miami two years ago. Borna won only four points less than Fabio, making a perfect start and losing ground after that, getting broken four times from six chances and scoring three breaks on the other side. Both players had more errors than winners but the Italian did a fine job with a 21-31 ratio, having the edge in both the shortest and more extended rallies for a much-needed triumph and a chance to play against Rafael Nadal for the place in the final. The Croat broke at love in game two when Fabio netted a backhand and securing another break at 4-1 following a volley error from Fognini. Serving for the set in game seven, Borna delivered nice hold to grab the opener in just 27 minutes and make a big step towards the place in the semis. Fabio was miles away from at least decent tennis, netting an easy forehand at the beginning of the second set and desperately needing some fuel to end Coric's streak, especially after struggling with a right elbow. Medical timeout helped him to hit better and he pulled the break back in game four, gaining the momentum and breaking Borna once again at 4-3 when the Croat sent a backhand long. A service winner delivered the set for the Italian in the ninth game and he was the favorite now, earning breaks in the first and fifth games of the decider and fending off three break points at 5-2 before sealing the deal with another good serve to set a thrilling clash against Rafa on Saturday. Dusan Lajovic will compete in the first Masters 100 semi-final, ousting a qualifier Lorenzo Sonego 6-4, 7-5 in an hour and 47 minutes, saving three out of four break points and stealing Sonego's serve thrice to prevail in straight sets. Pumped after his triumph over Dominic Thiem, Dusan had the upper hand in the mid-range rallies and saved a set point at 4-5 in set number two, breaking Lorenzo in the next game before sealing the deal on own serve.

UFC fighters Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov are ready to face off in the ring for the first time, and the backstory is rather tense. McGregor was arrested in April for attacking a bus containing UFC fighters in Brooklyn while looking for Nurmagomedov, and the foes faced each other for the first time since then in a much-anticipated prefight press conference that aired live on YouTube. The main event this weekend promises to be even more dramatic. Events leading up to the fight are already unfolding. On Friday, McGregor and Khabib weighed in, both meeting the sub-155 pound requirements for Saturday's fight. Khabib came in at 155 while McGregor, who let out a howl as he flexed at the weigh-in, came in at 154.5. Now that the lightweights are weighed in, the fun begins. Here's what you need to know. When is the fight? UFC 229 with Conor McGregor vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov is scheduled for Oct. 6 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The event begins at 4 p.m. PT with 11 undercard bouts, so it will be a few hours before the title fight happens. At what weight class will they fight? McGregor and Nurmagomedov will fight for the 155-pound lightweight title. Who will win the fight? Nurmagomedov is undefeated, with 26 wins, and is the odds-on favorite. But, you know -- who knows? What's one other fight on the undercard to watch? CBS Sports (part of CNET's parent company, CBS) advises checking out the last fight right before the main event -- Tony Ferguson vs. Anthony Pettis -- because the winner of that fight "should determine" who will later fight the winner of McGregor vs. Nurmagomedov. How can I watch McGregor vs. Khabib? It will be a UFC pay-per-view event. It costs $54.99 for SD and $64.99 for HD in the US, with the option to buy the pay-per-view plus half-off a six-month UFC Fight Pass for $91.96. Once you've purchased the event, you can use your phone, tablet, computer, streaming box or TV to stream the fight. Check the full list of places you can stream it, and choose your preferred medium. You can also watch the fight unfold by following these Twitter accounts. Via UFC Purchase the fight directly from the UFC to easily stream it through your computer, phone or several streaming devices, including the Apple TV, Xbox One, Amazon Fire TV and Roku. Via Amazon Prime Purchase the fight through Amazon Prime to watch it live on Amazon's player. You don't need to be a Prime member. Via Sling TV Sling TV subscribers can purchase the fight from a non-Apple device in the Rentals tab right in the app or through their Sling account page and it will work on any device after purchase. Via PlayStation 4 Purchase the fight on your PlayStation 4 through the PlayStation Store and the event will stream directly to your console. In the UK UK rights to the event belong to BT Sport. The company has yet to add a link to purchase the October event, but it's expected. In Australia Aussies can watch the fight on Main Event TV. Is there a prefight stream? Unlike McGregor's last fight, the prelims won't be available for streaming with the UFC Fight Pass. UFC.tv advises checking your local TV listings to see if the cable channel Fox Sports 1 (and the Fox Sports Go app) will air prefight coverage in your region. When was the last time McGregor fought? In a UFC fight, you have to go back to UFC 205 in November 2016 when McGregor TKO'd Eddie Alvarez to win the lightweight championship. The last fight of any kind for McGregor occurred in August of last year when he stepped into the boxing ring against the undefeated Floyd Mayweather and lost by TKO in the 10th round. What has McGregor been up to in the last year? He's been fighting... the law. Tensions between McGregor and Nurmagomedov escalated to the point where McGregor threw a metal dolly at a bus of UFC fighters at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn in the lead-up to UFC 223 last April. Nurmagomedov was the alleged target of the attack. McGregor was charged with three counts of assault and one count of criminal mischief. After a plea deal with the state of New York, McGregor can get back to the business of fighting humans rather than buses. What do I need to know about Khabib Nurmagomedov? He is 29 years old (30 by the time of the fight) and from Dagestan, Russia. He's undefeated and the current UFC lightweight champion. He's a wrestler and has a black belt in judo. Why will their styles make the fight? McGregor is a striker. Nurmagomedov is a grappler. These two opposing styles should make for a thrilling fight. Will McGregor's elite striking ability keep Nurmagomedov from dragging him to the mat? If the fight goes to the ground, what will happen? Add in the fact that these two fighters already don't like each other and the fight has the chance to be a classic. Now playing: Watch this: The world of pro wrestling: explained Millions illegally streamed Mayweather-McGregor fight: About 2.9 million people, according to a digital security firm. Originally published on Aug. 4, 2018. Update, Sept. 21: Added PPV pricing information.<doc-sep>Let the games begin. Tickets for UFC 229, which features a highly-anticipated lightweight championship main event between current titleholder Khabib Nurmagomedov and former two-division champion Conor McGregor, will go on sale this Friday, Aug. 16, to the general public at 1 p.m. ET. Members of the UFC Fight Club program will have first dibs Wednesday at 1 p.m. ET on www.ufcfightclub.com, and UFC newsletter subscribers are next in line for a Thursday presale at 1 p.m. ET through UFC.com. Ticket prices at www.axs.com are listed at $2,505, $2,005, $1,505, $1,005, $755, $555, $405, $355, $305, $255, and $205, not including fees. There will be a maximum of eight tickets allowed per customer. UFC 229 will also air live on pay-per-view on Oct. 6 at 10 p.m. ET from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Fight Pass prelims are scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. ET, followed by FOX Sports 1 prelims at 8 p.m. ET. Nurmagomedov, unbeaten in 26 pro bouts including 10 UFC appearances, looks for the first defense of his lightweight championship after winning a vacant title by defeating Al Iaquinta at UFC 223 in April. That belt was vacated by McGregor (21-3) due to the Irishman’s inactivity (he has not competed in MMA since winning the championship with a second-round TKO of Eddie Alvarez at UFC 205 in November 2016, though he was involved in a blockbuster boxing bout with Floyd Mayweather Jr. last August) and his behavior during the fight week for UFC 223. Along with several associates, McGregor showed up unexpected at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn on April 5 following an official media day and proceeded to create chaos in the loading area. McGregor himself threw a dolly at a bus that was carrying Nurmagomedov, shattering a window and injuring fighters Michael Chiesa and Ray Borg. McGregor recently entered a plea with the state of New York to resolve his legal matters and resume his fighting career. See the current card for UFC 229 below: Conor McGregor vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov Derrick Lewis vs. Alexander Volkov Sergio Pettis vs. Jussier Formiga Ryan LaFlare vs. Tony Martin Michelle Waterson vs. Felice Herrig Ovince Saint Preux vs. Dominick Reyes Lina Lansberg vs. Yana Kunitskaya Sean O’Malley vs. Jose Quinonez<doc-sep>Khabib Nurmagomedov is a perfect 26-0 over the course of his professional MMA career including a 10-0 record in the UFC. The current UFC Lightweight Champion will face the former one on October 6 when Nurmagomedov clashes with Conor McGregor in the main event of UFC 229. Nurmagomedov is going off as a -155 favorite on the updated Khabib vs. McGregor odds at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com. This number is down slightly from his opening line of -170 as betting action has come in on McGregor. Since opening as a +140 underdog, Conor McGregor would now pay +125 on an upset. Prop bets have also been released for the fight and there are plenty of intriguing options from which to choose. The most obvious one for McGregor backers is the method of victory prop, which lists McGregor by KO, TKO or DQ at +165. Given that the vast majority of the time that McGregor wins this fight it will be due to his lethal striking ability, there would seem to be a good amount of value in betting McGregor by knockout at +165 instead of on the moneyline at +125. Trying to peg what type of victory Nurmagomedov would earn over McGregor is much tougher as the champion is such a versatile fighter. Nurmagomedov's 26 wins have been pretty evenly split with eight knockouts, eight submissions and 10 decisions (Nurmagomedov career fight log). In this bout, Nurmagomedov is going off at +205 to win by submission, +300 to win by knockout and +400 to win by decision. The total for this fight is set at 2.5 rounds, with the OVER 2.5 paying +100 and the UNDER 2.5 going off as the favorite at -140. Only two of McGregor's 24 fights as a professional have made it out of the second round (McGregor career fight log). The odds of this fight completing two rounds or not completing two rounds are each paying +120. The fight is a +285 underdog to go the distance, with the odds on the fight ending before going to the cards sitting at -475. The odds on Nurmagomedov winning the fight inside of distance are set at -105.<doc-sep>Ethan Miller/Getty Images You don't have to travel to Vegas or rely on friends to bet big on the McGregor-Khabib UFC fight on Saturday, Oct. 6. Instead, you can place bets online, or at a sports book at a casino in one of the states like New Jersey that has legalized sports betting. If you plan to place an online wager on Saturday's fight between Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov, don't just head to any site -- I suggest you place your bet with one of the bigger, more reputable online betting sites. Here are the best betting sites and some tips on interpreting the odds. What are the big betting sites? In the US, the big three are Bovada, BetOnline and 5Dimes. In the UK, Bet365, PaddyPower and Betway are three of the most popular sites. These sites have been around for years, with a long track record of being on the level. You'll need to create an account and deposit funds before placing your first bet. Are there apps for betting? You won't find mobile apps in the US that will let you place a bet but you will in the UK, where there are fewer restrictions on online gambling. There are iOS apps, for example, for Bet365, PaddyPower and Betway in the UK. In the US, you can place bets on the mobile version of a gambling site on your phone. What do the odds mean? There's much more to sports betting than just picking a winner. Undefeated and current UFC lightweight champ Khabib Nurmagomedov is the favorite in the fight, which means you will win less than the amount you wager if you bet on Khabib to win. Conversely, you can win more than your wager by betting on the underdog McGregor. Right now, Khabib is a -155 favorite and McGregor is a +125 underdog on Bovada. Those lines mean you need to bet $155 to win $100 for a Khabib victory and bet $100 to win $125 for a McGregor victory. There are plenty of other ways -- prop bets -- to wager on the fight. You can make a prop bet on the method of victory, such as McGregor by KO/TKO (+165) or Khabib by submission (+212). Because McGregor is a striker and Khabib is a grappler, you'll get even longer odds if you do the reverse and bet on a McGregor win by submission (+2,650) or a Khabib win by knockout (+385). There are also props where you get better odds by not only picking the winner but picking the round in which he'll win. For example, McGregor wins in the first round (+400) or Khabib wins in the fifth and final round (+1,150). Or you can bet the fight will go the distance and McGregor will win by unanimous decision (+1,950) or split decision (+3,250), or Khabib will win by unanimous decision (+535) or split decision (+1,268). You can track your wagers by livestreaming the fight.<doc-sep>

The UFC returns to pay-per-view with perhaps the biggest fight in company history, with Khabib Nurmagomedov defending his lightweight title against Conor McGregor at UFC 229 on Saturday, Oct. 6 live from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The animosity between the two is at a fever pitch. Their Sept. 20 press conference didn't include any fans inside Radio City Music Hall in New York City out of safety precautions. The presser resulted in verbal jabs being thrown left and right, ranging from political to personal barbs in nature, and ending with security on stage to accompany their tense staredown. MORE: Join DAZN and watch more than 80 fight nights a year Nurmagomedov (26-0) is regarded as the most dominant fighter in the UFC, defeating every opponent who has come in his path with his suffocating wrestling. The native of Dagestan won the undisputed title, beating Al Iaquinta in the main event of UFC 223 this past April. McGregor (21-3) will be fighting in MMA for the first time in 23 months. He last captured the lightweight title via a win over Eddie Alvarez at UFC 205 in November 2016 to become the first fighter in UFC history to hold two belts simultaneously. In between then and now, McGregor participated in a boxing match, losing to Floyd Mayweather Jr. in August 2017 by 10th-round TKO. Nurmagomedov and McGregor had always been respectful to each other through the years. But everything changed the week of April's UFC 223 event, when Nurmagomedov and his team surrounded McGregor's close friend and teammate, Artem Lobov, resulting in the lightweight titleholder smacking Lobov in the back of the head. Seeing what happened, McGregor and his associates hopped onto a plane from Dublin, Ireland to Brooklyn, the site of the event, to confront Nurmagomedov. Things didn't go the way McGregor wanted them to, as he stormed into the loading dock of the Barclays Center to look for Nurmagomedov. McGregor wound up throwing a dolly through a bus window, intending to hit Nurmagomedov, but injuring fighters Michael Chiesa and Ray Borg, instead. McGregor ended up getting arrested. In July, McGregor pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct as part of a plea deal with the Brooklyn District Attorney's Office. McGregor was sentenced to five days of community service and ordered to attend one to three days of anger management training. McGregor is easily the biggest star in combat sports and one of the most popular athletes in the world. For Nurmagomedov and McGregor, this is beyond personal. Add in the fact that their bout is for the 155-pound title and UFC 229 has the makings to be the biggest event in MMA history. UFC 229 date, start time UFC 229 takes place on Saturday, Oct. 6. Pay-per-view coverage begins at 10 p.m. ET. Nurmagomedov and McGregor should enter the Octagon around 12:15 a.m. ET. How to watch UFC 229 The main card on pay-per-view can be purchased for $64.99. For more information on how to order UFC 229: Khabib vs. McGregor, contact your service provider. You can also live-stream UFC 229 and order the main card on UFC.TV for $64.99. UFC 229 fight card Main card Khabib Nurmagomedov (c) vs. Conor McGregor for Nurmagomedov's lightweight title Tony Ferguson vs. Anthony Pettis; Lightweight Ovince Saint Preux vs. Dominick Reyes; Light Heavyweight Derrick Lewis vs. Alexander Volkov; Heavyweight Michelle Waterson vs. Felice Herrig; Women's Strawweight Preliminary card Sergio Pettis vs. Jussier Formiga; Flyweight Aspen Ladd vs. Tonya Evinger; Women's Bantamweight Lina Länsberg vs. Yana Kunitskaya; Women's Bantamweight Scott Holtzman vs. Alan Patrick; Lightweight Gray Maynard vs. Nik Lentz; Lightweight Ryan LaFlare vs. Tony Martin; Welterweight UFC 229 latest news - Georges St-Pierre tells SN why he thinks it's "60-40" Khabib Nurmagomedov beats Conor McGregor. - SN discusses whether a victory at UFC 229 makes Conor McGregor an all-time great. - McGregor says the feud with Khabib Nurmagoemedov will never end. - Is time running out for former interim lightweight titleholder Tony Ferguson? - In the mood to win some money? We breakdown the best UFC 229 odds.

Photo : Google Earlier this year, I got a little annoyed when Google renamed Android Wear to Wear OS because even though Google’s intention to make its smartwatch OS less platform specific was good, it kind of felt meaningless without any new software or hardware features to improve how Wear OS actually works Advertisement But then, at Google I/O 2018, things started to look up when Google showed off new functions for the Google Assistant in Wear OS that helped it predict your questions and operate more like the friendly AI helper you’re used to in other Google products. But still, that was just the beginning, because now Google has another update for Wear OS that should help tie a lot of those separate features together in a more streamlined and accessible way. Gif : Google In the new update, the Google Assistant in Wear OS will try to use GPS and other bits of relevant info to provide useful tips before you ever even think to ask, like popping up a warning if it notices there’s traffic on the way to work, or telling you what the weather is like on the other end of a plane flight. Gif : Google Google has also improved the integration of Google Fit—which just got a big update last week—into Wear OS so that now, your smartwatch can keep better tabs on your health and fitness, which is quickly becoming one of the most important jobs of a modern smartwatch. And to make sure you don’t slack off, Wear OS will now surface tips from Google Fit to help keep your wellness goals in mind, while also giving you easier access to workout logging by simply swiping left from the home screen. Gif : Google Advertisement In fact, it seems Wear OS’ interface has been thoroughly streamlined to help cut down on the number of extra taps and swipes needed to access your smartwatch’s most important apps and features. After the update, you’ll be able to swipe up to flip through multiple notifications at once, swipe left to get to Google Fit, swipe right for the Google Assistant, or swipe down to reach shortcuts for Google Pay, ‘Find my phone,’ and more. But what’s even more promising is that between improved integration with recently updated Google apps, the timing of a big Qualcomm smartwatch announcement on September 10th, and all the rumors about an upcoming Pixel Watch, I’d be a little shocked if we didn’t see the debut of Google’s first homegrown smartwatch sometime later this fall. Advertisement The new Wear OS update and features should roll out sometime over the next month, with the exact timing depending on who made your specific wearable, which version of Wear OS its currently running, and which country you’re in.<doc-sep>Google Google / Ron Amadeo Google Google Google / Ron Amadeo Google Google Google Ahead of the IFA 2018 tech expo in Berlin, Google is announcing a major upgrade to Wear OS. The release doesn't have a catchy name (it should be labeled "Wear OS 1.6" on the about screen), but nearly every major interface of Wear OS is changing. Ahead of the announcement, I got to see the new release in person for a few minutes, so I can explain how things work a bit. The new Wear OS design prioritizes actionable notifications, proactive (Google Now-like) information cards, and Google Fit information. The all-new layout seems faster and less swipe-heavy, and it makes the OS feel more like the regular phone version of Android. Notifications are one of the most important parts of a smartwatch OS, and Wear OS has seen a big improvement here. First, the heavily paginated style of old Wear OS/Android Wear releases is dead. In days gone by, you would get one notification per screen, so if you had five notifications, that meant five vertical swipes to read them all. The process was slow and a lot of work. Now—like regular Android—notifications live in a single panel that you can freely scroll through. With no pagination, all the momentum-based scrolling tricks are at your disposal—fling to get to the bottom, or give the panel a medium-power flick to scroll past multiple notifications at once. The new design feels way faster. Just like Android on a phone, each notification can be swiped away horizontally to dismiss it. Tapping on a notification will expand it in line, showing automatically generated smart replies that can be sent with a single tap or action buttons like "Archive" and "Reply" for Gmail. At the bottom of the expanded notification is an "open app" button. Advertisement A new layout puts important screens a swipe away from the main watch face. Just like in Wear OS now, you can pull down the Quick Settings panel from above or scroll down to see your notifications, but now the Google Assistant lives to the left of the watch face while Google Fit lives to the right. Before, horizontally scrolling would only switch watch faces—now the watch-face picker lives under a long press. Assistant gets an assist The Google Assistant has been revamped with a focus on proactive notification—essentially Google Now cards. Previous versions of Android Wear would weave them into the notification panel, but now, just like on an Android phone, the Google stream lives in a separate area to the left of the home screen. On Wear OS, the stream lists things like the weather, calendar info, traffic information to your favorite places, and information from your Gmail account like reservations and package tracking info. Like the notification panel, this is a large single list, making it easy to scan through with a flick. In each Google Now card, you'll occasionally see "contextual action chips"—tappable buttons that suggest relevant related commands you can give to the Google Assistant. Discovering all the things you can say to Google's voice assistant isn't easy, so these buttons aim to nudge you out of your command comfort zone and teach you more voice commands. After announcing a revamped Google Fit last week, Wear OS gets the revamped fitness rings baked into the OS. Just scroll to the right screen to check your progress. It lists your "Move Minutes" and the harder-to-earn "Heart Points," and it gives you a button to jump right into an activity. With just about every major interface getting an overhaul, I think calling this release something like "Wear OS 3.0" would have made sense. Google says the update doesn't have a name, though, which makes it just another entry in the confusing, difficult-to-track line of Wear OS updates. Android Wear—before the Wear OS rebrand—started at 1.0, had a major release with version 2.0 , and made it all the way to 2.9. When the rebrand to Wear OS happened, the version numbers on the "About device" screen reset to version 1.0 , and the counting started over. The current version (before this overhaul) is Wear OS 1.5. New Wear OS versions get released every month with a +0.1 increment, so next month's release with this new interface should be version Wear OS 1.6. Wouldn't it have been easier and clearer to keep incrementing the Android Wear numbers? The new Wear OS seems like a solid upgrade. It's faster to navigate and puts more important information at your fingertips. Decent smartwatch hardware still remains a major issue for Wear OS, though. Google says there are more than 50 Wear OS devices on the market today, but nearly all of them are hamstrung by the Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 2100. Qualcomm's smartwatch SoC is not only two years old, but it is built on manufacturing technology from 2013. Samsung and Apple both have competing smartwatch platforms and can produce their own smartwatch SoCs that blow away Qualcomm's offerings, so no matter how good Google's software is, it's hard to imagine a competitive Wear OS product existing without a major new SoC. Advertisement I was told every device with at least "Android Wear 2.0" will be updated to this new version of Wear OS, which should cover just about every watch released in the past year and a half. As for a release date, Google's blog post says it will "begin rolling out these new features over the next month." Listing image by Google<doc-sep>

Google’s Wear OS is evolving. The wearable device operating system has been crying out for an overhaul for some time, and following the release of a revitalized Google Fit app, Wear OS is also receiving a small but meaningful update. The update is now rolling out for all eligible watches, so expect your Wear OS device to be pinged with the update soon. If you’re not sure if your watch is getting the update, we’ve updated this post with a list of the watches that definitely won’t be updated. We’ve also had a chance to play with the new update on the Fossil Q Venture HR smartwatch, so that’s the place to go if you’re interested in seeing our thoughts on the new update. Easier, faster access Perhaps most welcome of all among the changes is a new notification system, which Google says makes it easier to browse, dismiss, or interact with incoming alerts. Swipe up in the new notification stream to show all your notifications in one go, with quick replies available with a tap, including the pre-made smart replies. We’re interested to see how this works, as it doesn’t sound drastically different to Wear OS’s current way of delivering notifications, but in Google’s screenshots and animations, it looks a lot neater and more concise. A downward swipe displays shortcuts to often used features including Google Pay and Find my Phone, although it’s not clear whether these can be manually added, are fixed shortcuts, or generated by usage. Google Assistant is closer to hand in the updated Wear OS. Swipe right to see contextual alerts, such as flight status and hotel details, and smart suggestions will also arrive here with updates related to these situations, like weather and directions. The Assistant will also learn your behavior and provide helpful daily reminders, plus suggest features you’ve never used. Following on from the new Google Fit app, Wear OS also incorporates changes to Fit, which is now integrated as a swipe in from the left. You can see current activity levels based on Move Minutes and Heart Points, and it’s also possible to start a new workout from this screen too. In the screenshots, the circular progress dials seen in the new Google Fit app appear on the watch, in a similar fashion to Apple’s Activity rings on the Apple Watch. This update is rolling out as of September 28, but Google also warned that features will vary depending on not only the watch, but also on the phone’s operating system. This suggests some older versions of Android may not run all the features we’ve described. An update of Wear OS also comes at an interesting time, as rumors swirl about a Pixel smartwatch, and the impending arrival of a new Qualcomm chip designed for wearables, replacing the aging Snapdragon Wear 2100. Watches that won’t get the update Almost all Wear OS watches will get the update, but there are five that wont. It’s based on the watches that received Android Wear 2.0 and the ones that didn’t. Here’s a list of the watches that won’t get the redesign, according to 9to5Google: LG G Watch Samsung Gear Live Moto 360 (2014) Sony Smartwatch 3 Asus ZenWatch (1st-gen) Updated on September 28, 2018: We’ve added the news that the update is rolling out. Editors' Recommendations

Apple has started pushing the third installment of its iOS 12 developer beta version of the software that brings some small changes, general bug fixes and optimizations. The OS now feels more refined and it gets closer to its official release date in September. Revamped Memos app Anyway, most of the improvements address usability, animations and re-designs. The most important ones are as follows: Clear All Notifications now has a springy animation Can now swipe to clear alerts in one swipe (like iOS 11) Apple Watch Face Gallery now only highlights new Siri watch face updates (previously showed watchOS 4 faces) Voice Memos for iPad redesigned FaceTime effect picker tweaked CarPlay appears to be fixed when using side and backup cameras Watch app now shows third party apps that work with Siri watch face 11 Activity app stickers that animate and do not require Special Challenge to unlock Remember that the developer beta is only available to users that have Apple developer accounts and if not, you will have to wait for the public beta to be released. It should come sooner rather than later now. And if you are looking for more in-depth look at Apple's new iOS 12, we suggest reading our hands-on review. Update: While our time so far has resulted in no reboots, we have experienced iOS Springboard crashes and restarts. In our limited time with iOS 12 Beta 3 - we haven't experienced any Springboard issues. Additionally, the Now Playing and Lock Screen Notifications behavior has been improved. We've also added some screenshots from the newly updated Apple Maps to the San Francisco Bay Area. The screenshots on the left are from the current version and on the right is from the iOS 12 Beta 3 with the more detailed mapping. iOS 11 Maps vs iOS 12 Maps iOS 11 Maps vs iOS 12 Maps Via<doc-sep>The third iOS 12 developer beta has been released for eligible iPhones and iPads, and we’ve taken it for a test drive to uncover what’s changed. Watch our video walkthrough for the hands-on details and comparisons. iOS 12 beta 3 changes and features covered: New Voice Memos UI on iPad Share Photos app content via expiring link Updated Assign to Contact button More detailed maps for certain locations Smaller Notification buttons Clear Notifications with a single swipe New animation for Clear All Notifications Clear All Notifications long press on iPad Tweaked Control Center blur Low Power Mode shown in battery statistics Carrier info now properly aligned with battery info CarPlay no longer disconnects when using a camera Video walkthrough Subscribe to 9to5Mac on YouTube for more videos Tweaked Measure app settings New Screen Time Splash screen Updated Downtime description Updated Use Screen Time Passcode description Reset Identifier option in News settings Share My Location panel in iCloud Settings Animated stickers for Activity app in Messages Have you uncovered any other new features or changes in iOS 12 developer beta 3? Leave a comment below with your findings, and feel free to share your overall thoughts about this latest beta release. FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More. Check out 9to5Mac on YouTube for more Apple news:<doc-sep>Apple included a number of changes in the latest beta of iOS 12, the biggest of which include updated mapping data, new animated Activities stickers in Messages and a load of bug fixes. There were a number of nasty bugs in the first and second beta versions, and that was the first thing we checked out in the latest update. Luckily, both the bad GPS bug and the CarPlay disconnection bug have been squashed. This should certainly make the beta more usable for those daring to take the plunge. Apple last week announced plans to double down on its Maps app by using first-party mapping data gathered by its Apple Maps vans rather than that provided by third-party services. Developers living in the San Francisco Bay Area can take an early peek at the results of those efforts with today's beta release. As promised, Maps offers significantly more data than current iterations of the app available to the general public. Over time Apple will build out the feature, first going up through California before taking it live throughout the U.S. next year. A nice visual change in the Messages app is new sticker options for Activities. These don't need to be unlocked or "earned," but instead can show up for anyone. There are a number of new animated stickers as well, which will be a nice complement to the new Activity challenges coming in watchOS 5. Full list of changes<doc-sep>Developers received an early 4th of July present from Apple today in the form of banging batch of new betas for iOS 12, watchOS 5 and tvOS 12. The third beta for iOS 12 arrives two weeks after Apple seeded the last software update to developers that contained a number of UI tweaks and performance enhancements. iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Apple TV all received some software loving from Apple today, but it looks like the next macOS Mojave beta is still baking. Registered developers can grab iOS 12 beta 3, tvOS 12 beta 3 and watchOS 5 beta 3 from the online Apple developer portal. iOS 12 can be installed via an over-the-air update if you have the previous iOS 12 beta installed. Xcode 10 beta 3 is also available on from Apple today. What’s new in iOS 12 iOS 12 beta 3’s release notes don’t mention any huge changes but it looks like the Maps app has added way more detail now. Apple revealed last week that it is completely overhauling the Maps app so it can control the full stack of information like Google does. Old vs New Apple Maps pic.twitter.com/2Fps0NvefJ — Ryan Jones (@rjonesy) July 3, 2018 The last beta brought tweaks to the Screentime, new Siri Suggestions and improved the way iPhone apps display on iPad. Apple is “doubling-down on performance” with iOS 12. The update addresses growing complaints from users with older iPhones and iPads, who have suffered significant slowdowns with the release of recent iOS updates. With iOS 12 an iPhone 6 Plus, for instance, apps load up to 40 percent faster, the keyboard opens up to 50 percent faster, and the Camera app launches up to 70 percent faster. We’ll find out what other new goodies are instore in the updates once we get them installed on our devices.<doc-sep>

Two weeks after the second beta, iOS 12 beta 3 has arrived. We’re hoping to see some useful bug fixes and stability improvements as well as the first roll out of Apple’s in-house mapping data for the Bay Area in Maps. New in iOS 12 iOS 12 includes several significant changes for iPhone and iPad including performance improvements, especially on older devices; ARKit 2.0 with shared experiences; refined search and sharing in Photos; more Siri access in third-party apps and Siri Shortcuts based on Workflow; updates to Stocks, Voice Memos, Apple Books, and Apple News; use management features including updates to Do Not Disturb, more manageable notifications, and Screen Time parental controls; Memoji in Messages; FaceTime between up to 32 users; and much more. We also saw several changes in beta 2 including: Podcasts app now shows Now Playing indicator on currently playing chapters (chapter support is new to iOS 12) New splash screen for updated Voice Memos app New splash screen for Screen Time in Settings, includes Down Time walkthrough for parents New arrow launcher for Shortcuts in Spotlight iPhone-only apps on iPad now use iPhone 6 version, not iPhone 4 version (…Instagram…) Softer location icon in status bar Time Travel references removed from Watch app –> Clock For a comprehensive look at all of the changes in the first iOS 12 beta, sit back and watch Jeff Benjamin’s 35 minute long look at 100 new features in iOS 12 on YouTube.com/9to5Mac: New in beta 3? Clear All Notifications now has a springy animation Can now swipe to clear alerts in one swipe (like iOS 11) Apple Watch Face Gallery now only highlights new Siri watch face updates (previously showed watchOS 4 faces) Voice Memos for iPad redesigned FaceTime effect picker tweaked CarPlay appears to be fixed when using side and backup cameras Watch app now shows third party apps that work with Siri watch face 11 Activity app stickers that animate and do not require Special Challenge to unlock Refresh for updates! We’re updating our iPhones and iPads and digging in immediately. Also share tips at tips@9to5mac or zac@9to5mac.com and on Twitter @9to5mac and @apollozac. FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More. Check out 9to5Mac on YouTube for more Apple news:

June 5 was the biggest primary day of the year — but it may take some time before all the election results are clear. Many of the most-watched races are in California, which closes polls late, counts votes slowly, and uses the unusual “top two” system that means both first- and second-place winners need to be declared — potentially making the proceedings drag on for days. But seven other states went to the polls Tuesday, and many held primaries with national ramifications. New Jersey, an important state in Democrats’ efforts to take over the House of Representatives, chose its nominees in key races. Montana picked a Republican nominee in a key Senate race the national party is watching closely. Iowa, New Mexico, Mississippi, Alabama, and South Dakota held their primaries too. On top of all that, there was another state Senate special election in Missouri that Democrats could celebrate. Here, then, are some key winners and losers for the states other than California that had June 5 primaries. (Update: Takeaways from California’s preliminary results can be found at this link.) Loser: New Jersey Republicans In a state that’s voted consistently Democratic on the presidential level for decades, Republicans have done a decent job winning some important political offices. Not only did Chris Christie serve eight years as New Jersey’s governor, but Republicans have controlled at least five seats of the state’s 12-member congressional delegation since the last redistricting. But all that is in danger in the age of Trump. Democrat Phil Murphy won the governorship last November, and now several GOP-held congressional districts are among Democrats’ top targets in the country. Already, two formidable Republican incumbents who’ve each been in Congress for 24 years — Rep. Frank LoBiondo in the Second District, and Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen in the 11th — chose to retire rather than face tough reelection fights this year. Rep. Leonard Lance, in the Seventh, also faces a difficult battle in a district Hillary Clinton won. Now that the primary results are in, Democrats have gotten the candidates they wanted in these three races. In the Second, they’ll field moderate Jeff Van Drew, who’s represented much of the district for a decade in the state Senate. In the 11th, they’ll put up former Navy pilot and prosecutor Mikie Sherrill, a female veteran who’s been a blockbuster fundraiser. In the Seventh, the nominee will be former Obama State Department official Tom Malinowski. These outcomes aren’t really surprising. New Jersey has an unusual primary ballot rule in which the county party’s endorsement is actually printed on the ballot, which gives a big boost to candidates with the party’s backing. Still, the party has its preferred nominees, and the national consequences could be big because New Jersey’s House Republicans look likely to face their toughest election races in decades. Loser: anti-corruption Democrats Since his indictment on corruption charges in 2015, Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) has been under a cloud. Accused of using his Senate office to do favors for a wealthy Florida eye doctor in exchange for private jet flights and fancy vacation accommodations, Menendez stepped aside as the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. As his trial approached in 2017, there seemed to be a high chance that, whatever the outcome, he wouldn’t run for another term. But in November of last year, jurors couldn’t unanimously agree on a verdict for any of the charges against Menendez. So a mistrial was declared, and the Justice Department ended up dropping the case rather than trying to prosecute him again. Menendez soon got his foreign relations post back and announced he’d run for a third full term. You might think, then, that Menendez would have drawn a primary challenger running on an anti-corruption (or at least an “I have never been indicted”) platform. But, of course, this is New Jersey we’re talking about, and the state’s hierarchical Democratic machine remained united behind him. One primary challenger quit the race after failing to raise much money, and Menendez was left with only one little-known opponent, community news website publisher Lisa McCormick, who hadn’t disclosed raising or spending any money at the time of the last campaign finance filing deadline. Menendez won, of course, but his win wasn’t particularly impressive — at press time, he had 62 percent of the vote to McCormick’s 38 percent. If he had drawn a serious opponent, would he have lost renomination? We’ll never know. Menendez will face wealthy pharmaceutical executive Bob Hugin, who’s poured $7.5 million of his own money into his campaign already, in the general election. Winner: Democrats in special elections, again Amid all the primaries, there were a few state legislature special elections as well — and in one state Senate contest, in Missouri, Democrats flipped another seat formerly held by Republicans. Democrat Lauren Arthur, a two-term state representative and former schoolteacher, beat her Republican opponent by about 19 points in a district Donald Trump won by 4. On the one hand, the election was held just days after Missouri’s Republican Gov. Eric Greitens resigned amid sexual misconduct allegations — so GOP voters might not have been thrilled to head to the polls. On the other hand, this adds to a lengthy list of special elections in which state legislature seats have flipped from Republican to Democratic. And Missouri’s an important state for Democrats this fall, with Sen. Claire McCaskill facing a tough reelection challenge from Republican state Attorney General Josh Hawley. Loser: Republican politicians who criticize Trump In October 2016, after the tape leaked in which GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump bragged that he liked to “grab” women “by the pussy,” Rep. Martha Roby (R-AL) had had enough. She withdrew her endorsement of Trump weeks before the election, saying, “Donald Trump’s behavior makes him unacceptable as a candidate for president, and I won’t vote for him.” But of course, Trump won. And this year, Roby, now running for a fifth term in the House, came under fire for her criticism of him.<doc-sep>The battle for control of Congress was front and center on Tuesday night, with races taking shape in several intensely contested House seats in California and New Jersey. But there were revealing elections in the Midwest and the South, too, underscoring President Trump’s power in the Republican Party and the different ways Democrats hope to loosen his hold on red-state America. Here are some of our takeaways: Money matters in California National Democrats spent over $7 million in an effort to ensure they had a candidate reach the general election in three House districts in California held by Republicans. Their decision to not take their chances in the state’s “top two” system — in which the top finishers in nonpartisan, open primaries face each other in November — appears to have been a wise investment. The party’s intervention in the districts held by Representative Dana Rohrabacher, Ed Royce and Darrell Issa, all Republicans, paid off: they angered some of their own activists but were virtually certain to advance candidates in each of the three districts, including their preferred picks against Mr. Rohrabacher and in Mr. Royce’s seat. And the Democrats also got a bit of a lesson about the risks of not intervening, in the race for the seat held by Representative Jeff Denham. The Democrat Josh Harder got little outside help and appeared poised to barely edge out a little-known Republican challenger because the other five Democrats split more than 30 percent of the vote.<doc-sep>Women running for governor: Republican voters in South Dakota, Alabama and Iowa and Democratic voters in New Mexico all nominated women to lead their state next year — and they all have a solid chance of winning. GOP Rep. Kristi L. Noem won her competitive primary in South Dakota and now has a good chance to be the first woman to lead that state, since the seat is open in November and South Dakota is a fairly Republican state. In Alabama, relatively new Gov. Kay Ivey (R) defended her seat from four other GOP challengers. In Iowa, Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) won her primary to try to keep her spot as the first female governor of that state. And in New Mexico, Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham will be Democrats' nominee to try to flip that open governor's seat from red to blue. It's the most likely to flip in The Fix's most recent rankings.<doc-sep>National Democrats got their preferred candidates in each of New Jersey’s House primaries on Tuesday night, but the very same voters sent a strong rebuke to Sen. Bob Menendez, who barely mustered 60 percent of the vote running against an unknown challenger. The lackluster showing by Menendez, whose federal corruption trial ended in a mistrial last year, shocked Democrats and could create a new headache for the party as they try to win back control of the Senate. Lisa McCormick, a first-time candidate with no money, no endorsements, and no campaign appearances, captured 38 percent of the primary vote against Menendez, a two-term senator who has raised more than $8 million and had the endorsement of every major Democrat in the state. Advertisement To put Menendez’s poor showing in perspective, he did only slightly worse in the general election in 2012, the last time he was on the ballot. Advertisement Advertisement But Menendez has spent much of his time since then battling a federal indictment related to his high-flying friendship with Salomon Melgen, a Florida eye doctor. Last year, jurors heard nine weeks of testimony describing Menendez’s lavish trips with Melgen, who covered the costs for private jets and hotel rooms at the same time the senator was pleading Melgen’s case in a dispute over his overbilling of Medicare. Menendez’s case eventually ended in a mistrial in November. Melgen was later sentenced to 17 years in prison after being found guilty of $73 million in Medicaid fraud. Advertisement The government decided not to retry Menendez, but his problems didn’t end there. Earlier this year, the Senate Ethics Committee ordered Menendez to repay the cost of any outstanding gifts and “severely admonished” him for his behavior. New Jersey Democrats rallied to his side, and despite faltering in public polls, his only challenger was the unknown McCormick. Menendez will now limp into the general election against Bob Hugin, a former pharmaceutical executive who won the Republican nomination on Tuesday by roughly 50 points. Hugin had the backing of much of the GOP in that race, in part because his personal fortune means he can self-finance a campaign that—until now—was not considered competitive. Hugin has already given his campaign more than $7 million, and is expected to keep investing in the race now that Menendez looks wobbly. Advertisement Advertisement Menendez, a member of the Senate Finance Committee and former chairman of the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee, has never struggled with fundraising, though it’s unclear whether he can match Hugin’s spending. If the national party is forced to shore up Menendez in New Jersey—one of the most expensive media markets in the country—the race could become a sinkhole for money that the party would prefer to spend almost anywhere else. Hugin, for his part, has already signaled he will run an aggressive campaign, and he had spent $2 million attacking Menendez even before the primary was over, with ads that showed washed-out images of the senator and labeled him a “disgrace.” Hugin’s record has its own blemishes. Last year, while he was still the CEO of Celgene Corp.,* the firm agreed to pay $280 million to settle allegations that it promoted cancer drugs without FDA approval. He will also have to battle accusations that he supports Donald Trump, in a state Trump lost by 13 points. At a White House discussion on drug prices last year, and that he later called the meeting “incredibly encouraging” and branded Trump’s agenda “pro-growth.” Advertisement For New Jersey Democrats with a long enough memory, the results on Tuesday will feel disturbingly familiar. In 2002, the state’s incumbent senator, Sen. Robert Torricelli, was forced to drop his re-election bid one month before the general election, after he too was “severely admonished” by the Senate Ethics Committee. Before he dropped out, Torricelli trailed badly in the polls behind a mostly unknown Republican businessman, and his travails threatened to tip the balance in a closely divided Senate. Correction, June 6, 2018: An earlier version of this post misspelled the name of Hugin’s former company. It is Celgene Corp., not Celegene Corp.<doc-sep>

A boy stands in the doorway of a polling station on June 5, 2018 in San Anselmo, California. California voters are heading to the polls to vote in the primary election. Eight states held primary elections Tuesday, and returns indicate Democrats have a good shot of avoiding their worst fears in battleground California. The results will play a major role in whether Republicans can defend their congressional majorities and stop Democrats from flipping the 23 seats needed to take the House. Just three of the states that held primaries on Tuesday — California, New Jersey and Iowa — will determine in large part whether Democrats in November can pick up the red seats they need to win a House majority. California is one of the keys to Democrats' ambitions: The party is targeting as many as 10 Republican-held seats there. The state's primary system, which sends the top two candidates regardless of party to the general election, threatened to dash the party's hopes in some swing districts where several Democrats ran and split the vote. While NBC News has not yet projected the two general election participants in the California swing districts, early results suggest Democrats could get a candidate into all of their targeted House general elections in the state. Wasserman tweet The most populous American state started the process of selecting a new governor, as well. Liberal Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom won the gubernatorial primary, while John Cox, a businessman backed by President Donald Trump, will face off against him.

Tottenham striker Harry Kane will captain England at the upcoming World Cup in Russia. England boss Gareth Southgate named Kane as his skipper for the tournament during a meeting with the squad at St. George's Park on Monday night. Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson and Tottenham midfielder Eric Dier have previously captained England under Southgate but it is Kane who will take the armband in Russia. "It is an amazing honour. You always dream of playing for England growing up and to be the captain is that little bit more," said the Spurs striker. Image: England boss Gareth Southgate named his captain to the squad on Monday "I'm so excited for the World Cup. I can't wait to be there and experience it. To be leading the lads out is going to be special. "But for me, nothing changes. I'm still the person, the same player. It is just about the team. We will do what we can and go as far as we can." Southgate added: "Harry has some outstanding personal qualities. He is a meticulous professional and one of the most important things for a captain is that they set the standard every day. "He has belief and high standards and it is a great message for the team to have a captain who has shown that it is possible to be one of the best in the world over a consistent period of time and that has been his drive. Image: Kane has scored 41 goals for Tottenham this season "My feeling is that over the last 18 months in the camps that he's been with us he has shown that he has got the desire to take that into a team environment and he recognises the importance of bringing others with him. "Of course, Harry will need the support of the other good leaders that we have got around him. You don't become a top team by just having a good captain with good values because that has got to spread right throughout the group but I think he is the one who is ready to take that challenge on." England face Tunisia in their opening game on June 18 before playing Panama and Belgium in their remaining Group G fixtures.<doc-sep>Get the latest Spurs news direct to your inbox! Invalid Email Something went wrong, please try again later. Sign Up Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Gary Lineker says Harry Kane will be a Golden Boot contender at this World Cup because he usually delivers “in the moment of truth.” Lineker won the 'Oscar' for goal-scorers at the finals in Mexico 32 years ago, when Bobby Robson's players were only allowed one phone call home per week — from their hotel lobby. And BBC Match of the Day's well-connected anchorman is backing his successor as England captain to rise to the twin burdens of being focal point in attack and leader. Lineker warned that the armband will not give Kane any “mystical” powers in Russia. (Image: FIFA via Getty) Kane's 24 caps for the Three Lions have yielded 13 goals so far, but to date none has been scored at a major tournament, where the legends of most great strikers are created. Lineker said: “Kane is England's talisman and he won't be scared of the challenge. “In the moment of truth, that split-second which sets top strikers apart from the rest, he invariably delivers. His record over the last four years is terrific. (Image: Reuters) (Image: Getty) (Image: Getty) “Like all strikers, he needs to hit form at the right time, but you can never be sure of doing that at a major tournament because he will only be at his most effective if the team plays well. “The Golden Boot is not the be-all and end-all at a World Cup, but to win it you have to go a long way in the tournament. “Sometimes you need a lightbulb moment, where everything clicks into place. We didn't have much joy in our first two games in 1986, but then I struck up a partnership with Peter Beardsley and everything fell into place. (Image: Getty) “You are not going to score in five or six games in a row to win the Golden Boot, so you probably need a freakish game where everything drops for you – I scored a hat-trick in half an hour against Poland, and suddenly the world's my oyster. “It's a symbol of prestige which says you performed at the highest level and in the best company. Kane is capable of winning it if England play to his strengths, but they will need to win a few games.” Lineker approves of Kane's ascent to the captaincy, even if he believes the importance of the role is overstated. (Image: Reuters) He said: “In England we make a song and dance about the captain like no other nation, but the reality is that it doesn't make one jot of difference on the pitch. “We get obsessed about it, but a captain's armband doesn't come with special mystical powers that make you run faster or jump higher. You can't affect the team's performance like a captain in Test cricket can influence the game with bowling changes, field settings and, in one case, Bodyline. “After half an hour against Belgium or whoever, Harry Kane is not going to say, 'Right, lads, we're switching to 3-5-2' – that's the manager's job. You [as captain] have no say on tactics. That's a fact. “But in Harry's case, he won't be weighed down by responsibility. He's already one of the very best in the business at what he does. “I like his hunger, I like the way he doesn't get too euphoric when he does well or too low when things go against him. And there isn't an area of his game you would call a weakness. When the ball is in or around the box, he comes alive. “I just hope England get the most out of him in Russia.”<doc-sep>THE photo shows David Beckham with his arm around Harry Kane on the banks of the Thames. Little did Goldenballs know back then that the 11-year-old at his academy would one day be following in his footsteps as England captain. 9 Harry Kane, right, met David Beckham when he was a kid - with his partner Kate Goodland Credit: Rex Features 9 Kane leads England players during a training session in Russia Credit: Richard Pelham - The Sun Kane has taken inspiration from Becks battling back from Public Enemy No 1 to national hero. At France 98 Beckham was infamously sent off against Argentina for kicking Diego Simeone in their last-16 clash. But four years later, after single-handedly dragging his country to the World Cup, he got his revenge with a penalty winner against the Argies in the group stages. Current Three Lions skipper Kane was part of the Euro 2016 humiliation against Iceland and wants to make amends. David Beckham excited by World Cup return to Americas for 2026 9 David Beckham was public enemy No 1 after his red card for kicking out at Diego Simeone at France 98 Credit: PA:Press Association 9 By the next World Cup, Beckham was England's captain and the nation's favourite player Credit: Reuters The 23-year-old said: “What happened to David shows how fine the margins can be at the World Cup. “In the big moments, it is all about how you react. David showed his mental strength to go from villain to hero, that’s the kind of person it is. “He was a big hero of mine because of the way he conducted himself, on and off the pitch. “He was a player who gave everything every time he wore the shirt — that’s the kind of captain I want to be remembered as. “David is a huge England fan and every player in the squad has a lot of respect for him.” 9 Kane is hoping to make amends for the humiliating defeat to Iceland at Euro 2016 Credit: Getty Images - Getty 9 England were dumped out of the competition by the tiny Nordic nation Credit: PA:Press Association The photo with Beckham was taken 13 years ago when Kane was with Spurs’ youth team and on a visit to Becks’ academy in Greenwich. On Beckham’s right is Kate Goodland, who is now Kane’s fiancee and mum to daughter Ivy, with the couple expecting another baby. With a young family at home and Kane leading a young team on the pitch, there is real hope of success in Russia after years of heartache. There is now no trace of the Golden Generation that Beckham was the pin-up boy for. Kane said: “Hopefully we can go out and play with a freedom other England teams haven’t had. “All we want is to do the country proud. “We need to get the nation back with us after the disappointment of the Euros. “What happened in France two years ago was hard to take. Mystic meerkats from London Zoo make their World Cup predictions on England vs. Tunisia 9 Kane and Kate Goodland are expecting another baby Credit: Kate Goodland/Instagram “But with every down there is usually an up and I have told myself throughout my career that the important thing is not to get too high when things are going well, or too low when they’re not. “All I can promise is I will do my best and the team will do their best.” Walthamstow lad Kane said his game will not change with the Three Lions armband and the team will always come first. He added: “I don’t feel any extra pressure just because I’m wearing the armband. I feel exactly the same. “My game won’t change and my personality won’t. I still look to push myself, to push other players and I hope my team-mates can now look at me as someone they can talk to. “But I’m still the same man. I don’t feel like just because I’m captain I don’t have to maintain the standards I have set.” 9 England players prepare for their World Cup opener against Tunisia on Monday Credit: News Group Newspapers Ltd Gareth Southgate shared the captaincy around during qualifying and in pre-World Cup friendlies, with Jordan Henderson and Eric Dier also wearing the armband. The England manager still wants players to take responsibility and that could see others doing media duties on the eve of games. Kane said: “It’s more a case of when you are England’s striker, you have a responsibility to score the goals. “As captain, maybe there will be even more expectation on my shoulders but I think it’s important to have four, five, six players who can lead. “We have to have a number of players who, in a bad situation, will speak up and be honest with each other. “It can’t be just because I am captain that all the decisions fall on my shoulders.” Kane will lead England out at the Volgograd Arena against Tunisia tomorrow looking to get off the mark with victory in a World Cup opener for the first time since 2006. 9 Three Lions boss Gareth Southgate shares a laugh with his players ahead of Monday's clash Credit: News Group Newspapers Ltd LATEST WORLD CUP NEWS WHAT A JEN How old is Jermaine Jenas and what's his net worth? MEDALS 1 CAPS 0 Stars who won World Cup without playing a single game, like Fulham's Areola HORROR ORDEAL Brit gang-rape victims bravely fought off attacker by biting him, say cops RU BEAUTY Who is Ruby Mae and how long has she been with Dele Alli? PRETTY WOMAN Amanda Holden spotted in £85 Forever Unique 'Pretty Woman' dress Cheap as kits Here's where you can get England's 2018 football kit the cheapest HIGH PRAISE Obama brands Messi 'wonderful' as he offers advice over World Cup struggles Quiz RUSSIA REWIND See how much you can remember about the craziest moments at World Cup 2018 The Spurs striker added: “The first game is always huge. If we win it gives us momentum — but if we don’t win we won’t think we’re not going through. “Tunisia will want to put an upset on the cards but we won’t underestimate them because we know they’re a good team.” Skipper Kane is ready to tackle any World Cup racists. England’s players have discussed what would happen if black players were targeted and will inform the referee instead of walking off in protest. Kane said: “If the situation arises, we know how to deal with it. “First and foremost, we are all desperate for it not to happen. If it does, we will know what to do.” Tweet @mcgrathmike<doc-sep>

'It's not an excuse that we're young' - England captain Kane New England captain Harry Kane says the team can win the World Cup in Russia and "anything else is not good enough". Striker Kane, 24, was informed about being made skipper by manager Gareth Southgate a few weeks ago and it was officially confirmed on Tuesday. Kane scored 41 goals in all competitions last season as Tottenham finished third in the Premier League. "It's impossible not to dream about lifting the World Cup. It's the biggest competition in the world," said Kane. "I believe we can win it - anyone can. I cannot sit here and say we are not going to win it because we could do. "It is my mindset and I want to win at everything I do. The players in the team want to as well. It is worth fighting for. I am sure we have all had dreams of lifting it and it is an opportunity for us. "We are not favourites but you look at this season, no-one would have thought Liverpool getting to the Champions League final. You look at Manchester United back in the Sir Alex Ferguson days, they had a young team and dominated the Premier League for years to come. "Being young is not an excuse - it could be a good thing. I believe we can and that is what we want to try and do. Anything else is not good enough." England head to Russia on 12 June and face Tunisia in their opening game on 18 June, followed by matches against Panama and Belgium. 'A meticulous professional' Kane first captained England in last summer's 2-2 World Cup qualifier in Scotland, where he scored a late equaliser, before going on to wear the armband on a further three occasions. Spurs team-mate Eric Dier and Liverpool midfielder Jordan Henderson have also skippered England recently. Kane, who has scored 12 goals in 23 appearances for his country, was described as a "meticulous professional" by Southgate. "It is a massive day and a very proud day," he said. "It is a dream come true. I found out a few weeks ago when I met Gareth Southgate. We were talking for an hour and he said he wanted me to be the captain. "I have had to keep it quiet for a while now but it is fantastic. I filled up with pride and went home and told my family. "Not much changes, I am someone who wants to lead by example on and off the pitch. That is what I will try to do. "There are some young players in the squad who look up to players like that. There are some older players who I can learn from too." Southgate, who told the England squad during a meeting at St George's Park on Monday night, added: "Harry has some outstanding personal qualities. One of the most important things for a captain is that they set the standard every day. "He has belief and high standards and it is a great message for the team to have a captain who has shown that it is possible to be one of the best in the world over a consistent period of time and that has been his drive. "My feeling is that over the last 18 months in the camps that he's been with us he has shown that he has got the desire to take that into a team environment and he recognises the importance of bringing others with him." England's key World Cup dates 2 June v Nigeria (friendly at Wembley) 7 June v Costa Rica (friendly at Elland Road) 12 June Squad leaves for Russia 18 June v Tunisia (opening group game) 24 June v Panama (second group game) 28 June v Belgium (final group game) Analysis BBC chief football writer Phil McNulty England manager Gareth Southgate was effectively making a choice from two as World Cup captain - Harry Kane or Jordan Henderson. Southgate was clearly comfortable with either Tottenham's striker or Henderson, who has captained Liverpool to Saturday's Champions League Final against Real Madrid in Kiev. In the end, he has gone with 24-year-old Kane and few who have seen him when he has worn the captain's armband for England would argue with the wisdom of that decision.

No, we aren’t talking about a fallout between Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Alia Bhatt. In fact, the two happen to be good friends. But, PC has recently announced that her first Hollywood production will have her essaying the role of Ma Anand Sheela, who was the spokesperson of the Osho Movement. On an international talk show, the Quantico actress said, “I am developing a feature with Barry Levinson. He is an iconic American director. We are developing it (from the perspective of) as this character Sheela, who is this guru who originated from India. She was his right-hand woman and she was devious. She created a whole cult in America. He was called Osho. I don’t know if you’ve heard of him. It was amazing. I am developing that next for me to star in and produce. (sic)” Back home, Shakun Batra, too, is developing a script on the same lines. It was reported that the director’s film, which will be released on the digital platform, will have Aamir Khan playing Bhagwan Rajneesh and have Alia as Ma Anand Sheela. When Alia was asked about the same during a recent interview, though she didn’t confirm taking on the part, she didn’t deny it either. While PC’s movie is expected to roll by the end of this year, there are no announcements about Shakun’s next yet. Nonetheless, it’s definitely a clash of content.<doc-sep>Priyanka Chopra on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. Priyanka Chopra on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. Priyanka Chopra has confirmed developing Netflix’s hit docu-series Wild Wild Country into a feature film, focusing primarily on controversial cult woman Ma Anand Sheela. Apart from acting in it, the Quantico star will also produce the biopic. The actor made the announcement recently on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. As Ellen mentioned about Wild Wild Country, Priyanka said, “Yeah, I am developing a feature film with Barry Levinson. He did Rain Man and he is an iconic American director. And we are developing it as the character of Sheila, who was this guru (Osho) who originated from India, his right-hand woman and she was just devious and created a whole cult in America and brought people here. He was called Osho. I am developing that next for me to star in and produce in which I think would be really cool.” Wild Wild Country was about Osho aka Rajneesh who was an Indian guru whose philosophy was seen as revolutionary by his followers, but for the rest of the world, it was a cult. This six-part documentary series on Netflix showed what happened when the followers of Rajneesh moved to Oregon in the US to build their utopian city, Rajneeshpuram. The star of this show is his second-in-command, his personal secretary Maa Anand Sheela, who ran the entire operation and was later convicted of many crimes. . @PriyankaChopra is developing and starring in a movie about one of the wildest documentaries on Netflix. pic.twitter.com/4LsFiNSLRL — Ellen DeGeneres (@TheEllenShow) January 30, 2019 On Ellen DeGeneres’ show, Priyanka Chopra also talked about her upcoming rom-com Isn’t It Romantic, which releases on February 13. She received a wedding gift from the host of the show. Ellen gifted PeeCee a portrait where she was ‘just sitting there’ with American singer Nick Jonas and the actor was taking shots. Priyanka and Nick got hitched in December last year.<doc-sep>Priyanka Chopra has some big projects in her kitty currently both in Bollywood and Hollywood. And recently on an international talk show, she revealed details about her next Hollywood project post Isn’t it Romantic. Priyanka is all set to play the character of Osho’s right hand Ma Anand Sheela. Osho was an Indian spiritual guru and philosopher and started a cult. Ma Anand Sheela is an Indian-born American and was the former spokeswoman of the Rajneesh movement and allegedly a multiple convicted attempted murderer. Talking about the project Priyanka said, “I am developing a feature with Barry Levinson. He is an iconic American director. We are developing it (from the perspective of) Sheela who is this guru who originated from India. She was his right-hand woman and she was devious. She created a whole cult in America. He was called Osho. I don’t know if you’ve heard of him. I am developing that next for me to star in and produce." Well, we are super excited to watch Priyanka in this grey avatar, what about you?<doc-sep>Now that Priyanka Chopra has married husband Nick Jonas for the trillionth time (a rough estimate) and returned from her lavish tropical honeymoon, she has some downtime to prepare for her next big role: playing former cult spokesperson and attempted murderer Ma Anand Sheela. While sitting down with Ellen DeGeneres on Wednesday, the Quantico alum revealed that she's indeed signed on to play the real-life cult figure, whose name was abuzz last year when Netflix's Wild Wild Country docuseries reintroduced her infamous legacy to a whole new generation. Sheela was the right-hand woman of self-pronounced Indian guru Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, aka Osho, who was the leader of the Rajneeshees, a sex-positive cult in rural Oregon in the early 1980s. The stateside arrival of the Rajneeshees rocked the neighboring town of Antelope (population: 40), the state of Oregon, and eventually the entire country, with news coverage digging into the cult's criminal activity, poisonings, and more. "We are developing it as the character Sheela, who was this guru who originated from India," Chopra told DeGeneres of the role. "[She] was his right-hand woman, and she was just devious." After seeing Chopra's work in Quantico (which was recently canceled), Baywatch, and the upcoming Isn't It Romantic, it'll be fun to see her tackle a role as complex as Ma Anand Sheela, who became a fiery, divisive figure due to multiple controversial TV appearances when the popularity of the Rajneeshees was at an all-time height. For instance, Sheela not only managed the gun-heavy sex cult but also helped mastermind a bioterror food poisoning attack, as well as a foiled plot to murder a federal prosecutor who was threatening the cult's way of life. (There are many, many more charges against her, which you can check out by watching Netflix's enthralling doc.) Chopra will not only star as the Indian-born Sheela but also produce the biopic, which is being directed by Rain Man's Barry Levinson. What makes Chopra's involvement even more interesting, though, is the fact that Sheela is alive and well. After escaping imprisonment for her crimes, the 69-year-old now lives in Switzerland managing a nursing home. She even appeared at a Netflix panel last year, telling the crowd, "It was a beautiful life I have lived." See photos of Sheela in action from Wild Wild Country ahead.<doc-sep>

Earlier, on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Priyanka Chopra revealed that she will be starring in Ma Anand Sheela's biopic. She also revealed that the film will be directed by Barry Levinson. Now, the actress has divulged more details about the biopic. According to a report in daily, the actress was quoted as saying, "I have to credit director Barry Levinson for bringing this movie to me. He will be directing the project. He and his producers have been researching on this subject and developing it for the last few years. He approached me to develop it with him. Priyanka first talked about the project on At The Ellen DeGeneres Show. She said, "I am developing a feature with Barry Levinson. He is an iconic American director. We are developing it (from the perspective of) Sheela who is this guru who originated from India. She was his right-hand woman and she was devious. She created a whole cult in America. He was called Osho. I don’t know if you’ve heard of him. I am developing that next for me to star in and produce." Sheela is an Indian-born American-Swiss former spokeswoman of the Rajneesh movement (aka Osho movement) and multiple convicted attempted murderer. As the personal secretary of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, Sheela managed the Rajneeshpuram ashram in Wasco County, Oregon, United States. In 1985 she pleaded guilty to attempted murder and assault for her role in the 1984 Rajneeshee bioterror attack. She was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison and paroled after 39 months. ALSO SEE | Harman Baweja attends ex Priyanka Chopra's Love Story 2018 bash with Nick Jonas

The White Helmets have saved hundreds of civilians from fighting. They were evacuated via Israel as bombs rained on its border with Syria Hundreds of White Helmets volunteer workers have been rescued from Syria in a British-brokered moonlight evacuation through Israel and Jordan. The operation, early this morning, was the culmination of two weeks of frenzied negotiations and lobbying between the governments of the UK, Germany and Canada and the Jordanian and Israeli militaries. Sponsored Some 422 people, including women and children, crossed from Syria into the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights before travelling on into Jordan — an almost unprecedented display of military and diplomatic co-operation between Israel and an Arab state. “It is both tragic and incredible,” a source told The Times. “We have managed to rescue the rescuers. These people have been saving lives for the past five years.” The White Helmets are search-and-rescue volunteers who operate<doc-sep>Editor’s Note: Gayle Tzemach Lemmon is an adjunct senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. She is the author of “Ashley’s War: The Untold Story of a Team of Women Soldiers on the Special Ops Battlefield.” The opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author; view more opinion articles on CNN. (CNN) — In the dead of night and with help from countries including the United States, Canada, Jordan, Israel and the United Kingdom, the rescuers got rescued themselves. Almost immediately, the Syrian regime and its Russian backers criticized the operation. And the White Helmets. Courtesy Gayle Lemmon Gayle Tzemach Lemmon But no amount of online targeting from the Syrian regime or its Russian backers can change the fact that these ordinary people from a whole slew of backgrounds came together as the White Helmets to rescue civilians in the midst of war — for years and at great risk to themselves. The White Helmets deserved rescue. Indeed, the extraction of more than 400 Syrian Civil Defense members – known as White Helmets – from Syria this week as the Syrian regime neared their location was a rare reminder that countries can indeed work together effectively to protect people who have worked to help and to save others. That the Syrian regime called their rescue a “criminal operation” should surprise few and confuse even fewer. The reason they earned the label is twofold: for the last half-decade, not only did they help rescue people in the aftermath of attacks by the Syrian regime, but they also documented what was happening on the ground, sharing what they saw with local and international organizations and chronicling events such as the April 2017 chemical weapons attack in Khan Sheikhoun. “While the Syrian-Russian military coalition conducted indiscriminate attacks on civilian populations in areas like Eastern Ghouta, Idlib and now, Daraa and Quneitra, the White Helmets were pulling the injured from under rubble, burying the dead, putting out fires, and conducting countless search and rescue operations,” noted Human Rights Watch. “They bore witness to many of the atrocities that characterized the conflict.” The White Helmets, formed in late 2012 and early 2013, are a volunteer force that has grown from a few dozen to several thousand members from multiple walks of life, from blacksmiths to barbers. Some 200 members of the group have been killed in the process of daring to go toward danger rather than away from it, running to try to rescue civilians in the immediate aftermath of aerial attacks. As CNN’s Hala Gorani noted, “Some of the defining images of the civil war, of bloodied bodies covered head to toe in concrete dust – yet miraculously alive — have come from the very people who have saved them.” For this work bearing witness – captured in a Netflix documentary and in international media – they were called “terrorists” by the Syrian government. And they bore the brunt of Russian propaganda starting in 2015 as the Russians ratcheted up their efforts inside Syria to protect and advance the interests of the Syrian regime by air and on the ground. The White Helmets were accused of being linked to al Qaeda. Called “crisis actors.” Accused of staging “fake attacks.” And trolled mercilessly online. The Guardian last December called these efforts to discredit the White Helmets an “extraordinary disinformation campaign” as it noted researchers “found evidence of a targeted Russian influence campaign against the White Helmets.” One computer science professor at Indiana University, Fil Menczer, developed a tool called Hoaxy to chart the spread of misinformation online. Searching for “White Helmets” reveals a handful of sources generated hundreds of stories about the organization. “It’s like a factory,” he told the paper. Indeed, in the immediate aftermath of the rescue of the search-and-rescuers, the Russian Embassy in Israel tweeted, “July 22 West evacuated #WhiteHelmets pseudo-humanitarians via #Israel. These militants acted exclusively in areas controlled by Islamic radicals,concocted #fakenews, staged chemical provocations like in #EasternGhouta. They flee #Syria and reveal who they are.” Get our free weekly newsletter Sign up for CNN Opinion's new newsletter. Join us on Twitter and Facebook Yes. They revealed who they are: regular people who regularly devoted themselves to clearing others out from under rubble. People whose work led to the creation of an unusual international alliance to get them out of danger. And people whose daring rescue showed once more the power of something we haven’t seen in a while: just how much good is possible when countries work together.<doc-sep>“It was an operation to rescue the rescuers,” said one person with knowledge of the mission who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to publicly discuss its details. “They were in a terrible state. They’d been on the move for days, having to rely on really scant information. Even hours before, they didn’t know what was going to happen.”<doc-sep>(CNN) — Efforts to evacuate nearly 300 White Helmet members, left stranded in southern Syria after they were unable to reach an evacuation point in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights on Sunday, have failed thus far, the volunteer rescue group told CNN Monday. “Syrian regime checkpoints did not allow the majority of us to reach the evacuation point,” Abu Mohmmad, a White Helmets volunteer, said. “The situation is getting worse by the minute, especially after the batch of White Helmets who have managed to leave yesterday morning, the regime is looking for us.” Israel assisted with the evacuation Sunday of hundreds of the rescue workers and their family members, but the remaining group couldn’t make it to the evacuation point due to heavy fighting between ISIS and the Syrian regime, the White Helmets volunteers told CNN. That fighting has intensified in recent days as Syria tries to eradicate the last remaining ISIS pockets in the southern part of the country. “Our names were on the evacuation list from the beginning. … We tried by all means, but the roads were not safe,” White Helmets member Abu Laith told CNN. “We are currently appealing to the world and don’t know our fate. Our situation is very miserable. We are besieged.” Another White Helmets volunteer, Mohammad Abdallah, told CNN he was told to cross to the Golan Heights without their families, “which was something rejected by us because the retribution by the Syrian regime and its allied militias is a bigger (risk to) our families.” “We are now 300 volunteer members, men and women, living in constant fear and constant desperation,” Abdallah added. RESCUED: @SyriaCivilDef faced an immediate threat to their lives in Syria. We rescued hundreds of them and their families. They passed through Israel and are now out of harm's way. We conducted this life-saving mission at the request of the US, Canada, and EU countries. — Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) July 22, 2018 US, some European countries requested evacuation The Syrians evacuated Sunday were transferred to Jordan via Israel, at the request of the United States and some European countries, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement after the operation. Israel described the move as an “exceptional humanitarian gesture,” adding that it “continues to maintain a non-intervention policy regarding the Syrian conflict.” The civilians were evacuated from the war zone in Southern Syria due to an immediate threat to their lives. The transfer of the displaced Syrians through Israel is an exceptional humanitarian gesture — Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) July 22, 2018 A number of those evacuated were from the White Helmets volunteer rescue group, known as the Syrian Civil Defense. The Syrian regime described the Sunday evacuation of White Helmet volunteers with Israeli assistance as a “criminal operation” that has revealed “the terrorist nature” of the group, the official news agency SANA reported Monday, quoting an unnamed foreign ministry official. The transferred Syrians will remain in a restricted area in Jordan for the time being, Jordanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Mohammad al-Kayed told the Jordanian state-run Petra news agency, before onward transfer to Britain, Germany and Canada within the next three months. Jordan had originally said 800 Syrians were evacuated and Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi tweeted on Sunday that the original agreement was for 800 but that they later settled at 422. “For humanitarian reasons, Jordan gave the United Nations permission to organize the passage of Syrians who entered the Occupied Golan after Britain, Germany and Canada presented a legally binding pledge to resettle them after three months,” Safadi tweeted Sunday. “The number requested was 800 but the actual number settled at 422,” he added. Remaining White Helmets in danger “We are still in danger,” Abu Muhanad, another White Helmet member, told CNN. “Saving lives is the biggest crime we are charged with; now we are called terrorists because we save lives.” He says they are between a rock and a hard place: considered “terrorists” by the regime, they don’t have any bargaining chips, unlike the rebels, who have their weapons. Moreover, now that Israel has helped the evacuation, they face a new charge of being “collaborators with Israel.” 07:33 - Source: CNN Saving lives in Syria: the White Helmets Through videos, pictures, and social media, the White Helmets are widely seen as having played an important role in showing the international community the horrors of the Syrian civil war. Their volunteers have gone into war-stricken areas, searching for survivors, winning them support from many countries, including the United States. The White Helmets “used to see death while doing our work saving lives from underneath airstrikes and barrel bombs. Now we see death in a different way – not knowing what will happen to us,” Muhanad added. Canada will resettle up to 50 White Helmets and their families, a Canadian official with direct knowledge of the resettlement efforts told CNN. The total number of people could be over 200, nearly half of the Syrians evacuated into Jordan on Sunday. However, taking 50 families may not be necessary as there have been multiple offers from allies to resettle the volunteer rescuers, according to the official. Germany said Monday they would be taking eight White Helmet refugees. The UK confirmed to CNN they will offer asylum to some of the rescue workers but have not given any numbers. “The ongoing military offensive and ever greater territorial gains by the Syrian regime in southern Syria have created a clear and present danger for the White Helmets and their families,” German Federal Minister of the Interior Horst Seehofer said in a statement Monday. “These people, who have risked their lives to aid and rescue the civilian population, and to reduce their suffering, are now themselves in need of help. Granting them protection is, I believe, a humanitarian duty and an expression of my policy to uphold humanity and order in migration policy. “ CNN’s Oren Liebermann and Sheena McKenzie contributed to this report.<doc-sep>

The Syrian government of President Bashar Assad on Monday blasted Israel, the United States and other nations for evacuating hundreds of Syrian Civil Defense "White Helmets" rescue workers and their families from Assad's advancing forces. The rescue was organized by Israel, which has otherwise avoided direct intervention in the brutal civil war ravaging its neighbor. Assad's forces recently overwhelmed rebel areas bordering Jordan and Golan Heights, Syrian territory occupied by Israel. "It is pretty clear that Assad is winning the Syrian civil war – decisively," said James Piazza, a Penn State professor and Middle East expert. "I think it is likely he will completely crush the rebels sooner rather than later." The White Helmets are a volunteer aid and rescue NGO supported and lauded by the West, credited for saving thousands of civilians from the onslaught of Syrian troops and their allies driving Western-backed rebel groups from what were once rebel strongholds. The search and rescue team has long claimed neutrality, but Syria, Russia and Iran dismiss the group as a propaganda arm of the rebels. Despite the evacuation effort, hundreds remain in Syria. “Words are not enough to express the discontent which the Syrians feel towards these mean conspiracies and the limitless support provided by the Western states, Israel and Jordan to the White Helmets ... and other terrorist organizations," the Syrian Foreign Ministry said in a statement. Piazza said there is no evidence to support Syrian claims that the White Helmets organization has aided armed combatants or are a conduit for Islamic extremists. Assad's forces recently overwhelmed rebel areas bordering Jordan and Golan Heights, Syrian territory occupied by Israel. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said President Donald Trump, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and others requested Israel's assistance in the evacuations of "people who have saved lives and whose lives were in danger." More:U.S. denies Syria claim that U.S.-led coalition bombed troops More:Syrian army, police celebrate recapturing all of Damascus British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt called the evacuations "fantastic news," and the Trump administration said it "deeply appreciates" Israel's role and Jordan's "generosity." “We are glad that these ‎brave volunteers, who have saved thousands of lives, are now out of harm's way,” said State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert in a statement. “The White Helmets have consistently been targeted by the Assad regime." She said the evacuees, more than half of whom are children, were allowed entry into Jordan temporarily. Plans call for the evacuees to be placed in "permanent homes" in Canada, Germany and the United Kingdom, Nauert said. The civil war in Syria has dragged on for more than seven years, resulting in hundreds of thousands of deaths and an unrelenting humanitarian crisis. A Syrian offensive that began last month has battered the few remaining rebel holdouts, and Assad continues to solidify gains and his power. Netanyahu met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Jerusalem on Monday. Israeli media said the prime minister pressed for, among other things, keeping pro-Iranian forces in Syria at least 60 miles from the Israeli border. Russia's support has been key to Assad's survival and the all but certain defeat of the rebels. Piazza said Putin has made Syria the showpiece of its resurrection as a global superpower – and a player in the Middle East. "It is hard to remember that at one time, in 2011, many policymakers and commentators regarded Assad as a dead man walking," Piazza said. "Assad’s regime is in very good shape in terms of taking control over the remainder of the country."

The Trump administration is working to repeal former President Obama’s Clean Water Rule. The 2015 rule by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Army Corps of Engineers redefines the federal government’s authority when it comes to protecting waterways from pollution and harm. ADVERTISEMENT Trump administration officials, led by EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt Edward (Scott) Scott PruittCourt sets in motion EPA ban on pesticide linked to developmental issues Scientific integrity, or more hot air? OVERNIGHT ENERGY: Biden proposes billions for electric vehicles, building retrofitting| EPA chief to replace Trump appointees on science advisory panels | Kerry to travel to UAE, India to discuss climate change MORE, aim to repeal the rule, also known as Waters of the United States, and replace it with a regulation that would cover a smaller set of waterways. Doing so would fulfill a campaign promise by President Trump Donald TrumpTrump lashes out after grand jury seated for New York criminal probe Schumer tees up vote on Jan. 6 commission bill Senators struggle to save Jan. 6 commission MORE, and initiating the repeal process was one Pruitt's first actions when he took the helm at EPA in February 2017. Here are five things to know about where things stand in the effort to repeal the Obama-era rule. What is the rule? The regulation defines which waterways the EPA and Army Corps have jurisdiction over under the Clean Water Act. A Supreme Court case in 2006 — Rapanos v. United States — resulted in different interpretations of the federal government’s authority. So in 2015, the EPA and Army Corps wrote the Clean Water Rule with the goal of clarifying that small waterways like headwaters, ponds, wetlands and intermittent streams are protected. That meant a federal permit would be needed before dumping pollution in those waterways or filling them in. Many Republicans and industries like agriculture and developers cried foul, arguing that the rule gave the Obama administration power over puddles and even dry ditches. A federal appeals court put the rule on hold before it could take effect. The EPA under Trump decided to delay implementation for two years — a decision that is being litigated by environmentalists and Democratic states. Trump officials are working on a repeal-and-replace plan Pruitt wants to repeal the rule and replace it with a more industry-friendly version. In an executive order last year, Trump instructed the EPA to write the rule based on an opinion written by then-Justice Antonin Scalia in the 2006 Supreme Court case. Scalia said that federal authority can only extend over “relatively permanent” waterways. That’s in contrast to Justice Anthony Kennedy’s opinion, used as a guide by the Obama administration, which said waterways must have only a “significant nexus” to otherwise protected water. Jon Devine, head of federal water policy at the Natural Resources Defense Council, said the Pruitt approach “will almost certainly mean a significant ratcheting back on protections for streams that don’t flow year-round and for wetlands that don’t immediately abut other protected waters.” But Pruitt’s supporters say a Scalia-inspired rule is the way to go. “Even if they don’t adhere to his exact words, they need to make sure that it passes legal muster and provides that predictability and fairness that our members need when they look at a piece of property to develop,” said Jim Tobin, head lobbyist at the National Association of Home Builders. Officials have hit some speed bumps The repeal and replace process is taking longer than industry had hoped. The EPA proposed its repeal in June 2017 but hasn’t made the action final. Earlier this year, the EPA sent a new repeal proposal to the White House Office of Management and Budget for review, and the agency won’t say why it’s trying again to repeal it. “I think several stakeholders, including us, as well as the EPA, recognized there were some potential issues with that, so they decided to issue a supplemental rule in order to fix errors and smooth the process of repealing the 2015 rule,” Tobin said. Meanwhile, the replacement plan was submitted for White House review earlier this month. Pruitt says he still hopes to get the process finished by the end of 2018. The timing is making some anxious, especially since the EPA is working to repeal the previous rule before it finishes writing a new one. “The whole thing is very confusing," said Richard G. Leland, an attorney at Akerman LLP who works in property and land use law. "It’s a very irregular way of proceeding, and it certainly isn’t creating the kind of the certainty that administrative regulations are supposed to create.” Some in Congress want to help House Republicans have taken numerous steps to try to help Pruitt repeal the rule. Appropriations bills that passed the House both last year and this year would have allowed the EPA and Army Corps skip the public notice and comment process in repealing the water regulation. But in negotiating with the Senate, the provisions were stripped out of the final legislation for fiscal 2018 funding. The House this week passed its farm bill, which would repeal the water rule. But it too must be negotiated with the Senate, where the process has been more difficult for Republicans. Sen. Mike Lee Michael (Mike) Shumway LeeHillicon Valley: Amazon facing lawsuits alleging racial, gender bias | Senate Commerce panel advances Biden's top science nominee | Colonial Pipeline CEO to testify on Capitol Hill in June Senate Commerce advances Biden's top science nominee Senators introducing bill to penalize Pentagon for failed audits MORE (R-Utah) this week proposed a spending bill amendment that would repeal the rule, but senators on both sides of the aisle voted against it, saying the measure threatened an agreement to avoid controversial policy provisions in spending legislation. “I can't find many people on this side of the aisle who approved of the Waters of the United States regulation of the previous administration,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell Addison (Mitch) Mitchell McConnellSchumer tees up vote on Jan. 6 commission bill Senators struggle to save Jan. 6 commission GOP leaders face new calls to boot Greene MORE (R-Ky.) said on the Senate floor. “This is not about Waters of the United States or whether we are for it or against it. This is about whether we want to get away from annual omnibus appropriation bills." Rep. Mike Simpson MIchael (Mike) Keith SimpsonRivers, hydropower and climate resilience The Hill's Morning Report - Presented by Facebook - Senate path uncertain after House approves Jan. 6 panel Overnight Energy: Biden reportedly will pledge to halve US emissions by 2030 | Ocasio-Cortez, Markey reintroduce Green New Deal resolution MORE (R-Idaho), who chairs the Appropriations Committee panel with jurisdiction over the Army Corps, said he’s hopeful that the Senate will acquiesce if the two chambers negotiate the funding bill in a conference committee. “My hope is that we’ll get to conference and it will stay in,” he told The Hill Friday. The fight is nearly certain to go to court Like most high-profile regulatory matters, the ultimate arbiter of the Clean Water Rule is likely to be the judicial branch. Environmental groups and Democratic states already sued the Trump administration for its two-year delay of the rule, and they’re likely to keep suing, particularly if the rule is eventually repealed and replaced. “It’s all going to go to courts and probably end up in the Supreme Court eventually,” said Paul Boudreaux, a professor at Stetson University College of Law. In the end, federal judges and Supreme Court justices may have to decide whether the Trump administration’s eventual rule aligns with the Clean Water Act and the Constitution.<doc-sep>The Environmental Protection Agency and Army Corps of Engineers have sent a proposal to revise an Obama administration rule intended to protect bodies of water to the White House for review, a move that could roll back what some industry groups have called burdensome federal overregulation. The Clean Water Act regulates bodies of water in the United States, including permits for any entity that will release chemicals into bodies of water or are responsible for cleaning up pollution and oil spills. Part of that law includes a definition of which bodies of water are regulated by the federal government, which has led to legal disputes about how the government should define what qualifies as a "Water of the United States." In 2015, the Obama administration finalized a rule that would place smaller streams and other areas where water flows into rivers or lakes under federal jurisdiction, meaning the government would regulate runoff into that water. That rule was delayed by legal challenges and postponed by the Trump administration last year. Pruitt has met with stakeholders around the country about the rule, including many farmers and farm groups who say the regulations are a burden on their businesses. He has said multiple times that it was an overreach for the federal government to regulate bodies of water like a "dry creek bed," "puddle" or "drainage ditch." President Donald Trump signed an executive order last February directing the EPA and Army Corps of Engineers and other agencies to re-evaluate the rule. "I was in Salt Lake City, Utah last year, as an example, and I was standing outside a subdivision that was being built in Salt Lake and I was with an Army Corps of Engineers representative who looked at an ephemeral drainage ditch that was part of this subdivision being built and he pointed to it and said 'Scott, that is a water of the United States.' And I said 'well it's not going to be anymore,'" Pruitt said Thursday in a meeting with the Nebraska governor and groups who have advocated for changes to the WOTUS rule. Pruitt tweeted Thursday night that the administration stopped that rule and proposed a "much more reasonable" version. "Farmers, ranchers, landowners, and other stakeholders are counting on EPA to listen to their input when it comes to defining 'waters of the United States,'" Pruitt said in a statement. "Today, we are taking an important step toward issuing a new WOTUS definition and answering President Trump’s call to ensure that our waters are kept free from pollution, while promoting economic growth, minimizing regulatory uncertainty, and showing due regard for the roles of the federal government and the states under the statutory framework of the Clean Water Act." The Associated Press reported Friday that the new rule could threaten programs intended to protect wetlands by offering credits to developers who pledge to protect the wetlands. The EPA did not provide specific information about the new definition but it will be published for public comment after it is reviewed by the White House Office of Management and Budget.<doc-sep>

The Trump administration took a major step Friday toward rewriting an Obama administration water pollution rule in a more industry-friendly way. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Army Corps of Engineers on Friday sent their proposal to redefine “Waters of the United States” to the White House Office of Management and Budget for review. It is the final step before the agencies can release the proposal for public comment. The Waters of the United States rule, also dubbed WOTUS, defines which bodies of water are subject to federal jurisdiction under the Clean Water Act. ADVERTISEMENT The Obama rule, written in 2015 and known as the Clean Water Rule, was highly controversial. It was intended to clarify that small waterways like ponds and headwaters can be protected. But agriculture, developers and other industries complained that it was too far-reaching and would subject huge swaths of land to federal oversight. “Farmers, ranchers, landowners, and other stakeholders are counting on EPA to listen to their input when it comes to defining ‘waters of the United States,’” EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt Edward (Scott) Scott PruittCourt sets in motion EPA ban on pesticide linked to developmental issues Scientific integrity, or more hot air? OVERNIGHT ENERGY: Biden proposes billions for electric vehicles, building retrofitting| EPA chief to replace Trump appointees on science advisory panels | Kerry to travel to UAE, India to discuss climate change MORE said in a statement. “Today, we are taking an important step toward issuing a new WOTUS definition and answering President Trump Donald TrumpTrump lashes out after grand jury seated for New York criminal probe Schumer tees up vote on Jan. 6 commission bill Senators struggle to save Jan. 6 commission MORE’s call to ensure that our waters are kept free from pollution, while promoting economic growth, minimizing regulatory uncertainty, and showing due regard for the roles of the federal government and the states under the statutory framework of the Clean Water Act.” Pruitt’s rewrite is expected to be more industry-friendly, aligning with an executive order President Trump signed early last year that asked the EPA to write a new rule that aligned with what late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia thought should be the definition. Pruitt’s action on Friday comes as his ethics and spending scandals continue to pile up. His regulatory rollbacks, like the water regulation, have kept him largely in the good graces of Trump, congressional Republicans and conservatives, despite the scandals. The rewrite of the rule is the second part of a two-stop process Pruitt has planned to repeal and replace the Clean Water Rule. He proposed in June 2017 to repeal the old rule, though he has not made it final yet. The Clean Water Act mainly covers large, navigable waterways like rivers and bays. But the EPA must also protect some upstream waterways that feed into them. The Obama rule centered on the concept that waterways with a “significant nexus” to navigable ones would be regulated. That was based on a plurality opinion written by Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy in the 2006 Rapanos v. United States case, which concluded with a messy 4-1-4 vote. But Scalia’s opinion was that only “relatively permanent” waterways should be covered, which would cover less area than Kennedy’s definition. The Obama rule was put on hold by multiple federal courts before it took effect.

Jack Miller must recover from his worst qualifying result of the season so far. Welcome to FOX SPORTS’ live coverage of the MotoGP of Spain from Jerez. Australian star Jack Miller crossed the chequered flag in sixth place last year but has it all to do if he is to claim a similar result after struggling to P15 in qualifying on Saturday night - his worst return since Austria last year, when he started 17th. It is rookie Fabio Quartararo who will start on pole for the first time in his career on Sunday night, setting an all-time fastest lap around the Jerez circuit in the process. He also usurps Marc Marquez as the youngest polesitter in the premier class ever at 20 years and 14 days old - beating the Spaniard’s record by 48 days. He also has the opportunity to become the youngest-ever race-winner too. Live stream 2019 Spanish MotoGP on KAYO SPORTS. Every practice, qualifying & race live & anytime in HD. Get your 14 day free trial > "The feeling is unbelievable but when I made this lap time was like two minutes remaining and I knew that Marc went with three new [rear] tyres during qualifying, so I did not expect to make the pole position,” said Quartararo. "For me the team is unbelievable, it is a brand new team but I think the people inside have a lot of experience. "I want to thank them because last year was tough in the beginning and they believed in me for MotoGP. The feeling is incredible for them and for me." Home favourite Marc Marquez starts on the front row in P3, just ahead of championship leader Andrea Dovizioso. Sunday’s MotoGP schedule: 22.00: 2019 Spanish MotoGP Watch all of the action live on Fox Sports 506 or alternatively follow all of the action below with our live blog. If the you cannot see the blog below, please click here.<doc-sep>Like FP1, the afternoon session was controlled for the majority by Marc Marquez, whose 1m38.154s kept him on top for most of the 45-minute running. It was Marquez who improved first as the final fast laps started, but he was only faster by seven thousandths of a second and Cal Crutchlow soon demoted him. The Briton was then beaten by Petrucci, who set a time of 1m37.909s with just three minutes on the clock and shortly before the session was red-flagged. The stoppage was caused by Karel Abraham and Bradley Smith crashing at Turn 5 in quick succession with the former's Avintia Ducati bike and lots of debris left on track. The break lasted only a few minutes and the field had time for one more fast lap, but the majority of the top riders couldn't improve, and Petrucci ended up topping the session. Dovizioso was second as he beat Crutchlow by 0.001s with Marquez taking fourth. The Yamahas of Maverick Vinales and Fabio Quartararo improved after the red flag to secure fifth and sixth respectively followed by three more Hondas: wildcard Stefan Bradl, LCR's Takaaki Nakagami and Jorge Lorenzo. The same nine riders are currently in the top 10 of the overall classification as well, with the final Q2 spot currently belonging to Jack Miller - who was 11th-fastest in FP2, narrowly beaten by Pramac Ducati teammate Francesco Bagnaia. Pol Espargaro was the top KTM in 12th as his teammate Johann Zarco suffered his second crash of the day at Turn 2. Tech 3 rider Hafizh Syahrin also fell and completed just three laps in the session. Joan Mir also crashed and was only 17th but still close to teammate Alex Rins, who took 16th as neither Suzuki finished in the overall top 10. After taking 16th in FP1, Valentino Rossi continued to struggle as he only took 14th in FP2. FP2 results<doc-sep>Valentino Rossi has paid credit to Fabio Quartararo on his historic MotoGP pole position as the Petronas Yamaha squad swept to a qualifying 1-2 with Franco Morbidelli and feels “they are faster than me, they rider in a better way” at Jerez. Quartararo has become the youngest-ever pole-sitter in MotoGP after bolting to the Spanish GP pole on the satellite Yamaha run by the new-look Sepang Racing Team who went on to enjoy the perfect qualifying with Morbidelli slotting into second place. With the Petronas Yamaha riders taking the top two spots and out-qualifying the factory Yamaha pair of Rossi (13th) and Maverick Vinales (fifth), Rossi says the overall result came as a surprise but not the speed of both riders at the Spanish track. “I am surprised like everybody that they are one and two, but not surprised about the level of Franco who I know very well, and also Quartararo because from the winter test they were fast on the bike and they liked the bike,” Rossi said. “Here in Jerez they were strong in all practices and today they took the masterpiece as they are first and second so congratulations to them. “Maybe they are better than me, they are faster than me, they ride in a better way, they like more Jerez in the last few years. “For me Jerez has been difficult but it will be important to work tonight as I am not very strong in some areas but if we work well and can improve a little bit my pace is not so bad and I am not so far from them.” Rossi has dismissed the idea of Quartararo having a better package despite being on the older specification Yamaha, which became a frequent theme last year when Johann Zarco would often out-qualify the factory Yamahas when competing for Tech 3. Instead, Rossi puts the pace deficit over a single lap down to the riders and in particular Quartararo’s own ability at Jerez despite it being the rookie’s fourth premier class outing. “From what I know the bike of Quartararo is very similar and it is not like Zarco [in 2018],” he explained. “The four bikes are all very similar. I know that Franco is a little bit more factory with more parts but in the end for Quartararo the chassis is the same. “He rides very well and is able to enter the corner very naturally. In that area I don’t feel very comfortable, I improved on yesterday but I am not fantastic, so we need to work on us.”<doc-sep>Marquez wins the Spanish MotoGP at Jerez to retake the title lead by a single point, having controlled the race from start to finish. Quartararo, who made history as the youngest pole position qualifier, was devastated after being forced out of a safe second by a broken quickshifter at half-distance. Team-mate Morbidelli put early pressure on Marquez but faded backwards. By contrast, Rins charged through the field from ninth, while Vinales just held off Dovizioso for his first podium of the year. Rossi initially struggled to make progress from 13th until the second half of the race, when he began to climb up the order to sixth. CLICK HERE for the new world championship standings . Large parts of the Jerez circuit were resurfaced since the November test, with Michelin bringing four different front and rear tyre options as a result. Smith and Bradl were making wild-card appearances this weekend, while Andrea Iannone was declared unfit to race after injuring his foot in a Saturday fall. An official test will be held back at the circuit on Monday. CLICK HERE for live updates … * Rookie.<doc-sep>

Quartararo posted the new fastest-ever MotoGP lap of Jerez as he and Morbidelli surpassed the early leader of Q2, reigning MotoGP champion Marc Marquez. Opting for a three-run strategy in Q2, Marquez recorded just a single flying lap on his opening run, a 1m36.970s, which was enough to leave him top of the timesheets as he returned to the pits. Only Morbidelli came close to matching him initially, lapping 0.041s slower than Marquez but almost a quarter of a second up on the rest of the chasing pack. But after the reigning champion was unable to improve on his second attempt, Quartararo fired in a 1m36.880s, matching Marquez exactly through the first three sectors and finding 0.082s in the final sequence of corners. With the chequered flag approaching, Morbidelli shuffled Marquez down into third place, outpacing the Honda man by 0.008s. Ducati rider Andrea Dovizioso was up on Quartararo's provisional pole time three sectors into his best effort, but ultimately came up 0.138s short. Maverick Vinales was the best of the works Yamahas in fifth, having advanced from Q1, and will share the second row with fourth-placed Dovizioso and sixth-placed Cal Crutchlow. Dovizioso's practice pace-setter teammate Danilo Petrucci took seventh, crashing at Turn 1 on his final lap, ahead of Crutchlow's LCR Honda teammate Takaaki Nakagami and Suzuki's Alex Rins, while Pramac Ducati rookie Pecco Bagnaia made up a top 10 split by 0.504s. Marquez's Honda teammate Jorge Lorenzo crashed at Turn 2 late on and had to settle for 11th, while the other Suzuki of Joan Mir made up the order in Q2. While Vinales had been relatively comfortable advancing to the pole shoot-out, his factory squadmate Valentino Rossi was consigned to 13th on the grid, despite having led Vinales by 0.007s after their first runs in Q1. As Vinales improved by just over two tenths, Rossi's protege Bagnaia slotted in between the Yamahas shortly before time expired, and the seven-time MotoGP champion was unable to respond and avoid an early qualifying exit. Honda wildcard Stefan Bradl was just a tenth away from advancing to Q2, securing 14th on the grid ahead of Bagnaia's Pramac teammate Jack Miller – who crashed at Turn 2 on his final lap. Aleix Espargaro led Aprilia's efforts in 16th, while squadmate Andrea Iannone had crashed early in the pre-qualifying FP4 session and was forced out of action for the rest of the day. Iannone paid a visit to the Clinica Mobile paddock facility for x-rays on his left ankle, although these showed he'd escaped a fracture. Espargaro's brother Pol was again the benchmark for KTM in 17th, albeit this time only 0.022s clear of Johann Zarco. Qualifying results

Jamie Lynn Spears said she would make Britney Spears binge watch Bravo after she appeared not to recognize Andy Cohen during a concert Britney Spears may be the queen of pop, but it looks like she still needs some pop culture lessons — and her younger sister Jamie Lynn wants to teach ’em! On Tuesday night, Spears brought Andy Cohen onstage at Radio City Music Hall. It was all fun and (S&M) games until the end of his appearance when she skipped over his name, calling out, “Give it up for…him!” Get push notifications with news, features and more. After the Instagram account Comments By Celebs reposted the video on Wednesday, fans immediately started theorizing that Britney didn’t know who he was. All the fuss prompted Jamie Lynn Spears to comment, “Looks I need to have a bravo binge with someone…. WE LOVE YOU ANDY COHEN.” JAMIELYNNSPEARS Cohen responded: “OMG love you back! I loved being your sister’s bitch.” ANDYCOHEN Credit: Instagram Cohen made his Britney concert debut during her performance of “Freakshow,” and he (appropriately) wore a chest harness and a collar attached to a leash and crawled around the stage on all fours. He maintained his humor onstage and after, addressing the incident on his Sirius XM radio show: “So what the press is saying is … basically, I said I was Mariah Carey-ed. She says, ‘I think you all know who this is. Give it up for him.’ My take on this is: First of all: Why would Britney know my name? She’s Britney, bitch! … I’m a mortal! And Britney is Britney. … I don’t [think she knows who I am]. She gave me what I want. I don’t need to think that she would even really know who I am. … I mean it’s pretty funny, right?” Britney is on the North American leg of her Piece of Me tour. She performed in New York City on Monday and Tuesday night and will head to Hollywood for concerts on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Britney Spears "Piece of Me" Summer Tour Opener - National Harbor Britney Spears | Credit: Kevin Mazur/BCU18/Getty Images jl2 Jamie Lynn Spears and her family | Credit: Studio Tran Photography<doc-sep>Twitter Is Britney Spears not a "Watch What Happens Live" fan? That's what some are wondering after it appeared she had no idea who Andy Cohen was after she pulled him onstage during her concert. Cohen lived out every Britney stan's dream on Tuesday night, as he was pre-selected to be the singer's "slave" as she performed "Freakshow" during her Madison Square Garden show. Social media blew up after the gig, with many pointing out how she never referred to Andy by name, instead saying, "I think you all know who this is. Give it up for him!" Responding to the chatter on his SiriusXM channel Radio Andy on Wednesday, Cohen made it clear he had no "Toxic" feelings towards her after the potential shade. "So what the press is saying, basically, I said I was Mariah Carey-ed," he said during the show. That, of course, is a reference to Mariah infamously saying "I don't know her" when asked about Jennifer Lopez in an interview once. "My take on this is, first of all, why would Britney know my name? She's Britney, bitch," he said, adding he truly believes she has no idea who he is. "I am a mortal and Britney is Britney." Britney walked @Andy across stage for "Freakshow" and then said "Ow... ears... he's loud!" and it was incredible. pic.twitter.com/Y2SSB5DiYT @tkylemac "She gave me what I want," he continued. "I like that she's like, 'I think that you know who this is, give it up for him,' I mean, it's pretty funny." Spears gave him a t-shirt and signed it on stage, but he said she "didn't really sign it, she kind of pretended to sign it I think," and added "there was no signature" on the shirt when he looked at it later. Cohen said the only clue that she maybe knew who he was was her saying, "My ears, he's loud." "That says, to me, Britney definitely knows who I am because I am loud," he mused. "Now, to what she was referring, I don't know, because I was not being loud. I really didn't speak." At the end of the day, he doesn't really care and he was "too freaked out and excited, living my best life, to notice Britney maybe Mariah-ed me."<doc-sep>Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window) Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Andy Cohen got a piece of Britney Spears on Tuesday night. Joining the pop star on stage at Radio City Music Hall, the “Watch What Happens Live” host got down on all fours as Spears, 36, walked him with a leash while performing her 2007 hit “Freakshow.” Following the set, Cohen, 50, bowed down to the sexy singer. “I think you all know who this is … Give it up for him!” Spears exclaimed, appearing to forget the Bravo honcho’s name. After signing a T-shirt for Cohen as he left the stage, Spears turned to the audience and said, “Ow … ears … he’s loud.” This isn’t the first time Cohen has crossed paths with Spears, telling the Bravo’s Daily Dish he greeted the mother of two with her signature catchphrase in 2013. “I said, ‘It’s Britney Bitch!’ when she walked into the room,” he said. “I’ve always wanted to say that to her.”<doc-sep>

Don't worry, Britney Spears, Jamie Lynn's got you covered. The pop star's sister joked they're overdue for a Bravo binge after Britney appeared not to know Andy Cohen when inviting him on stage at her concert at Radio City Music Hall on Tuesday. The Watch What Happens Live host couldn't have had more of a blast crawling around the stage during Britney's performance of "Freak Show," after which Britney asked the crowd to "Give it up for ... him!" Fans quickly speculated that Brit Brit had no idea who Cohen was, and while Jamie Lynn didn't exactly confirm the rumors, she did offer to fix the problem. "Looks like I need to have a bravo binge with someone.... we love you ANDY COHEN," she wrote on the video, reposted by Comments By Celebs. Shout out or not, Cohen clearly didn't mind, as he wrote back, "@jamielynnspears omg love you back! I loved being your sister's b**ch!" Instagram Cohen again commented on the incident on his Sirius XM radio show. "So what the press is saying is … basically, I said I was Mariah Carey-ed," he joked, referencing Carey's iconic "I don't know her" response to Jennifer Lopez. "[Britney] says, ‘I think you all know who this is. Give it up for him.'" "My take on this is: First of all: Why would Britney know my name? She’s Britney, b**ch! … I’m a mortal! And Britney is Britney," he continued. "I don’t [think she knows who I am]. She gave me what I want. I don’t need to think that she would even really know who I am. … I mean it’s pretty funny, right?” If Cohen was "Mariah Carey-d," then so was Nicki Minaj in a recent ET interview with Lil' Kim. Watch below. RELATED CONTENT: Mariah Carey Wants Another Photo With Britney Spears -- But This One Is Pretty Epic Britney Spears Brings Andy Cohen On Stage -- and Seemingly Forgets His Name Britney Spears Can't Control Her Laughter Onstage When Fan Reacts to 'It's Britney, B**ch'

Nashville police arrested five juveniles Friday in the fatal shooting of a popular local musician, PEOPLE confirms. The five juveniles, ages 12 to 16, were taken into custody on the charge of criminal homicide in connection with the fatal shooting of 24-year-old Kyle Yorlets outside his Nashville home in the 3200 block of Torbett Street Thursday. Get push notifications with news, features and more. Police say the three boys and two girls were in a stolen red Chevrolet Colorado pick up truck in the alley behind Yorlet’s home when they spotted him outside. “The juveniles interacted with Yorlets, took his wallet and ultimately demanded that he surrender the keys to his vehicle,” according to a Nashville police press release obtained by PEOPLE. “It is believed that he was fatally shot after he refused.” Police say after the Belmont University student and member of the band Carverton was shot, he made it back inside his house where he was found by his roommate around 3 p.m. He was rushed to Vanderbilt University Medical Center where he died. In a statement on Facebook, Yorlets bandmates said they were “heartbroken.” “We are in a state of shock and are having to grasp the reality that is now in front of us,” they wrote. “We will never forget Kyle, and though he is gone too soon his legacy is here to stay.” • Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Click here to get breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases in the True Crime Newsletter. Police found the stolen pick up truck abandoned Thursday evening. The youths were apprehended the following morning in another stolen vehicle, a Hyundai Santa Fe, at the West Nashville Walmart. Police recovered a stolen loaded nine-millimeter pistol inside the Santa Fe. Another loaded and stolen gun that the juveniles allegedly hid in one of the aisles inside the department store was found. A GoFundMe page has been set up to help Yorlets family pay for travel and funeral expenses.<doc-sep>A 24-year-old Nashville musician is dead, and five juveniles have been charged in the shooting. Kyle Yorlets, the lead singer of Carverton, was robbed and gunned down behind his home at about 3 p.m. on Thursday. On Friday, three girls, ages 12, 14 and 15, and two boys, 13 and 16, were all charged with criminal homicide after being arrested at a local Walmart. Being charged with criminal homicide in the Yorlets case are 3 girls, ages 15, 14, & 12, and 2 boys, ages 16 & 13. They will be taken to Juvenile Detention. They were all arrested at the West Nashville Wal-Mart. A gun has been recovered as was a stolen car in the parking lot. — Metro Nashville PD (@MNPDNashville) February 8, 2019 A Metropolitan Nashville Police Department spokesperson said police had been investigating a 12-year-old girl who had run away from home, reported the Tennessean. During the search, the girl was seen in a Snapchat video in a car “with other young people with guns.” Investigators think the juveniles, allegedly driving a stolen car, were in an alley behind Yorlets’s home, and they approached him to rob him. While they allegedly took his wallet, the shooting is believed to have occurred after he refused to give up his car keys. After the shooting, a wounded Yorlets made his way inside his house and remained there — for an hour or two — before he was discovered by a housemate. He still had a faint pulse, according to the police spokesperson, and was transported to Vanderbilt University Medical Center. However, it was there that he was declared dead. The police spokesperson called Yorlets an “absolute innocent victim.” Police have not yet identified which of the minors pulled the trigger, but said all five are known to police and the court system. Per local law, the three suspects over the age of 13 have been publicly identified. However, many media outlets are opting not to reveal their identities because they are minors. Story continues Yorlets, a vocalist and guitar player, grew up on a farm in Pennsylvania but headed to Music City with bandmate Michael Curry to establish themselves as a pop/rock band, according to the Carverton website. In Nashville, they met Christian Ferguson and Michael Wiebell to “complete the band,” which played at the Firefly Music Festival and has toured across the country. On Friday the band paid tribute to Yorlets, who graduated from Belmont University in Nashville in 2017 and worked at local restaurants, saying, “On February 7, 2019, we lost our brother, best friend and bandmate Kyle Yorlets. We are in a state of shock and are having to grasp the reality that is now in front of us. We are heartbroken. Our condolences for his family and loved ones and all the lives that he touched. We will never forget Kyle, and though he is gone too soon his legacy is here to stay.” The band had an album release show planned for next month, among other scheduled events. The publicist for the band, Jen Appel, said that funeral arrangements are pending, according to the Tennessean. A colleague from the restaurant Pastaria, where Yorlets worked, said he was “such a kind and forgiving person.” She asked people to “send prayer and good thoughts towards the Yorlets family, his girlfriend, his friends and extended work families.” A GoFundMe has been established to help with funeral costs and travel expenses for Yorlets’s family. So far it has met over $7,000 of its $10,000 goal. Read more from Yahoo Entertainment:<doc-sep>

Nashville police have arrested five minors in connection with the death of a 24-year-old musician who was shot during a robbery at his home. Kyle Yorlets, a member of the rock band Carverton, was shot outside his Nashville home Thursday and was found inside by one of his housemates around 3 p.m., according to the Metro Nashville Police Department. He was later pronounced dead at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center. The five juveniles, ranging in age from 12 to 16, have been charged with Yorlets' murder, police said. The minors were allegedly in a stolen Chevrolet Colorado truck in the alley that runs behind Yortlets' home when they spotted him inside, according to authorities. They then "interacted with Yorlet, took his wallet and ultimately demanded that he surrender the keys" to his car, officials said. Police believe Yorlet was shot when he refused. Police found the stolen truck Thursday evening and later apprehended all five suspects at a Walmart in West Nashville, as well as a loaded 9 mm pistol, which had been reported stolen. A second loaded pistol, also reported stolen, was also recovered from inside the store, police said. A stolen Hyundai Santa Fe that the group used to travel to Walmart was also recovered. Yorlets' funeral has been scheduled for Monday. In a statement, his band mates wrote that they "are in a state of shock" and "heartbroken." "Our condolences for his family and loved ones and all the lives that he touched," the statement posted to Twitter read. "We will never forget Kyle, and though he is gone too soon his legacy is here to stay." Band mate Samantha Harrison described Yorlets as a "kind and forgiving person" in a statement on her Facebook page. "He was talented, always had a great attitude and made work not seem like work when he was around," she said. Yorlets' family are dairy farmers in Pennsylvania, according to a GoFundMe campaign created to help pay for funeral expenses.

They may yet have implications for own party's popularity. And she'll still have to deal with the troublesome Bavarians. The rebellious party leader, Horst Seehofer, is still in post and still her interior minister.<doc-sep>Angela Merkel has admitted her government shares responsibility for Sunday’s disastrous regional election result in Bavaria, blaming it partly on an erosion of confidence in politics on a national level. “A lot of trust has been lost,” the German chancellor said at a business conference on Monday, a day after her Bavarian allies in the Christian Social Union (CSU) were handed their worst result since 1954 in the prosperous southern state. She said the result had shown that even a thriving economy and high employment were not enough to win over voters. As a consequence, her biggest takeaway from Sunday’s trouncing was that she “must better ensure that this trust is there and also make the results of our work visible,” she said. Germany’s ruling parties were trying and ride out the fallout from the vote on Monday, despite calls for members of Angela Merkel’s government to resign over the debacle. The Social Democrats (SPD), the national coalition’s junior party, were also reeling after their vote halved, slumping into single figures for the first time in the state. The party came fifth on 9.5%, far behind the Greens and below the far-right AfD. The humiliating result for Merkel’s two partners is a serious blow for her shaky coalition, yet by Monday morning no heads had rolled despite calls from within the CSU for the party’s leader, Horst Seehofer, to resign. “I’m also not going to discuss my position today,” said a defiant Seehofer, speaking after a meeting of the CSU leadership which unanimously backed the Bavarian premier, Markus Söder, to continue in his position. Seehofer has been roundly blamed in the party for the result, which has been seen as punishment for sowing division within the coalition over migration policy. “A leadership debate cannot be avoided,” Peter Ramsauer, a former CSU deputy leader, told German media on Monday. He said the CSU had received a “disastrous result” that “shouldn’t be relativised”. Volker Ullrich, a CSU MP, told Der Spiegel: “We need a different style, language that connects and good governance. The attempt to gain support on the right [has] failed.” Calls for resignations also came from within Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU). “It probably can’t work without personnel consequences,” the CDU premier of Schleswig-Holstein, Daniel Günther, told Die Welt. “However, I don’t think much of making individuals responsible. The entire CSU leadership has made mistakes in the past years … no one can be excluded.” Speaking after exit polls on Sunday night, Söder called it a “difficult day” for the CSU but said his party had a clear mandate to form a government. He is now expected to hurriedly form a coalition to govern the state with the centre-right Free Voters, excluding the Greens despite their record-high showing. All eyes will now turn to another regional vote, in Hesse at the end of the month, where both the CDU and SPD are languishing in the polls. The coalition partners will hope they can delay the final reckoning for the Bavarian disaster until then, giving them just under a fortnight to turn their fortunes around.<doc-sep>EU is 'punishing' Britain in Brexit negotiation says Matteo Salvini top stories direct to your inbox SUBSCRIBE Invalid email Sign up to receive our rundown of the day'sdirect to your inbox When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they'll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. Our Privacy Notice explains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time. Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservative allies in Bavaria have had their worst election performance for more than 60 years securing just 37.3 percent of the vote in a huge blow to her fragile three-party coalition government. In a scathing tweet, Italian deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini claimed the electoral blow to Mrs Merkel's government showed “the old system had lost” and praised electoral gains by anti-immigration party Alternative for Germany. Mr Salvini said: "In Bavaria change has won and the European Union, the old system that has always been poor in Brussels, has lost. This was a historical defeat for Christian Democrats and Socialists, while for the first time many of the AFD friends are entering the Regional Parliament. "Goodbye Merkel, Schultz and Juncker.” Ms Merkel’s conservative allies in Bavaria have had their worst election performance for more than 60 years sparking calls for “something to change” from her Social Democrats coalition partner and claims of an “end of an era” for the leader. The Christian Social Union (CSU) secured just 37.3 percent of the vote, which is expected to deal a blow to her fragile three-party coalition government. The results reveal that the Greens have won 17.8 percent of the vote and the Conservative Free Voters have won 11 percent of the vote. The Social Democrats (SPD) leader Andrea Nahles said that the “poor performance” of the federal government in Berlin was one of the reasons for her party’s weak showing in Bavaria. EU news: Matteo Salvini said the Bavarian election results meant that the She said: “It’s clear that something has to change”. This comment is especially devastating to Chancellor Merkel as she only managed to secure a fourth term in power after the SPD backed a coalition deal earlier this year. Prior to their agreement of a coalition, there had been six months of uncertainty and Germany had been without a government for the longest time in its postwar history. The SPD won nine percent of the vote in the elections. For the second time this year, Merkel’s party will be scrambling for coalition allies, either the Conservative Free voters or the Greens. Chancellor Merkel angered many voters in Germany for her immigration policies, which has seen more than a million people enter the country since 2015. The anti-immigration Alternative for Germany (AfD) won 11 percent of the vote and has now entered the 15th of Germany’s 16 state assemblies. President of the Atlantic Council think tank Fred Kempe said: “The political earthquake was in Bavaria, but the aftershocks will be felt in Berlin. Matteo Salvini and Marine Le Pen reveal ‘alternative Europe’ plans In Bavaria change has won and the European Union has lost Matteo Salvini<doc-sep>

Angela Merkel's allies suffer heavy loss in Bavaria election While the traditional Oktoberfest continues as usual with beer, lederhosen and German music into the early hours, the political agenda in Germany’s southern state of Bavaria has rapidly changed. The Christian Social Union (CSU) lost their absolute majority in the south German parliament for only the second time since 1962. In the regional elections in Bavaria on October 14, voters delivered a crushing blow to Angela Merkel’s coalition partner. Previously the party has ruled Bavaria with over 50 percent of the total votes in the region for decades. The CSU saw its support plummet to a historic low of 37.2 percent in this year’s regional election. This is a loss of more than ten percent from the last elections in 2013. And the poor election result from the regional election does not only have consequences for CSU itself. Bavaria’s CSU is the sister party to Mrs Merkel's Christian Democratic Union (CDU). German Bavaria election results: Angela Merkel will feel the impact of the Bavarian election Fred Kempe, president of the Atlantic Council think-tank, said: "The political earthquake was in Bavaria, but the aftershocks will be felt in Berlin. "Talk will increase ever more about the end of the Merkel era.” The leader of CSU Horst Seehofer and Chancellor Merkel have been in a bitter disagreement over German immigration policies since the beginning of 2018. More than one million migrants entered Germany in 2015 thanks to Merkel's “open door policy”. German Bavaria election: Voters delivered a crushing blow to Merkel's coalition partners If the CSU and CDU stay on Mrs Merkel’s liberal, centrist course or return to more traditional, right-wing positions is yet to be seen, but after last night’s result it’s not looking bright for the chancellor. According to Germany's expert and associate professor at Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Anette Homlong Storeide, poor election results for Mr Seehofer will also have an impact on Merkel. She said: “If Merkel's coalition party receives few votes in Bavaria, it reflects badly on the chancellor too. “Such a result, in combination with the conflicts that have existed between party leader Mr Seehofer and Mrs Merkel, may weaken the entire Christian Democratic political project in Germany.” German Bavaria election results: Horst Seehofer saw his support plummet this election

Eminem's new surprise album Kamikaze already has fans in a frenzy, particularly his lyrics about celebs like Donald Trump and Tyler the Creator. (And there's much-deserved criticism over his continued use of homophobic slurs when referencing the latter.) But the rapper also uses his lyrics to defend his daughter, 22-year-old Hailie Mathers. While Eminem usually speaks about the close and loving relationship he has with Hailie in his songs, the Kamikaze track "Not Alike" fires shots at a Machine Gun Kelly, saying "keep commenting on my daughter Hailie." Here's the verse: But next time you don’t gotta use Tech N9ne if you wanna come at me with a sub-machine gun And I’m talking to you but you already know who the f*** you are, Kelly I don’t use sublims and sure as f*** don’t sneak-diss But keep commenting on my daughter Hailie. The beef stems back from 2012, when fellow rapper Machine Gun Kelly tweeted about then-16-year-old Hailie being "hot as f***." This didn't sit well with Em, and the tweet even led to MGK being blackballed by certain media outlets. This content is imported from Instagram. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. Here, the Eminem lyrics reference the Tech N9ne 2018 single "No Reason" that MGK was featured on. MGK used that song to fire shots back, referencing Eminem's frequent collaborator Dr. Dre and Eminem's single Rap God. It's only one option, you gon' need a doctor I ain't talkin' 'bout the one from Compton. I pop cherries and popstars, you popsicles is not hard Popped in on the top charts out the cop car To remind y'all you just rap and not God and I don't care who got bars. This content is imported from Instagram. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. MGK hasn't responded to the lyrics yet, but there's no telling just how far this rap back-and-forth will go. Temi Adebowale Temi Adebowale is the Editorial Assistant at Men's Health. This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io<doc-sep>Rap beefs are, as a rule, bad. The name is corny to write and even cornier to say out loud. Compared to feuds that shaped the genre – Notorious B.I.G. and 2Pac representing their East and West coast factions of rap, Jay-Z and Nas warring to be the king of New York, Kanye West and 50 Cent’s album sales face-off – rap beefs landing in the headlines lately are more often petty and inconsequential. It’s a tired game by now, in which superstar rappers start drama timed to their release dates, implicitly boosting sales and dominating weeks’ worth of headlines. Just look at the brewing conflict between Machine Gun Kelly and Eminem, which is barely a week old and already exhausting. More:Machine Gun Kelly fires back at Eminem's 'Kamikaze' song in new diss track Twitter reacts to 'Rap Devil,' 'Not Alike' feud MGK slams Eminem onstage: 'This is a battle between past and future' MGK, for those unfamiliar, is a 28-year-old rapper from Cleveland whose recent accomplishments include his single “Bad Things”with Camila Cabello and not much else. It's become easy to confuse him for his better-known rap peer G-Eazy, which is hilarious, because before the Eminem drama boiled over, MGK was trading diss tracks with the “No Limit” rapper over an alleged love triangle with singer Halsey, claiming his opponent dyed his hair and “got a hanging earring” in an attempt to look like him. That's apparently the state of hip-hop drama in 2018 – fully-grown men accusing one another of suspect ear piercings. Enter Eminem, who also bears a resemblance to G-Eazy and MGK, in that they’re all white guys with various stages of blonde hair. The Detroit rapper released his surprise album “Kamikaze” on Aug. 31, and in between angering his collaborators with his repeated insistence on rapping gay slurs, he carved out room in his lyrics to take shots at MGK on the song “Not Alike.” For the source of this feud, Slim Shady looked way back to 2012, to a tweeted comment MGK made about his daughter Hailie, who was 16 at the time, with MGK writing, “Ok so I just saw a picture of Eminem's daughter ... and I have to say, she's hot as (expletive), in the most respectful way possible (because Eminem) is king.” Why Eminem decided to reach back years to reignite a fight that nobody was asking for is beyond understanding. Perhaps he’d worked through his kill list, down to MGK’s name at the very bottom. Or, maybe he confused MGK with a rapper whose business we actually care about. Either way, MGK enthusiastically took Eminem’s bait, responding with the diss track “Rap Devil,” while painting their feud as a generational struggle. "I'm standing up for not just myself, but my generation," he tweeted about the song, telling an audience in Grand Rapids Thursday night that the feud is “a battle between the past and the (expletive) future." MGK’s wild confidence is one of the many bad parts of this feud, as if a rapper with no consequential releases this decade could ever be considered the future of the genre. One thing he did get correct, though, is that Eminem is indeed the genre’s past, with his new album “Kamikaze” roundly criticized by critics as proof the rapper may be past his prime. And as noble as Eminem thinks he’s being by defending his daughter, the fact that he’s a 45-year-old man who’s spent a lifetime rapping disgusting things about women and spends the rest of his “Kamikaze” album making questionable claims about “females” and “whores” negates any kind of moral superiority he’s trying to claim. Unluckily for the rest of us, the feud probably isn't over yet, with Eminem still needing to respond to MGK's "Rap Devil" claims. And, as the two men's race to the bottom continues, it's hard not to be nostalgic for Pusha T, whose evisceration of Drake earlier this year with "The Story of Adidon" had everything that MGK and Eminem's limp drama was missing – musicianship, lyricism, newsworthy gossip and, most importantly, actual stakes. In comparison, nobody cares how MGK and Eminem's story will end. So it's probably time we all stop paying attention.<doc-sep>Eminem has finally explained why he took aim at Machine Gun Kelly on new album ‘Kamikaze’ – after revealing that it is ‘a lot more petty’ than him speaking out on his daughter Hailie. Earlier this month, Eminem dropped surprise album ‘Kamikaze‘ – loaded with controversial moments and taking aim at many others with a number of ‘diss tracks‘. Among them was Machine Gun Kelly who came under attack on the song ‘Not Alike’. Kelly then hit back with the diss track ‘Rap Devil‘ – mocking his single ‘Rap God’. Now in his first interview since the album’s release, Eminem has revealed the real reason for the feud. In part 2 of the interview with Sway, he revealed that it was not because he called his daughter Halie ‘hot as fuck‘. Advertisement Instead, he took aim at Kelly after he claimed that Eminem was attempting to hinder his career by banning him from his music channel Shade 45. “The reason that I dissed him is because he got on—first he said, ‘I’m the greatest rapper alive since my favorite rapper banned me from Shade 45,’ or whatever he said, right? Like I’m trying to hinder his career”, Eminem told Sway. . “I don’t give a fuck about your career. You think I actually fuckin’ think about you? You know how many fuckin’ rappers that are better than you? You’re not even in the fuckin’ conversation.” Eminem also took aim at Machine Gun Kelly’s verse on Tech N9ne’s ‘No Reason (The Mosh Pit Song)’ – which sees claiming that Eminem is “just rap and not God”. “Now I’m in this fuckin’ weird thing, because I’m like, ‘I gotta answer this motherfucker,'” he said. Advertisement “And every time I do that, it makes that person—as ‘irrelevant’ as people say I am in hip-hop—I make them bigger by getting into this thing, where I’m like ‘I want to destroy him. But I also don’t want to make him bigger.’ You know what I’m saying? Because now you’re a fucking enemy’ […] I’ll leave it at that. I’m not sure exactly what I’m going to do at this point right now.” Eminem also admits he heard Kelly’s diss track ‘Rap Devil’, admitting it wasn’t “bad for him. He’s got some good lines in it.” On the track, Kelly claims that Eminem called P.Diddy in an attempt to receive an apology from him. “I’ve never made a fuckin’ call to Diddy. Are you fuckin’ kidding me?”, Eminem hit back. “[…] It didn’t even feel like a diss to me. It just felt, like, pitiful.” He also confirmed rumours that he’s already been working on a response to Kelly. The feud dates back to 2012 over comments Machine Gun Kelly made about Eminem’s daughter on social media, tweeting that she was “hot as fuck.” Since the comments, Machine Gun Kelly alleged that he was banned from various media outlets and in a freestyle with the LA Lakers he rapped: “I’m my favourite rapper alive since my favourite rapper banned me from Shade 45.” Before the feud, Machine Gun Kelly often cited Eminem as one of his greatest influences. Now, he’s described their rift as ‘a battle between the past and the future’. The same interview also saw Eminem discuss criticism of his album ‘Revival‘, and how he ‘cringed’ at the accents he used on ‘Relapse‘. Speaking of Eminem’s follow-up diss track to Kelly, Shady Records producer Mr Porter said: “Right now, he in there working. We doing something else right now, but trust me, we’ll get to it. I’ll tell you this: I wouldn’t wanna be [Machine Gun Kelly]. I “It’s great that you took that opportunity and did that, hey, kudos to you, good for you. The one thing that I’m worried about . . . You remember when Thanos threw that whole planet at Iron Man? [It will be like that].”<doc-sep>

MGK gives out “Free Smoke.” Hot off the release of his third album bloom, Machine Gun Kelly unleashes a fiery new freestyle over Drizzy’s More Life opener. During his visit to Power 106’s “L.A. Leakers,” Kellz rhymed with confidence about his place in the game. “You wanna know who’s in my top 10?” he asks. “Me, me, me, and me again / Run and tell them that it ain’t pretend / No fake news, CNN.” But then, the freestyle finds him reigniting his long-held theory about Eminem. “I’m my favorite rapper alive,” he raps. “Since my favorite rapper banned me from Shade 45.” Back in 2012, when he was 22 years old, Machine Gun Kelly tweeted about Eminem’s daughter Hailie Mathers, who was 16 at the time. “ok so i just saw a picture of Eminem’s daughter…and i have to say, she is hot as fuck, in the most respectful way possible cuz Em is king,” he wrote. By 2015, MGK said he had been blackballed by various outlets and radio stations for that tweet. “Pictures of [Hailie] had came out, and I’m like, what, 20 years old, 21 at the time?” he told Hot 97. “I said, ‘She’s beautiful, but all respect due, Eminem is king.’ What’s wrong with that? Is there a 15-year age gap where I’m a creep for that? I was 21, dawg.” The backlash was felt from various angles, according to MGK. “Certain people won’t even listen or review [my album],” he said. “Certain places, you won’t even hear Machine Gun Kelly on. Certain things won’t even happen.” Before the alleged ban, Kelly praised Em as one of his bucket-list collaborations. “That would be a fan favorite if an MGK-Eminem song ever went down,” he told Rap-Up in August of 2012, when he called Slim Shady the best rapper alive. MGK’s bloom is out now, while Eminem is reportedly working on the follow-up to 2013’s The Marshall Mathers LP 2.

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and other District officials previewed the city's preparations for the July Fourth holiday. WASHINGTON — In addition to the thousands of tourists expected to descend on D.C. for the annual fireworks show on the National Mall, this week will also see a July Fourth Nationals game and three Independence Day parades throughout city neighborhoods — all amid a 90-plus degree heat wave. On Monday morning, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and other District officials previewed the city’s preparations for the July Fourth holiday. Road closures and parades The road closures listed below are related to the National Independence Day parade, which runs along Constitution Avenue from 7th to 17th Streets, and the National Mall fireworks display Wednesday night. The following roads will be closed from 5 a.m. July Fourth until approximately 11 p.m. Theodore Roosevelt Bridge Inbound to Constitution Avenue. All traffic will be diverted to the E Street Expressway. Independence Avenue, SW, from 15th Street to 23rd Street 23rd Street Northbound from Constitution Avenue to Virginia Avenue, NW. Southbound 23rd Street will be allowed to flow and access outbound Theodore Roosevelt Bridge. 22nd Street, NW, from C Street to Constitution Avenue 21st Street, NW, from C Street to Constitution Avenue 20th Street, NW, from C Street to Constitution Avenue 19th Street, NW, from Virginia Avenue to Constitution Avenue 18th Street, NW, from Virginia Avenue to Constitution Avenue 17th Street, NW from New York Avenue to Constitution Avenue 15th Street, NW, from Pennsylvania Avenue to Independence Avenue, Southwest Henry Bacon Drive Lincoln Memorial Circle to Constitution Avenue, NW Constitution Avenue from 6th Street to 23rd Street, NW Arlington Memorial Bridge Southbound Rock Creek Parkway closed at Virginia Avenue, NW 7th Street from Pennsylvania Avenue, Northwest, to Independence Avenue, SW 4th Street from Pennsylvania Avenue, Northwest, to Independence Avenue, SW 3rd Street from Pennsylvania Avenue to Independence Avenue, SW Headed to the festivities on the Mall and around the Capitol? Find more information about specific road closures, pedestrian access to the National Mall and prohibited items here Closed from 3 am until approximately 11 pm: 3rd Street from Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, and Maryland Ave, SW The 3rd Street tunnel will remain open for the entire day. The 9th Street and 12th Street tunnels will be closed during the Independence Day Parade from approximately 11:15 a.m. until approximately 4 p.m.. Barracks Row Parade The following roads will be closed from approximately 9 am until 11:30 am: 8th Street, SE from Pennsylvania Avenue, SE to Virginia Avenue, SE D Street, SE from 7th Street, SE to Pennsylvania Avenue, SE E Street, SE from 7th Street, SE to 9th Street, SE G Street, SE from 7th Street, SE to 9th Street, SE I Street, SE from 7th Street, SE to 9th Street, SE Palisades Parade The following roads will be closed from approximately 8:30 a.m. until 12 p.m.: MacArthur Boulevard from White Have Parkway to Edmunds Place, NW Sherier Place, NW from MacArthur Boulevard to Edmunds Place, NW In addition, there is a home game at Nationals Park Wednesday. The Boston Red Sox play the Nationals with first pitch at 11:05 a.m. Wednesday. See tips for getting to Nationals Park here. Fire safety Gregory Dean, chief of the D.C. Fire and EMS Department provided fire safety tips. Exploding and airborne fireworks, such as roman candles and cherry bombs, are illegal in D.C. Sparklers of less than 20 inches, torches, cones and fountains are all legal. Still, Dean warned that even sparklers can be dangerous. “So we’re saying this: Please consider going to the Mall — the greatest show on Earth right here in the District,” Dean said. “So that’s where we think you should go. It’s safe for you, safe for the kids.” See where fireworks are allowed and where they’re prohibited elsewhere in the D.C. area. Public Safety D.C. Police Chief Peter Newsham said there are no credible threats to the D.C. area “and no indication of any specific attacks targeted our city. But we always need to be mindful that this is the nation’s capital. If you see something suspicious, let law enforcement personnel know about it.” Newsham said D.C. police would staff up for the events on the Mall. You can sign up for real-time public safety text alerts through the U.S. Park Police by texting JULY4DC to 888-777. Be prepared for heat The hazy, hot and humid weather is expected to stick around through the holiday. There is a chance for a late-day storm Wednesday. D.C. will activate its heat-emergency plan if temperatures reach 95 degrees or above. That means some District facilities will be open as cooling centers Find more details about cooling centers across the D.C. region. Christopher Rodriguez, director of D.C.’s Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency, encouraged people to stay hydrated and watch for signs of heat stroke and other heat-related illnesses.<doc-sep>LEE COUNTY, Fla. -- Two popular bridges in Lee County are experiencing closures Wednesday due to July 4th events in the area. The Cape Coral Bridge is currently closed due to events scheduled as part of Cape Coral’s Red, White, and Boom celebration. The bridge will remain closed for the duration of July 4th and reopen at 3 a.m. Thursday. And on Fort Myers Beach, the Matanzas Pass Bridge will close at 9 a.m. Wednesday morning, due to the Fort Myers Beach Fourth of July Parade. It will re-open at noon, but then close again during the fireworks display from 9:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. to oncoming traffic.<doc-sep>The Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks take over a chunk of the East River today, and the event is expected to draw as many as three million spectators to watch the massive pyrotechnics show. (Four barges in the river will fire off 3,000 fireworks per minute for the duration of the 25-minute display. Whoa.) While everyone is looking for the best places to watch the spectacular, it’s also important to know how public transportation and getting around Manhattan will be affected. (Don’t want to deal with any of this? Here’s how to watch the fireworks from your own apartment.) Street closures and traffic changes With all of those people crowding either side of the East River—the prime viewing spots are in Midtown and Long Island City—it’s a sure bet that streets, and traffic, are going to be a gigantic mess on Wednesday. The NYPD has announced its list of street closures for the fireworks, and unsurprisingly, many of the big thoroughfares in those parts of Manhattan and Queens—including large portions of the FDR Drive and Center Boulevard—will be shut down. Manhattan Locations: FDR Drive between the Brooklyn Bridge and East 63rd Street FDR Drive Service Roads between Montgomery Street and 63rd Street Montgomery Street between Cherry Street and FDR Drive Delancey Street between Lewis Street and FDR Drive East Houston Street between Baruch Place and FDR Drive Avenue C between 13th Street and Avenue C Entrance Ramp to FDR Avenue C Entrance Ramps East 6th Street between Avenue D and FDR Drive East 10th Street between Avenue D and FDR Drive 14th Street between Avenue C and Avenue B Avenue C between East 16th Street and East 23rd Street East 20th Street between 1st Avenue and Avenue C East 23rd Street between 1st Avenue and Avenue C East 26th Street between 1st Avenue and FDR Drive East 30th Street between 1st Avenue and FDR Drive 30th Street Entrance Ramps East 33rd Street between 1st Avenue and 3rd Avenue East 34th Street between 2nd Avenue and FDR Drive 34th Street Entrance Ramps East 37th Street between 1st Avenue and FDR Drive East 38th Street between 1st Avenue and FDR Drive East 41st Street between 1st Avenue and FDR Drive East 42nd Street between 1st Avenue and FDR Drive 42nd Street Entrance Ramps East 48th Street between 1st Avenue and FDR Drive East 49th Street between 1st Avenue and FDR Drive East 53rd Street between 1st Avenue and FDR Drive Queens Locations: Area bounded by 44th Drive on the North Borden Avenue on the South Vernon Boulevard on the East; East River on the West (All Inclusive) Center Boulevard between Borden Avenue and 54th Avenue 2nd Street between Borden Avenue and Newtown Creek/Dead End Vernon Boulevard between 54th Avenue and Newtown Creek/Dead End 54th Avenue between Center Boulevard and Vernon Boulevard In both boroughs, the closures are at the discretion of the NYPD, but expect them to begin sometime in the afternoon and last well after the fireworks end. Related Where to watch the Fourth of July fireworks in NYC On Staten Island, meanwhile, the Travis 4th of July Parade—the self-proclaimed longest running annual Independence Day parade—will host its 107th annual event beginning at noon. That event will cause traffic irregularities as the procession travels throughout Travis, Staten Island, from noon to 3 p.m. Formation: At Showplace Center (East Service Road) Cross Victory Boulevard to Glen Street Route: Glen Street between Melvin Avenue and Cannon Avenue Cannon Avenue between Glen Street and Victory Boulevard Victory Boulevard between Cannon Avenue and Melvin Avenue Dispersal: Melvin Avenue between Glen Street and Victory Boulevard Closure: At the discretion of NYPD How NYC subway, bus, and ferry service will be affected On Wednesday, the subway will operate on a Saturday schedule; there are also some service changes, which the MTA has helpfully listed here. Of particular note: some bus routes through Manhattan and Brooklyn will be affected due to the fireworks street closures. According to NBC4NY, “There will be no 6 or 7 express service. B trains will not run, customers are encouraged to use the A, C, D, and/or Q instead. There will be increased subway service on the 4, 7, A, C, F, N, and S 42nd Street Shuttle prior to and following the Macy’s fireworks celebration, which will originate from five barges on the East River between 23rd and 41st Streets from 9:25 p.m. to 9:50 p.m.” There will also be schedule changes on the Metro-North, which will operate on a Sunday schedule, and the Long Island Rail Road. Citi Bike service will operate as normal, but some stations in Manhattan and Queens will be out of service to allow for fireworks setup. NYC Ferry will also be impacted by the event, with all four of its routes operating on a weekend schedule, and the following changes to specific routes: East River route: Last Wall St./Pier 11 departure bound for E.34th Street: 1:38 pm Last E.34th St departure bound for Wall St./Pier 11: 2:39 pm Astoria Route: Last Wall St./Pier 11 departure bound for Astoria: 1:49 pm Last Astoria departure bound for Wall St./Pier 11: 2:34 pm There will be no midtown shuttle bus service provided on this day. Shuttle buses will resume normal service on July 5, 2018.<doc-sep>

Seasonal & Holidays Nashville July 4: Road Closures, Parking And Traffic Information Metro Police released the road closure schedule and traffic information for Nashville's July 4 celebration. Reply NASHVILLE, TN -- More than a quarter million people are expected downtown to experience Nashville's July 4 celebration with music, food and reportedly the country's largest Independence Day fireworks display. Such an undertaking requires extensive logistical planning and Metro Police is out with the road closure, parking and traffic information. (For more updates on this story and free news alerts for your neighborhood, sign up for your local Middle Tennessee Patch morning newsletter.) Parking during Wednesday's events will be available in the following public lots: Nissan Stadium, $10 Metro Courthouse Garage, $15 Nashville Public Library, Downtown Branch, $14 ($10 after 5 p.m.) Music City Center Garage, $15 Taxis can drop-off and pick-up at Seventh Avenue South and Broadway. Ride-sharing pick-up and drop-off will be at the bagged meters on Korean Veterans Boulevard between Second and Eighth; Deaderick between Third and Sixth; and James Robertson Parkway between Third and Gay. Road closures include: • Broadway between First & Seventh Avenues • First Avenue from Korean Veterans Boulevard to Church Street • Molloy Street from First Avenue South to Second Avenue South; • Demonbreun Street from First Avenue South to Second Avenue South. The Woodland Street Bridge will be closed to vehicle traffic at 8 p.m. Wednesday and will then be available only to pedestrians. The Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge will close at 8 p.m. and will not be available for the viewing of fireworks due to it being in the fallout zone. The fireworks show is scheduled to begin at 9:30 p.m. After the fireworks display, the police department will implement an egress plan to clear downtown as quickly and efficiently as possible:

From dominance to defeat: Golden Knights fall to Sharks to force Game 7 Series heads back to San Jose Tuesday after Vegas’ double-overtime loss It was an epic that would make The Odyssey blush, the kind of game that’s worth it in the end for the winning team. For the losing team, it’s a major disappointment regardless of the circumstances. Lose on a short-handed goal in double overtime, however, and it could be a soul-crusher. The Golden Knights succumbed to that fate in a 2-1 defeat to the San Jose Sharks in Game 6 of the teams’ first-round Stanley Cup playoff series Sunday night at T-Mobile Arena. They commanded every facet of the game with the ice appearing tilted towards the Sharks’ net and a power play in double overtime looking like the crack would finally break the dam. Instead, Tomas Hertl, who told a jubilant San Jose crowd after Game 5 that the team would be back for a Game 7, made good on his promise, scoring short-handed more than 90 minutes into the game. It was the first short-handed game-winner in multiple overtimes in NHL playoff history and sent the series to a decisive Game 7 scheduled for 7 p.m. Tuesday at the SAP Center in San Jose. “From the start to finish we had the puck a lot and dominated, so obviously this one is frustrating to lose,” goalie Marc-Andre Fleury said. “It sucks tonight, but tomorrow is a new day, we got to get up. That’s what playoffs are about.” The Golden Knights outshot the Sharks 59-29. They had more shot attempts, 119-69. They had more scoring chances, more power plays, more hits, more faceoff wins, more takeaways and more of just about everything else. But the Sharks had more goals, and Jonathan Marchessault’s tally at 11:20 of the second period was all Vegas mustered. The Sharks opened the scoring on a Logan Couture low wrister as time was running out in the first period, then Hertl’s shot in double overtime sent the game back to San Jose. “The last goal, the only reason it went in was (defenseman Shea) Theodore slashed the stick,” coach Gerard Gallant said. “You tell your defenseman to play the guy’s stick. You blame the last goal on Fleury, shake your head.” The Golden Knights faced Martin Jones at his best. The Sharks goalie, who was pulled before the second period of two games this series, turned away 58 shots, a franchise record for a playoff game. The man who in Games 2, 3 and 4 had a .796 save percentage and 7.62 goals-against average has allowed one even-strength goal in two games since and posted a .967 save percentage. The Golden Knights were the better team by almost any measure, a fact not lost on the players in the room. Gallant said he wouldn’t change anything about the game but the final score and the team echoed the thought that there were plenty of positives takeaways. “One bounce was the difference,” forward Cody Eakin said. “One of those was bound to go in eventually. Keep plugging away at those and get to the blue point and we’ll get rewarded for it.” Now the Golden Knights face more than the physical challenge of trying to beat the Sharks in San Jose in Tuesday. They also have the added stress of knowing in the back of their minds that they held a 3-1 lead in the series before a bitter overtime defeat. The exhaustion of skating nearly two full games of hockey on Sunday night will take its toll on both teams. But the Sharks could be rejuvenated going home for a winner-take-all home game. It’s up to the Golden Knights to make sure that they can put the previous two games behind them and take care of business in the first Game 7 in team history. “I’d rather be done, that’s for sure,” defenseman Deryk Engelland said. “That’s what you play for, those huge games, huge moments. We just have to regroup and be ready for the next game.”<doc-sep>“They said he cross-checked him across the face, and as we all saw, that didn’t happen,” Gallant said. “There was no high-stick that hit him in the face. When Stastny came out, he fell and banged his head on the ice. That’s the unfortunate part of it. It was an awful call. We’ve all seen it. It’s too bad we end up losing because of that because we’re in control of the hockey game.”<doc-sep>Wow. What else can you say after this game but "Wow"? The Golden Knights are up by three goals in the third period after Max Pacioretty scores 3:36 into the period. You think, as the minutes wind down, that this will be a Vegas win in Game 7 of the first-round series. But hold on. Joe Pavelski and Cody Eakin line up for a faceoff deep in Vegas' end. Off the puck drop, Eakin cross-checks Pavelski. The Sharks captain then bumps into Paul Stastny as he is falling and hits his head and shoulder directly on the ice. Pavelski appears to be knocked out and is bleeding. Whether or not it's the right call, Eakin is given a five-minute major and a game misconduct for cross-checking. Logan Couture scores just six seconds into the ensuing power play. As he says to the bench — that’s one. Forty-nine seconds later, it’s Tomas Hertl with the deflection goal. Two minutes and 44 seconds later, it’s Couture again with the tying goal. The Shark Tank is going crazy. Twenty-eight seconds later, it’s Kevin Labanc, and the Sharks have their first lead of the game. You probably think the game is over, but hold on again. Jonathan Marchessault fires a quick shot past Martin Jones with 47 seconds remaining in regulation. We're headed to overtime. Anyone will tell you overtime goals are usually scored in the first five minutes and the last five minutes of the extra session. Well, with one minute and 41 seconds remaining in the first OT period, Barclay Goodrow, who was on the ice for three of the Golden Knights' four goals during regulation, takes a pass, drives around the Vegas defense and buries the puck past a sprawled Fleury. Sharks win 5-4. It's the first Game 7 loss of Fleury's career. "I had a ton of energy," Goodrow tells NBC Sports Network analyst Ray Ferraro after the game. "I was sitting there for most of the overtime. I thought I might as well use my fresh legs to do something." Mission accomplished. Wow. What an ending, what a game. Sporting News tracked scores and highlights from Tuesday's Game 7 between the Golden Knights and Sharks: Golden Knights vs. Sharks: Score, highlights Final score — Sharks 5, Golden Knights 4 1:23 a.m. — What. An. Ending. 1:23 a.m. — GOAL. Barclay Goodrow. Wow. With under two minutes left in the first overtime, he drives to the net and tucks it around Fleury. What an ending. Sharks win 5-4. 1:17 a.m. — Both teams come within inches of scoring, within seconds of each other. 1:13 p.m. — Lots of back-and-forth action. Meier almost puts one past a leaning Fleury but Fleury gets the pad on it. 1:02 a.m — Big poke check by Fleury on Meier, who crashed the net. 12:55 a.m. — Two big stops by Fleury on Meier. 12:53 a.m. — Overtime starts. Third period — Golden Knights 4, Sharks 4 Shots: Golden Knights 29, Sharks 34 12:39 p.m. — We're heading to overtime. 12:36 p.m. — GOAL. This game is just, wow. Jonathan Marchessault buries it off the pass from Reilly Smith with 47 seconds left on the clock. Game tied at 4. 12:36 p.m. — One minute left. 12:36 p.m. — Goal post for Vegas. 12:35 p.m. — Just 90 seconds left. Fleury on the bench 12:32 a.m. — Martin Jones with a fantastic glove save on Mark Stone. 12:31 a.m. — Three minutes and 41 seconds left. Vegas to the power play trailing by one. 12:29 a.m. — Erik Karlsson makes the save of the game as he knocks the flying puck away. The crowd is loud and alive in San Jose. 12:23 a.m. — GOAL. What a turn of events. Kevin Labanc goes against the grain and beats Fleury over the shoulder. Sharks lead 4-3 The @SanJoseSharks have taken the lead late in the third. This game is crazy. Watch more here: https://t.co/Cxfh9sXayp pic.twitter.com/49AMqrbD61 — NHL on NBC (@NHLonNBCSports) April 24, 2019 Kevin Labanc of the @SanJoseSharks became the first player in NHL history to record 4 points in a period during a #Game7. #NHLStats #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/Ntf3Ph1eZc — NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) April 24, 2019 12:21 a.m. — GOAL. Great puck movement by the Sharks and Couture fires it from the point past Fleury. Wow. We're all tied up. Game tied at 3. 12:18 a.m. — GOAL. Here come the Sharks as Hertl deflects the Karlsson point shot. Still four minutes left on the power play. Vegas leads 3-2. 12:16 a.m. — GOAL. Logan Couture scores just six seconds in. Vegas leads 3-1. 12:15 a.m. — Eakin gets a five-minute major for cross-checking and is tossed. The replay shows that Eakin cross-checked Pavelski and Stastny bumped him. Pavelski's head and shoulder hit the ice. 12:12 a.m. — Pavelski is helped off the ice and is not really moving. 12:12 a.m. — Fans throw things on the ice. 12:11 a.m. — Off the draw, Joe Pavelski drops to the ice and does not move. He then gets up briefly and is seen to be bleeding. The doctors come out and Cody Eakin is immediately taken to the penalty box. He gets five and a game misconduct. Pavelski is cross-checked off the face-off and it looks like he hit his head on the ice. He had to be helped off the ice by his teammates. That's scary, awful, and the last thing you want to see. pic.twitter.com/OYqW0zP8GZ — Shayna (@hayyyshayyy) April 24, 2019 12:02 a.m. — GOAL. Max Pacioretty goes five-hole. Dagger for the Sharks. Vegas leads 3-0. 12:01 a.m. — So close as it goes off the post and a solid clear by Brayden McNabb in the paint. Dear Goal Post, HAVE WE TOLD YOUUUU LATELY THAT WE LOOOOOVEEEE YOU? — x-Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) April 24, 2019 12:00 a.m. — After some sustained pressure from the Sharks, Eakin breaks in and is stopped by Jones. 11:58 p.m. — Third period starts. Period 3 coming up! pic.twitter.com/xH6XEDH3R3 — x-Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) April 24, 2019 11:41 p.m. — Trying to get things going for the third with some alums.<doc-sep>Ethan Miller/Getty Images The penalty call that sparked the San Jose Sharks' stunning comeback win over the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup playoffs shouldn't have happened. The NHL apologized to Vegas for an incorrect five-minute major and game misconduct against Cody Eakin for a cross-check to Joe Pavelski in the third period, ESPN.com's Greg Wyshynski reported Thursday. The hit occurred midway through the third period. Pavelski fell to the ice, and blood began flowing from his head. Wyshynski noted Golden Knights head coach Gerard Gallant said the on-ice officials told him they thought Eakin hit Pavelski in the head with his stick, though replays showed he hit Pavelski in the chest. The NHL's official rulebook states a major penalty is determined at the referee's discretion "based on the degree of violence of the check, to a player guilty of charging an opponent." Per ESPN.com's Emily Kaplan, the officials on the ice who assessed the penalty, Dan O'Halloran and Eric Furlatt, won't officiate in the second round of the playoffs. After Eakin went to the penalty box, the Sharks scored four goals in four minutes to take a 4-3 lead. Vegas tied the score in the final minute of regulation before Barclay Goodrow won it for San Jose in overtime.<doc-sep>

If someone ever snickered at you for claiming that anything can happen in the hockey playoffs, merely direct them to Game 7 of the Vegas Golden Knights and San Jose Sharks. At the tailend of a thrilling overtime period (did these two teams really just play a double-OT Game 6? ), Barclay Goodrow became the unlikely series-clincher in one of the least likely Game 7 comebacks you’ll ever see. The Sharks advance to Round 2 and a matchup against the Colorado Avalanche after beating the Golden Knights 5-4 in OT. San Jose wins the series 4-3. But they had to do that after falling behind 3-1 in the series, and carving their way out of a 3-0 deficit in Game 7. It’s the sort of game hockey lovers will pour over for ages, and fans of both teams are unlikely to forget. All things considered, that unlikely Goodrow goal seems fitting. How we got to overtime, against all odds On the strength of great goaltending from Marc-Andre Fleury, a Cody Eakin goal that required a review for a high-stick, and a groaner of a 3-0 goal for Max Pacioretty, it sure looked like the Golden Knights were going to skate away with Game 7. Then Eakin became a much bigger story than the fellow who scored what seemed, at the time, like a big goal. In a scary moment, Eakin hit Joe Pavelski, who hit the ice in an extremely scary way. Fair or not, the officials ejected Eakin from Game 7, whistling him for a game-changing major penalty. The Sharks went on to score an absurd four goals on the power play, flipping a 3-0 deficit to a 4-3 Sharks lead. With less than seven minutes remaining in the third period, the Golden Knights had to come to grips with the first lead change of this series. The Golden Knights failed to score on a power-play opportunity of their own, but Jonathan Marchessault delivered after Vegas showed serious resiliency in trying to come back, and a stunning Game 7 went to overtime. And the rest is … well, NHL history, and the Sharks will turn to a Round 2 series against the Avalanche. Credit the Golden Knights for forcing this contest to OT, but they couldn’t win it, and now their fans get a taste of something other hockey fans – particularly those of the Sharks – know all too well: the feeling of shock, and also, feeling like they were on the wrong end of the refs’ whistles. What a game, what a comeback, and what a series. — James O’Brien is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @cyclelikesedins.

Hello and welcome to the Newcastle United live blog for Friday June 1. There some positive news for Newcastle United with Rafa Benitez set to continue at the club next season as Lee Charnley says he will backed in the summer market. The Spaniard has a contract which runs until the summer of 2019, but is focused on the job of strengthening the Magpies squad. Benitez is keen for United to kick on from their top-10 finish last season and build a side which can challenge for cups and push for European places. Meanwhile it looks as though Mike Ashley will continue his ownership of the club in the near future, with a reported asking price around the £400m. We will have all the latest inside the Magpies camp - including transfer and takeover news surrounding United. Join the Chronicle NUFC team for all the latest from St James' Park .<doc-sep>Get the latest Hull City news straight to your inbox with our daily Tigers newsletter Invalid Email Something went wrong, please try again later. Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Hull City have announced plans to host Newcastle United in a pre-season friendly next month. The Tigers will play Rafa Benitez’s side at the KCOM Stadium on Tuesday 24 July at 7.45pm, with the Magpies set to provide a stern test a week-and-a-half before the new Championship season is due to begin. The visit of Newcastle is the fourth pre-season friendly to be revealed by the club, with games against Portuguese sides Maritimo and Braga planned during the club’s pre-season trip to Portugal, before City travel to the Crown Oil Arena to face League One side Rochdale on 21 July. More pre-season fixtures are expected to be announced in due course before the season gets underway the weekend of Saturday August 4. Get the Hull Live app It's completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and what’s on information. You can download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple's App Store , or get the Android version from Google Play<doc-sep>The video will auto-play soon 8 Cancel Get the latest NUFC updates, transfer and takeover news straight to your inbox for FREE by signing up to our newsletter Invalid Email Something went wrong, please try again later. Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Newcastle United have confirmed their pre-season schedule ahead of the 2018/19 campaign. The Magpies will again head to Ireland for a summer boot camp but this year their trip to Emerald Isle will include a friendly game against St. Patrick’s Athletic. Rafa Benitez’s side have jetted to Ireland for the last two summers to help prepare for their Championship title win in 2017 and last term’s 10th place finish. A standout fixture away to FC Porto later in the month will then give Newcastle a quality test against the former Champions League winners meaning a sunshine trip to Portugal lies in store for the Toon Army this summer. The Magpies will also take on Hull City away and there will be a home fixture against FC Augsburg at St James’ Park in August. Newcastle have also confirmed there will be a further friendly game, to take place on August 1, announced in due course. How United’s summer fixture list is shaping up<doc-sep>The video will auto-play soon 8 Cancel Get the latest NUFC updates, transfer and takeover news straight to your inbox for FREE by signing up to our newsletter Invalid Email Something went wrong, please try again later. Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Newcastle United have confirmed their pre-season plans ahead of the 2018-19 season as Rafa Benitez sets about getting his squad ready for another challenging campaign. The Spaniard takes his side back to Co. Kildare in Ireland as they return to Carton House, where they were last pre-season. The Magpies will have a week-long training camp before taking on St. Patrick’s Athletic, Hull City, F.C Porto and F.C Augsburg with one more home fixture still to be announced. Benitez was keen not to take his team too far and this schedule will allow fans to travel to watch United. Here’s everything you need to know about United’s opponents. St Patrick’s Athletic - July 17, 2018 History The club were founded in 1929 and are known as the Saints. They play in the Airtricity Premier League division. They last won the league back in 2013 for the first time since the 2001-02 season. Their most recent success was in 2016, when they won the league Cup. Who is their current manager? It’s Liam Buckley who is now in his seventh season as manager. He was also in charge between 1998-1999, having also played for the Saints between 1992-1997. Buckley represented the Republic of Ireland twice. At Athletic he’s won the league title twice, FAI Cup, the League Cup and presidents’ Cup. The 2017-18 season - how did they do? As Ireland is a summer league, it’s still ongoing. They’re currently 5th with 20 games to go. In the Premier Division there are 10 sides who play each other four times and the season runs from February to October. St Patrick’s Athletic, along with Bohemians, are the only sides not to be relegated from the Irish top flight (Image: Newcastle Chronicle) The stadium - Richmond Park, Dublin Based in Inchicore it has a capacity of just over 5,300 of which 2,800 is seated. Athletic are planning to move from Richmond Park to a brand new facility with a 12,000 capacity. Who do we need to watch out for? Chris Fagan is the man up top for goals. He only has 1 in the first 9 games this season but with 93 goals since 2012 for the Saints, he’ll be looking to cause some issues for Newcastle’s defence. Hull City - July 24, 2018 History Founded in 1904, they reached the top flight of English football for the first time in 2007-08. They were relegated in 2014-15 partly thanks to Newcastle securing a last day win against West Ham. Who is their current manager? It’s Nigel Adkins who has been in charge since December 2017, replacing Leonid Slutsky as the Tigers faced a relegation battle in the Championship. The 2017-18 season - How did they do? Not good. They finished 18th and were embroiled in a fight for survival for large parts of it. They’ll be hoping for the play-offs next season. The Stadium - The KCOM Seats 25,500 and is also home to Hull’s rugby league side. Who do we need to watch out for? Jarrod Bowen. The 20-year-old striker has been linked with a move to Newcastle United after scoring 14 goals this season. (Image: Getty Images Europe) F.C Porto - July 28, 2018 History This game will make up part of Porto’s 125th anniversary celebrations. They are one of Portugal’s most successful teams with 75 trophies to their name including the Champions League under Jose Mourinho back in 2003-04. Porto were also managed by Sir Bobby Robson who won two league titles and a cup. Who is their current manager? It’s Sergio Conceicao, a winger who played for some of Europe’s biggest clubs including Inter Milan and Lazio. He had two spells at Porto as a player before joining as manager in June 2017. The 2017-18 season - how did they do? Conceicao led Porto their first league title in five years by seven points to Benefica who finished second. They got to the last 16 in the Champions League and the semi-finals in the domestic Portuguese cups. The Stadium - Estadio do Dragao (Image: Getty Images Europe) It has a capacity of 50,300 and is one of the biggest in Portugal. Who do we need to watch out for? There’s quite a few. Strikers Vincent Aboubakar and Moussa Marega hit 47 goals between them in all competitions while Danilo Pereira has been linked to Arsenal and Manchester United. F.C Augsburg - August, 4 2018 History Founded in 1907 the Fuggerstädter haven’t had it easy. They have been a bit of a yo-yo team in recent decades and they fell as far as the fourth division back in 2000-01. But after financial issues the club returned to the Bundesliga – gaining promotion in the 2010-11 season. Who is there current manager? It’s Manuel Baum who had been the side’s youth coach. He was promoted to head coach in December 2016. The 2017-18 season - how did they do? They finished 12th - eight points above the drop zone. Who do we have to watch out for? Left-back Philipp Max who has created 13 goals this season playing at left-back. He’s a target for Everton.<doc-sep>

Rafa Benitez has now got his preferred destination fully booked up when it comes to pre-season for Newcastle United. The Magpies will return to the plush surroundings of Carton House in Ireland as they look to build on their top 10 finish in the Premier League last season. And Benitez can rest easy knowing that he can get the required work-loads he needs to be completed without the distraction of long-haul travel or exhausting fixture schedules which have badly affected the Magpies’ fortunes in recent times. Indeed, before Benitez arrived as the boss, United were suffering from a tough pre-season in the United States under Steve McClaren which included a two-week stay in Milwaukee, Sacramento, and Portland. That year it took McClaren’s side eight games to record a win and by the time Benitez arrived the team were staring relegation in the face. The States experience was brilliant for the supporters who were able to make the hop over the pond, and of course the masses of Toon fans based in the US. Boosting the club’s name in North America is still important to the club, but it’s about getting that schedule exactly right. An awkward flight schedule around the States contributed to a bad start to the season in the eyes of McClaren. That non-stop tour of 2015 in America was replaced by relative tranquillity in Ireland a year later when Benitez used a week-long stay in Maynooth to lay the foundations for the club’s Championship title-winning season. During that week two years ago the decision was made to hand Jamaal Lascelles the captaincy while a new philosophy of sticking together when the chips are down was put in place by the United manager. (Image: Newcastle United) The trip was so much of a success that Benitez opted to do a similar week in Ireland last year before United’s successful campaign in the Premier League. Benitez knows that eventually, Newcastle will end up back on a promotional tour in either the States again, China, or Australia. The revenue to be made on long-haul tours is too good and United are hardly going to turn it down. However, for now, Newcastle could not be spending pre-season in a better place in the eyes of Benitez. Carton House has been used by Real Madrid, the British Lions and Irish Lions and AC Milan in recent years. Speaking about the venue last year Benitez said: “It’s a nice place and the weather is sunny and when you have the right conditions for training as a manager everything is OK. “We have the gym and pitches. “We have plenty of time here so everything is good. They can play games and watch TV together. They can use the PlayStation after training and they have some activities like last year. “I think it’s important for them to spend more time together. The facilities are very good.” There was still room for some promotional activity last year in Dublin too as United’s star players and Benitez made their way to Sports Direct in the city centre to meet fans, sign shirts, and promote the club’s new kit. Benitez’s side will also play a game against St Patrick’s Athletic FC at Richmond Park meaning the short hop to Ireland will this year provide the season’s first away trip. It promises to be a positive start to the 2018/19 campaign for Benitez and his players. The pre-season schedule so far: Tue 17.07.2018 St. Patrick’s Athletic (Ireland) (a) 7.45pm Tue 24.07.2018 Hull City (England) (a) 7.45pm Sat 28.07.2018 FC Porto (Portugal) (a) KO tbc Wed 01.08.2018 opposition tbc (a) Sat 04.08.2018 FC Augsburg (Germany) (h) 3pm

Police in North Carolina have confirmed that a missing boy whose body was found by searchers had actually been at a park where his father said he ran off and disappeared. Gastonia police said on their Facebook page Wednesday that public support and multiple investigations helped police build a timeline to confirm that Maddox Ritch was at Rankin Lake Park in Gastonia as his father, Ian Ritch, said at a news conference last week. The father said his son ran off from him Sept. 22. He said he couldn't catch the boy because he has neuropathy in his feet due to diabetes. Maddox's body was found days later in a creek east of the park. A funeral is set for Friday. Rankin Lake Park reopened to the public Wednesday.<doc-sep>The search for Maddox Ritch, a 6-year-old boy with autism who vanished Saturday, came to a tragic end last week. On Thursday, officials announced they had found the body of a child thought to be Maddox. Below is a timeline of the investigation: Saturday, Sept. 22 Investigators said Maddox's father told them he lost track of his son at about 1:30 p.m. at Rankin Lake Park in Gastonia, North Carolina, about 20 miles away from Charlotte. Maddox had been walking with his dad and his dad’s girlfriend when the child ran up ahead, and they couldn’t keep up, according to reports. First responders were first called at 2:33 p.m., according to dispatch records obtained by WCNC. Sunday, Sept. 23 The FBI arrived in Gastonia to aid local law enforcement in the search for Maddox. The Child Abduction Rapid Deployment (CARD) Team joined the search as well. Monday, Sept. 24 Officials revealed the outfit Maddox was last seen wearing, an orange shirt that read “I’m the Man” and sandal-like shoes with closed toes. FBI Supervisor Jason Kaplan told reporters during a news conference that Maddox’s parents had recorded messages for crews to play while they searched for him. Gastonia Police said an Amber Alert had not been issued in the case because it did not meet the criteria, which require a child’s disappearance be tied to abduction. Tuesday, Sept. 25 The FBI announced a $10,000 reward for information leading to Maddox's safe return. Carrie Ritch, Maddox's mother, spoke to local media and urged anyone who was at the park on Saturday to call the tip line at 704-869-1075. "Maddox is my whole world and my reason for living," she said during a press conference. Maddox’s father, Ian Ritch, spent the day with officers retracing his steps at the park, officials said. Gastonia Police Chief Robert Helton told reporters that a professional photographer and a male jogger were in the area at the time of Maddox’s disappearance and asked that they reach out to authorities. Wednesday, Sept. 26 Ian Ritch, Maddox’s father, spoke to the media about his son’s disappearance. "We were walking on a track around the lake and he decided to take off from me. ... I didn’t think nothing of it and he got a little too far away from me," Ian Ritch told "Good Morning America." "As soon as I got to the point where I couldn’t see him anymore, I started panicking. I couldn’t see him anywhere." He also spoke to CBS News, saying: “It’s been torture. I’m not eating, not sleeping, I’m just worried about getting my little boy back.” Ritch said neuropathy in his feet caused by diabetes makes it difficult for him to run and he was unable to catch up to his son. "I thought he might have got lost in the woods. After all this time, it's giving me doubts. It makes me wonder if somebody got him in the parking lot," Ritch said. "No," he replied when asked if he did anything to harm Maddox. FBI agent Jason Kaplan said Maddox's parents are cooperating with the investigation, CBS reported. Helton asked that a man seen at the lake to call the tip line. He was seen wearing a camouflage hat, loading kayaks into a white pickup truck. Thursday, Sept. 27 An FBI dive team plans to search the lake, using different equipment than what had been used in previous searches for Maddox. The park employee who made the initial 911 call spoke out, saying he didn’t believe Maddox was ever at Rankin Lake Park. "It didn't look as though, they were that concerned," Foxx said of the boy's father and his girlfriend to CBS News. "I've worked there almost three years and we see everybody come in and out of that park pretty much. I didn't see that kid one time." The FBI previously said it had evidence Maddox was at the park Saturday, but did not specify what that evidence was. Ritch told CBS News he took two polygraph tests, but the FBI would not comment on the results. Searchers discovered a body believed to be Maddox on Thursday, city officials and the FBI said. With heavy hearts we announce a body believed to be 6-year-old Maddox Ritch was found at approximately 1 p.m. off of Marietta Street/Old Dallas Highway in Gastonia. Maddox’s parents have been notified of the discovery. The investigation is ongoing. September 27, 2018 “I’m heartbroken,” a visibly upset Gastonia Police Chief Robert Helton told reporters on Thursday. “Our community’s heartbroken … this is not the end that we hoped for.” The body of the child, believed to be Maddox, was discovered partially underwater in a marshy area of Long Creek near Marietta Street and Old Dallas Highway in Gastonia. The area in which the body was found was thick with underbrush and was of varying depths, reaching between 2 and 3 feet, with its shore only reaching about a foot deep. He was found about three-quarters of a mile away from where Maddox’s father, Ian Ritch, said he had lost sight of his son when he took off running in Rankin Lake Park about 1:30 p.m. Saturday. Maddox's father shared his heartbreak in a moving Facebook post after his son's body was found. "Today I found out I'm not a dad anymore," Ian Ritch wrote on Thursday. "From this moment on for the rest of my life I will live with the guilt of not being there to save my son. The most important person in my life." It was not clear where or how Maddox may have entered the water. “There are still a lot of unanswered questions,” Helton said. Jason Kaplan, an FBI supervisory special agent, choked up as he noted the investigation is not over and called for anyone who may have been in the park on Saturday to come forward. “We still want to hear from the people that were in the park that day,” he said. “We need to know as much as we can about the movement [of Maddox].” Friday, Sept. 28 Witness Brooke Sheppard told local channel WBTV she saw Maddox in Rankin Lake Park the day he went missing. While walking with her daughter, she saw the little boy "skipping, jogging, being a kid," she said. She watched him as he ran toward the park office, she said in the interview published Friday. When she heard about the missing child, she knew it was the same boy. When she heard a body had been found, "my heart broke," she said. Sheppard says she has been speaking with detectives as they look into his death. Maddox's funeral will take place on Friday, October 5, according to an online obituary. His burial will be private. "Maddox was a sweet and loving little boy who was full of laughter," the obituary reads. "He loved Paw Patrol, his Teddy, playing with his bouncy balls, but above all he loved his mom and dad the most." Police have not said whether foul play is suspected and have not named any suspects. The investigation is ongoing. Monday, Oct. 1 Gastonia Police confirmed the body found in Long Creek was that of Maddox Ritch. “We are deeply saddened to learn the body found by searchers last Thursday is confirmed to be Maddox Ritch,” Gastonia Police Chief Robert Helton said in a statement Monday. “Hundreds of people searched tirelessly for this child and our work continues to answer every question we can about his tragic death.” The Mecklenburg County Medical Examiner’s Office made the confirmation. Autopsy results are not yet complete, officials said. "Investigators remain committed to finding answers about where Maddox was, how his movement occurred and how his body ended up in Long Creek," police said. Anyone who was at Rankin Lake Park on Saturday, Sept. 22, who has not already called, has been asked to contact the Gastonia Police tip line at 704-869-1075. Rankin Lake Park will re-open to the public on Wednesday, Oct. 3, authorities said. RELATED STORIES<doc-sep>

WCNC-TV, Charlotte, N.C. GASTONIA, N.C. — Four days after search crews found a boy's body in a creek here, the North Carolina State Medical Examiner's Office identified the remains as 6-year-old Maddox Ritch. Maddox's body was found Sept. 27. The boy disappeared Sept. 22 when he got away from his father and another adult at Rankin Lake Park. “We are deeply saddened to learn the body found by searchers last Thursday is confirmed to be Maddox Ritch,” Gastonia Police Chief Robert Helton said. “Hundreds of people searched tirelessly for this child and our work continues to answer every question we can about his tragic death.” About 180 searchers came out to help find the missing boy Thursday, according to Gastonia Fire Chief Phil Welch. Like Helton, Welch said the day Maddox's body was found was a very sad day. "There is no sense of accomplishment today," Welch said. "There's grieving." ► Sept. 27:Police believe they've found body of Maddox Ritch, an autistic 6-year-old ► Sept. 26:Search for autistic North Carolina boy grows more desperate in fifth day ► Sept. 24:Massive search underway for autistic, nonverbal child in North Carolina On Sunday, funeral plans for Maddox were made public. Visitation will be Oct. 4, and a funeral will be the next day at the same location before a private burial. When police officers found the child's body, Maddox’s parents were notified immediately. Formal identification had to wait for the state medical examiner’s office, Gastonia Police said. FBI Supervisor Jason Kaplan said it was too early in the investigation to know whether foul play factored into Maddox's disappearance. "The investigation is not over," Kaplan said. "In law enforcement, we will not take anything for granted. A lot of people have lost sleep." On Wednesday, Ian Ritch, Maddox' father, took questions from reporters at the Greater Gaston Baptist Association in Gastonia. Ian said Maddox took off running in the opposite direction of him and his friend Saturday at Rankin Lake Park. "He usually runs but will stop to give me a chance to pick him up," Ritch said. Ritch said his son's disappearance left him sleepless for several days.. "I feel guilty for letting him get so far ahead of me," Ritch said. Investigators say they're still looking for witnesses as they wait for the autopsy results. Authorities hope talk to joggers who were at the park Saturday, as well as a man whom Helton said may have been among the last to see Maddox. "A white pick-up truck, I think it was a crew cab truck, had running boards loading a silver kayak out of the water," Helton said. "He had a camouflage hat on. ... So he was coming out of the water right around this time. We need to talk with him." Follow WCNC-TV, Charlotte, N.C., on Twitter: @wcnc

(CNN) It happens countless times on roads across America: a vehicle gets a flat tire, usually just a temporary inconvenience. But on one road near Redding, California, when a tire failed last month on a trailer and its rim scraped the asphalt, the result was catastrophic for an entire region. The sparks that shot out July 23 from that minor incident, California fire officials said, ignited what is now the sixth-most destructive wildfire in state history. The Carr Fire blazed a fiery path along Highway 299 , lighting up mile after mile of dry brush as it crept up on residential areas. The blaze turned everything it touched into ash, mangled metal and black embers , and is still burning nearly two weeks later. It's killedseven people, scorched more than 145,000 acres and is the deadliest of 17 blazes racing through the state. It caught residents by surprise Ed Bledsoe lost his wife and their two great-grandchildren in the fire, all within 15 minutes. While he was out, his wife, Melody Bledsoe, 70, called and told him the fire was getting closer to their home. She begged him to come get her and their great-grandchildren: Emily Roberts, 4, and James Roberts, 5. James took the phone and pleaded with his great-grandfather to hurry up and save them. "He just kept saying, 'Grandpa, Come get me ... come on, Grandpa,' " Ed Bledsoe said. He dropped everything and rushed home. But the roads were congested and the heat and flames so intense, the area near his house was cordoned off. His wife and the two children were among the seven people killed in the Carr Fire. "I tried to call them back and it just went to nothing," Bledsoe said as he wept. "Poor babies and my wife." JUST WATCHED Carr Fire widower describes emotional phone call Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Carr Fire widower describes emotional phone call 01:09 The winds caused a tornado of fire The day Bledsoe's family died, the winds were so strong in Redding, they uprooted trees, ripped off roofs and downed power lines. Experts described it as a "firenado, " when a fire's intense heat causes the air to heat up and rise rapidly. That, combined with strong winds, creates a vortex similar to a dust devil that pulls fires in different directions. Redding resident Dominic Galvin said he and his wife did not think the fire would get that big so fast, and scrambled to get out at the last minute. "When we saw the fire on the ridge ... once we saw it there we knew it was coming, but it was too late then," he said. His wife, Sylvia Castaneda, broke down in tears as she recounted their loss. "I had a lot of photos from my childhood, from life, and everything is gone. It seems like part of my life is gone. There's nothing -- just ashes." The Carr Fire spread toward the towns of Douglas City and Lewiston near Redding, California. Firefighters suffered losses, too Firefighter David Spliethof was doing his job as a spotter pilot, flying over the fiery chaos to assess damage and flag trouble. As he flew over his neighborhood this week, he realized his home had burned to ashes, too. He took a picture of the charred debris where his house once stood and continued fighting the blaze, at times working 24-hour shifts with some of the nearly 5,000 firefighters battling it. "I don't feel that I did anything special," he said of continuing to work despite losing his home. "Once I saw my house gone ... there's going to be plenty of time to go back through the remains and see what we can salvage." Other firefighters lost their lives while trying to save others. Of the seven people killed in the Carr Fire, two were firefighters: Jeremy Stoke, who was helping evacuate people, and an unidentified bulldozer operator killed while fighting the flames. To show their appreciation to firefighters and emergency personnel, Northern California communities are offering them food, water, even free haircuts. Some have posted handwritten signs all over the city. "Best first responders ever! Our heroes," one sign read. "We wanted to show our gratitude for fighting to save our city," said Redding resident Nichole Grubbs-Miller, who posted some of the signs. Nichole Grubbs-Miller and her sister's children made signs thanking firefighters for their service fighting the Carr Fire. Some areas look 'like a bomb hit' All that's left of some neighborhoods are piles of ash, concrete and charred cars. Preetha Reddy said her street in Redding looks like a war zone. "There's nothing left. It looks like a bomb hit it," she said. Residents are not allowed to enter, and the destruction seems surreal. "If they'd only let us in and have it sink in," Reddy said. Fire officials said some areas in Shasta County remain under evacuation orders because shifting winds and steep terrain are creating hazardous conditions. The weather this weekend will not provide much relief, with temperatures forecast to be in the mid-90s and wind gusts of up to 30 mph, CNN meteorologist Robert Shackelford said. Antique cars sit ruined this week in the Keswick neighborhood of Shasta County near Redding. Firefighter Rick Johnson said the humidity and the nearly triple-digit temperatures are difficult enough without adding the heat from the fire. The blaze is so large and hot, it is creating its own localized weather system with strong winds, making it difficult to predict which way it will spread. Carr is one of 17 major fires in the state Smoke from the Carr and Ferguson fires can be seen in satellite images. The Carr Fire, named after the location where it began, has burned more than 1,500 structures to the ground and is one of 17 major wildfires stretching state resources, Gov. Edmund G. Brown Jr. said. California has already spent a quarter of its firefighting budget for the year just in July. Firefighters are struggling to stop the blazes, with the Carr Fire 41% contained by Saturday night. Fire officials have issued a grim prediction, warning that massive blazes will cost the state billions of dollars over the next decade. "What we're seeing in California right now is more destructive, larger fires burning at rates that we have historically never seen," Cal Fire spokesman Jonathan Cox said.<doc-sep>The Carr Fire, which caused widespread devastation in Northern California, was caused by a flat tire. The incident occurred on July 23. The fire was fed by triple-digit temperatures and dry winds. Firefighters are fighting 17 wildfires throughout the state. California officials say that the Carr Fire, which has claimed 8 lives and forced evacuations in the city of Redding, was caused by a flat tire. The fire was first ignited on July 23, after a trailer's tire blew out and the rim made contact with the pavement, California fire officials told CNN. That incident shot sparks into the dry brush, igniting a blaze that traveled up California's Highway 299. Triple-digit temperatures and dry winds exacerbated the blaze. The fire has so far destroyed over 1,000 houses in Redding and surrounding cities and engulfed over 163, 000 acres as of Monday morning, according to Cal Fire, the state's fire agency. The fire is 45% contained and is threatening over 1,200 structures. Firefighters are battling 17 fires throughout California. Another fire, the Mendocino Complex Fire, is on track to become the biggest in the state's history, according to officials. And things are only set to get worse: Many areas of California are expected to be hit by strong, dry winds and triple-digit temperatures in the coming days.<doc-sep>

Fire officials say that the root cause of California's catastrophic Carr wildfire was a flat tire. On July 23, a trailer was driving through Redding, California when the tire gave out and the wheel's rim scraped against the asphalt igniting a spark that has since become the state's sixth-most destructive wildfire. The fire crept up the Highway 299, fueled by miles of dry brush. The cause of the fire, which has now been burning for almost two weeks, was first reported by CNN. Six people have lost their lives in the Carr fire. Among those killed in the deadly incident include a firefighter, a bulldozer operator and three members of one family who were preparing to evacuate their home but could not get out in time. One local resident, Ed Bledsoe, lost his wife and two great-grandchildren in the blaze, after efforts to evacuate their home had failed. Firefighters are mourning the loss of Jeremy Stoke, who died battling the fire alongside the Redding Fire Department. The department said that Stoke left behind a wife, a 10-year-old daughter and a 14-year-old son. The fire has burned over 134,000 acres of land in the California region and is about 41 percent contained, according to a recent Reuters report. So far the fire has destroyed over 1,500 homes, businesses and other buildings.The flames are so hot that they have created their own weather system. On July 26, winds were so strong that they created what experts are calling a "firenado" that uprooted trees and tore roofs of houses. Weather officials say that the intense heat caused the fire to form a tornado that pulled the fire in different directions. Another wildfire about 100 miles south of Carr has now surpassed it in size. The Mendocino Complex Fire is now more than two-thirds the size of Los Angeles, at over 200,000 acres. It has forced about 16,000 residents to evacuate and destroyed over 100 buildings, Reuters reported. The American Red Cross has said that it has hundreds of workers on the ground in California providing shelter, food and other necessities to area residents who were displaced from both fires.

Article content Toronto Maple Leafs at New York Islanders 7 p.m. Thursday, NYCB Live We apologize, but this video has failed to load. tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or GAME DAY: Maple Leafs at Islanders Back to video TV: TSN RADIO: TSN 1050 THE BIG MATCHUP C John Tavares vs. C Mathew Barzal Tavares will find it hard to keep his mind on hockey in this emotional return to his first team – in its old building – and with numerous visual distractions from fans wanting to slam or salute his departure. Barzal, with a natural hat trick in the December meeting between the teams, will have the wind at his back. KEYS TO THE GAME 1.ANYONE FOR SECONDS? For the second time in the season’s series, the Leafs will face the Isles at theend of a back to back. The scheduling did the Leafs no favours back on Dec. 28, as they came home from a win in Columbus and fell 4-0 to New York. The Isles just got forwards Andrew Ladd and Thomas Hickey back in the lineup, returning the club to a healthy roster. 2. SKILL VS. WILL The Leafs shed Matt Martin and Leo Komarov, two players who kept the opposition on their toes and questions about Toronto’s playoff toughness have raged ever since. With Nazem Kadri still out and no last line change, this is another test of how well they handle the bump and grind.<doc-sep>UNIONDALE, NEW YORK - FEBRUARY 02: The New York Islanders celebrate a 4-2 victory over the Los Angeles Kings at NYCB Live's Nassau Coliseum on February 02, 2019 in Uniondale, New York. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) The New York Islanders beat the Toronto Maple Leafs by six goals to one. Making it clear that the Islanders don’t need Tavares. What do you take away from the game? The New York Islanders had a nearly perfect game by beating the visiting Toronto Maple Leafs by a score of 6-1 in John Tavares’ return. It was the best way to welcome back their former captain. You couldn’t script a better game from the Islanders perspective. They absolutely dominated the anointed Stanley Cup champions back in September. Kept John Tavares off the scoresheet. And passed their points total from last season. So what can we take away from the game aside from the fact that the Isles are one of the best in the league? We Actually Don’t Need Him Throughout the game, fans chanted that they didn’t need John Tavares, and they proved it tonight. Six times they were able to put the puck in the net. From six different goal scorers. The depth scoring on this team hasn’t always been on display, but it sure was tonight. The Islanders showed how a team can come together where they don’t need to fit around a single star. As a team, they can do anything. Casey Cizikas Is A Beast He should have had two goals tonight. But his second was awarded to Nick Leddy. That’s Cizikas’ 18th goal of the year. Over the last three seasons, he’s scored 23 goals. He’s five goals off. And at the pace he’s going, he’s going to better that. The way Cizikas scored his only goal, was remarkable. He single-handedly kept the Leafs in their own zone, caused a turnover, and then buried a short-handed goal. Beautiful. Scoring By Committee The Islanders scored goals from all four lines and from the defense. When they’re on their game they can get production from anywhere in the lineup. That’s something we haven’t seen from the Isles all year. And it’s a welcomed sign as they head to the playoffs.<doc-sep>John Tavares will make his highly anticipated return to Long Island on Thursday as the Toronto Maple Leafs visit the New York Islanders in a clash pegged as a virtual pick’em on the NHL odds at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com. Tavares tallied a goal and an assist in Toronto’s 6-2 rout of the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday night, which marked the team’s third straight victory ahead of Thursday night’s Maple Leafs vs. Islanders betting matchup at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum. But while the Maple Leafs have enjoyed steady success at home, with wins in six of their past seven, they have struggled on the road, falling to defeat in five of their past eight away from Scotiabank Arena, including consecutive losses to Arizona and St. Louis to close out a recent six-game road trip. The Maple Leafs will face an Islanders squad mired in a slump that threatens to topple them from atop the Metropolitan Division standings. New York is coming off a 3-1 loss to the visiting Calgary Flames as a -115 wager on Tuesday, and has now dropped four of seven overall. The Islanders have also fallen to defeat in four of five meetings with Toronto, but blanked the Maple Leafs 4-0 as +180 road underdogs on December 29. Elsewhere on the Thursday NHL odds, the Oilers look to rebound from Wednesday’s lopsided loss in Toronto as +200 underdogs as they travel to Ottawa to battle the beleaguered Senators as rare -155 road favourites, while the Vancouver Canucks visit the Coyotes as +120 underdogs. The Oilers’ fading playoff hopes have all but evaporated during a 3-9-4 run that leaves the club lagging nine points out of the hunt for a wild card in the Western Conference. Edmonton has particularly struggled on the road, losing five straight and 11 of 15 since mid-December. The Senators are in a freefall as they return home to face the Oilers as +125 underdogs. Ottawa has lost five straight, and 12 of 15 overall, capped by a 7-2 loss in Washington as +265 underdogs on Tuesday in their first outing since a trade deadline fire sale that resulted in the departures of Matt Duchene, Mark Stone, and Ryan Dzingel. However, the Senators have regularly topped Edmonton with wins in six of their last eight meetings since March 2014, according to the OddsShark NHL Database. The Canucks travel to the desert riding a three-game losing streak against the Coyotes, and have dropped seven of nine to Arizona, including a pair of one-goal decisions earlier this season.<doc-sep>

The matchup fans of the New York Islanders have been anticipating since the dawn of free agency season is finally upon us as John Tavares and the Toronto Maple Leafs visit Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Tavares was definitely staying with the Islanders up until the clock struck midnight and he turned into a pumpkin which ensured that the Islanders got absolutely nothing for their former franchise center. Islanders fans are demonstrably angry at their former Captain while main stream mediacan't quite figure out why, mainly because it's comprised of guys who are famous for eating cat feces and smoking cigarettes. The Islanders have a built in advantage in this one as the Maple Leafs played last night and are rolling with Garret Sparks. Sparks is a slightly below average, mediocre netminder while Frederick Andersen is well above average. The best route to victory may be for the Islanders to push pace more than they usually do while relying on their solid netminding as the try to take advantage of an inferior netminder and a tired hockey team. Robin Lehner will get the start for a fourth game in a row. It's a bit bewildering as Lehner hasn't been as good as Thomas Greiss this season and allowed two low danger goals against the Calgary Flames in his last contest. Greiss will get the backup duty tonight. The lone lineup change for the Islanders looks to be Scott Mayfield back in for Thomas Hickey as the ease Hickey back into action. With any luck, the days of Tom Kuhnhackl will be behind Islanders fans as the rosters have been expanded. The team did sign Dennis Seidenberg for the remainder of the season, but if he gets into any games it will be because they've already clinched their playoff spot or something went horribly wrong. Game time is at 7:00 P.M. E.S.T.

Theresa May backs UK and Ireland World Cup bid It would mark the World Cup's centenary. UK Prime Minister Theresa May says a bid for the 2030 World Cup would have her government's "full support." Advertisement A joint bid from the UK and Ireland by the Football Associations of England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and Ireland is being considered, the Prime Minister said. London and Glasgow will host 11 fixtures in 2020's UEFA European Championships, with a semi and the final being played at Wembley. Theresa May said: "The decision on whether to bid is, of course, for the football associations to make. "But if they decide to go forward they can count on this government's full support." Tom Watson, Labour's deputy leader and shadow secretary of state for digital, culture, media and sport, said in July any future Labour government would support a bid. He said: "I'm delighted that the prime minister has followed Labour's lead. "This summer's World Cup and the performance of England inspired the nation. Advertisement "In 2030, it's time for football to come home." In Russia 2018, England had their best run at a tournament for most in living memory. Placing fourth after a losing 2-0 to Belgium in the third place play off.<doc-sep>Get the FREE Mirror Football newsletter by email with the day's key headlines and transfer news Invalid Email Something went wrong, please try again later. Sign up Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice The UK and Ireland are planning a joint bid for the 2030 World Cup, the Prime Minister has revealed. Theresa May said the football ­associations of England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and Ireland were working on a proposal for FIFA. She said on Friday: “If they decide to go forward, they can count on this Government’s full support.” The last time a major football tournament was held in the UK was Euro 96 – the English FA applied to host the 2018 World Cup but lost to Russia. George Cohen, 78, who was in the World Cup-winning squad of 1966, said: “We had a little taste of the carnival atmosphere with Euro 96. (Image: Popperfoto) (Image: Daily Mirror) “And if it was the World Cup I’m sure it would be an amazing experience for the players, who always seem to up their game at home, but also for supporters. “We have enjoyed every minute of being a World Cup winner but it’s time now for a younger breed of English lions to win a World Cup on English shores.” Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay are also planning a joint bid for 2030. And it is possible there will be an African bid after Morocco lost out to the US for the 2026 tournament. London and Glasgow will host 11 games in the UEFA European Championships in 2020, with Wembley staging the final. Labour deputy leader and Shadow Sport Secretary Tom Watson said: "Back in July I announced that a future Labour Government would lend its full backing to bid for the World Cup in 2030. “I'm delighted that the Prime Minister has followed Labour's lead and is willing to back a bid. “This summer's world cup and the performance of England inspired the nation. “In 2030, it's time for football to come home.” Labour MP and Cardiff City season ticket holder Jo Stevens, who sits on Parliament's cross-party group for football supporters, said: “It's great to see the Prime Minister follow Labour and backing the 2030 home nations' World Cup bid. “I hope the Government will commit to funding the necessary infrastructure investment, particularly travel, to ensure that as many fans across the UK can be a part of a World Cup that will warmly welcome supporters from across the globe. “Our best chance of a successful bid is a UK-wide inclusive bid incorporating games in all home nation major cities. “We showed in Cardiff in the 2017 Champions League that we are more than capable of hosting a major global sporting fixture and I hope to be welcoming the World Cup to our capital city in 2030.” Britain has hosted a string of glittering sporting events in the past decade, and is due to hold a fresh raft of top spectacles. London and Glasgow will host 11 games in the Uefa European Championships in 2020 with Wembley hosting the semi-finals and the final. In the last six years the UK has successfully hosted the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, the 2013 Rugby League World Cup, the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, the 2014 Tour De France Grand Depart and the 2015 Rugby World Cup. Any England bid would face opposition from the joint campaign of Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay which could be buoyed by the fact 2030 marks 100 years since the first World Cup, held in Uruguay in 1930. It is also possible there will be an African bid, especially in light of Morocco's defeat to the USA for the 2026 tournament. Former Lib Dem leader Tim Farron, a Blackburn Rovers fan, said: "Football fans across the UK will be excited at the prospect of football coming home. "We have an outstanding record of putting on sporting events, and a World Cup on these shores could inspire millions to get active. "After a summer of own goals, it looks like Theresa May has finally grasped one good news story."<doc-sep>The video will auto-play soon 8 Cancel Get the FREE Mirror Football newsletter by email with the day's key headlines and transfer news Invalid Email Something went wrong, please try again later. Sign up Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice The World Cup could be heading for the UK and Ireland in 2030. Prime Minister Theresa May has revealed the football ­associations of England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and Ireland were working on a proposal for FIFA. The last time a major football tournament was held in the UK was Euro 96 – the English FA applied to host the 2018 World Cup but lost to Russia. But she said this week: “If they decide to go forward, they can count on this Government’s full support.” Here is 10 possible stadiums that could host matches if the tournament is held in the UK. Wembley Stadium, London (Image: Getty Images Europe) Of course, the home of football would likely stage the final and the biggest games of the tournament. It is already due to play host to the final of Euro 2020 and would be a perfect platform for the biggest game of football over the course of four years. Despite the FA being in talks over a sale of the stadium, it would continue to host major football matches. Old Trafford, Manchester (Image: PA) Naturally, the biggest stadium in the Premier League would have to play a part, and it could play second fiddle to Wembley and host a semi-final and the third placed play-off should England steal the rights. Furthermore, many fans worldwide are Manchester United supporters are would love the opportunity to see the Theatre of Dreams for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Anfield, Liverpool (Image: Liverpool FC) The famous Kop belt their hearts out for their men in red during the Premier League season, and many players will want to touch the famous sign above the tunnel when they walk out onto football’s biggest stage. It has of course been expanded in recent years. The Emirates, London (Image: REUTERS) A carpet-like pitch, a view from every seat in the capacity and rocking when the crowd is engaged, Arsenal’s home is a beautiful place to watch beautiful football. It would undoubtedly be selected as a possible venue. The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London Tottenham’s new 62,000 seater is yet to be open - much to the frustration of Spurs fans. It will host major NFL matches in months to come, offering an insight into how it will cope with major occasions. St James’ Park, Newcastle (Image: Getty Images Europe) The atmosphere at St James’ would be among the best in the competition. It would be vital for visiting fans to experience different cultures and cities during a World Cup. Villa Park, Birmingham (Image: EMPICS Sport) The Midlands would likely be involved, especially with the number of huge clubs that lie in the area. Villa Park is a wonderful place to watch entertaining football, and is the biggest ground of all those in the Midlands. The tight area between pitch and supporter ramps up the atmosphere and the compactness of the ground itself helps to keep the noise in. The Etihad Stadium, Manchester (Image: REUTERS) The FA would likely include both Manchester clubs in its stadium list. Although not quite the best of atmospheres at times, the 55,000 capacity would surely be filled to the brim if the World Cup came calling. Hampden Park, Glasgow (Image: PA Wire) Should Scotland be part of the bid, their national stadium would surely be in contention to host matches. The 51,866-capacity stadium would undoubtedly get big crowds. Scotland would hope they could be involved in the tournament to make it even more special. Principality Stadium, Cardiff (Image: PA Archive) Wales' football team now play their home games at Cardiff's ground but the stadium would likely be selected for the World Cup. The Principality Stadium, formerly the Millennium Stadium, is primarily used for Wales rugby matches and has also hosted Anthony Joshua fights. It boasts a capacity of over 74,000.<doc-sep>

The government has joined the Labour party in offering to support a joint bid from the UK and Ireland to host the 2030 World Cup. The football associations of England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and Ireland are considering whether to put forward an official proposal. Speaking on the eve of the Conservative party conference in Birmingham, Theresa May said a future bid would have the government’s full support. “Following the excitement of this summer’s World Cup, the English FA are working together with the FAs of Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and Ireland to explore whether there could be a joint bid to host the 2030 World Cup,” the prime minister said. “The decision on whether to bid is, of course, for the football associations to make. But if they decide to go forward, they can count on this government’s full support.” Labour welcomed the announcement, with the shadow culture secretary, Tom Watson, pointing out it had backed the proposal in July. “I’m delighted that the prime minister has followed Labour’s lead and is willing to back a bid,” the deputy Labour leader said. “This summer’s World Cup and the performance of England inspired the nation. In 2030, it’s time for football to come home.” England’s bid to host the 2018 World Cup ended in humiliation after it received two votes from Fifa’s 22-member executive committee in December 2010. The procedure has been embroiled in controversy since the 2018 and 2022 tournaments were awarded to Russia and Qatar respectively, after widespread corruption was uncovered within the sport’s highest governing body. A court heard last year that a Fifa official took bribes to back Qatar’s successful 2022 World Cup bid – the first to be held in winter. The former Fifa president Sepp Blatter is among various prominent figures to have been indicted following suggestions that officials had decided before the vote took place that Russia would host the 2018 World Cup.

YURI CORTEZ/Getty Images The 2018 FIFA World Cup group stages will kick off on Thursday, with hosts Russia starting their Group A campaign against Saudi Arabia. Neutral fans will have their eye on Friday's clash between Iberian rivals Spain and Portugal, arguably the most anticipated contest of the group stages. Meanwhile, on Sunday, defending champions Germany and 2002 winners Brazil will be in action for the first time. Here is a look at the schedule, complete with TV info and live-stream options. Thursday, June 14 Russia vs. Saudi Arabia, 4 p.m. BST/11 a.m. ET, ITV (UK)/Fox (U.S.) Friday, June 15 Egypt vs. Uruguay, 1 p.m. BST/8 a.m. ET, BBC (UK)/FS1 (U.S.) Morocco vs. Iran, 4 p.m. BST/11 a.m. ET, ITV (UK)/Fox (U.S.) Portugal vs. Spain, 7 p.m. BST/2 p.m. ET, BBC (UK)/Fox (U.S.) Video Play Button Videos you might like Saturday, June 16 France vs. Australia, 11 a.m. BST/6 a.m. ET, BBC (UK)/FS1 (U.S.) Argentina vs. Iceland, 2 p.m. BST/9 a.m. ET, ITV (UK)/Fox (U.S.) Denmark vs. Peru, 5 p.m. BST/12 p.m. ET, BBC (UK)/FS1 (U.S.) Croatia vs. Nigeria, 8 p.m. BST/3 p.m. ET, ITV (UK)/FS1 (U.S.) Sunday, June 17 Costa Rica vs. Serbia, 1 p.m. BST/8 a.m. ET, ITV (UK)/Fox (U.S.) Germany vs. Mexico, 4 p.m. BST/11 a.m. ET, BBC (UK)/FS1 (U.S.) Brazil vs. Switzerland, 7 p.m. BST/2 p.m. ET, ITV (UK)/FS1 (U.S.) Monday, June 18 Sweden vs. South Korea, 1 p.m. BST/8 a.m. ET, ITV (UK)/FS1 (U.S.) Belgium vs. Panama, 4 p.m. BST/11 a.m. ET, BBC (UK)/FS1 (U.S.) Tunisia vs. England, 7 p.m. BST/2 p.m. ET, BBC (UK)/FS1 (U.S.) Tuesday, June 19 Colombia vs. Japan, 1 p.m. BST/8 a.m. ET, BBC (UK)/FS1 (U.S.) Poland vs. Senegal, 4 p.m. BST/11 a.m. ET, ITV (UK)/FS1 (U.S.) Russia vs. Egypt, 7 p.m. BST/2 p.m. ET, BBC (UK)/Fox (U.S.) Wednesday, June 20 Portugal vs. Morocco, 1 p.m. BST/8 a.m. ET, BBC (UK)/FS1 (U.S.) Uruguay vs. Saudi Arabia, 4 p.m. BST/11 a.m. ET, BBC (UK)/Fox (U.S.) Iran vs. Spain, 7 p.m. BST/2 p.m. ET, ITV (UK)/Fox (U.S.) Thursday, June 21 France vs. Peru, 1 p.m. BST/8 a.m. ET, ITV (UK)/FS1 (U.S.) Denmark vs. Australia, 4 p.m. BST/11 a.m. ET, ITV (UK)/Fox (U.S.) Argentina vs. Croatia, 7 p.m. BST/2 p.m. ET, BBC (UK)/Fox (U.S.) Friday, June 22 Brazil vs. Costa Rica, 1 p.m. BST/8 a.m. ET, ITV (UK)/FS1 (U.S.) Nigeria vs. Iceland, 4 p.m. BST/11 a.m. ET, BBC (UK)/Fox (U.S.) Serbia vs. Switzerland, 7 p.m. BST/2 p.m. ET, BBC (UK)/Fox (U.S.) Saturday, June 23 Belgium vs. Tunisia, 1 p.m. BST/8 a.m. ET, BBC (UK)/Fox (U.S.) Germany vs. Sweden, 4 p.m. BST/11 a.m. ET, ITV (UK)/Fox (U.S.) South Korea vs. Mexico, 7 p.m. BST/2 p.m. ET, ITV (UK)/Fox (U.S.) Sunday, June 24 England vs. Panama, 1 p.m. BST/8 a.m. ET, BBC (UK)/FS1 (U.S.) Japan vs. Senegal, 4 p.m. BST/11 a.m. ET, BBC (UK)/Fox (U.S.) Poland vs. Colombia, 7 p.m. BST/2 p.m. ET, ITV (UK)/Fox (U.S.) Monday, June 25 Saudi Arabia vs. Egypt, 3 p.m. BST/10 a.m. ET, ITV (UK)/FS1 or Fox (U.S.) Uruguay vs. Russia, 3 p.m. BST/10 a.m. ET, ITV (UK)/FS1 or Fox (U.S.) Iran vs. Portugal, 7 p.m. BST/2 p.m. ET, BBC (UK)/FS1 or Fox (U.S.) Spain vs. Morocco, 7 p.m. BST/2 p.m. ET, BBC (UK)/FS1 or Fox (U.S.) Tuesday, June 26 Denmark vs. France, 3 p.m. BST/10 a.m. ET, ITV (UK)/FS1 or Fox (U.S.) Australia vs. Peru, 3 p.m. BST/10 a.m. ET, ITV (UK)/FS1 or Fox (U.S.) Nigeria vs. Argentina, 7 p.m. BST/2 p.m. ET, BBC (UK)/FS1 or Fox (U.S.) Croatia vs. Iceland, 7 p.m. BST/2 p.m. ET, BBC (UK)/FS1 or Fox (U.S.) Wednesday, June 27 South Korea vs. Germany, 3 p.m. BST/10 a.m. ET, BBC (UK)/FS1 or Fox (U.S.) Mexico vs. Sweden, 3 p.m. BST/10 a.m. ET, BBC (UK)/FS1 or Fox (U.S.) Serbia vs. Brazil, 7 p.m. BST/2 p.m. ET, ITV (UK)/FS1 or Fox (U.S.) Switzerland vs. Costa Rica, 7 p.m. BST/2 p.m. ET, ITV (UK)/FS1 or Fox (U.S.) Thursday, June 28 Japan vs. Poland, 3 p.m. BST/10 a.m. ET, BBC (UK)/FS1 or Fox (U.S.) Colombia vs. Senegal, 3 p.m. BST/10 a.m. ET, BBC (UK)/FS1 or Fox (U.S.) Panama vs. Tunisia, 7 p.m. BST/2 p.m. ET, ITV (UK)/FS1 or Fox (U.S.) England vs. Belgium, 7 p.m. BST/2 p.m. ET, ITV (UK)/FS1 or Fox (U.S.) For full live-stream links, visit NBC Sports Live Extra or Fox Soccer Match Pass in the U.S., or ITV Hub and BBC iPlayer in the UK. Russia and Saudi Arabia aren't exactly giants of football, but the lack of clear favourites for second place in Group A makes this an intriguing opener. Uruguay are the favourites for first place as the only nation ranked inside the top 20. On paper, Egypt are favoured to join them in the next round, but home advantage could play a big role for Russia. Only one host nation has failed to advance past the group stages, and that was South Africa in 2010. Things aren't looking good for Russia, though: Group B kicks off on Friday, and things should be interesting right away. With Portugal and Spain facing each other first, at least one of those nations is bound to drop points, which could be a major advantage for Morocco or Iran. If one of those sides wins their opener, they'll take a lead they can build their game plan around. For Morocco―defensive specialists who didn't concede a single goal in their final qualifying group―the chance to sit back and counter could lead to an upset at a later time.<doc-sep>Who will come out on top at the World Cup group stage? We challenged the Soccer Saturday pundits to predict the eight winners... The pundits might be in agreement that some of the favourites at Russia 2018 will breeze through their opening fixtures but they're divided when it comes to some groups - including England's. Read on to find out who Paul Merson, Charlie Nicholas, Matt Le Tissier and Phil Thompson are tipping to prevail. You can also plot your predictions with our Road to Moscow virtual wallchart, with £5,000 up for grabs for the leader come July 15. Group A: Egypt, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Uruguay Merse predicts: Uruguay Charlie predicts: Uruguay Le Tiss predicts: Uruguay Thommo predicts: Uruguay Le Tiss says: "I don't think this one is a particularly strong group but Uruguay were second only to Brazil in South American qualifying so, with Mohamed Salah a doubt, I'm backing them to secure top spot." Image: Will Mo Salah be fit enough to inspire Egypt? Group B: Iran, Morocco, Portugal, Spain Merse predicts: Spain Charlie predicts: Spain Le Tiss predicts: Spain Thommo predicts: Spain Merse says: "I think that even if Portugal can get a draw in the opening game against Spain then they might still struggle as they'll be too negative and Spain will score more goals in the remaining games." Image: Spain are fancied again under Julen Lopetegui Group C: Australia, Denmark, France, Peru Merse predicts: France Charlie predicts: France Le Tiss predicts: France Thommo predicts: France Charlie says: "I can see France winning this group by a distance. It should be nice and easy for them, wrapping it up in their first two games and being able to rest and rotate in their final game, which is a big advantage." Image: Olivier Giroud's France are among the favourites in Russia Group D: Argentina, Croatia, Iceland, Nigeria Merse predicts: Argentina Charlie predicts: Argentina Le Tiss predicts: Croatia Thommo predicts: Argentina Le Tiss says: "This is an interesting one and I'm torn between Croatia and Argentina. Lionel Messi is obviously a big factor, but I'm not sure the Argentines are strong enough beyond their forwards." Image: All but one of the Soccer Saturday pundits are tipping Lionel Messi's Argentina to win Group D Group E: Brazil, Costa Rica, Serbia, Switzerland Merse predicts: Brazil Charlie predicts: Brazil Le Tiss predicts: Brazil Thommo predicts: Brazil Thommo says: "This might be the most straightforward group to predict, especially if Neymar is fully fit. Brazil look to have a nice balance to their side along with their usual wealth of attacking talent." Image: Neymar scored for Brazil in a warm-up against Croatia on his return after injury Group F: Germany, Mexico, South Korea, Sweden Merse predicts: Germany Charlie predicts: Germany Le Tiss predicts: Germany Thommo predicts: Germany Le Tiss says: "It is very tough to look past Germany here. They have another strong squad and they very rarely fail to turn up in major tournaments." Image: Mesut Ozil's Germany are the defending champions Group G: Belgium, England, Panama, Tunisia Merse predicts: Belgium Charlie predicts: Belgium Le Tiss predicts: Belgium Thommo predicts: England Merse says: "I just think that Belgium are a better team individually. It's a hard one to call and it may well depend on how many goals they beat the other two teams by. With the way they keep the ball, Tunisia isn't an easy game to start for England, so I'm edging towards Belgium as they should build confidence with their opener against Panama." Image: Romelu Lukaku will be a familiar threat when England face Belgium Group H: Colombia, Japan, Poland, Senegal Merse predicts: Colombia Charlie predicts: Japan Le Tiss predicts: Poland Thommo predicts: Poland Thommo says: "This has got to be the toughest to call of the all the groups and perhaps the only one where any of the four sides could go on and secure top spot. However, I'm backing Poland based on the firepower of Robert Lewandowski."<doc-sep>Someone must do the difficult job of predicting the 2018 FIFA World Cup. The national soccer teams of 32 nations have arrived in Russia where they’ll compete this month and next for global supremacy. Each hopes to achieve sporting immortality, but they’ll launch their bids knowing the road to glory is long and arduous. The tournament will take place in two phases: the group stage and the knockout rounds. FIFA has drawn the teams into eight groups of four. The four teams will play three round-robin games, with three points for a win and one for a draw at stake. Here’s how we predict the group stage will play out, with expected points in parentheses. Group A: Russia, Uruguay, Egypt, Saudi Arabia 1. Uruguay (9 points) 2. Egypt (4) 3. Russia (4) 4. Saudi Arabia (0) Uruguay should stroll to victory, given its firepower and experience. Egypt should be strong enough to finish runner-up, despite doubts over superstar Mohamed Salah’s fitness. Russia will come agonizingly close to reaching the round of 16 but miss out on goal difference. Saudi Arabia will return home with three defeats. Group B: Portugal, Spain, Iran, Morocco 1. Portugal (7 points) 2. Spain (5) 3. Morocco (2) 4. Iran (1) Portugal and Spain will draw in their highly anticipated opener, and Iran and Morocco will draw at the start. Portugal then will win its next two, but Spain will suffer a surprising setback in the finale against Morocco and settle for a draw.<doc-sep>Hosts Russia have received a fairly easy group to kickstart their World Cup campaign. (Source: Reuters) Hosts Russia have received a fairly easy group to kickstart their World Cup campaign. (Source: Reuters) Russia Hosts Russia kickstart the World Cup as the lowest-ranked FIFA team to participate in the football extravaganza. Stanislav Chercheshov’s men might have gotten the free pass to play in the biggest football tournament in the world by virtue of being the hosts, but that does not assure them of a spot in the knockout round. Despite a low-key performance at the last World Cup as well as Euro 2016, hopes of billions of home fans will be pinned on the experienced CSKA Captain Igor Akinfeev, who will be under pressure to take his side beyond group stage for the first time. Akinfeev has spent his entire career in Russia and will make the most use of the home environment. Russia, who need a strong defence, will hope to avoid the fate of South Africa in 2010 when they were knocked out in the group stages. The hosts will look confident in their first group match against Saudi Arabia. Squad Goalkeepers: Igor Akinfeev (CSKA Moscow), Vladimir Gabulov (Brugge), Andrei Lunyov (Zenit St. Petersburg). Defenders: Mario Fernandes (CSKA Moscow), Vladimir Granat (Rubin Kazan), Sergei Ignashevich (CSKA Moscow), Fyodor Kudryashov (Rubin Kazan), Ilya Kutepov (Spartak Moscow), Andrei Semyonov (Akhmat Grozny), Igor Smolnikov (Zenit St. Petersburg). Midfielders: Denis Cheryshev (Villarreal), Alan Dzagoev (CSKA Moscow), Yuri Gazinsky (FC Krasnodar), Alexander Golovin (CSKA Moscow), Daler Kuzyaev (Zenit St. Petersburg), Anton Miranchuk (Lokomotiv Moscow), Alexander Samedov (Spartak Moscow), Alexander Yerokhin (Zenit St. Petersburg), Yuri Zhirkov (Zenit St. Petersburg), Roman Zobnin (Spartak Moscow). Forwards: Artyom Dzyuba (Arsenal Tula), Alexei Miranchuk (Lokomotiv Moscow), Fyodor Smolov (FC Krasnodar). Uruguay Uruguay meanwhile moved to the brink of qualification with a typically combative 2-1 win over Paraguay in Asuncion. (Source: Reuters) Uruguay meanwhile moved to the brink of qualification with a typically combative 2-1 win over Paraguay in Asuncion. (Source: Reuters) Spearheaded by Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani, Uruguay are the strongest team in the Group and most likely to go ahead to the knockouts without much of a fuss. Suarez will want to forget the controversies of the past two tournaments (handball in 2010 and the infamous bite in 2014). With Diego Godin and Jose Gimenez keeping the defence tight, Uruguay are the best bet out of the group. Uruguay, with their strong attack and defence, will count on their 2010 run where they finished fourth to move ahead in the tournament. What the South American powerhouse need to work on is their midfield to ensure good supply for Cavani and Suarez. Uruguay’s opening group match against Egypt promises to be a thrilling one, considering that the winning side are most likely to go ahead. (PREVIEWS: Group A | Group B | Group C | Group D | Group E | Group F | Group G | Group H) Squad Goalkeepers: Fernando Muslera, Martin Silva, Martin Campana Defenders: Diego Godin, Guillermo Varela, Jose Maria Gimenez, Martin Caceres, Maximiliano Pereira, Sebastian Coates, Gaston Silva Midfielders: Nahitan Nandez, Matias Vecino, Lucas Torreira, Rodrigo Bentancur, Giorgian De Arrascaeta, Carlos Sanchez, Diego Laxalt, Jonathan Urretaviscaya, Cristian Rodriguez Forwards: Luis Suarez, Edinson Cavani, Maximiliano Gomez, Cristhian Stuani Egypt Eygpt fans with a banner of Mohamed Salah. (Source: Reuters) Eygpt fans with a banner of Mohamed Salah. (Source: Reuters) Egypt might not have played World Cup since 1990 but their faith in their superstar Mohamed Salah will play an important role in moving forward to the next stage. Egypt suffered a setback when the Liverpool forward suffered a shoulder injury during the Champions League final to dent their World Cup chances. But the African nation could bank on his ability to be the confidence boosting force even as his involvement remains a question mark. The “one-man team” qualified for World Cup by topping their group that included Uganda, Congo and Ghana. Squad Goalkeepers: tEssam El Hadary, Mohamed El-Shennawy, Sherif Ekramy Defenders: Ahmed Fathi, Saad Samir, Ayman Ashraf, Mahmoud Hamdy, Mohamed Abdel-Shafy, Ahmed Hegazi, Ali Gabr, Ahmed Elmohamady, Omar Gaber Midfielders: Mohamed Elneny, Tarek Hamed, Abdallah Said, Shikabala, Sam Morsy, Mahmoud Kahraba, Mahmoud Hassan, Ramadan Sobhi, Amr Warda Forwards: Mohamed Salah, Marwan Mohsen Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia players celebrate after winning the 2018 World Cup group B qualifying match vs Japan. (AP Photo) Saudi Arabia players celebrate after winning the 2018 World Cup group B qualifying match vs Japan. (AP Photo) Saudi Arabia appear to be the weakest of the teams in the group and under a manager who did not get enough time to shape his side. With their best player in Mohammad Al-Sahlawi, who has played his entire club career in Saudi Arabia, he will need to replicate his form in Russia if the team wishes to advance to the knockout stage. Saudi Arabia finished second in Group B during the third and final round of AFC qualifying, in a group that was topped by Japan and also featured Australia, the UAE, Iraq and Thailand. Squad Goalkeepers: Mohammed Al Owais, Yasser Al Mosailem, Abdullah Al Mayouf Defenders: Mansoor Al Harbi, Mohammed Al Breik, Yasser Al Shahrani, Motaz Hawsawi, Osama Hawsawi, Omar Hawsawi, Ali Al Bulaihi Midfielders: Abdullah Al Khaibari, Abdulmalek Al Khaibri, Salman Al Faraj, Mohamed Kanno, Abdullah Otayf, Taiseer Al Jassim, Houssain Al Mogahwi, Hattan Bahebri, Salem Al Dawsari, Yahya Al Shehri, Fahad Al Muwallad Forwards: Mohammad Al Sahlawi, Muhannad Assiri<doc-sep>

Uruguay is the undisputed class of the World Cup's Group A, while host Russia, Mohamed Salah-reliant Egypt and upstart Saudi Arabia figure to fight for the group's second place in the knockout stage. Like all good hosts should, Russia is in Group A to make everyone else feel comfortable. With Uruguay the favorite to advance out of the group, Egypt hopeful it will have a fully fit Mohamed Salah and Saudi Arabia considered an even match, Russia has its work cut out to avoid embarrassment on home soil at the 2018 World Cup. Countries with weaker teams that host the World Cup may get a free pass into the competition, but they get no guarantee of advancing to the knockout rounds. Russia will be out to avoid the fate suffered by South Africa in 2010, when it became the first host to miss the knockout stage, though in finishing in third and showing well, it exited with heads high. That could be Russia's road, though its schedule is in its favor. Russia’s first game is against Saudi Arabia, a game the Russians will believe they can win, before things slowly escalated to Egypt—potentially with a healthy Salah—and finish against star-laden Uruguay. Meanwhile, Egypt will come in putting plenty of pressure on Salah’s banged up shoulder. Salah scored 71% of the Pharaohs' goals during World Cup qualifying, and if their talisman striker isn’t recovered in time before Egypt’s first game against Uruguay, it will make the climb to the last 16 that much more difficult for a nation that hasn’t played in a World Cup since 1990. Saudi Arabia is the second-lowest ranked team in the competition–67th according to FIFA's monthly standings; only Russia, at 70, is lower–and it's largely an unknown, given it's on its third manager of the World Cup cycle. Bert van Marwijk, now coaching Australia, guided the side through qualification. Ex-Argentina manager Edgardo Bauza followed for five friendlies, before ex-Chile manager Juan Antonio Pizzi took the reins for just before the World Cup draw. The Saudis ended a 12-year absence from the World Cup with this spectacular goal by Fahad Al Muwallad against Japan. Saudi Arabia’s hopes of getting out of the group stage figured to fall squarely on Mohammad Al-Sahlawi, a striker with plenty of pace and one who finished tied for the most goals in Asia's 2018 World Cup qualifying with 16. It's chances are hampered with the exclusion of the injured Nawaf Al-Abed, though. Match Schedule Thursday, June 14 (11 a.m. ET): Russia vs. Saudi Arabia Friday, June 15 (8 a.m. ET): Egypt vs. Uruguay Tuesday, June 19 (2 p.m. ET): Russia vs. Egypt Wednesday, June 20 (11 a.m. ET): Uruguay vs. Saudi Arabia Monday, June 25 (10 a.m. ET): Saudi Arabia vs. Egypt Monday, June 25 (10 a.m. ET): Uruguay vs. Russia Most Pivotal Match It’s early on, but the match between Egypt and Uruguay will be pivotal for both teams. It will show us if Uruguay is for real after getting knocked out by a plucky Colombia squad in the 2014 World Cup. The strike partnership of Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani could run ragged over any defense in this competition. Egypt’s defense has a few names that may be familiar to diligent fans, such as Ahmed Elmohamady from Aston Villa and Omar Gaber from LAFC, but the Pharaohs will need to put forth a Herculean effort to win this game, especially if they are to be without Salah. This match will could wind up determining the winner of the group, as both will feel confident of getting points off Russia and Saudi Arabia. If Egypt stumbles in its first match–especially by a lopsided tally–though, it will be under a lot of pressure playing against two other teams hungry for World Cup success. After Remarkable Rise, Mohamed Salah Shoulders Egypt's World Cup Hopes Potential Sleeper Team While it would be fun to put the hosts here, there’s just something about Saudi Arabia that screams spoiler. The team hasn’t been to the World Cup in 12 years, and the 31-year-old Al-Sahlawi will fun to watch as he looks to carry the Green Falcons. Russia hasn’t played well leading up to the tournament–it enters winless in seven friendlies–and the pressure of hosting could get to the Russians.

Governor also visiting staging location. NEWPORT — Gov. Gina Raimondo held a media availability Tuesday morning to provide an update on National Grid's response to widespread gas outages in Newport County. She is then scheduled to visit the staging location at Gurney's Resort on Goat Island at 12:15 p.m. The Newport Daily News will provide updates throughout the day on this situation.<doc-sep>Weather Governor Declares State of Emergency in Newport For Gas Outage Over 7,000 National Grid customers in Newport and Middletown are without heat Monday night due to a gas outage. Reply NEWPORT, RI -- Updated at 11:40 a.m. Tuesday: Governor Gina Raimondo has declared a state of emergency in Newport County after more than 7,100 National Grid customers lost gas service Monday. With temperatures in the single digits, Raimondo says the top priority is making sure residents are someplace warm and safe. According to the National Grid website, more than 1,000 worker sare being deployed to the area to assess the situation and continue restoration efforts. The area has been declared safe, and the company stated it has the situation under control. READ MORE: 5 Ways To Stay Safe During The Gas Emergency "If you do not have heat this evening, do not stay in your homes overnight," Raimondo said during a press conference at 11 p.m. on Monday. "This is a major event...we all have to help each other." I've declared a state of emergency in Newport County and have activated the National Guard to assist residents. — Gina Raimondo (@GovRaimondo) January 22, 2019 @GovRaimondo has declared a State of Emergency for Newport County after National Grid has shut off gas to 7,000 residential customers. The Governor said it is not safe for people to stay in their homes w/o heat tonight. Call 211 for assistance with shelter, rides, etc. — Rhode Island EMA (@RhodeIslandEMA) January 22, 2019 National Grid reported a low-pressure issue just before noon Monday near Old Mill Lane in Portsmouth. According to a National Grid official, the issue was repaired, and service is being restored to several hundred residents in Middletown. However, gas service has been cut to over 6,700 Newport customers for safety reasons, as sufficient pressure cannot be restored at this time. We are currently experiencing a low gas pressure situation affecting several hundred customers in RI: Newport, Middletown, Portsmouth. Teams are assessing the situation & will continue to provide updates. This restoration process may be a multi-day event for those impacted. 1/2 — National Grid US (@nationalgridus) January 22, 2019 Unlike in a power outage, he continued, each home must be individually entered and each meter addressed individually. This process could take several days. UPDATED STORY: National Grid Says Restoration Effort Will Take Several Days A warming shelter has been set up at Gaudet Middle School in Aquidneck Avenue in Middletown. Raimondo said another warming shelter has been set up at the University of Rhode Island's Memorial Union, with overflow going to the Ryan Center. Anyone who is unable to evacuate on their own can call 211 for assistance in getting transportation. According to Raimondo, the local National Guard has been deployed to the area and will be on call to assist with evacuations. Residents can also call a ride-sharing service such as Uber or Lyft, and National Grid will reimburse customers later for the expense. National Grid will also reimburse anyone affected who stays at a hotel. Residents across Rhode Island are urged to check in on friends and loved ones in Newport to make sure they are safe and have somewhere warm to go Monday night. Due to the late hour, there is a concern for residents who may have gone to bed before becoming aware of the situation. "If you have heat, please, call your loved ones, your church members, anyone in the area, offer for them to stay over at your house . Make sure they have a warm place to stay tonight," Raimondo urged during her press conference.<doc-sep>As Newport and Middletown continue to deal with the gas outage, National Grid provided an update to their efforts to restore service to customers. As Newport and Middletown continue to deal with the gas outage, National Grid provided an update to their efforts to restore service to customers. Here are seven takeaways from the 11:30 a.m. press conference. • In Middletown, 198 customers have had their service restored. Approximately 140 customers remain without gas service. • In Newport, there are approximately 6,500 customers without gas. Of that number approximately 5,600 have had their gas shut off. The effort to return service to any Newport customers can't begin until all customers have had their gas turned off. • National Grid officials said they have more than 1,000 total resources providing service, including more than 400 National Grid technicians, more than 200 contractors and 200 customer liaison personal. • National Grid officials said they have been told some customers are trying to turn gas on themselves. They warned customers to not do so, emphasizing that it's an "unsafe practice." • Even though temperatures are rising, Newport Mayor Jamie Bova asked residents to leave their homes if they do not have heat. • If you have currently have gas service, National Grid officials said you will not lose service. • National Grid officials discussed the use of locksmiths to enter homes, explaining that their terms allow them to access their equipment. They called it a "longstanding practice."<doc-sep>

Russia: Crimean PM hails renewed Russian gas supply to Ukraine's Genichesk More than 7,000 people are battling sub-zero temperatures after National Grid shut off the gas supply on Monday due to a “low pressure” issue. The City of Newport, Rhode Island, wrote on Facebook the problem originated on Aquidneck Island but had since spread to Newport and Middletown. People are having to fend in bone-numbing temperatures in the same week killer Storm Harper blasted midwest and northeastern USA. At least six people have died so far as at least a foot of snow (30cm) fell in areas including New York City, Boston and northern New England. Rhode Island governor Gina Raimondo called the state of emergency on Monday night citing it a “major event” at a press conference. She later tweeted: “Warming centers are open at CCRI's Newport campus, Newport Heights and Donovan Manor. “The Potter League for Animals will be open overnight to accept pets from those seeking shelter. “If you need to stay in a hotel or call an Uber or Lyft to get to shelter because of the outage, save your receipts and @nationalgridus will reimburse you. Newport National Grid gas outage: Newport, Rhode Island, left, a gas station, right “It may be a week or more until every impacted customer is restored." Which homes are affected? More than 6,700 Newport customers have had their gas supply cut off, with the remaining number being from Aquidneck Island. Temperatures are already below freezing and could drop to a bone-chilling -10C later on. Newport National Grid gas outage: Temperatures are below freezing in Newport County In its latest update at 8.32am local time (1.30pm GMT), the City of Newport, RI, posted on Facebook: “Work to address the ongoing natural gas outage continues across Newport and Middletown. “We’ll be issuing an update on the situation in this space shortly.” National Grid plans to start restoring gas from today but the “methodical” work involved “could be a multiple day process”. All Newport schools have been closed as a precaution. However, Newport Hospital, and the City’s nursing homes Heatherwood, Village House, and the St. Clare Home all have heat. Newport National Grid gas outage: Newport County is less than 200 miles from New York

The first round of the NHL playoffs begins Wednesday when the Columbus Blue Jackets visit the Tampa Bay Lightning (7 p.m. ET, USA) and the New York Islanders host the Pittsburgh Penguins (7:30 p.m., NBCSN). Also on Wednesday: the St. Louis Blues at the Winnipeg Jets (8 p.m., NHL Network); the Dallas Stars at the Nashville Predators (9:30 p.m., USA) and the Vegas Golden Knights at the San Jose Sharks (10:30 p.m., NBCSN). On Thursday, the rest of the series begin with the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Boston Bruins (7 p.m. ET, NBCSN); the Carolina Hurricanes at the Washington Capitals (7 p.m., USA) and the Colorado Avalanche at the Calgary Flames (10 p.m., NBCSN). (Check out our full Stanley Cup predictions here.) USA TODAY Sports’ NHL staff makes its predictions for the first round. EASTERN CONFERENCE (1) TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING VS. (WC2) COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS Kevin Allen: Lightning in 4: The Blue Jackets' effort to make the playoffs should be applauded. But their trade deadline boldness only earned them the opportunity to be humbled by the 62-win Lightning in the first round of the playoffs. Jimmy Hascup: Lightning in 5. There is no better way for Sergei Bobrovsky to change the narrative of his playoff performances (.891 save percentage in 24 games). But the Lightning are too good and too deep. Mike Brehm: Lightning in 5. The Lightning dominated the Blue Jackets in the regular season and the Blue Jackets have never won a playoff series. Those trends will continue, and the Blue Jackets could look very different next season. Jace Evans: Lightning in 5. The Blue Jackets' all-in effort before the trade deadline appears to have produced mixed results. That failure to find another gear sees them slotted into a matchup with one of the great regular-season teams in NHL history. (2) BOSTON BRUINS VS. (3) TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS Allen: Maple Leafs in 6: Everyone is writing off the Maple Leafs. But let's not forget they have John Tavares, Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner. Look for goalie Frederik Andersen to be the difference. Hascup: Bruins in 7. Might be the most entertaining first-round series, and, yes, a repeat of their last two playoffs matchups results. Brehm: Bruins in 7. The Bruins were playing much better down the stretch and could end this earlier, but these teams' last two playoff meetings lasted seven games, so why not again? Maybe even the Bruins will have another big third period to make the difference. Evans: Bruins in 7. The Bruins might have the best line in hockey. The Maple Leafs have a top-five offense with seven 20-goal scorers. There's little that separates these teams on the ice, but the Bruins hold home ice and the mental edge after last year. (1) WASHINGTON CAPITALS VS. (WC1) CAROLINA HURRICANES Allen: Capitals in 6. Want to believe in the 'Canes but the Capitals were a playoff beast just 10 months ago. The Caps have the edge in every category. Hascup: Capitals in 5. Washington beat Carolina in all four matchups this season. It wouldn't be surprising to see the Capitals win a second consecutive Stanley Cup, while the Hurricanes are still too inexperienced. Brehm: Capitals in 5. Odd fact: The Hurricanes have three playoff appearances this century, yet they have won nine series. That's as many series wins as the Capitals have had over the last nine seasons. But the Capitals have the experience of last season's championship run, greater depth and a season sweep going for them. Evans: Capitals in 6. The defending champs enter the postseason with little pressure as the hockey world's attention in the East centers on the Lightning and another Bruins-Maple Leafs series. But this squad may actually be more complete than last year's title-winning group as it features seven 20-goal scorers – led by Alex Ovechkin's league-leading 51 tallies – and zero questions about who the playoff starter in goal will be. (2) NEW YORK ISLANDERS VS. (3) PITTSBURGH PENGUINS Allen: Penguins in 7: The Islanders are the NHL's No. 1 defensive team, but there's a reason why the Penguins have made the playoffs every season since 2007. The Penguins' winning culture and experience makes them a sleeper in this year's playoff pool. Hascup: Penguins in 6. The Islanders were a sensational story this year, but it's hard to bet against the experience of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang. Brehm: Penguins in 7. Coach Barry Trotz finally got past the Penguins last season, but that was with a better Capitals team. Though the Islanders are stingy defensively, the Penguins have too many offensive threats. Evans: Penguins in 7. Almost universally picked to miss the playoffs after losing John Tavares, the Islanders responded by putting up their most points since 1984. The Islanders could push the Penguins to the brink thanks to a league-best defense, but the Pens have more difference-makers on offense and their overall experience will win out. RANKINGS:Sizing up the playoff teams 1-16 UPSET:Who can beat the 62-win Lightning SCHEDULE:Dates, times, TV for first round of NHL playoffs WESTERN CONFERENCE (1) CALGARY FLAMES VS. (WC2) COLORADO AVALANCHE Allen: Flames in 7. The Avs were one of the NHL's hottest teams down the stretch, but the Flames were impressive start to finish. The Flames rank tied second in goal-scoring (3.52 per game) and ninth in goals-against (3.72). That's a winning formula. Hascup: Flames in 5. If the Flames' goaltending were more reliable, I'd call for a sweep. Brehm: Flames in 5. Look for Johnny Gaudreau to build on his 99-point season and for Mark Giordano to show why he's the Norris Trophy front-runner. Evans: Flames in 6. While there are some questions regarding who exactly the goalie will be, this team is still the only squad outside the Lightning to finish in the top 10 in both goals for and against. Colorado has excellent top-end talent that could help steal some games in the face of Calgary's net questions. (2) SAN JOSE SHARKS VS. (3) VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS Allen: Golden Knights in 6. If goaltending is still king in the playoffs, then the Golden Knights have have a distinct advantage. The Sharks are a dangerous offensive team, but they give up too many goals to be effective in the playoffs. Hascup: Golden Knights in 6. Did not end the season strong, but Marc-Andre Fleury should be well-rested and his team, now with Mark Stone, will be looking to win one more series than last year when they lost in the Final. Brehm: Sharks in 7. Both teams struggled lately, but the Sharks did so partly because of an Erik Karlsson injury. He returned in the finale and will help the Sharks' offense, which already is formidable with four 30-goal scorers and a rejuvenated Joe Thornton. Sharks goalie Martin Jones will have to play better. Evans: Golden Knights in 7. While Erik Karlsson is back, the Sharks stumbled to the finish in winning just three of their final 12 games. More concerning for the Sharks is their goaltending; Martin Jones' .896 save percentage in 62 games just isn't good enough for a team with title aspirations – and backup Aaron Dell's mark was somehow even worse. (1) NASHVILLE PREDATORS VS. (WC1) DALLAS STARS Allen: Predators in 7: The Preds will need their home-ice advantage to take down a Stars team that knows how to keep the puck out of their net. The Predators are not a top offensive team, but they score more often than the Stars. Hascup: Predators in 6. Defense vs. defense. It's hard to see the Stars and their 28th-ranked offense scoring enough against an experienced Predators group with the third-best defense. Brehm: Stars in 6. A hot goalie can overcome a better opponent, and Ben Bishop has four shutouts since March 5. The Predators' league-worst power play won't help them. Evans: Predators in 6. Goalie Ben Bishop – the NHL's save percentage leader – should be able to steal some games for the Stars, but they lack the Predators' overall depth. (2) WINNIPEG JETS VS. (3) ST. LOUIS BLUES<doc-sep>On the third-last night of the NHL regular season, a lot of things were figured ahead of the 2019 playoffs around 9:30 p.m. (EST). First, a 3-1 win for the Carolina Hurricanes over the New Jersey Devils locked up their first postseason berth since 2009. With the score knotted at one early in the second period, Justin Faulk fired a point shot past Cory Schneider to give Carolina its first lead of the night. B O O M pic.twitter.com/jfJoZhdVCM — Carolina Hurricanes (@NHLCanes) April 5, 2019 The blueliner’s 10th of the season stood as the winner, the Hurricanes’ 45th victory of the season. They currently sport a record of 45-29-7 for 97 points with only one game remaining on their schedule (against the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday). The excitement within the walls of PNC Arena was high as a result. The wait is over!! pic.twitter.com/VDajOkASZh — Carolina Hurricanes (@NHLCanes) April 5, 2019 Minutes later, the final horn sounded at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh. After surrendering the game’s opening tally to the Detroit Red Wings, Phil Kessel found the back of the net twice while Jake Guentzel and Sidney Crosby added singles to propel the Penguins to a 4-1 win. The triumph moved their record to 44-26-11 for 99 points with one game remaining (against the New York Rangers on Saturday). WE'RE IN! The Penguins are playoff bound for the 13th consecutive season, the longest streak in the NHL.#LetsGoPens pic.twitter.com/38XavCFrpj — Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) April 5, 2019 We mention those final games because they may determine where the two sides end up after 82 regular season contests. Pittsburgh currently sits third in the Metropolitan, two points up on Carolina. Story continues If, however, the Penguins lose their final game in regulation and the Hurricanes win in regulation or overtime, they would both have 99 points. In that scenario, Carolina would jump over Pittsburgh because they have more wins. Things may also become interesting if the Columbus Blue Jackets are able to win their final two games and the Hurricanes lose in regulation to the Flyers. (More on Columbus shortly.) Elsewhere, a crushing 2-1 loss to the Washington Capitals has the future looking pretty grim for the Montreal Canadiens. Nic Dowd’s tally for the Capitals early in the second period proved to be the difference. The loss drops Montreal’s record to 43-30-8 for 94 points. While that total is the same as that of the Blue Jackets (45-31-4), the Canadiens only have one game remaining (against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday) while the Blue Jackets have two (against the Rangers on Friday and the Ottawa Senators on Saturday). With a game in hand, more wins and more ROW (Regulation and Overtime Wins) than Montreal, Columbus is in full control its own destiny. Washington’s win clinches their fourth straight Metropolitan Division crown. The Capitals (48-25-8) have 104 points with one game remaining on their schedule (against the Islanders on Saturday). Lars Eller shared a message with Washington’s fans after the victory. When it comes to the Eastern Conference, a lot has been decided. However, as usual down the stretch of an NHL season, there’s still plenty to figure out. (Getty Images) More NHL coverage on Yahoo Sports<doc-sep>On Thursday night, with a 3-1 win over the New Jersey Devils, the Carolina Hurricanes clinched a spot in the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time since 2009. It’s a historic moment for a franchise that has too long languished at the bottom of the Eastern Conference, and fans and players alike celebrated by hugging, kissing and butt-slapping everything in sight. Seriously, it is a joy to watch. Take, for instance, these incredibly emotional embraces among long-suffering fans as it became clear that the playoff drought was over. I can’t be sure, but it certainly looks like tears are being shed. Oh, the FEELS. The @nhlcanes are in the #StanleyCup Playoffs for the first time since 2009 and this shows just how much it means to the franchise. (🎥 @fisherjillian) pic.twitter.com/QKPpIVBhUt — NHL on NBC (@NHLonNBCSports) April 5, 2019 Or, this kid’s teary howl of pure emotion after the buzzer. I know he'll kill me for posting this when he's older but I love this kids love of all things @NHLCanes and I want him and I to remember this moment forever. #CanesMadeThePlayOffs pic.twitter.com/qgK3fsRoqO — x – KimB (@K1S3B2) April 5, 2019 There’s also goalie Petr Mrazek’s emotional post-game interview with NBC Sports that’s mostly just him yelling and hooting in victory. My favorite though, is forward Jordan Martinook walking around the Canes locker room and hugging every single person on the team like this is the last time he’ll ever see them. MARTY PARTY IN THE LOCKER ROOM 🙌 pic.twitter.com/ZN0vaRhO8d — x – Carolina Hurricanes (@NHLCanes) April 5, 2019 Hockey die hards and curmudgeons across the globe will say the team should act like they’ve been there before, even if “before” was 10 years ago, and that the real victory is the Cup itself, but honestly, it should be criminal to begrudge anyone this kind of joy. The world is a mostly miserable and cruel place, and people’s lives are often constantly disappointing, so when there is one bright spark of joy to be found, in the fact that a team no one believed in at the start of the season actually made it to the playoffs, it should be embraced whole heartedly. This is what hockey, and life in general, needs more of. Hugs, kisses and (consensual) butt slaps.<doc-sep>

It's now time for the greatest postseason tournament in all of professional sports — the NHL's Stanley Cup playoffs. While we all start off thinking one team is a sure-fire pick to win it all, one bounce or post or bad bounce can alter a team's destiny. Is this the year the Tampa Bay Lightning finally get over the hump after making deep playoff runs — including a Stanley Cup Final in 2015 — three of the last four years? Or is the Carolina Hurricanes, and their "bunch of jerks" the Cinderella story of this year's postseason? How it will all end is still to be determined but Sporting News' NHL experts predict the Eastern Conference playoffs and who will take a lap with Lord Stanley's Cup in June. MORE SN STAFF PICKS: Western Conference | Stanley Cup NHL playoffs bracket 2019 https://images.daznservices.com/di/library/sporting_news/c9/2c/nhl-2019-stanley-cup-bracket-040919-getty-ftrjpeg_otg5tapy0lmt1wkkk7n9od9es.jpg?t=-19489807&w=500&quality=80 NHL playoffs 2019: Eastern Conference predictions Tampa Bay Lightning (A1) vs. Columbus Blue Jackets (WC2) The backstory The Lightning are poised to make a run at the Stanley Cup, and they definitely have the firepower and defensive core to do that. Standing in their way in the first round is the Columbus Blue Jackets who are led by the last man to lead the Bolts to a Cup way back in 2004 — John Tortorella. X-factor Columbus' entire postseason rides on its netminder, Sergei Bobrovsky . If the two-time Vezina Trophy winner can finally put his postseason demons behind him (5-14, 3.49 GAA and .891 save percentage in 24 appearances) then this series may be a little tighter than everyone is expecting. The big number 62. That's how many wins the Lightning got in the regular season. Jon Cooper's squad tied the 1996 Detroit Red Wings for the NHL record; however, Detroit didn't win the Cup and all eyes will be on Tampa Bay to see if they can get over the hump. Expert Tampa Bay Lightning Columbus Blue Jackets Jackie Spiegel Winner in 4 Brandon Schlager Winner in 5 Steve Kournianos Winner in 6 Dave McCarthy Winner in 5 Mike Murphy Winner in 5 Murray Pam Winner in 5 Lyle Richardson Winner in 4 Sammi Silber Winner in 5 MORE: Lightning vs. Blue Jackets series schedule, TV info, breakdown (Getty Images) https://images.daznservices.com/di/library/sporting_news/e8/f6/david-pastrnak-101318-getty-ftrjpg_iihx6s97178s1ujaa0k9css1d.jpg?t=1871607198&w=500&quality=80 Boston Bruins (A2) vs. Toronto Maple Leafs (A3) The backstory Well, here we are again. A little deja vu, would you say? Last season these two Original Six teams met up in the Eastern Conference' s first round with Boston winning in seven games. However, this is not last season's Maple Leafs. This team now has pure firepower netting 29 more goals this season than Boston, while averaging 3.49 goals-per-game (fourth-best in the NHL). The likes of John Tavares, Auston Matthews and Mitchell Marner will have a tough task facing Tuukka Rask, who already has one Stanley Cup under his belt. Also, obviously, never count out Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak. X-factor David Pastrnak picked up right where he left off when he returned following hand surgery in mid-March. After missing 16 games the winger netted 15 points (seven goals, six assists) in 10 games. If he can replicate his numbers (20 points in 12 games) from last season's playoff run, with 13 points coming in that seven-game series with Toronto, it'll be hard for the Maple Leafs to counter. The big number This series could come down to special teams and the biggest number is 79.9, which is how effective, or not, the Maple Leafs penalty kill was during the regular season. Not a great stat when you're heading into a match-up with the NHL's third-best power play (25.9). Toronto will need to clamp down on penalties if they want to keep the Bruins game-changing power-play off the ice. Expert Boston Bruins Toronto Maple Leafs Jackie Spiegel Winner in 7 Brandon Schlager Winner in 7 Steve Kournianos Winner in 6 Dave McCarthy Winner in 7 Mike Murphy Winner in 6 Murray Pam Winner in 7 Lyle Richardson Winner in 6 Sammi Silber Winner in 7 MORE: Bruins vs. Maple Leafs series schedule, TV info, breakdown (Getty Images) https://images.daznservices.com/di/library/sporting_news/25/e0/braden-holtby-washington-capitals-040519-getty-ftrjpeg_saskpql584fk198l8pi2lb13x.jpg?t=-209832383&w=500&quality=80 Washington Capitals (M1) vs. Carolina Hurricanes (WC1) The backstory The Capitals finally broke through last year and clinched the franchise's first-ever Stanley Cup and Alex Ovechkin and company are hungry to go back-to-back. They face long-time division foe Carolina for the first time in playoffs history.

Kevin Durant explains how Team LeBron turned it on after halftime and appreciates all the great players competing on the floor together. (1:55) CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- In Stephen Curry's homecoming, Kevin Durant stole the show. Durant scored a team-high 31 points for Team LeBron, helping to lead his team of All-Stars back from a 20-point deficit in a 178-164 win over Team Giannis and winning All-Star MVP for the second time in his career. Durant, who last won the award in 2012, shot 10-for-15 from the floor (6-for-9 from 3) as Team LeBron set an All-Star Game record for most made 3s in a game with 35. "We just didn't want to lose," Durant told ESPN's Rachel Nichols after accepting the MVP trophy on the court after the game. "We know we had a lot of talent over there that can do multiple things. We just wanted to turn it up a bit on the defensive side. I think the group closed the third quarter really changed the game for us. It is fun being around such greatness. Seeing how these guys operate on the day to day. I'll miss my time here." He added 7 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocks as LeBron James improved to 2-0 as a captain since the NBA All-Star Game changed to a draft format last year. Durant paid off as James' No. 1 overall pick in the draft. "It's all sweet to me," Durant said when asked to compare the award to his other career accomplishments. "I mean, it's hard to rank. Everything's special. But it's cool to be out there with some of the best players to ever play the game, and to win an MVP here in front of my family and friends is pretty sweet. I just keep trying to rack them up, I guess." The 11-year veteran's trophy case is getting mighty crowded these days after he took home back-to-back NBA Finals MVP awards for the Golden State Warriors' championships the last two years. Durant, who is not expected to opt in to the final year of his contract, worth $31.5 million, with the Warriors and instead test free agency this summer, was asked if there were any teammates in particular he enjoyed playing with on Team LeBron. Several of his teammates -- Kyrie Irving, Kawhi Leonard and Klay Thompson -- are also expected to test free agency this summer. James' team, the Los Angeles Lakers, will have the salary cap space to sign a max free agent of Durant's caliber. "Every one of them," Durant said, not offering any clues. "I think every one of these guys, you can relate to them on a different level. A lot of these guys come from the same background and same circumstances, so you relate to them on a different level. All our skills match with each other. So you've got guys that can play four positions out there. So you don't mind sitting in the corner waiting for the ball to come to you for a 3. "So you don't really have to do too much when you're playing with so many great players. You can do what you're just best at." Durant went 4-for-4 from the field (3-for-3 from 3) in the fourth quarter as Team LeBron pulled away. At halftime, with Team LeBron trailing by 13 points, James asked coach Mike Malone if he and his teammates could leave the locker room to see rapper J. Cole perform his halftime set out on the court. "I said, listen, I'll let you go watch the concert if you promise to get your ass back in transition," Malone said. "LeBron made my words known, they watched the concert, and they came out and played great." Team LeBron allowed 69 points in the second half after giving up 95 points in the first two quarters. "Coach Malone said the record [for points allowed] is 194, and we don't want to get that put on us," Durant said, revealing another motivation tactic of the Denver Nuggets' coach. "So I think guys just buckled down and wanted to win after a while." Curry, who played for Team Giannis, scored 17 points on 6-for-23 shooting (4-for-17 from 3), adding nine rebounds and seven assists. Damian Lillard, who scored nine of his 18 points in the third quarter to aid in the comeback alongside Durant, was asked to assess Durant's performance considering how much he has been in the news this season -- from commenting that stars didn't want to play alongside James to sniping at a reporter for speculating he could join the New York Knicks this summer. "I don't think the news had anything to do with it," Lillard said. "I think we all know the kind of player he is. Down the stretch of this game, he's hitting big shot after big shot. I think that's the most important thing. We know he's a very, very high-level basketball player, and from being around him, you see that he's just a regular dude. He comes off pretty genuine to me. "So I think you hear people saying stuff about he's sensitive and all those types of things, but you also want a genuine person. So I think people got to choose. But that's the way he comes off to me when I've been around him."<doc-sep>Another exciting NBA All-Star Weekend is in the books. Team LeBron closed the weekend with a 178-164 victory over Team Giannis in the All-Star Game on Sunday night from Charlotte. In a captain's effort, Giannis Antetokounmpo went for 38 points, 11 rebounds and five assists, but it wasn't enough to get the victory -- nor the MVP Award. That honor went to Team LeBron's Kevin Durant. The Warriors All-Star helped his squad take over in the second half, and finished with 31 points and seven rebounds to win All-Star MVP. This is the second All-Star Game MVP Award for Durant, who also took home the honor back in 2012. Durant joins LeBron James and Russell Westbrook as the only active players with multiple ASG MVP trophies. Down by 20 points early in the third quarter, Team LeBron looked in danger of being run out of the gym. They ratcheted up the intensity though, and quickly made a big comeback to not only get back in the game, but take a double-digit lead themselves. Durant was the key man, pouring in 18 of his 31 points in the second half. His four 3-pointers in the second half were part of a barrage from behind the arc by Team LeBron. They hit a remarkable 22 3-pointers in the second half alone to turn the game around.<doc-sep>

The 2019 NBA All-Star game, which will pit teams captained by Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James and Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, takes place on Sunday, February 17, 2019 (2/17/19) at 8 p.m. Eastern at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. For tickets to the NBA All-Star Game, For rooms at the NBA All-Star Game, For NBA team gear and All-Star Game gear, click here for To bet on the NBA All-Star Game, Here's what you need to know: What: NBA All-Star Game When: Thursday, Feb. 7, 2019 Time: 8 p.m. Eastern TV: TNT Channel finder: Verizon Fios, AT&T U-verse, Comcast Xfinity, Spectrum/Charter, Optimum/Altice, DIRECTV, Dish Livestream: fuboTV (free trial), TNTdrama Line: Team LeBron -5.5 (bet via FanDuel) Over/under: 312.5 (bet via FanDuel) The captains selected their teams on Thursday, February 7. The selection process went as follows; each captain selected the 10 starters in the first round, the 14 reserves in the second round, and Russell Westbrook and Dwyane Wade in the third round. Team LeBron had the first pick in the first and third rounds, and Team Giannis had the first pick in the second round. Here is how the rosters shook out: Team LeBron: Starters: LeBron James (Lakers), Kevin Durant (Warriors), Kyrie Irving (Celtics), Kawhi Leonard (Raptors), James Harden (Rockets). Reserves: Anthony Davis (Pelicans), Klay Thompson (Warriors), Damian Lillard (Trail Blazers), Ben Simmons (Sixers), LaMarcus Aldridge (Spurs), Karl-Anthony Towns (Timberwolves), Bradley Beal (Wizards), Dwyane Wade (Heat). Team Giannis: Starters: Giannis Antetokounmpo (Bucks), Stephen Curry (Warriors), Joel Embiid (Sixers), Paul George (Thunder), Kemba Walker (Hornets). Reserves: Khris Middleton (Bucks), Nikola Jokic (Nuggets), Russell Westbrook (Thunder), Blake Griffin (Pistons), D'Angelo Russell (Nets), Nikola Vucevic (Magic), Kyle Lowry (Raptors), Dirk Nowitzki (Dallas).

The Democrat-led House on Wednesday broke a years-long stalemate over gun control legislation, approving a bill to expand background checks to nearly all firearms sales and transfers. The measure is unlikely to survive the Senate, but House Democrats said at least they made good on vows to aggressively push the issue in the wake of a spate of high-profile mass shootings. “Can we guarantee that this will work to make every person safe? It cannot. It will not,” House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer said in a floor speech. “But I rise in strong support of doing something, and in this case doing something that 90 percent of America supports.” The legislation passed 240-190, with eight Republicans voting yes and two Democrats voting no. Republicans said that while well-intentioned, the legislation wouldn’t have prevented recent massacres where shooters had legally acquired their firearms or where the National Instant Criminal Background Check System — NICS — failed to flag someone. House Minority Whip Steve Scalise, who survived a shooting at a congressional baseball practice in June 2017, said Democrats weren’t interested in hearing his testimony on the issue. “Every day on average in this country, guns are used by good people to defend themselves against bad people, and it’s going to make it harder for them to get access to these guns,” the Louisiana Republican said. Under current law, a dozen categories of people, ranging from those with criminal convictions to those with mental health problems to illegal immigrants, are barred from buying firearms. But only federally licensed gun dealers are required to run potential buyers through NICS. Democrats said felons and terrorists are potentially slipping through the cracks by buying guns online and at private gun shows. Republicans did score a victory during Wednesday’s action, tacking on an amendment requiring NICS to notify the Department of Homeland Security any time an illegal immigrant tries to buy a gun. Deportation officers would then be able to decide whether to try to pick the person up. Illegal immigrants attempted to buy guns more than 3,000 times both in 2016 and 2017. Democratic leaders opposed the amendment, complaining the illegal immigration aspect was an attempt to “muck this up with a gimmick.” But enough Democrats joined with Republicans to approve the notifications. Still, gun control advocates hailed the broader vote as historic, after they had been stymied on major federal gun legislation since the 1990s. Congress voted to set up NICS in 1993 and passed a ban on military-style “assault” weapons in 1994. That ban lapsed a decade later, though the background checks have remained in effect and draw strong bipartisan support in public polls. “Americans finally have a majority in the House of Representatives that is listening to them,” said former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who was gravely wounded at a constituent event in January 2011 and has since become a prominent advocate of gun control. After years of being outspent and outmanned by gun-rights groups, Democrats say the politics of the issue are fundamentally shifting in their favor after the February 2018 school shooting in Parkland, Florida, where 17 students and educators at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School were killed. But Sen. John Kennedy, Louisiana Republican, said there was little chance the GOP-controlled Senate would take up the legislation. “What’s less than none? If there’s something less than none, that’s the chance,” Mr. Kennedy said. The White House has said President Trump’s advisers would recommend that he veto the bill if it makes it to his desk. Even facing those hurdles, the House is set to vote this week on another gun bill from House Majority Whip James Clyburn, South Carolina Democrat. It would extend the amount of time a dealer has to wait to hear back from the FBI on whether a would-be purchaser is barred from having a gun before proceeding with a sale. Mr. Clyburn’s bill is intended to close the “Charleston loophole.” That’s a reference to gunman Dylann Roof, who shot and killed nine black parishioners at a South Carolina church in 2015. The FBI said a communication breakdown allowed Roof to buy a gun shortly before the shooting despite a prior drug-related arrest. Sign up for Daily Newsletters Manage Newsletters Copyright © 2021 The Washington Times, LLC. Click here for reprint permission.<doc-sep>The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill Wednesday that would require a federal background check for all firearms purchases, including those between private citizens, according to NPR. The Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2019 passed 240-190. It is referred to as "bipartisan" because it has five Republican co-sponsors, and eight Republicans voted in favor of the bill in total. Other Republicans, including Texas Rep. Dan Crenshaw, said the law would not be effective in preventing illegal gun violence. "This is fundamentally about whether we make policy that feels good, or actually does good," Crenshaw said in an interview posted on the National Rifle Association Institute for Legislative Action Twitter. "This new law makes some people feel good, but it's not going to do any good. ... This would only make it harder for law-abiding Americans to actually protect and defend themselves." NRA-ILA executive director Chris Cox called the bill "extreme." "It will also make it harder for good people to defend themselves and their families," Cox said in a statement. "Criminals, on the other hand, will continue to get their firearms the way they always have—through the black market, theft, and straw purchases." President Donald Trump has publicly stated that he will veto the bill even if it passes the Republican-controlled Senate, which in itself is unlikely. What's in the bill? Currently, only licensed gun dealers have to run a background check on a customer who wants to buy a gun. This bill would prohibit any gun sale from taking place without a federal background check being completed. This includes private gun sales between friends or strangers, online purchases, and gun show purchases. The law would not apply to gun transfers between close relatives (parents/children, siblings, nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles, spouses, domestic partners, grandparents/grandchildren). Gun owners would be able to loan their gun to someone at a shooting range or for hunting/trapping/fishing as long as there is no reason to suspect the gun will be used in a crime and the person is legally able to possess a gun under state and federal law. Guns could still be given to someone else in a "temporary transfer that is necessary to prevent imminent death or great bodily harm, if the possession by the transferee lasts only as long as immediately necessary to prevent the imminent death or great bodily harm," according to the bill.<doc-sep>McBath willing to work across the aisle for gun bill (CNN) — The House of Representatives on Wednesday passed significant gun control legislation for the first time in more than two decades, a move that Democrats hope will intensify a pressure campaign for a vote in the Senate. The universal background check bill, H.R. 8, requires background checks on all firearm sales in the country. Currently, only licensed gun dealers must perform background checks for anyone seeking to purchase a firearm. Most unlicensed sellers do not; H.R. 8 would make that illegal. There are exemptions to the law like “gifts to family members and transfers for hunting, target shooting, and self-defense,” according to the House Judiciary Committee website. The measure passed 240-190. Eight Republicans voted for the bill, and two Democrats, Jared Golden of Maine and Collin Peterson of Minnesota, voted against it. The bill will move to the Senate, where it is unlikely to pass in the Republican-majority chamber as legislation often needs 60 or more votes to advance. The bill, sponsored by a bipartisan duo of Reps. Mike Thompson, a California Democrat, and Peter King, a New York Republican, remains an outlier right now in the House since it has bipartisan support. Most of the legislation related to gun control has been sponsored by Democrats. Four other Republicans co-sponsored the bill: Brian Mast of Florida, Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, Chris Smith of New Jersey and Fred Upton of Michigan. King told CNN on Tuesday that he may get a few more Republican colleagues to vote for the measure, but “no more than a handful.” At a 25-year anniversary party for the gun control group the Brady Campaign on Tuesday evening, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi expressed confidence that the universal background checks bill would pass the House of Representatives. At the event, Pelosi also recalled her efforts with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer in the 1990s on gun control as “hard,” but a “triumph that saved millions of lives.” “Tomorrow we’re going to send him the background check legislation,” Pelosi said to her Senate colleague with a wide smile. Schumer predicted that the country is on the “precipice of great change” on the issue of gun safety. “We have a Democratic House that will not flinch. We have a Senate Democratic minority that will not flinch. Most of all, we have a public who is aroused and strong.” Democrats, including Pelosi, have made this a top policy priority in the new Congress, staging public hearings on the topic which had not been held for years in Congress. The legislation also has the backing of a multitude of outside groups, including the former congresswoman and gun control advocate Gabby Giffords, the Brady Campaign, Everytown for Gun Safety and Moms Demand Action. “Today’s historic gun safety victory in Congress is a testament to courage,” Giffords said in a statement after the passage of the bill. “When the days were darkest, when it looked like the gun lobby’s money and influence would forever silence any debate in Washington about stronger gun laws, courage shone through.” Ted Deutch, a Florida Democrat who represents the district where the Marjory Stoneman Douglas shooting occurred last year, called the passage “a really incredible moment to be on the House floor as we passed the first piece of gun legislation in decades.” On Tuesday, King urged his Senate colleagues to consider the bill. “I would think that they should let it come to a vote,” he said, adding that the average American supports the universal background checks bill. “This is not going to affect more than probably less than 1% of the American people and the ones it will affect either suffer from mental illness or are criminals. So to me, it’s a phony issue being raised by some of the gun groups,” he said. King understands that public opinion is on his side on this issue. A recent Quinnipiac poll conducted in January found that 92% of Americans support requiring background checks for all gun buyers. Of that 92%, Republicans supported the idea of background checks 89% of the time and Democrats supported it 95%. Despite pressure from the House, Senate Republicans are unlikely to take up the legislation, according to a member of Senate leadership. Majority Whip John Thune – the second ranking Republican in the chamber – told CNN on Tuesday that it’s “unlikely” that the Senate will take up the bill for debate soon. Thune pointed to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System modernization bill that the Senate approved last year. That legislation – which was sponsored by Republican John Cornyn and Democrat Chris Murphy – improved reporting to the national background check system. In the simplest terms, the bill didn’t strengthen background checks but instead incentivized state and federal authorities to report more data to the database. “I think that we’ve dealt with that issue here,” he said of last year’s efforts. Another sign of coordinated efforts around the vote: Gun control group Everytown is dumping $400,000 into advertisement purchasing and sponsorships with media outlets and targeted ads on Facebook asking people to contact their representative about the bill, according to a spokesperson for the group. This story has been updated with additional developments Wednesday.<doc-sep>

The House passed a bill that requires universal background checks for all gun purchases. It faces stiff opposition in the GOP-controlled Senate. | Alex Brandon/AP Photo Congress House passes most sweeping gun control legislation in decades In one of their biggest moments since winning the majority in November, House Democrats pushed through legislation on Wednesday mandating federal criminal background checks on all gun sales, including private transactions. For Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other Democrats, it represents a signature moment as they try to fulfill their campaign pledge to take action on gun violence. The House passed the bill on a 240-190 vote. Eight Republicans crossed the aisle to vote with the Democrats, while two Democrats — Reps. Jared Golden of Maine and Collin Peterson of Minnesota — voted with Republicans against the legislation. The background checks legislation faces stiff opposition in the GOP-controlled Senate, and President Donald Trump — who has strong backing from the National Rifle Association and other gun rights groups — has vowed to veto the bill if it ever reaches his desk. But House Democrats insist that some federal action must be taken to address the growing toll of gun violence. In addition to Wednesday's vote, they will move legislation on Thursday to close the "Charleston loophole," which allows people to buy guns before background checks are completed, and extend the time period for any background checks from three days to as long as 20 days. White supremacist Dylann Roof was able to buy a gun in 2015 despite pending drug charges, and he later killed nine African-Americans at the Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, S.C. “Background checks work,” Rep. Mike Thompson of California, the lead Democratic author on the background checks bill, said on the House floor. "Every day, they stop 170 felons and 50 domestic abusers from getting a gun from a licensed dealer. But, in some states, those same people can go into a gun show or go online and buy a gun without a background check. This bill will help stop them from doing so. "Some will argue that criminals won’t follow the law," he said. "If that is the case, then why do we have laws against murder? People still commit murder. Why do we have laws against stealing? People still steal. This is flawed logic. Don’t fall for it." The Democratic proposal would require federal background checks on all gun sales, including private transactions. It includes some small exemptions, like for transfers between family members or temporary use of a gun for hunting. Gun-control groups estimate that roughly one-fifth or more of gun sales don't include background checks. But in an embarrassing blow to Democrats, 26 of their own members broke ranks and joined with Republicans to add language to the bill that would report undocumented immigrants to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement if they attempt to buy a gun. Republicans were ecstatic about the maneuver, which embarrassed Pelosi and other Democratic leaders. It is the second time i nth past month Democratic leaders have lost a vote to the minority party. Yet the last-minute floor snafu didn't dissuade Democrats from pushing through the legislation, a major revision of the current background check system for gun purchases. "Every day, 47 children and teenagers [are] killed by guns," said Pelosi, who noted that "90 percent of the American people want commonsense, universal background checks." Rep. Peter King of New York, one of the Republicans who co-sponsored the gun bill, said his party must alter its stance on guns or face a backlash from voters in 2020 and beyond. King said Republicans can't be beholden to the NRA or other gun rights groups. "The overwhelming majority of Americans support it, and we shouldn't allow a small faction who come out and vote in primaries to scare away the whole party," King said. "There's a moral perspective. I think it's important. From a political perspective, this is a key vote in the suburbs. We did badly in the suburbs last time; we're going to do worse this time. This an issue that even strong, solid Republican conservatives can't understand why we don't support it." But House GOP leaders and gun rights groups argued the legislation — even if it became law — would not reduce gun violence, especially the unending stream of mass shootings the country has suffered.

USA TODAY It all comes down to this. The 100th PGA Championship, the final major of the golf season, tees off Thursday at Bellerive Country Club in the suburbs of St. Louis. While Justin Thomas looks to defend his title, Patrick Reed (Masters), Brooks Koepka (U.S. Open) and Francisco Molinari (Open Championship) will be playing for their second major titles of the year. Not only is this the last chance for players to win a major this season, it's also the last chance for U.S. players to automatically qualify for the Ryder Cup team by finishing in the top eight of the Ryder Cup standjngs. Players competing for spots include Rickie Fowler, Webb Simpson, Bryson DeChambeau, Phil Mickelson, Xander Schauffele, Matt Kuchar and Tiger Woods. The four captain's picks will be made by captain Jim Furyk in the coming weeks. Here's everything you need to know for Thursday's action: Must-read stories - Expert picks to win the 2018 PGA Championship. - Tiger Woods puts Ryder Cup captain Jim Furyk in awkward spot. - Slow greens should provide birdies, lots of anger at the PGA. - Weather presents challenges for the PGA this week. How to watch (All times eastern) TNT: 2-8 p.m. Live Streaming on PGA.com Featured Group No. 1: 8:30 a.m.-7 p.m. Featured Group No. 2: 9:30 a.m.-7 p.m. Featured Holes No. 16-18: 2-8 p.m. TNT simulcast: 2-8 p.m. Tee times Thursday-Friday First hole-10th hole 7:50 a.m.-1:15 p.m. – Michael Block, United States; Eddie Pepperell, England; Ryan Fox, New Zealand. 8:01 a.m.-1:26 p.m. – Austin Cook, United States; Craig Hocknull, United States; Alexander Bjork, Sweden. 8:12 a.m.-1:37 p.m. – Yusaku Miyazato, Japan; Bob Sowards, United States; Scott Brown, United States. 8:23 a.m.-1:48 p.m. – Rafa Cabrera Bello, Spain; Thomas Bjorn, Denmark; James Hahn, United States. 8:34 a.m.-1:59 p.m. – Billy Horschel, United States; Byeong Hun An, South Korea; Shane Lowry, Ireland. 8:45 a.m.-2:10 p.m. – Brian Harman, United States; Yuta Ikeda, Japan; Adam Hadwin, Canada. 8:56 a.m.-2:21 p.m. – Padraig Harrington, Ireland; Jimmy Walker, United States; Vijay Singh, Fiji. 9:07 a.m.-2:32 p.m. – Bryson DeChambeau, United States; Andy Sullivan, England; Kiradech Aphibarnrat, Thailand. 9:18 a.m.-2:43 p.m. – Ryan Armour, United States; Cameron Smith, Australia, Peter Uihlein, United States. 9:29 a.m.-2:54 p.m. – Paul Dunne, Ireland; J.B. Holmes, United States; Dylan Frittelli, South Africa. 9:40 a.m.-3:05 p.m. – Charles Howell III, United States; Jason Schmuhl, United States; Brian Gay, United States. 9:51 a.m.-3:16 p.m. – David Muttitt, United States; Ollie Schniederjans, United States; Troy Merritt, United States. 10:02 a.m.-3:27 p.m. – Shawn Warren, United States; Mikko Korhonen, Finland; J.J. Spaun, United States. 1:20 p.m.-7:55 a.m. – Johan Kok, United States; Brandon Stone, South Africa; Whee Kim, South Korea. 1:31 p.m.-8:06 a.m. – Matthew Wallace, England; Matt Dobyns, United States; Beau Hossler, United States. 1:42 p.m.-8:17 a.m. – Chris Wood, England; Alex Noren, Sweden; Matt Kuchar, United States. 1:53 p.m.-8:28 a.m. – Dustin Johnson, United States; Bubba Watson, United States; Adam Scott, Australia. 2:04 p.m.-8:39 a.m. – Tommy Fleetwood, England; Satoshi Kodaira, Japan; Marc Leishman, Australia. 2:15 p.m.-8:50 a.m. – Patrick Reed, United States; Brooks Koepka, United States; Francesco Molinari, Italy. 2:26 p.m.-9:01 a.m. – Gary Woodland, United States; Sergio Garcia, Spain; Kevin Kisner, United States. 2:37 p.m.-9:12 a.m. – Jordan Spieth, United States; Jon Rahm, Spain; Justin Rose, England. 2:48 p.m.-9:23 a.m. – Aaron Wise, United States; Paul Casey, England; Zach Johnson, United States. 2:59 p.m.-9:34 a.m. – Louis Oosthuizen, South Africa; Thomas Pieters, Belgium; Bill Haas, United States. 3:10 p.m.-9:45 a.m. – Lee Westwood, England; Joaquin Niemann, Chile; Daniel Berger, United States. 3:21 p.m.-9:56 a.m. – Omar Uresti, United States; Justin Harding, South Africa; Andrew Landry, United States. 3:32 p.m.-10:07 a.m. – Matt Borchert, United States; Chris Stroud, United States; Winner of Barracuda Championship. Thursday-Friday 10th hole-First hole 7:55 a.m.-1:20 p.m. – Jamie Lovemark, United States; Rich Berberian Jr., United States; Shugo Imahira, Japan. 8:06 a.m.-1:31 p.m. – Brandt Snedeker, United States; Sean McCarty, United States; Li Haotong, China. 8:17 a.m.-1:42 p.m. – Jim Furyk, United States; Tony Finau, United States; Xander Schauffele, United States. 8:28 a.m.-1:53 p.m. – Davis Love III, United States; Martin Kaymer, Germany; Rich Beem, United States. 8:39 a.m.-2:04 p.m. – Rickie Fowler, United States; Hideki Matsuyama, Japan; Ian Poulter, England. 8:50 a.m.-2:15 p.m. – Henrik Stenson, Sweden; Danny Willett, England; Pat Perez, United States. 9:01 a.m.-2:26 p.m. – Phil Mickelson, United States; Jason Day, Australia; Keegan Bradley, United States. 9:12 a.m.-2:37 p.m. – Shubhankar Sharma, India; Jordan Smith, England; Scott Piercy, United States. 9:23 a.m.-2:48 p.m. – Justin Thomas, United States; Rory McIlroy, Northern Ireland; Tiger Woods, United States. 9:34 a.m.-2:59 p.m. – Matt Fitzpatrick, England; Webb Simpson, United States; Jhonattan Vegas, Venezuela. 9:45 a.m.-3:10 p.m. – Stewart Cink, United States; Branden Grace, South Africa; Ryan Moore, United States. 9:56 a.m.-3:21 p.m. – Ross Fisher, England; Alexander Levy, France; Patton Kizzire, United States. 10:07 a.m.-3:32 p.m. – Julian Suri, United States; Sungjae Im, South Korean; Craig Bowden, United States. 1:15 p.m.-7:50 a.m. – Danny Balin, United States; Chesson Hadley, United States; Russell Henley, United States. 1:26 p.m.-8:01 a.m. – Marty Jertson, United States; Luke List, United States; Kevin Chappell, United States. 1:37 p.m.-8:12 a.m. – Jaysen Hansen, United States; Nick Watney, United States; Kyle Stanley, United States. 1:48 p.m.-8:23 a.m. – Ted Potter Jr., United States; Emiliano Grillo, Argentina; Jorge Campillo, Spain. 1:59 p.m.-8:34 a.m. – Ryan Vermeer, United States; Paul Broadhurst, England; John Daly, United States. 2:10 p.m.-8:45 a.m. – Si Woo Kim, South Korea; Brice Garnett, United States; Tyrrell Hatton, England. 2:21 p.m.-8:56 a.m. – Y.E. Yang, South Korea; Jason Dufner, United States; Shaun Micheel, United States. 2:32 p.m.-9:07 a.m. – Thorbjorn Olesen, Denmark; Charl Schwartzel, South Africa; Patrick Cantlay, United States. 2:43 p.m.-9:18 a.m. – Brendan Steele, United States; Adrian Otaegui, Spain; Kevin Na, United States. 2:54 p.m.-9:29 a.m. – Chez Reavie, United States; Charley Hoffman, United States; Russell Knox, Scotland. 3:05 p.m-9:40 p.m. – Zach J. Johnson, United States; Michael Kim, United States; Seungsu Han, United States. 3:16 p.m.-9:51 a.m. – Brian Smock, United States; Anirban Lahiri, India; Mike Lorenzo-Vera, France. 3:27 p.m.-10:02 a.m. – Ben Kern, United States; Bridgestone Invitational winner, Ryuko Tokimatsu, Japan.<doc-sep>Julio Cortez/Associated Press The opening round of the 2018 PGA Championship is littered with must-see groups in both the morning and afternoon sessions. Tiger Woods is expected the steal the majority of the headlines from the opening set of tee times Thursday morning at Bellerive Country Club, and depending on how he performs, he could be the story of the round. Playing in the morning session along with Woods, Justin Thomas and Rory McIlroy are the trio of Rickie Fowler, Hideki Matsuyama and Ian Poulter, as well as the threesome of Phil Mickelson, Jason Day and Keegan Bradley. The afternoon groups are led by the trio of 2018 major winners, while Dustin Johnson tees off with Bubba Watson and Adam Scott. Not all of the marquee players will turn in successful cards at the end of Thursday's rounds, but those who do could set the standard for the rest of the week at Bellerive. Thursday Tee Times Video Play Button Videos you might like All Times ET 7:50 a.m.: Michael Block, Eddie Pepperell, Ryan Fox 7:55 a.m.*: Jamie Lovemark, Rich Berberian Jr., Shugo Imahira 8:01 a.m.: Austin Cook, Craig Hocknull, Alexander Bjork 8:06 a.m.*: Brandt Snedeker, Sean McCarty, Haotong Li 8:12 a.m.: Yusaku Miyazoto, Bob Sowards, Scott Brown 8:17 a.m.*: Jim Furyk, Tony Finau, Xander Schauffele 8:23 a.m.: Rafa Cabrera Bello, Thomas Bjorn, James Hahn 8:28 a.m.*: Davis Love III, Martin Kaymer, Rich Beem 8:34 a.m.: Billy Horschel, Byeong Hun An, Shane Lowry 8:39 a.m.*: Rickie Fowler, Hideki Matsuyama, Ian Poulter 8:45 a.m.: Brian Harman, Yuta Ikeda, Adam Hadwin 8:50 a.m.*: Henrik Stenson, Danny Willett, Pat Perez 8:56 a.m.: Padraig Harrington, Jimmy Walker, Vijay Singh 9:01 a.m.:* Phil Mickelson, Jason Day, Keegan Bradley 9:07 a.m.: Bryson DeChambeau, Andy Sullivan, Kiradech Aphibarnrat 9:12 a.m.*: Shubhankar Sharma, Jordan Smith, Scott Piercy 9:18 a.m.: Ryan Armour, Cameron Smith, Peter Uihlein 9:23 a.m.*: Justin Thomas, Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy 9:29 a.m.: Paul Dunne, J.B. Holmes, Dylan Fritteli 9:34 a.m.*: Matthew Fitzpatrick, Webb Simpson, Jhonattan Vegas 9:40 a.m.: Charles Howell III, Jason Schmuhl, Brian Gay 9:45 a.m.*: Stewart Cink, Branden Grace, Ryan Moore 9:51 a.m.: David Muttitt, Ollie Schniederjans, Troy Merritt 9:56 a.m.*: Ross Fisher, Alexander Levy, Patton Kizzire 10:02 a.m.: Shawn Warren, Mikko Korhonen, J.J. Spaun 10:07 a.m.*: Julian Suri, Sungjae Im, Craig Bowden 1:15 p.m.*: Danny Balin, Chesson Hadley, Russell Henley 1:20 p.m.: Johan Kok, Brandon Stone, Whee Kim 1:26 p.m.*: Marty Jertson, Luke List, Kevin Chappell 1:31 p.m.: Matt Wallace, Matt Dobyns, Beau Hossler 1:37 p.m.*: Jaysen Hansen, Nick Watney, Kyle Stanley 1:42 p.m.: Chris Wood, Alex Noren, Matt Kuchar 1:48 p.m.*: Ted Potter Jr., Emiliano Grillo, Jorge Campillo 1:53 p.m.: Dustin Johnson, Bubba Watson, Adam Scott 1:59 p.m.*: Ryan Vermeer, Paul Broadhurst, John Daly 2:04 p.m.: Tommy Fleetwood, Satoshi Kodaira, Marc Leishman 2:10 p.m.*: Si Woo Kim, Brice Garrett, Tyrrell Hatton 2:15 p.m.: Patrick Reed, Brooks Koepka, Francesco Molinari 2:21 p.m.*: Y.E. Yang, Jason Dufner, Shaun Micheel 2:26 p.m.: Gary Woodland, Sergio Garcia, Kevin Kisner 2:32 p.m.*: Thorbjorn Olesen, Charl Schwartzel, Patrick Cantlay 2:37 p.m.: Jordan Spieth, Jon Rahm, Justin Rose 2:43 p.m.*: Brendan Steele, Adrian Otaegui, Kevin Na 2:48 p.m.: Aaron Wise, Paul Casey, Zach Johnson 2:54 p.m.*: Chez Reavie, Charley Hoffman, Russell Knox 2:59 p.m.: Louis Oosthuizen, Thomas Pieters, Bill Haas 3:05 p.m.*: Zach J. Johnson, Michael Kim, Seungsu Han 3:10 p.m.: Jason Kokrak, Joaquin Niemann, Daniel Berger 3:16 p.m.*: Brian Smock, Anirban Lahiri, Mike Lorenzo-Vera 3:21 p.m.: Omar Uresti, Justin Harding, Andrew Landry 3:27 p.m.*: Ben Kern, Chris Kirk, Ryuko Tokimatsu 3:32 p.m.: Matthew Borchert, Chris Stroud, Andrew Putnam *Starts round on 10th hole Predictions Group Of 2018 Major Winners Struggles Patrick Reed, Brooks Koepka and Francesco Molinari are grouped together in the traditional PGA Championship collection of the season's major winners. Although each player has already displayed the skill needed to take home another title, none of them will leave Bellerive Country Club with the Wanamaker Trophy. Since winning The Masters, Reed's experienced a mixed bag of results, with a trio of top-10 finishes, four final placings beneath the top 25 and one missed cut. Julio Cortez/Associated Press Reed doesn't enter the PGA Championship in good form either, as he missed the cut at the Travelers Championship and tied for 28th at The Open and WGC-Bridgestone Invitational. Outside of his fifth-place finish at Firestone a week ago, Koepka has struggled to be in contention for titles since the U.S. Open. Koepka tied for 19th at the Travelers Championship, tied for 39th at The Open and missed the cut at the RBC Canadian Open before rebounding at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational. Molinari, who is the most recent major champion, followed up his win at Carnoustie with a tie for 39th at Firestone, where he shot one round in the 60s. Recent history isn't on the side of the trio either, as Jordan Spieth and Rory McIlroy are the only golfers to win two majors in a season since 2009. By taking all of that into account, it won't be a surprise if Reed, Koepka and Molinari struggle Thursday, which could put them out of contention if some of the favorites get off to fast starts. McIlroy Produces Best Round Out Of Marquee Morning Group The spotlight will shine bright on Thomas, Woods and McIlroy Thursday morning, as they set out to the course in the marquee threesome of the morning tee times. Each of the high-profile golfers carries an impressive resume into Bellerive, with Woods garnering the most attention for his recent performances. As he always is, Woods will be the most eye-catching member of the trio, which could help Thomas and McIlroy get off to strong starts. It would be easy to pick Thomas as the most successful player from the group due to his win at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, but McIlroy must not be counted out. Despite being without a major title since 2014, McIlroy's been in contention for the majority of the 15 tournaments since, and that trend could extend into Bellerive. Jeff Roberson/Associated Press Since missing the cut at the U.S. Open, a tournament he's traditionally struggled at, McIlroy hasn't finished lower than 12th in four tournaments. The key for McIlroy at Bellerive could be his driving, as the course is expected to reward the heavy hitters of the sport because it's dried up due to the heat in the St. Louis area. McIlroy ranks first on the PGA Tour in driving distance and is sixth in scoring average. If he's able to capitalize on his driving Thursday, McIlroy could end up at, or near, the top of the leaderboard. Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90. Statistics obtained from PGATour.com.<doc-sep>

We have finally made it to the 100th PGA Championship at Bellerive Country Club, and boy do we have some tremendous groups and tee times for the first two rounds at 2018's final major. Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and Justin Thomas are the ultimate headline group kicking off action in the morning, but the trio of Jordan Spieth, Jon Rahm and Justin Rose is not far behind in terms of star power. As far as the full 156-man field goes, there's a chance that no major group is deeper. Of the top 112 players in the world, 110 -- yes, 110! -- are expected to tee it up this week just outside of St. Louis, which is an astonishing percentage. In other words, the PGA Championship should be something special. With that many great golfers, you can expect loads of terrific coverage throughout the first two days. Here's a look at all 52 threesomes with their Thursday tee times and which hole they'll start their rounds. All times Eastern 2018 PGA Championship tee times for Thursday (Round 1) 8:39 a.m. -- Rickie Fowler, Hideki Matsuyama, Ian Poulter 8:50 a.m. -- Henrik Stenson, Danny Willett, Pat Perez 9:01 a.m. -- Phil Mickelson, Jason Day, Keegan Bradley 9:12 a.m. -- Shubhankar Sharma, Jordan Smith, Scott Piercy 9:23 a.m. -- Justin Thomas, Rory McIlroy, Tiger Woods 1:42 p.m. -- Chris Wood, Alex Noren, Matt Kuchar 1:53 p.m. -- Dustin Johnson, Bubba Watson, Adam Scott 2:04 p.m. -- Tommy Fleetwood, Satoshi Kodaira, Marc Leishman 2:15 p.m. -- Patrick Reed, Brooks Koepka, Francesco Molinari 2:37 p.m. -- Jordan Spieth, Jon Rahm, Justin Rose Tee No. 1 7:50 a.m. -- Michael Block, Eddie Pepperell, Ryan Fox 8:01 a.m. -- Austin Cook, Carig Hocknull, Alexander Bjork 8:12 a.m. -- Yusaku Miyazato, Bob Sowards, Scott Brown 8:23 a.m. -- Rafa Cabrera Bello, Thomas Bjorn, James Hahn 8:34 a.m. -- Billy Horschel, Ben An, Shane Lowry 8:45 a.m. -- Brian Harman, Yuta Ikeda, Adam Hadwin 8:56 a.m. -- Padraig Harrington, Jimmy Walker, Vijay Singh 9:07 a.m. -- Bryson DeChambeau, Andy Sullivan, Kiradech Aphibarnrat 9:18 a.m. -- Ryan Armour, Cameron Smith, Peter Uihlein 9:29 a.m. -- Paul Dunne, J.B. Holmes, Dylan Frittelli 9:40 a.m. -- Charles Howell III, Jason Schmuhl, Brian Gay 9:51 a.m. -- David Muttitt, Ollie Schniederjans, Troy Merritt 10:02 a.m. -- Shawn Warren, Mikko Korhonen, J.J. Spaun 1:20 p.m. -- Johan Kok, Brandon Stone, Whee Kim 1:31 p.m. -- Matt Wallace, Matt Dobyns, Beau Hossler 1:42 p.m. -- Chris Wood, Alex Noren, Matt Kuchar 1:53 p.m. -- Dustin Johnson, Bubba Watson, Adam Scott 2:04 p.m. -- Tommy Fleetwood, Satoshi Kodaira, Marc Leishman 2:15 p.m. -- Patrick Reed, Brooks Koepka, Francesco Molinari 2:26 p.m. -- Gary Woodland, Sergio Garcia, Kevin Kisner 2:37 p.m. -- Jordan Spieth, Jon Rahm, Justin Rose 2:48 p.m. -- Aaron Wise, Paul Casey, Zach Johnson 2:59 p.m. -- Louis Oosthuizen, Thomas Pieters, Bill Haas 3:10 p.m. -- Jason Kokrak, Joaquin Niemann, Daniel Berger 3:21 p.m. -- Omar Uresti, Justin Harding, Andrew Landry 3:32 p.m. -- Matt Borchert, Chris Stroud, Andrew Putnam Tee No. 10 7:55 a.m. -- Jamie Lovemark, Rich Berberian, Jr., Shugo Imahira 8:06 a.m. -- Brandt Snedeker, Sean McCarty, Haotong Li 8:17 a.m. -- Jim Furyk, Tony Finau, Xander Schauffele 8:28 a.m. -- Davis Love III, Martin Kaymer, Rich Beem 8:39 a.m. -- Rickie Fowler, Hideki Matsuyama, Ian Poulter 8:50 a.m. -- Henrik Stenson, Danny Willett, Pat Perez 9:01 a.m. -- Phil Mickelson, Jason Day, Keegan Bradley 9:12 a.m. -- Shubhankar Sharma, Jordan Smith, Scott Piercy 9:23 a.m. -- Justin Thomas, Rory McIlroy, Tiger Woods 9:34 a.m. -- Matthew Fitzpatrick, Webb Simpson, Jhonattan Vegas 9:45 a.m. -- Stewart Cink, Branden Grace, Ryan Moore 9:56 a.m. -- Ross Fisher, Alexander Levy, Patton Kizzire 10:07 a.m. -- Julian Suri, Sungjae Im, Craig Bowden 1:15 p.m. -- Danny Balin, Chesson Hadley, Russell Henley 1:26 p.m. -- Marty Jertson, Like List, Kevin Chappell 1:37 p.m. -- Jaysen Hansen, Nick Watney, Kyle Stanley 1:48 p.m. -- Ted Potter, Jr., Emiliano Grillo, Jorge Campillo 1:59 p.m. -- Ryan Fermeer, Paul Broadhurst, John Daly 2:10 p.m. -- Si Woo Kim, Brice Garnett, Tyrrell Hatton 2:21 p.m. -- Y.E. Yang, Jason Dufner, Shaun Micheel 2:32 p.m. -- Thorbjorn Olesen, Charl Schwartzel, Patrick Cantlay 2:43 p.m. -- Brendan Steele, Adrian Otaegui, Kevin Na 2:54 p.m. -- Chez Reavie, Charley Hoffman, Russell Knox 3:05 p.m. -- Zach J. Johnson, Michael Kim, Seungsu Han 3:16 p.m. -- Brian Smock, Anirban Lahiri, Mike Lorenzo-Vera 3:27 p.m. -- Ben Kern, Chris Kirk, Ryuko Tokimatsu

The Fortnite “Unvaulting event” has been leaked and it’ll be happening very soon. This event will seemingly allow players to vote on a vaulted item from a past season to bring back, either temporarily or permanently. The Unvaulting event was leaked via well-known Fortnite data miner ShiinaBR. A line of code inside the game is called "Unvaulting countdown" and is counting down until May 4, according to the leak. The countdown is tagged as an event and began on May 1. It'll end this Saturday at 2pm CT. The "Unvaulting event" will take place on Saturday at 3pm ET / 12pm PDT! A new event called "UnvaultingCountdown" started yesterday when the rune appeared on the volcano and the event ends on Saturday at 3pm ET. The event will most likely occur when the countdown event ends. pic.twitter.com/wihm5OPlv1 — ShiinaBR - Fortnite Leaks (@ShiinaBR) May 2, 2019 At that time, all players inside the game will likely be transported to see the Fortnite vault for the very first time. Another well-known leaker Lucas7yoshi claims that a countdown will actually show up on the island soon for this event. The countdown will look holographic, similar to the one featured in the Food Fight LTM. The Unvaulting event will likely have players vote on a vaulted item to return to the game. There are six monitors in Loot Lake that have been lighting up one at a time, showing six different vaulted items. These include the Stormwing plane, Grappler, Bouncer, and more. These are likely the six choices players will be voting on. That's far from the only hint, too. There's a strange hatch at Loot Lake with five locks on it. Each lock opens when a rune appears on the map and players activate it through working together. All five runes have appeared on the map, but the fifth is the only one left to be activated.<doc-sep>Looks like the Drum Gun is back in Fortnite. Oh, and Tilted Towers is gone. Over the past few days, Fortnite players worked decipher mysterious runes which appeared at Loot Lake around the metal structure at its center. There were strange monitors in surrounding buildings showing images of vaulted weapons, which led folks to believe something was coming back. Eventually, the puzzle was solved, and all players had to do was wait until today, May 4, for the giant door in the center of Loot Lake to open. Like the monitors which surrounded the area, vaulted Fortnite weapons appeared and each were frozen in ice. Items such as the Drum Gun, Tactical SMG and four other items were inside – all frozen in blocks. Well, the Drum Gun is back, folks. Players were able to vote on various weapons vaulted throughout the years – and that was the once chosen by the community. All of the items in ice were the choices, and it seems only the Drum Gun was added – no matter which block you broke. Watch on YouTube The Drum Gun, which is basically a Tommy Gun, was added to the game in summer 2018 as part of Season 5. Apparently, it was a favorite of the community at large, so it’s making a return for Season 9. During the Unvaulted Event, the Volcano which has been spewing lava, finally went full Vesuvius, throwing boulders into the air. Titled Towers was destroyed in the process; Retail Row’s parking lot is in shambles; and Polar Peak now has a crack in it. Other areas of the map were hit by flying boulders, but as of press time, we’re not sure of everything that was demolished. Fortnite seasons tend to end with a bang, but many players were unable to participate in or watch today’s Unvaulted Event. Going by various comments made on social forums, many were stuck in the lobby. Rather unfulfilling way to end Season 8. If you missed it, give the video above from Fanbyte a watch.<doc-sep>You’ve got the power, Fortnite players. If leaks are correct, soon you’ll all be able to vote for one of six items you want to be unvaulted for season nine. The Loot Lake hatch, which is believed to be the door to Fortnite’s item vault, will open soon. That’s when players might be able to choose one of the six items shown in Loot Lake’s monitor to come back to the game: Bouncer, Drum Gun, Infinity Blade, Grappler, Tactical SMG, or X-4 Stormwing Planes. We’re Fortnite players too, and we remember the times when all of these items were available in standard game modes. We were watching everything when the Infinity Blade defined Fortnite’s tournament Winter Royale tournament and gave thousands of dollars to a few competitive players. We also remember when the community begged Epic Games to vault X-4 Stormwing Planes in season seven, when players were tired of flying during the mid-game to stall and survive until the late game. Related: Fortnite’s Unvaulting event leaked for May 4 Now that all of these memories are coming back, we have a pretty good idea of what we want to see again in standard modes and what we hope has been deleted from the game for good. Bring back the Bouncer The Bouncer trap is the best item Fortnite players can choose to come back to the game. It allowed players to place it on a tile, generally a wall, and bounce on it to be tossed horizontally without taking fall damage upon landing. Players had very little control of how far it would throw them, but it was great in helping them avoid fall damage and save materials when on top of a mountain. Image via Epic Games Bouncers could bring back the nearly-perfect balance between risk and reward, especially in the late game. While they deny enemies the powerful play of making an opponent fall, they also throw the player so far that they could end up falling into the storm and too far from the safe zone. They could also fall right in front of an opponent, who would be able to shoot them right away. Bouncers are the perfect mobility item for the current state of competitive Fortnite and an amazing tool to make matches more enjoyable for casual players. All other items could stay where they are. The seasons with Infinity Blade and X-4 Stormwings were traumatizing, and we don’t want to go through that again. Grapplers aren’t needed when you have The Baller, and the Drum Gun and Tactical SMG have already been replaced by other weapons, like high-rarity submachine guns. Regardless of whatever the voting system looks like, take our opinions into consideration and support Team Bouncer.<doc-sep>

The power of unvaulting Fortnite: Battle Royale items seems to be getting closer each time data miners leak new information. Programming strings “The Unvaulting” and “The choice is yours!” have been spotted by data miners at Skin-Tracker after today’s v8.51 game update. Both phrases seem to reference previously-leaked information, which ties the Loot Lake hatch and runes to the ability that players might have to bring back certain vaulted items to standard game modes by the end of season eight. These items are the same that can be spotted on the monitors in Loot Lake: Drum Gun, Bouncer trap, Tactical SMG, Infinity Sword, X-4 Stormwing Planes, and the Grappler. Here are all added and removed Strings from today's update. #Fortnite pic.twitter.com/UKTpaYJpZf — Skin-Tracker (@SkinTrackerCom) May 2, 2019 A voting system, which data miners have also found mentioned in strings of previous leaks, could be the feature that allows players to unvault some of these items. The theory that fans and data miners are working with is that the Loot Lake metal hatch is the door to Fortnite’s vault. Once players plug all six runes into it, the hatch will open and reveal all six vaulted items, allowing players to choose which of them they want to return. A video leak shows that the voting system might have something to do with glass pillars and a huge blue sphere of energy where players will find these items. “The choice is yours!” could be part of an in-game message that will invite players to vote during “The Unvaulting.” Related: Boston Red Sox have banned Fortnite from their clubhouse This leak confirms nothing, though. These are only text strings that are now in Fortnite’s game files, and they could mean something else. But when they’re put together with new visual models and audio leaks published today, they get our hopes up for a big event that’ll end season eight with a lot of player interaction and agency. We'll understand how everything is tied together when season eight ends on May 8, which is also when season nine starts.

The legend of Luke Voit survived the offseason. After the Yankees first baseman thrived in The Bronx following an unheralded midseason trade, Voit picked up where he left off and belted a three-run home run in his first at-bat to put the Bombers up 3-0 on the Orioles on Opening Day. Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton settled for singles before Voit started the Yankees’ chase to beat the home run record they set last year, with 267. Voit had 14 of those long balls in 39 games. Trying to prove he was not a one-hit wonder, Voit had a solid spring training, as did Greg Bird. Voit got the start at designated hitter Thursday, batting cleanup, while Bird played first base and hit seventh.<doc-sep>NEW YORK -- In the Bronx, the old saying is you can't predict baseball, but Opening Day was as predictable as it gets. The Yankees beat up on the visiting Orioles for their first win of the 2019 season (NYY 7, BAL 2). Andrew Cashner couldn't complete five innings and, for much of the afternoon, it was a clear mismatch. The Yankees scored all the runs they would need right in the first inning. Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton hammered opposite field singles against the shift, then cleanup hitter Luke Voit brought them home with a loud home run to center field. It hit above the windows on the Mohegan Sun Sports Bar. Check it out: "It felt good off the bat -- I did my little Sammy Sosa hop -- it felt good to pick up where I left off," said Voit following the game. "To get that first hit out of the way is always nice." Through one game Voit is hitting a cool 1.000/1.000/4.000 after the home run, two walks, and a hit-by-pitch. The hit-by-pitch came with the bases loaded to force in an insurance run. After the home run, Voit got nothing to hit. He took one more swing the rest of the afternoon, and when you look at where the O's pitched him, it's easy to understand why: Luke Voit hit a long first inning home run on Opening Day, then didn't get anything else to hit. USATSI "Me and G, we just have to get on base for Voit, and he took care of the rest," said Judge after the game. "He might tell you he's nervous, but you can never tell. He's got ice in his veins. First inning, get a couple guys on, get the crowd into it, for him to take that shot (to center). What an at-bat by him. All his at-bats. He'd just locked in." Voit opened the season as the Yankees cleanup hitter following a six-week assault on American League pitching last year. The Yankees acquired him from the Cardinals in a seemingly minor trade deadline deal last summer and he responded with a .333/.405/.689 batting line and 14 home runs in 39 games. It was no fluke either. His Statcast numbers: Average exit velocity: 93.0 mph (10th in MLB) 93.0 mph (10th in MLB) Expected batting average: .296 (14th in MLB) .296 (14th in MLB) Expected slugging percentage: .670 (1st in MLB) .670 (1st in MLB) Expected weighted on-base average: .437 (1st in MLB) Will he put up a 1.094 OPS all season? Probably not. But this was not a player living off bloops and seeing-eye grounders. The Yankees believe in exit velocity as an evaluation tool -- it's not a coincidence they drafted Judge -- and Voit has always put up big exit velocity numbers. He crushes the ball. The Yankees picked him up on the cheap last year and have been rewarded handsomely. Voit is a legitimate middle of the order force. "That's what we talk about with him all the time. He controls the strike zone, the authority to hit the ball the other way. Today center field to get us off and running," manager Aaron Boone said following the Opening Day win. "His at-bats continued to be -- you get a little greedy there (later in the game). Opening Day, you've got a three-run homer in the books, you've got runners on base, but he never left the zone." Judge (2 for 3 with two walks) and Stanton (1 for 3 with two walks) had strong Opening Days and are the centerpieces of New York's lineup, and that will never not be the case. Miguel Andujar and Gleyber Torres were both worthy Rookie of the Year candidates last season. Gary Sanchez remains the best power-hitting catcher in the game as well. The Yankees are not short on offense, yet Voit does kind of sneak up on you in the lineup, even as the cleanup hitter. Look, the Orioles are not good. The three pitchers Voit faced Thursday (Cashner, Mike Wright, David Hess) combined to allow 216 runs in 340 2/3 innings last year. The O's are bad and the Yankees treated them accordingly. In Voit's case, he continued doing what we saw last year, meaning loud contact and great at-bats. The Yankee Stadium crowd serenaded him with "LUUUKE" chants and it looks like the Yankees have poached another undervalued player from another organization, like they did with Didi Gregorius, Aaron Hicks, and Chad Green. "It's crazy how (the fans) took me in," said Voit. "I hope they don't boo me away too quick, because I know it's New York. I'll bring the energy and have fun with the guys. I think a lot of the fans feed off it."<doc-sep>​Expect to see this A LOT this season. There's a reason why ​New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone put ​Luke Voit in the cleanup spot, because after Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge singled to put two runners on, Voit belted a three-run bomb to center field. Take a look: Baltimore Orioles starter Andrew Cashner hung a breaking ball, and instead of over-swinging, Voit stayed back and let his power do the talking. Talk about a big daddy hack! Luke Voit takes big daddy hacks. A three-run bomb off Cashner to start his season for the #Yankees — Jim Ferchland (@Ferch13J) March 28, 2019 ​​This Yankee lineup so dangerous. If Judge and Stanton don't get you, there are a handful of other players on this team who can make you pay and go deep. New York is off to a great start in their quest to break the home run record, which they set last year with 267 dingers.<doc-sep>Glorious daydreams abound on opening day, when each team’s slate is clean and the season’s inevitable trials and tribulations haven’t yet piled up. But the images of winning a pennant and hoisting the World Series trophy are far more realistic for some — the 2019 Yankees included. Their season of high expectations, at the tail end of a championship-less decade, began Thursday afternoon with a booming first chapter. With a formula they expect to ride often this year, the Yankees toppled the Baltimore Orioles, 7-2, behind power hitting and pitching. Designated hitter Luke Voit provided the bulk of the power by smashing the team’s first home run of the season, a three-run shot in the first inning. He drove in another run when he was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the fifth, ultimately accounting for four runs with a blast and a bruise. There was more offense to come after his homer, but Voit’s contributions proved more than enough against the rebuilding Orioles in front of a crowd of 46,928 at Yankee Stadium.<doc-sep>

Opening Day has come and gone and now the reality of the season sets in: the Yankees have 161 more games to reach their regular season goal of winning the AL East. Yesterday in the Bronx was all fun. The Yankees rolled over the woeful Orioles, 7-2, and it wasn’t even that close. From the first inning when Trey Mancini’s would-be single hit Jonathan Villar rounding the bases, you knew the Yanks were going to win. The O’s have a mix of overpaid veterans, raw minor leaguers, and replacement players that make the Bad News Bears look competent. Welcome to #Orioles baseball 2019. A 1st inning rally killed because Villar didn’t remember fundamentals taught to most 9-year olds. @MASNOriolez pic.twitter.com/mF0YStyOju — Brian Sinkoff (@BrianSinkoff) March 28, 2019 LUKE VOIT If Villar’s blunder wasn’t enough to convince you, Luke Voit’s mammoth 3-run blast to Monument Park sealed it. In the bottom of the first, after Brett Gardner struck out quickly, Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton singled to right-center field (a wonderful sign). Voit then worked the count to 3-1 and blasted a 428-foot bomb to center. It was 3-0 and the game was effectively over. As you’ve been told a million times, Voit burst onto the Yankees scene last August and September, posting a 188 OPS+ after being acquired from St. Louis for Giovanny Gallegos and Chasen Shreve. If you had told me when that trade happened that Voit would be the Yankees 2019 opening day cleanup hitter, I would have thought we entered some alternate timeline where Luke Voit was Biff Tannen (actually, there is some resemblance…). But here we are and nothing has changed for Luke Voit. He was the Yankees DH yesterday and Greg Bird was at first. It wasn’t a great day for Bird until his 8th inning solo home run, which made up for a poor play at first base earlier in the game that led to a Baltimore run. Before the homer, Bird had struck out three times. The first base battle continues. One game won’t change anything, but Voit has picked up right where he left 2018. Hi my name is Luke Voit and my batting average is 1.000 pic.twitter.com/QtJnc9rANG — Andrew (@Andrew_Rotondi) March 28, 2019 ADAM OTTAVINO Ottavino entered the game in the 6th inning, relieving Masahiro Tanaka who was good but not great. Tanaka left Otto a runner on second, but he struck out Rio Ruiz to end the inning. It was three-up, three-down in the 7th for Ottavino, including two strikeouts. Adam Ottavino recorded his first Yankee strikeout with a backdoor 3-2 slider. pic.twitter.com/A6SQhPVr4J — Pitcher List (@PitcherList) March 28, 2019 His pitches were moving all over the place — sliders and 2-seamers whiffling back and forth. Of the 19 pitches he threw, 13 were strikes. It was quick work for Ottavino who impressed everyone in his debut. From there, Zack Britton and Aroldis Chapman shut the door without much drama. DID ANYTHING BAD HAPPEN? No, not really. The Yankees, in the words of Aaron Boone, “had traffic on the bases” all day. They only went 1-for-8 with RISP, which is why the game was as close as it was. As I said before, Bird was having a terrible day until his home run. Andujar was charged with an error but most people who watched the play blamed Bird. Voit was hit by a pitch but not hurt (too much meat on those bones). Gardner was the only Yankee to go hitless and he possibly misplayed a ball in center, but whatever… it’s just one game, remember? One down, 161 to go.

SHARJAH: It could not have been a better sight than Pakistan captain Sarfraz Ahmed sealing the fate of a HBL PSL match, sending the last ball of the match over deep mid-wicket boundary to give Quetta Gladiators a three wicket win against Lahore Qalandars in Sharjah on Saturday. Quetta, chasing 144 to win, needed three off the last ball from David Wiese and Sarfraz completed the task for Quetta's fourth win in as many games to keep them on top of the six-team HBL PSL table. With that six Sarfraz finished with 52 not out off 36 balls with a six and four boundaries. Lahore Qalandars found the going tough against an accurate Quetta bowling, riding on a laborious 40-ball 45 not out which were, uncharacteristically, without a six and had only two boundaries to post a modest 143-7 in their 20 overs after sent into bat. Quetta have now chased down targets successfully in all four matches, winning by six, seven, eight wickets in the previous matches. Quetta were in a spot of bother when they lost in-form Shane Watson off a third-ball duck and then the other two successful batsmen Rilee Rossouw (17) and Umar Akaml (nine departed soon to leave Quetta in a difficult situation at 3-53. Ahsan Ali, who scored 29-ball 40 with two sixes and as many boundaries, fell to Sandeep Lamichanne and Dwayne Smith was run out for two, but the wily campaigner Sarfraz kept his nerves. Sarfraz and Mohammad Nawaz (18-ball 19 with a six) took Quetta to within nine runs of victory. Quetta needed seven off the last over which started with Wiese bowling Anwar Ali with a yorker. Sarfraz still knew a big hit could help Quetta cross the line and that he ultimately did, making Wiese -- who hit a last ball six in Lahore's win over Multan Sultans on Friday -- a villain from a hero. Quetta kept their top position with the win. Peshawar Zalmi (tw0 wins and two losses in four matches) are second, Islamabad United are third (two wins and two losses but ineferior net run-rate), Lahore are fourth (three losses, two wins in five), Multan are fifth (two points from four) while Karachi Kings are sixth (two losses and one win from three matches). Sarfraz praised opposition's bowling. "When you chase you need to keep wickets in hand, but today we lost wickets regularly because Lahore bowled well. In the end it was my day and I hit the needed runs," said Sarfraz. Lahore's skipper Fakhar Zaman -- leading the side after De Villiers hurt his back and couldn't take the field -- admitted his team was short on runs. "We couldn't get a big total and that hurt us badly," said Fakhar. Lahore's batting was kept under tight check by Quetta. It was young Mudassar who was impressive with 3-21. He did not allow the great De Villiers to hit at his usual best. Mudassar kept following the great master as and when he moved in the crease, allowing him a leg bey and two singles in the 18th and just seven in the final over. Left-arm spinner Nawaz (1-35) removed Fakhar (three) in the second over. But Fakhar's partner, Sohail Akhtar looked threatening as he smashed three sixes and a boundary in his 21-ball 29 but Mudassar got him caught behind to check the flow of runs. Corey Anderson, playing his first game this year, hit a six in his 18-ball 19 before David Wiese (16-ball 20 with a six) helped De Villiers add 40 for the fifth wicket. But Lahore did not manage to hit high and wide in final overs as just 28 in the final five overs. That was because Quetta unleashed tight bowling, with Sohail Tanvir also chipping in with 2-21 in his four overs. None of the Quetta bowlers went over seven per over, with leg-spinner Fawad Ahmed the most expensive, returning with figures of 0-31. Karachi Kings meet title holders Islamabad United later Saturday. Quetta Gladiators beat Lahore Qalandars by three wickets in HBL PSL Brief Scores: Lahore Qalandars 143-7 in 20 overs (AB de Villiers 45 not out; Ghulam Mudassar 3-21, Sohail Tanvir 2-21) Quetta Gladiators 148-7 in 20 overs (Sarfraz Ahmed 52 not out; Haris Rauf 2-25)<doc-sep>Pictures: PCB Quetta Gladiators win by 3 wickets: 148/7 Watch Live on Geo Super Quetta Gladiators' captain Sarfaraz's six hit in the last ball maintained the team's top spot on the table as they defeating Lahore Qalanders in a nail-biting thriller by three wickets with 148 runs, in the 12th match of Pakistan Super League's (PSL) fourth edition. Shane Warson, Rilee Rossouw and Umar Akmal had scored a hefty number of of runs for the Gladiators in the earlier matches but not this time they could not keep up the pace. The winning team had dominated against the Lahore Qalanders in the first innings as well as fast bowler Ghulam Mudassar took two wickets unleashing pressure for the other side. Despite Fakhar Zaman being in good form, he could only deliver three runs before getting knocked out after which Salman Butt joined Sohail Akhtar on the pitch in the first innings. Lahore Qalanders’ captain AB de Villiers in spite of the injury he received continued to bat and led the team to a fair score of 143; However the Gladiators were able to chase the target regardless. On the other hand, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Brendan Taylor were not part of the play today owing to injuries. End of over 20: Quetta Gladiators win with 148/7 Daniel Christian to Sarfaraz, SIX Daniel Christian to Sohail Tanvir, 1 run Daniel Christian to Sarfaraz, 1 run Daniel Christian to Sarfaraz, 2 run Daniel Christian to Sohail Tanvir, 1 run Daniel Christian to Anwar Ali, OUT End of over 19: Quetta Gladiators 137/5 (LQ Target: 144) Haris Rauf to Sarfaraz, 1 run Haris Rauf to Anwar Ali, 1 run Haris Rauf to Mohammad Nawaz, OUT Haris Rauf to Sarfaraz, 1 run Haris Rauf to Sarfaraz, FOUR Haris Rauf to Sarfaraz, no runs End of over 17: Quetta Gladiators 130/5 (LQ Target: 144) David Wiese to Mohammad Nawaz, 2 runs David Wiese to Sarfaraz, 1 run David Wiese to Sarfaraz, FOUR David Wiese to Mohammad Nawaz, 1 run David Wiese to Sarfaraz, 1 run David Wiese to Sarfaraz, FOUR End of over 16: Quetta Gladiators 117/5 (LQ Target: 144) Sandeep Lamichhane to Mohammad Nawaz, no runs Sandeep Lamichhane to Sarfaraz, 1 run Sandeep Lamichhane to Mohammad Nawaz, 1 run Sandeep Lamichhane to Mohammad Nawaz, no runs Sandeep Lamichhane to Sarfaraz, 1 run Sandeep Lamichhane to Mohammad Nawaz, 1 run End of over 15: Quetta Gladiators 113/5 (LQ Target: 144) Haris Rauf to Sarfaraz, no runs Haris Rauf to Sarfaraz, 2 runs Haris Rauf to Sarfaraz, no runs Haris Rauf to Sarfaraz, 2 runs Haris Rauf to Mohammad Nawaz, 1 run Haris Rauf to Mohammad Nawaz, no run End of over 14: Quetta Gladiators 108/5 (LQ Target: 144) Rahat Ali to Mohammad Nawaz, 1 run Rahat Ali to Sarfaraz, 1 run Rahat Ali to Mohammad Nawaz, 1 run Rahat Ali to Mohammad Nawaz, SIX Rahat Ali to Sarfaraz, 1 run Rahat Ali to Sarfaraz, 2 runs End of over 13: Quetta Gladiators 96/5 (LQ Target: 144) Yasir Shah to Mohammad Nawaz, no runs Yasir Shah to Mohammad Nawaz, 2 runs Yasir Shah to Sarfaraz, 1 run Yasir Shah to Mohammad Nawaz, 1 run Yasir Shah to Sarfaraz, 1 run Yasir Shah to Mohammad Nawaz, 1 run End of over 12: Quetta Gladiators 90/5 (LQ Target: 144) David Wiese to Sarfaraz, FOUR David Wiese to Mohammad Nawaz, 1 run David Wiese to Sarfaraz, 1 run David Wiese to Mohammad Nawaz, 1 run David Wiese to Sarfaraz, 1 run David Wiese to Dwyane Smith, OUT End of over 11: Quetta Gladiators 81/4 (LQ Target: 144) Sandeep Lamichhane to Sarfaraz, 1 run Sandeep Lamichhane to Dwyane Smith, 1 run Sandeep Lamichhane to Dwayne Smith no run Sandeep Lamichhane to Sarfaraz, 1 run Sandeep Lamichhane to Dwyane Smith, 1 run Sandeep Lamichhane to Ahsan Ali, OUT End of over 11: Quetta Gladiators 77/3 (LQ Target: 144) Rahat Ali to Ahsan Ali, 1 run Rahat Ali to Sarfaraz, 1 run Rahat Ali to Ahsan Ali, 1 run Rahat Ali to Ahsan Ali, 2 runs Rahat Ali to Ahsan Ali, 2 run Rahat Ali to Ahsan Ali, no runs End of over 10: Quetta Gladiators 70/3 (LQ Target: 144) Haris Rauf to Sarfaraz, 1 runs Haris Rauf to Ahsan Ali, 1 wide Haris Rauf to Sarfaraz, 1 run Haris Rauf to Ahsan Ali, 1 run Haris Rauf to Ahsan Ali, no runs Haris Rauf to Sarfaraz, 1 run Haris Rauf to Sarfaraz, 2 runs End of over 9: Quetta Gladiators 63/3 (LQ Target: 144) Sandeep Lamichhane to Sarfaraz, 1 run Sandeep Lamichhane to Sarfaraz, 2 run Sandeep Lamichhane to Sarfaraz, no runs Sandeep Lamichhane to Ahsan Ali, 1 run Sandeep Lamichhane to Ahsan Ali, SIX Sandeep Lamichhane to Ahsan Ali, no runs End of over 8: Quetta Gladiators 53/3 (LQ Target: 144) Haris Rauf to Sarfaraz, no runs Haris Rauf to Umar Akmal, OUT Haris Rauf to Umar Akmal, no runs Haris Rauf to Ahsan Ali, 1 run Haris Rauf to Umar Akmal, 1 run Haris Rauf to Umar Akmal, FOUR End of over 7: Quetta Gladiators 47/2 (LQ Target: 144) Yasir Shah to Ahsan Ali, FOUR Yasir Shah to Ahsan Ali, no runs Yasir Shah to Umar Akmal, 1 run Yasir Shah to Umar Akmal, no runs Yasir Shah to Ahsan Ali, 1 run Yasir Shah to Ahsan Ali, SIX End of over 6: Quetta Gladiators 35/2 (LQ Target: 144) Sandeep Lamichhane to Umar Akmal, 2 runs Sandeep Lamichhane to Umar Akmal, no runs Sandeep Lamichhane to Umar Akmal, no runs Sandeep Lamichhane to Umar Akmal, no runs Sandeep Lamichhane to Umar Akmal, no runs Sandeep Lamichhane to Ahsan Ali, 1 run End of over 5: Quetta Gladiators 32/2 (LQ Target: 144) Yasir Shah to Ahsan Ali, 1 run Yasir Shah to Ahsan Ali, FOUR Yasir Shah to Ahsan Ali, no runs Yasir Shah to Umar Akmal, 1 run Yasir Shah to Umar Akmal, no runs Yasir Shah to Railee Rossouw, OUT End of over 4: Quetta Gladiators 26/1 (LQ Target: 144) David Wiese to Rilee Rossouw, 1 run David Wiese to Rilee Rossouw, no runs David Wiese to Ahsan Ali, 1 run<doc-sep>SHARJAH: Cricket fans at Sharjah witnessed another last-ball thriller in PSL on Saturday when Sarfraz Ahmed smashed David Wiese over long off for a maximum to help Quetta Gladiators beat Lahore Qalandars by 3 wickets. It was the second consecutive evening in Sharjah for fans to witness a last-ball thriller, both ending with batsmen hitting a six to help their side win the game. These two games reminded many of Miandad’s last-ball six at the same venue against India. But for Sarfraz, the shot by the former Pakistan great remains the best and his last-ball six can’t be compared to the six smashed by Miandad. “You can’t compare my last-ball six with the last-ball hit for the maximum by Javed Miandad at this venue. That was an international game and that too against India so that six by Miandad will remain the best and can’t be compared to any other shot,” he said. He, however, agreed that such back-to-back games have added excitement to action-packed PSL. Interestingly, Lahore Qalandars were involved in both games. “Yesterday they smashed a six off the final ball to win and today they conceded the six of last ball, that’s the beauty of cricket,” the Pakistan captain added. Replying to a question, the wicket-keeper batsman said that after losing early wickets it was important for him to stay on wicket. “I was trying to stay on wicket and take the game till end because I knew that standing there is important. Thanks to Allah that I got success in what I aimed for,” he said. Sarfraz remained lucky as well, as he survived a certain run-out as on-field umpire had already signalled him lbw out - which was later overturned - to make the ball dead. Gladiators also escaped at least half a dozen run-out scares as hits by Qalandars kept missing the targets. Asked if someone was praying for him to be so lucky today, he said that his family’s prayers are always with him. “We always believe in prayers and our family keeps praying for us whenever we are in middle, that’s part of our faith. “If I had got out there then things would have been difficult for us,” he said. The Gladiators skipper said his experience of playing international cricket and being in such a scenario before also helped him a lot to overcome the match pressure on Saturday against Qalandars. “We have been to such situations in international games and that helped me handle the pressure,” he said. “AB is a great player and I can’t be compared to him,” he added. With Quetta winning four out of four games, Sarfraz is now eyeing to keep the winning streak.<doc-sep>The tenth Twenty20 match in the fourth edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) is one of the two matches scheduled for Friday. It will be played between Lahore Qalandars and Multan Sultans at 5-00 pm at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium. It will be the fourth match in the event for the two teams as both have already played three matches each. Lahore Qalandars played all their three initial matches in Dubai; won one and lost two whereas, Multan Sultans played their first two matches in Dubai and the third in Sharjah. After losing their first match by five wickets to Islamabad United on February 14, Lahore Qalandars emerged victorious by 22 runs against Karachi Kings on February 16 but they lost their third match to Peshawar Zalmi by seven wickets on February 17. Multan Sultans also went through the same fate as they lost their first match to Karachi Kings by seven runs on February 15 and then recorded a five-wicket victory against Islamabad United on February 16, and later they were outclassed by the consistent winners, Quetta Gladiators by eight wickets on February 20 in Sharjah. The highest totals so far by Multan Sultans is 176-9 (vs Karachi Kings) and by Lahore Qalandars 171-8 (vs Islamabad United). Veteran cricketer Shoaib Malik, who is captaining Multan Sultans, has consistently been scoring runs and is the leading run-getter for his team and with 136 (ave 68.00) in three matches with two fifties. He is second among the four batsmen, who have so far scored 100 runs and above in PSL4. The highest scorer for Lahore Qalandars is Fakhar Zaman who has made 97 runs in three matches. Pacer Rahat Ali of Lahore Qalandars is among the leading wicket takers of the PSL4, as he has so far captured eight wickets in three matches whereas his team mate and a sensational discovery in the event Haris Rauf bagged five wickets in three matches. The leading bowlers for Multan Sultans are off-spinner Chris Green, leg-spinner Shahid Afridi and left-arm pacer Junaid Khan, who took three wickets each. Squads Lahore Qalandars: Fakhar Zaman, Sohail Akhtar, AB de Villiers, Anton Devcich, Brendan Taylor, Carlos Brathwaite, Yasir Shah, Rahat Ali, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, Agha Salman, Hardus Viljoen, Hassan Khan. Multan Sultans: Shan Masood, James Vince, Tom Moores, Shoaib Malik, Laurie Evans, Andre Russell, Shahid Afridi, Hammad Azam, Daniel Christian, Ali Shafiq, Chris Green, Junaid Khan, Mohammad Irfan, Steve Smith.<doc-sep>

The 12th T20 match in the fourth edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) will be played on Saturday at 5-00 pm at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium. This will be the first of the two matches scheduled for Saturday. This match will be played between Lahore Qalandars and Quetta Gladiators and this will be the fifth match for the Qalandars while the Gladiators will appear for the fourth time in the event. Earlier, Lahore won two of their four matches securing four points while Quetta won all their three matches and are leading all the teams with six points on the table. Quetta Gladiators won their three matches against Peshawar Zalmi by 6 wickets, Islamabad United by seven wickets and Multan Sultans by eight wickets - what a gradual improvement in victory margin and their chasing ability. On the other hand, Lahore Qalandars after losing the inaugural match of the event to Islamabad United by five wickets came back with a 22-run victory over Karachi Kings. Later, they were beaten by seven wickets against Peshawar Zalmi but soon back with a bang last night chasing a huge target of 201 against Multan Sultans. They plundered 204 for four to set a record for the highest total in the history of PSL. Thus, with this sensational victory, the Qalandars have come to the form for facing Quetta Gladiators, who are going undefeated so far in the tournament. Their highest scorer so far is Shane Watson with 161 runs in three matches with two fifties whereas for Lahore Qalandars it is Fakhar Zaman, who made 160 in four matches with two half-centuries. The highest wicket-taker for Lahore Qalandars is Rahat Ali, who has so far bagged eight wickets in four matches while Sohail Tanvir is the highest wicket-taker for Quetta Gladiators with five wickets in three matches. However, the clash between the Gladiators and Qalandars will be expected to be exciting. Squads Lahore Qalandars: Fakhar Zaman, Sohail Akhtar, AB de Villiars, Ap Devcich, Bradan Taylor, Craig Brathwaite, Yasir Shah, Haris Rauf, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Rahat Ali, Agha Salman, GCViljoen, Hassan Khan Quetta Gladiators: Ahmed Shehzad, Shane Watson, RR Rossouw, Umar Akmal, Sarfraz Ahmed, Dwayne Smith, Mohammad Nawaz, Sohail Tanvir, Mohammad Irfan, Ghulam Mudassar, Fawad Ahmed, Ahsan Ali

With Week 4 of the Alliance of American Football underway, Saturday’s action wraps up with a game between the Orlando Apollos and Salt Lake Stallions. While the Apollos enter this matchup with an impressive 3-0 mark, Salt Lake is coming off a week in which they picked up their first win of the season over the Arizona Hotshots Orlando is led by quarterback Garrett Gilbert, who entered the week as the AAF’s leading passer in Steve Spurrier’s high-octane offense. Running back D’Ernest Johnson also impressed last game by totaling 79 rushing yards and one touchdown on 13 carries. Salt Lake got quarterback Josh Woodrum returned from injury last week and threw for 178 yards and one score. He showed an impressive connection with wideout De’Mornay Pierson-El, who caught all eight of his targets for 90 yards and one score. They’ll look to build off that connection in a tough home game Saturday night. We’re going to keep a running tab on the Apollos vs. Stallions matchup by breaking down the updated score and highlights throughout the game. Stats will also be provided, and they will be updated at halftime and then again after the game. Updated Score & Highlights: Orlando Apollos vs. Salt Lake Stallions Note: Highlights courtesy of the Alliance of American Football, The Athletic’s Arif Hasan or Breaking Football’s Jonathan Valencia. Apollos Convert on 4th Down & Score First Points The @aafAPOLLOS convert the 4th down and later finish off the drive with the first points of the game – 3-0 after Q1 pic.twitter.com/DkpCA8r45F — PFF_AAF (@PFF_AAF) March 3, 2019 First Half Highlights for Orlando Apollos on the Move Temps are frigid but the action is heating up in The Alliance. ❄️ @aafapollos on the move. pic.twitter.com/Fc9NH9gmUw — The Alliance (@TheAAF) March 3, 2019 Garrett Gilbert Tosses First TD of Game to Donteea Dye: 14-3 Salt Lake Responds With Joel Bouagnon TD Run: 14-11 Akeem Hunt Responds With TD Run to Extend Apollos Lead: 20-11 Snow is piling up and so are the points in this one. Touchdown, @aafapollos! #ORLvsSL pic.twitter.com/jEalLrt3l7 — The Alliance (@TheAAF) March 3, 2019 Final score: Orlando Apollos 20, Salt Lake Stallions 11 Orlando Apollos vs. Salt Lake Stallions Notable Final Stats *All stats and box scores from No Extra Points and will be updated at halftime and then after the game. Quarterbacks ORL: Garrett Gilbert – 22/32, 244 yards, one touchdown SL: Josh Woodrum – 16/22, 161 yards Running Backs ORL: De’Veon Smith – 12 carries, 51 yards ORL: Akeem Hunt: eight carries, 35 yards, one touchdown ORL: D’Ernest Johnson – eight carries, 31 yards SL: Branden Oliver – 17 carries, 71 yards SL: Joel Bouagnon – eight carries, 30 yards, one touchdown Wide Receivers, Tight Ends & Running Backs (Receiving) ORL: Charles Johnson – nine catches, 105 yards ORL: Rannell Hall – four catches, 57 yards ORL: Jalin Marshall – four catches, 27 yards ORL: Donteea Dye Jr. – one catch, 20 yards, one touchdown SL: Adonis Jennings – two catches, 43 yards SL: Brian Tyms – four catches, 32 yards SL: Kenny Bell – three catches, 25 yards SL: De’Mornay Pierson-El – two catches, 24 yards READ NEXT: Notable Players & NFL Talent in Alliance of American Football<doc-sep>While much of the focus today has been on the NFL Combine, there is actual football being played today. Earlier in the day, an untelevised AAF game saw the Memphis Express score 11 points in the fourth quarter to defeat the San Diego Fleet, 26-23. But up next is an important contest between the unbeaten Orlando Apollos and the 1-2 Salt Lake Stallions. Head coach Steve Spurrier has his Apollos rolling behind former SMU, Texas and Raider QB Garrett Gilbert, who has been gashing teams through the air and, surprisingly, with his legs as well. He scored a long rushing touchdown last week. Apollos receiver Charles Johnson has been a revelation and will surely get some attention from NFL teams this offseason. Salt Lake will look to get back to .500 with the aid of former NFL running backs Branden Oliver and Matt Asiata. This game will be on at 5 p.m. Pacific on the NFL Network.<doc-sep>Via https://www.sunherald.com One of the two teams in the AAF that is still undefeated three weeks into the season will look to continue with their winning ways when they travel to take on the Salt Lake Stallions on Saturday evening. The Orlando Apollos remain undefeated after beating the Memphis Express 21-17 last Saturday evening. Meanwhile, Salt Lake looks to earn their second straight victory after upsetting the Arizona Hotshots last weekend, 23-15. Saturday, March 2, 2019, at 8:00 ET at Legion Field, Birmingham, Alabama Apollos Hold Off Late Rally to Down Express, 21-17 The Orlando Apollos jumped out to a 9-0 halftime lead over the Memphis Express on Saturday, and looked like they would roll to victory behind a dominating defense. However, a quarterback change at halftime helped spark Memphis as Orlando would have to hang on for the 21-17 victory. Garrett Gilbert would have a solid afternoon, completing 14 of 28 passes for 207 yards. Gilbert through for a touchdown and provided the winning touchdown with a 21 yard scamper in the fourth quarter. D’Ernest Johnson rushed for 79 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries. Rannell Hall had four catches for 68 yards and a touchdown. The Orlando defense recorded two sacks and two interceptions. Sign up for a FREE Trial Consultation to start working with Legendary Sports Bettor Jon Price Orlando has been the best team offensively in the AAF this season. Gilbert has thrown for 827 yards, completing 59.3% of his passes. He leads the league with five touchdown throws and has yet to throw an interception this season. His primary target has been Charles Johnson, who has 14 catches for 305 yards, a 21.8 yards per reception average. Johnson is 26 carries for 171 yards, a 6.6 yards per carry average. The team has 386 yards rushing through their first three weeks of the season. It was expected when the season began that Terence Garvin would be a difference maker, and he is proving to be just that. Garvin is first on the team in total tackles with 21 and has three interceptions this season as well. Stallions Gallup to Victory in Home Opener, 23-15 The first professional football team in Utah history had their home opener on Saturday, and they sure made the most of it as the Salt Lake Stallions upset the Arizona Hotshots, 23-15. Salt Lake would jump out to a 9-0 lead behind a 54 yard field goal by Taylor Bertolet and a 25 yard touchdown pass by Josh Woodrum. Arizona would battle back to tie the score just before the half, but Salt Lake would regain the lead with a pair of touchdown runs in the second half to earn the victory. Woodrum had his best game of the season, completing 22 of 31 passes for 178 yards. The running attack for the Stallions had just 95 yards on 31 carries, but scored two touchdowns. De’Mornay Pierson-El had eight catches for 90 yards and a touchdown. Woodrum has completed 60.4% of his passes for 281 yards and two touchdowns. He looks to be the starter moving forward for Salt Lake. Joel Bouagnon leads the team in rushing with 39 carries for 154 yards. He has scored twice. Branden Oliver follows close behind with 37 carries for 139 yards and a score. Pierson-El leads the team in receptions with 13 for 125 yards. The defense has struggled to generate turnovers this season, creating just two. Greer Martini leads the team in tackles and has the Stallions only interception this season. The Winner Prediction It may have seem like a disappointing crowd for Salt Lake that they drew just a little under 11,000, but that group made a difference in the Stallions victory over Arizona. No doubt they can have a dramatic impact on this game as well, but the big difference here is that Orlando has the most consistent offense in the league. College Legend Steve Spurrier has done an amazing job in assembling this team, and they are likely only going to get better with each passing week. It may be cliché, but you go with the undefeated team until somebody proves they can beat them. The Pick:Orlando Apollos (-4.5) (-110) The Total The total is set for 41.0 for this game, and we believe that that total is going to go way over. Orlando is averaging nearly 350 yards per game of offense, and they are facing a Salt Lake team that is having trouble pressuring the quarterback and creating turnovers. That means Orlando will get a full complement of opportunities to score in this game. Salt Lake looks so much better with Woodrum as the quarterback. He’s not going to be able to generate enough firepower to win this game, but he’ll put up some points. Look for the Orlando Apollos to remain undefeated with a 31-21 victory. The Pick: Over 41.0(-110)<doc-sep>

The Orlando Apollos will look to stay undefeated when they head to Salt Lake City to take on the Stallions Saturday night. Steve Spurrier’s Apollos have gotten to 3-0 behind the Alliance of American Football’s (AAF) top offense (98 points, 1,179 yards) while Dennis Erickson’s Stallions (1-2) are coming off of their first win of the season. For all of the attention the Spurrier-coached Orlando offense gets, the defense has done its job as well, holding teams to less than 18 points per game. Salt Lake has turned up the defensive intensity lately (27 points allowed in last two games) and has been the stingiest team against the run in the early going. The Stallions knocked off previously undefeated Arizona last week at home. Can they make it two weeks in a row against the Apollos? Orlando at Salt Lake Kickoff: Saturday, March 2 at 8 p.m. ET Where: Rice-Eccles Stadium (Salt Lake City) TV: NFL Network Three Things to Watch 1. How do you slow down Orlando’s offense? That is the primary challenge that awaits Salt Lake. The Apollos’ offense has been far and away the AAF’s most productive through the first three weeks of the season. They have scored 98 points, 25 more than the next team (Arizona). In fact, Orlando has outscored both Atlanta and Memphis combined (65 points) and those two teams have played three games each. The Apollos have gotten contributions from quarterback Garrett Gilbert (827 passing yards, 5 TDs, no INTs); running back D’Earnest Johnson (171 rushing yards, 6.6 ypc), and the wide receiver trio of Charles Johnson, Jalin Marshall, and Chris Thompson (27 catches for 555 yards and 3 TDs combined), so there’s no one aspect the Stallions can focus on. Instead Dennis Erickson’s team needs to build on the success it has on defense the past two games, holding Birmingham and Arizona to a total of 27 points, and then take things to another level. 2. Expect the Stallions to run the ball One way that Salt Lake can keep Orlando’s offense off the field is to try and control the clock and game flow with its running game. Behind Joel Bouagnon and Branden Oliver, the Stallions are averaging 111 rushing yards per game, one of the reasons why they are second in time of possession (32:37). If Salt Lake can find success running the ball against the Apollos, who are giving up 129 yards per game on the ground, it should lead to fewer opportunities for Gilbert and company on offense. 3. Somebody’s defense could step up While both teams have made some noise with their offenses, neither defense can be completely ignored. For all of the points Orlando has scored, the defense is holding opponents to less than 18 per game. The Apollos also have already picked off six passes, with linebacker Terrance Garvin an cornerback Keith Reaser responsible for five of those. They also are the only players in the AAF that have returned a pick for a touchdown thus far. Salt Lake has done a good job of getting to the other team’s quarterback as Karter Schult leads the league with four of the team’s eight sacks. The Stallions have been particularly stingy in the fourth quarter (12 points allowed) and have given up just two touchdowns combined in the last two games. Will either defense steal the show on Saturday night? Final Analysis This could be the best game of the Week 4 slate, so it’s no surprise the AAF flexed it from it’s original Saturday afternoon kickoff to the primetime slot on NFL Network. But Orlando is undefeated for more reasons than just Steve Spurrier’s offense. The Apollos are balanced, disciplined and have too much talent on both sides of the ball. Salt Lake keeps things close but in the end the Apollos keep the train moving. Prediction: Apollos 28, Stallions 23 — Gabe Salgado is part of the Athlon Contributor Network. He's also written for NBC, Fox, The Sporting News, The Sports Journal, The Undefeated and Complex. He's a co-host of The Rewind Sports: 60. Follow him on Twitter @GabeSalgado82. (Top photo courtesy of AAF.com)

Russian authorities have said the deadly fire onboard an Aeroflot passenger jet was probably caused by pilot error, a technical malfunction or “adverse weather conditions”, apparently referring to reports that lightning struck the plane after takeoff. Emergency workers said on Monday they had removed 41 bodies from the scorched tail section of the Russian-made Sukhoi Superjet 100, confirming Sunday’s fire at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport as Russia’s deadliest aviation accident in several years. The country’s transport minister has said there is no reason to ground the fleet of Sukhoi aircraft, which is the leading civilian passenger jet developed in Russia since the days of the Soviet Union. The jet makes up one-fifth of the fleet at Aeroflot, the national carrier. Regional carrier Yamal Airlines, the country’s second biggest operator of the Superjet after Aeroflot, said on Monday it was cancelling its planned purchase of 10 of the planes, but cited high servicing costs, not safety concerns. Two children were among the 41 killed on the plane, which was flying to the Arctic city of Murmansk when it released a distress call shortly after takeoff and turned back to Moscow. Fire engulfed the plane’s tail section during an emergency landing after the aircraft struck the runway several times, igniting its fuel reserves. Video taken from inside the plane showed panic as flames enveloped the right engine and wing and smoke began filling the cabin. Tatyana Kasatkina, a flight attendant who forcibly evacuated passengers, told the Russian news website Baza: “You could see the fire [outside]. People were yelling that we’re burning but there was no fire inside of the plane […] I pushed the door open with my leg and grabbed the passengers so that they didn’t delay during the evacuation. I grabbed them by the collar.” Some passengers were shown in footage of the evacuation carrying luggage, including large backpacks and rolling suitcases, that they had apparently retrieved from overhead cabins. The pictures raised questions in Russian media of whether the rush to retrieve hand luggage had put lives at risk by slowing the evacuation from the burning plane. Investigators have said they would review the behaviour of pilots and flight crew during the accident, but have not indicated that the evacuation was in any way mishandled. Crew members said it was hit by hail while flying through clouds near Sheremetyevo airport, before apparently being struck by lightning. “A bright flash and a clap,” the pilot Denis Yevdokimov said, describing the alleged lightning strike. The plane lost all communications and its electronic flight system failed, he said. Video of the landing showed the plane bouncing along the tarmac before bursting into flames. The tail section became consumed by fire, discharging thick, black smoke as passengers were evacuated using emergency slides. Fire engines sped towards the blaze as some passengers were seen fleeing across the tarmac in tears. Some were carrying luggage they had apparently retrieved from overhead cabins. The death toll was originally reported as one, but rose sharply as emergency workers painstakingly retrieved the dead from the smouldering wreckage. Reports have indicated most of those killed were in the tail section. A seating chart showed all but one of the passengers killed were seated behind row 10. It took firefighters more than an hour to reach passengers in the tail section. “There were 78 people including crew aboard the airliner,” said a government spokeswoman. The latest tally showed 37 had survived. Investigators study the charred wreckage of the Sukhoi Superjet 100. Photograph: HO/AFP/Getty Images According to the Flightradar24 tracking service, the plane circled twice over Moscow before making an emergency landing after just under 30 minutes in the air. The Interfax news agency cited a source as saying the plane succeeded in making an emergency landing on the second attempt and that some of the aircraft’s systems then failed. Aeroflot operates 50 Sukhoi Superjets in its fleet of 255 passenger aircraft. The carrier has ordered another 100, which are scheduled to be delivered between 2019 and 2026. There have been previous concerns over the plane’s reliability. In 2012 a Superjet crashed into a mountain in Indonesia during a sales demonstration flight, killing 37 people. In 2016, a reported 11 Sukhoi jets were grounded because of issues with the plane’s tail stabiliser. The model entered service in 2011 and was the first new passenger jet developed in Russia since the fall of the Soviet Union. Russia’s investigative committee has opened a criminal inquiry into safety violations leading to the death of two or more people, a common step after mass casualty events in Russia. Officials have confirmed that at least 11 people were injured, including some hospitalised with burns. The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, offered his condolences to the families of the victims.<doc-sep>The flight was Aeroflot SU1492 – plane registration number RA-89098. The flight was a daily service from Moscow to Murmansk. It was initially thought that the plane was already on fire when it landed. However, Russian news agency Interfax is reporting that the fire began after an extremely bumpy landing. The same report indicates that fuel tanks were full as crew made the decision that it was too dangerous to dump fuel over Moscow. According to the Aviation Herald, the majority of occupants were able to evacuate using both front door emergency slides. The flight crew made their evacuation using escape ropes through the cockpit windows. Emergency services rushed to the scene immediately. Many reports say that the initial cause of the emergency landing was lightning striking the plane. Speaking to Komsomolskaya Pravda daily newspaper, Petr Egorov said: “[the flight] had just taken off and the aircraft was hit by lightning…the landing was rough – I almost passed out from fear.” Andrey Chibis, Acting Governor of Murmansk, has reportedly said that families of victims will each receive one million rubles ($15,300). Victims being treated in hospital will receive 500,000 rubles ($7,650). Photos and video on social media Dramatic photos and video going up on twitter show black smoke rising from the flaming aircraft as ambulances arrive at the scene. The moment the flaming Aeroflot Superjet makes an emergency landing at Sheremetyevo. Reports that a lightning strike may have lit the engine on fire https://t.co/ySVAWQkycp pic.twitter.com/sLKBhW0JLf — Alec Luhn (@ASLuhn) May 5, 2019 Первые секунды после посадки горящего борта в Шереметьево. Люди, спасшиеся из самолёта, бегут по полосе pic.twitter.com/j3lcDnvtEF — baza (@bazabazon) May 5, 2019 Pilots declared an emergency shortly after taking off from Sheremetyevo but after 27 minutes in the air, made a return. Below is the flight path as recorded by FlightRadar24. After extinguishing the fire it was clear that the tail as well as most of the rear fuselage was completely on fire. This particular aircraft was relatively new, reportedly made in 2017 or 2018. A criminal investigation on this incident has begun and the black box has been given to the investigating agency. About the aircraft An Aeroflot Sukhoi Superjet at Moscow Sheremetyevo Photo: Wikimedia Commons The Sukhoi Superjet is a Russian-built aircraft that the manufacturer claims “offers standards of economy, performance, environmental efficiency and passenger comfort never before seen in a 100-seat airliner.” The aircraft’s entry into service was in mid-2011 while European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) Type Certificate came in 2012. To date, 148 aircraft of this type have been delivered, according to Wikipedia. The manufacturer is officially goes by the name “Superjet International” and is a joint venture of Italy’s Leonardo Company and Russia’s Sukhoi Holding Company. Other accidents and incidents In the last ten years there have been a handful of accidents involving Aeroflot aircraft. In 2009, a Boeing 737 suffered severe damage by a hailstorm and was subsequently written-off. In 2014 an Ilyushin Il-96 had damage beyond repair while parked at Moscow Sheremetyevo International Airport. Most recently, on 3rd January 2017, an Airbus A321 overran the runway on landing at Khrabrovo Airport, causing the nose gear to collapse resulting in minor damage. In fact, today’s incident is the first Aeroflot flight suffering fatalities since a 2008 crash killed 88 passengers and 6 crew members. Several weeks ago an aircraft from another Russian airline UTair caught fire. However, in a very unexpected response, the airline claimed that fire coming from the engine of their 737 was a regular situation and that the plane was still “fully operational”. We originally posted this story at around 1800 GMT on May 5th and it was last updated on May 6th at 0628 GMT.<doc-sep>Just watching the disturbing video of the Russian plane disaster will send shudders through everyone who has ever been lined up on a plane, waiting for everyone ahead of them to collect their bags and file out of the aircraft. In this case, there is a very real possibility that the 41 people who died on board Flight SU1492 were trapped as those ahead of them grabbed large bags and other hand luggage before running out, as the videos show. There’s more evidence of a “people jam” in the single-aisled plane when you see those lucky passengers sliding down to safety. Survivors evacuate the Moscow plane crash carrying their luggage, casting doubt on the evacuation procedures used as 41 died. (Supplied) As flames eat into the rear of the aircraft, it is not a continual stream of people seen sliding down the emergency escape, but rather one person every few seconds emerging from the plane door. And all this was made worse because the two front slides were the only way out. The rear exit doors were burning so there was no chance of escape for the people at the back of the plane. Evacuees were seen leaving slides by the front door every few seconds - rather than continually - leading to speculation there was a 'people jam' in the aisle. (EPA/AAP) The aircraft, a Sukhoi Superjet owned by Aeroflot, took off from the airport north of Moscow with 78 people on board. It was in the air for just 26 minutes before, as passengers reported, it was hit by lightning. The plane turned back, but pilots abandoned the first landing and went around again. In this image taken by Riccardo Dalla Francesca, smoke rises from a fire on the plane at Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport. (AP/AAP) As one video shows, there were no flames evident in the plane at this stage. It then makes a dangerously hard landing and relaunches to make a second even harder landing. "It has made a very hard land. It bounces back into the air and this is the moment when the plane hits the ground and the landing gear collapses,” CNN’s aviation expert Richard Quest explains. “The fuel in the tank erupts and that is what causes the fire. This plane was not on fire when it landed." The scene at Sheremetyevo airport after the crash. (AP/AAP) Inside, someone is shooting video and there is panic and screaming as passengers see flames enveloping their aircraft. A plane of this size should have been able to have been emptied of all passengers in 90 seconds. There is also the question why the plane land so hard in the first place? The Sukhoi Superjet 100 aircraft of Aeroflot Airlines covered in fire retardant foam after the blaze was extinguished. (AP/AAP) “This is going to be a really serious issue,” Mr Quest said. “The plane on second bounce almost lands on its nose. Was it coming in too fast because the pilot had lost control (because of the lightning strike)? Was he able to deploy the flaps to slow the aircraft down?” This is the second Russian-made Sukhoi Superjet to crash. In 2012, one came down in Indonesia killing all 45 people on board. Richard Quest also questions the absence of emergency vehicles early on in the video footage. “The plane was stopped, the fire is underway but no sign of the firefighters.” Considering that it was apparently known the plane was about to make an emergency landing many are already asking “Why weren’t they next to the plane fighting the fire the second it landed?” The plane’s manufacturer, Sukhoi Civil Aircraft, said the plane had received maintenance at the beginning of April.<doc-sep>(CNN) At least 41 people on board a Russian passenger jet were killed, including two children, after the aircraft crash-landed at a Moscow airport on Sunday, bursting into flames on impact. Aeroflot flight SU 1492 skidded down the runway at Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport, its rear section ablaze and spilling thick, black smoke. Once the plane had come to a halt, passengers escaped using emergency slides from the plane's two forward doors, before running away from the burning aircraft. Initial reports said the Superjet 100 was flying from Moscow to Murmansk, a Russian city in the Arctic circle, when an emergency on board forced it to turn back. Russia's Interfax news agency reported that a "loss of communication" caused by a "lightning strike" had led to the decision to return to Sheremetyevo. No official cause has yet been provided for the disaster. Data from flight tracker Flightradar24 shows the plane took off just after 6 p.m. local time (11 a.m. ET) and was in the air for just under 30 minutes, before making a loop in the skies north of Moscow and heading back to the airport. Shocking video of the incident showed the plane approach the runway at speed before hitting the ground, causing it to launch back in the air before hitting the runway again and bursting into flames. A total of 78 people were aboard the stricken flight, including five crew members. Thirty-seven people survived, five of whom are currently receiving treatment in hospital, said Elena Markovskaya, a spokeswoman for Russia's Investigative Committee, a top law-enforcement agency. An American citizen was killed in the crash, Interfax reported. A passenger in a plane waiting to depart Moscow posted video on Instagram purportedly showing fire crews attending the scene as the aircraft sat in flames on the runway. Russian airline Aeroflot published an "incomplete" list of 33 survivors, including the names of the five passengers hospitalized. In a series of short statements on its website, it said the aircraft was evacuated in 55 seconds, compared with the "industry norm" of 90 seconds. The flight crew "did everything in its power to save passenger lives and provide emergency assistance to those involved," another short release said. "Tragically, they were unable to save all of those aboard." The captain was the last to leave the burning aircraft, the airline added, and offered its condolences to the passengers and their families. It announced that it would fly relatives of those affected to Moscow without charge. Russian-made jet Sukhoi manufactures military aircraft and is known especially for its fighter jets. Its civilian aircraft, the Sukhoi Superjet 100, is the first post-Soviet commercial airliner to have been designed and built in Russia. The Superjet is a relatively new aircraft, making its maiden flight in 2008 before entering service in mid-2011. More than 100 planes are in operation around the world, according to the company. The narrow-bodied, dual-class cabin aircraft can transport 100 passengers over regional routes and is "a fusion of Russia's famed aviation design and production skills with the latest systems from leading aerospace suppliers around the world," the aircraft's brochure says. In 2012 a demonstration flight over Indonesia crashed in a remote, mountainous part of the country. Earlier that year, a Superjet 100 operated by Aeroflot was forced to abandon its flight to Astrakhan, Russia and return to Moscow because of problems with the undercarriage, according to RIA Novosti. A similar defect in another Aeroflot-operated Superjet 100 had to be fixed in Minsk the previous year. The model achieved the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) Type Certificate in 2012, and also holds safety certificates from a number of other aviation authorities. Russia's Emergency Situations Ministry said Monday that it does not plan to suspend the operation of Sukhoi Superjet aircraft, state news agency TASS reported. Investigation ordered Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered a "thorough investigation" into the fiery emergency landing, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told TASS. "All instructions have been given to conduct the most thorough investigation, (to carry out) the necessary orders to find out the cause of this accident," said Peskov, according to TASS. He added that Putin "extends his deep condolences to those who lost their near and dear in this incident." The Investigative Committee said in a statement Monday that it was examining "various versions" that might have caused the crash landing, including the qualifications of the pilots, air-traffic controllers and maintenance personnel, aircraft malfunction and adverse weather conditions. The committee routinely conducts investigations into major incidents with loss of life.<doc-sep>

A Russian passenger jet burst into flames on Sunday while attempting an emergency landing at a Moscow airport, leaving as many as 41 passengers dead and more injured. Video from Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport shows the plane bouncing along the tarmac before it suddenly burst into flames. The tail section of the Russian Sukhoi Superjet 100 became engulfed by fire, discharging thick, black smoke as crew members evacuated passengers using emergency slides. Fire engines sped toward the blaze while some passengers were seen fleeing across the tarmac in tears. Some were carrying luggage. The death toll, originally reported as 19, rose sharply as Russian emergency workers painstakingly retrieved the bodies of the dead from the smouldering wreckage. The plane’s destroyed fuselage. Photograph: AFP/Getty Images Early reports indicate that most of those killed were trapped in the tail section of the plane. Russia’s Investigative Committee said two of the victims were children. “There were 78 people including crew aboard the airliner,” said a government spokeswoman. The latest tally showed that 37 had survived. No official cause has been given for the disaster. The Investigative Committee said it had opened an inquiry and was looking into whether the pilots had breached air safety rules. The Sukhoi SSJ100. Photograph: Pavel Golovkin/AP Some passengers blamed bad weather and lightning. “We took off and then lightning struck the plane,” the Komsomolskaya Pravda daily cited one surviving passenger, Pyotr Egorov, as saying. “The plane turned back and there was a hard landing. We were so scared, we almost lost consciousness. The plane jumped down the landing strip like a grasshopper and then caught fire on the ground.” The plane was flying to Murmansk, a Russian city in the Arctic circle, when the pilots reported an emergency onboard and turned back. Aeroflot, the carrier managing the flight, said that the reason may have been an engine fire. While attempting to land, the plane struck the runway several times, damaging the fuel tanks and igniting the fire in the rear section of the fuselage. It took the firefighters battling the blaze more than an hour to reach passengers in the tail section. An image taken from video footage released by the Russian Investigative Committee. Photograph: EPA The Flightradar24 tracking service showed that the plane had circled twice over Moscow before making an emergency landing after just under 30 minutes in the air. Interfax cited a source as saying the plane had only succeeded making an emergency landing on the second attempt and that some of the aircraft’s systems had then failed. Aeroflot currently operates 50 Russia-made Sukhoi Superjets in its fleet of 255 passenger aircraft. The carrier has ordered another 100 Superjets from Sukhoi, which is slated to deliver the aircraft between 2019 and 2026. There have been concerns with the plane’s reliability before the incident. In 2012 a Sukhoi Superjet crashed into a mountain in Indonesia during a sales demonstration flight, killing 37 people. In 2016, a reported 11 Sukhoi jets had been grounded because of issues with the plane’s tail stabiliser. One of the plane’s engines. Photograph: AFP/Getty Images The Superjet entered service in 2011 and was the first new passenger jet developed in Russia since the fall of the Soviet Union. It has been hit, however, by sporadic concerns over safety and reliability, including a December 2016 grounding after a defect was discovered in an aircraft’s tail section. Russia’s Investigative Committee has opened a criminal investigation into safety violations leading to the death of two or more people, a common step following mass casualty events in Russia. Officials have also confirmed that at least 11 people were injured, and some were hospitalised with burns. The Russian prime minister, Dmitry Medvedev, and president, Vladimir Putin, issued condolences to the families of the victims.

Patrick Frazee, fiancé of missing Colorado mom Kelsey Berreth, arrested for murder, solicitation to commit murder originally appeared on abcnews.go.com Patrick Frazee, the fiancé of missing Colorado mother Kelsey Berreth, was arrested for first-degree murder and solicitation to commit first-degree murder Friday morning, nearly one month after Berreth vanished, police said. Berreth, a 29-year-old mother of a 1-year-old girl, was last seen on Thanksgiving in the area of her Woodland Park home. (MORE: Police search fiancé's home amid Colorado mom Kelsey Berreth's 'suspicious' disappearance) Her body has not been found but information is helping narrow down the search, Woodland Park Police Chief Miles De Young said at a news conference Friday. PHOTO: Kelsey Berreth is pictured in an undated handout photo. (Woodland Park Police Department) The crime may have occurred at her home, police said. Berreth's phone, however, ended up in Idaho, and authorities are working to recover it, police said. Berreth and Frazee's baby is in protective custody and will be reunited with Berreth's family, the chief said. (MORE: Family friend of missing Colorado mom pleads for help in desperate search) Frazee was booked on first-degree murder and solicitation to commit first-degree murder, prosecutors said, with formal charges to follow. PHOTO: Patrick Frazee, the fiance of missing Colorado mother Kelsey Berreth, is pictured in a booking photo released on Dec. 21, 2018. (Teller County Sheriff via KMGH) Additional arrests are possible, the chief said. Under Colorado’s solicitation statute, a suspect would have not only discussed the commission of a crime with a second person, but would have taken steps to see it through, according to District Attorney Dan May of Colorado’s 4th Judicial District. "So, it isn't just a discussion," the prosecutor told CNN on Friday. "You've actually done something that shows the firmness of your actions." Affidavits in this case were sealed by the court, prosecutors said. No members of Berreth’s family appeared at Frazee’s first court appearance on Friday afternoon, where the suspect appeared via a video feed, according to ABC’s Denver affiliate KMGH. Story continues Frazee is being held without bond pending his next court appearance, currently scheduled for Dec. 31 at 8:30 a.m., KMGH reported. PHOTO: Investigators served an arrest warrant Friday morning for Patrick Frazee, the fiancé of missing Colorado mother Kelsey Berreth, who hasn't been seen in nearly one month, sources told ABC News. (Clayton Sandell/ABC News) (MORE: Security video shows missing Colorado mother Kelsey Berreth and baby at store the day she vanished) Frazee's former attorney, Jeremy Loew, said last week his client "continues to cooperate with law enforcement in the missing person investigation." Frazee was focusing "on parenting the child he shares with Ms. Berreth," Loew said at the time. Loew said on Friday that Frazee is now represented by public defender Adam Steigerwald.<doc-sep>(CNN) — The fiancé of missing Colorado mother Kelsey Berreth was arrested and booked on murder charges in connection with her death, authorities said Friday. Patrick Frazee’s arrest came nearly one month after Berreth, the mother of his 1-year-old daughter, vanished on Thanksgiving Day near Woodland Park, a city between Denver and Colorado Springs. Teller County Sheriff's Office Patrick Frazee was charged Friday in connection with the death of his fiancée, Kelsey Berreth. Frazee was booked on charges of first-degree murder and solicitation for first-degree murder at the Teller County Jail, officials said. Frazee is being held without bond. Formal charges will be filed against Frazee in about 10 days, District Attorney Dan May of the 4th Judicial District said at a Friday news conference. Frazee made his first appearance in court by video Friday afternoon. He was never addressed by the judge directly and could not be seen by reporters in the courtroom. The judge granted the prosecution’s request that Frazee have no contact with any witness or anyone else named in the sealed arrest affidavit, with the exception of his family. Authorities do not believe Berreth is alive but have not found her body, De Young said. They have not determined a motive, he said. Frazee’s attorney, Jeremy Loew, had no comment early Friday afternoon and planned to have “a statement issued later today,” his legal assistant, Kristine Patterson, told CNN. As dozens of officers a week earlier searched Frazee’s home and property, Loew in a statement said his client “continues to cooperate with law enforcement.” “We encourage law enforcement to take whatever steps it deems necessary to find Kelsey Berreth and to be able to exclude Patrick Frazee as a possible suspect in this missing person investigation,” the attorney said. “Mr. Frazee will continue not to participate in any interviews with the media and instead focus on parenting the child he shares with Ms. Berreth.” Solicitation charge signals more than ‘a discussion’ Frazee was the only person arrested in the case as of Friday morning, De Young said, and officials wouldn’t provide any more detail about how they came to the solicitation charge. Under the solicitation statute, a suspect would not only have discussed committing a crime with another person but would have taken steps to see it through, May said. courtesy Berreth Family Berreth was last seen November 22. “So, it isn’t just a discussion,” the prosecutor said. “You’ve actually done something that shows the firmness of your actions.” The criminal affidavit in the case has been sealed until investigators can follow up on leads and feel confident the release of documents won’t hurt the investigation, May said. Authorities are still combing Berreth’s house for clues, May said. Investigators “recovered a number of items” that have led them to suspect the murder took place in the residence, De Young said. Investigators with the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, the Woodland Park Police Department and the FBI were spotted Thursday evening carrying large brown bags out of Berreth’s home, and a firefighter was seen carrying a ladder into the house, CNN affiliate KMGH reported. Frazee and Berreth’s daughter is in protective custody and will be reunited with Berreth’s family, De Young said. Berreth’s phone tracked to Idaho Frazee previously had told police he last saw Berreth on November 22, when he picked up their daughter, making him the last known person to report seeing Berreth alive. Police said they have surveillance video of Berreth, a flight instructor, shopping with her daughter that day at a Woodland Park supermarket. Berreth’s employer got a text from her phone on November 25, saying she wouldn’t be able to work that week, police have said. Frazee also said she texted him that day, but the contents of that text haven’t been released. A week after that, she was reported missing. Woodland Park police began their search on December 2, when Berreth’s mother, Cheryl, alerted them to her daughter’s disappearance. Berreth’s phone was tracked to a location near Gooding, Idaho. Berreth has family in that state, De Young said. Gooding is roughly 800 miles northwest of Woodland Park. “She’s not the kind that runs off,” Cheryl Berreth said at a police news conference on December 10. “This is completely out of character. Kelsey loves her God, she loves her family and friends, and she loves her job. She’s reliable, considerate and honest.” Berreth’s phone did end up in Idaho, De Young confirmed Friday, adding that police are still working to recover it. The reward for information leading to finding Berreth is $25,000, Woodland Park police said. Frazee voluntarily released his phone to be searched and allowed officers to take a DNA sample on December 12, his lawyer said. Two days later, investigators combed Frazee’s home and 30-plus-acre property in Florissant, Colorado, with a search party of 75 officers, a law enforcement source told CNN at the time. De Young declined to say then what investigators were looking for or what prompted them to search that location. CNN’s Kaylee Hartung reported from Colorado, while Dakin Andone and Christina Maxouris reported and wrote in Atlanta. CNN’s Sara Weisfeldt, Keith Allen, Steve Almasy and Sheena Jones contributed to this report.<doc-sep>A young mother's Thanksgiving Day disappearance seems to finally have been solved. Kelsey Berreth was last seen in public on Nov. 22 shopping at a grocery store in Colorado, but wasn't reported missing until almost 10 days later on Dec. 2 by her mother. And since then, the details that emerged about her disappearance kept getting more shocking, especially regarding her relationship with her fiancé and the father of her young daughter, Patrick Frazee. And on Dec. 21, almost one month after she was last seen, the police arrested Patrick, 32, charging him with Kelsey's murder. "Today we arrested Patrick Frazee on charges of first degree murder of Kelsey Berreth," Woodland Park Police Department Chief Miles De Young said in a press conference. "He is currently being held in the Teller County Jail." While their 1-year-old daughter had been in his care since Kelsey's disappearance, she is now in protective custody and was expected to be reunited with Kelsey's family soon, according to police. On Thursday, Dec. 27, a Colorado judge awarded temporary physical custody of the little girl to Kelsey's parents.<doc-sep>Search for Missing Colorado Mom Expands to Landfill After Her Fiancé Is Charged with Murder The search for missing Colorado mom Kelsey Berreth, who is presumed dead, continues — and investigators are looking at a landfill for answers. “The Colorado Bureau of Investigations contacted Waste Management of Colorado regarding a potential search at Midway Landfill and we are cooperating fully,” a spokesperson for Waste Management told PEOPLE in a statement. Get push notifications with news, features and more. A spokeswoman for the landfill confirmed to ABC News that the search inquiry was related to Berreth’s disappearance. Berreth, a 29-year-old flight instructor from Woodland Park, has not been seen in public since Thanksgiving. The spokesperson for the landfill declined to answer questions about the timing of any search or what investigators are looking for. As of Thursday morning, no law enforcement had been seen at the landfill, according to the Colorado Springs Gazette. The Colorado Bureau of Investigation and 4th Judicial District Attorney’s Office did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s requests for comment. Patrick-Frazee-Kelsey-Berreth-blur Patrick Frazee, Kelsey Berreth and the couple's infant | Credit: Facebook On Thanksgiving of last year, surveillance video captured Berreth and her 1-year-old daughter Kaylee entering a local supermarket. That was the last time she was seen publicly. Earlier this month, Berreth’s parents, Cheryl and Darrell, filed a wrongful death lawsuit in Colorado’s federal district court. The lawsuit, which was obtained by PEOPLE, seeks unspecified damages against Frazee for Berreth’s presumed death. Frazee, who did not live with Berreth, told police that he and his fiancée met up that same day so that Berreth could hand off their daughter to him. Berreth’s mother, who lives out of state, reported her missing 10 days later, on Dec. 2, 2018. Kelsey-Berreth-1 While Teller County investigators have yet to detail the specific allegations that led to the solicitation counts, it likely means prosecutors think Frazee allegedly solicited an individual three times or three people on three separate occasions as part of an alleged murder plot. The alleged solicitations occurred between Sept. 1 and Nov. 1, 2018, according to the charging documents, which were obtained by PEOPLE. According to the charging documents, prosecutors filed two murder counts because they have two theories about how the presumed killing may have taken place: either Frazee killed Berreth by himself, or he and someone else allegedly tried to rob Berreth before she was killed. • Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Click here to get breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases in the True Crime Newsletter. Frazee remains in police custody without bond. He has not yet entered pleas to the charges, and his criminal attorney could not be reached for comment. It is unclear if Frazee has representation in the civil case. Authorities are investigating a second person — an Idaho woman — in the case. They believe she might have helped dispose of Berreth’s phone, multiple outlets reported. Three days after Berreth apparently vanished, Berreth’s mobile phone pinged on a cell tower near Gooding, Idaho, nearly 600 miles from her home, police have said. That same day, texts from the phone of Berreth were sent to her employer, Doss Aviation, saying she would not be at work for the next week.<doc-sep>

The fiancé of a Colorado woman missing since Thanksgiving was arrested Friday and charged in her murder, police said. Patrick Frazee is being held at the Teller County Jail on charges of first-degree murder and solicitation of first-degree murder, prosecutors said at a press conference. Booking photo of Patrick Frazee released by Woodland Park Police. Woodland Park Police Authorities said they have not yet located the body of Kelsey Berreth, "but information has been developed" that is helping them narrow down the search. Woodland Park Police Chief Miles De Young said authorities believe she was killed at her home. Berreth was last seen in public on Nov. 22 with her 1-year-old daughter at a Safeway grocery store in her hometown of Woodland Park, northwest of Colorado Springs. De Young said the child is in protective custody and will be reunited with her family soon. She wasn't reported missing until Dec. 2 by her mother, Cheryl Berreth. Frazee had not publicly commented on Berreth's disappearance, but had previously told investigators that the last time he saw his fiancée was on Nov. 22 when she left their daughter with him. The two did not live together. He also told police that he last communicated with Berreth on Nov. 25, when she sent him a text message. Police said on that same day, Berreth's employer, Doss Aviation, said it had received a message from Berreth's phone requesting time off from work. Woodland Park Police Chief Miles De Young also said that on Nov. 25 Berreth’s phone had pinged to a location near Gooding, Idaho, about 800 miles away from her home. De Young said they are still working to recover her phone. Berreth's mom resides in Idaho, but said on "Today" that the town of Gooding is not near where she lives. Investigators searched Frazee's 35-acre property last week, but De Young said on Nov. 16 that the search did not turn up any signs of the missing mother. After a video conference with judge on Friday afternoon, Frazee was ordered held without bond and was scheduled to appear in court on Dec. 31.

Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window) R. Kelly’s “goons” confronted Dave Chappelle over an infamous “Chappelle’s Show” skit, according to the comedian’s former writing partner. During an interview with “The Breakfast Club” on Tuesday, the show’s co-creator, Neal Brennan, described the embattled singer’s reaction to a sketch that poked fun at his legal troubles in the form of a fictitious music video called “Piss on You.” As the writer tells it, Kelly did not take kindly to the parody, which made light of his 2002 indictment on child pornography charges after a video surfaced in which a man believed to be the singer allegedly urinated on an underage girl. He was acquitted of all 14 counts in 2008. “R. Kelly wanted to fight Dave,” Brennan said. “Literally, his goons stepped to Dave in Chicago and Dave’s goons intervened. The goons negotiated.” Asked elsewhere in the interview if he felt the sketch, along with others that made fun of Kelly, helped normalize his behavior, Brennan replied with an adamant no. “I don’t think people understand what comedy is supposed to do,” he told the radio show. “We will observe things, we will make fun of things. Did people want us to round up a posse and go arrest R. Kelly? Like, what were we supposed to do?” He added, “Our job is to poke fun at things. And even if it’s bleak, we still poke fun at it. We were trying to humiliate a guy who was known for peeing.”<doc-sep>In Theory, Dave Chappelle Has Broken His Silence on R. Kelly By Mike Redmond | Celebrity | January 17, 2019 | Comedian and former Chappelle’s Show writer Neal Brennan made headlines this week after he addressed growing criticism that the infamous “Piss On You” sketch “normalized” the R. Kelly video where he allegedly urinates on one of his underage rape victim. Setting aside Brennan’s questionable defense of the sketch, he tweeted a clip of the interview, and I want you to pay careful attention to the details surrounding the “fight” between Kelly and Dave Chappelle. People were mad last week that we did an R. Kelly sketches 15 years ago. Here's me explaining comedy to them. pic.twitter.com/FQoxIALqkr — Neal Brennan (@nealbrennan) January 15, 2019 For those of you who can’t watch, essentially Kelly was pissed about the sketch, and his “goons” confronted Chappelle in Chicago where he was rolling with his own set of goons that calmed things down. “The goons negotiated,” according to Brennan. Which brings us to Chappelle who had been refusing to comment on Kelly and was also being blasted for turning down the Surviving R. Kelly documentary. However, during a Wednesday night set at the West Hollywood Improv, Chappelle finally broke his silence on Kelly. By repeating the same exact story Neal Brennan told that morning. Except that’s not entirely true. Chappelle added a small flourish that way too many media outlets are taking at face value when I’d put cash money on it being a bit. Because in this version, Chappelle and Kelly spoke, which contradicts Brennan story so this comedic exchange can happen. “He says, ‘How you gonna do a video of me peeing on girls like that?’ And I say, “How YOU gonna do a video?” [audience explodes into laughter] Did I mention Dave Chappelle sounds drunk and/or high as hell during this whole thing? Dave Chappelle sounds drunk and/or high as hell during this whole thing. But that’s not the only messed up part. TMZ credits Chappelle with taking a stand for women by “saying he wants comedians to call out things that are wrong with the world, period,” which is an extremely generous interpretation of whatever the f**k came out of Chappelle’s mouth at the end of this video: Here’s what I was able to transcribe: “Let’s make a comedy movement where n****s can just say what’s wrong. Because, yeah, it’s gotta be better. And I don’t wanna ruin n****s careers. Every comedian in the back. Yo, everybody, keep your balls intact. Say what needs to be said, and let’s get this work done. Now that’s gonna sound kinda shit babba babba bobby booey babba boo woo. But my body’s telling me no, and my body’s telling me yes. We gotta rock. Yo, everybody, keep your balls intact and know that your boy Dave Chappelle got your back.” Just so we’re all clear, that was word-for-word to the best of my ability because Chappelle was slurring like hell and literally babbled in the middle of whatever that even was. Yeah, maybe it was a call for comedians to clean up their act, but it mostly sounds like his main concern is protecting testicles? Your guess is as good as mine. Also, you probably noticed that Chappelle mangled the lyrics to R. Kelly’s “Bump and Grind,” which was actually a callback to when he sang the song the first time: Right after the anecdote about being confronted. I’m talking immediately after making a joke about the video, he starts singing, “My mind’s telling me no…” because Dave Chappelle still thinks it’s hilarious that R. Kelly peed on underage girls. And that was the entire point of “Piss On You.” It was never to call out Kelly. It was just a giant pee joke. After writing about Brennan’s defense of the sketch, commenters noted that on the DVD commentary for Chappelle’s Show, Brennan allegedly says something about how it’s weird that everyone is so wrapped up about the underage aspect of the R. Kelly video and not the fact that he’s peeing on people. And if you watch the “Piss On You” sketch, that mentality absolutely shines through. There’s not even a single lyric about the fact that those “people” were underage girls because Dave Chappelle didn’t care back then. And he doesn’t seem to give a shit now. ← Michelle Obama Celebrates Her 55th Birthday | Cardi B Loves Her Grandma Very Much → Mike is a Staff Contributor living in Pennsyltucky. You can follow him on Twitter. Header Image Source: Getty<doc-sep>HipHopWired Featured Video CLOSE We heard from Chappelle’s Show co-creator Neil Brennan about the time R. Kelly sent goons to confront Dave Chappelle. Now we get to listen to the story about the confrontation from the comedian himself and how he how he hilariously clapped back the king of R&Pee. Chappelle opened up about the incident to crowded room during a standup set in West Hollywood, Wednesday night. With friend and Chappelle’s Show collaborator, Donnell Rawlings asking him to recall what happened the night R. Kelly approached him at a Common show in Chicago about the 2003 “Piss On You’ skit he responded: “His [R. Kelly] goons bust in my room. I don’t know if it was his goons, but they sure did like him.” In the TMZ shared clip Chappelle tells the crowd that R. Kelly asked him how “How you gonna do a video of me peeing on a b*tchh like that?” In the most Chappelle way possible he responded: “How YOU gonna do a video of you peeing on a b*tch like that?” Chappelle did share this story on his show back in 2003, but it’s still funny to hear it now. The skit is now the subject of debate and scrutiny as some people are making a claim it “normalized” Kelly’s sick behavior. Do you think that is fair criticism? Let us know in the comment section below, and watch Dave retell the story in the video below. — Photo: Hollywood To You/Star Max / Getty<doc-sep>

Dave Chappelle said he got some scary blow back after the memorable "Chappelle's Show" bit that mocked R. Kelly back in 2003. Chappelle imitated Kelly as part of his Comedy Central series that ran from 2003 until 2006, making light of an alleged sex tape where Kelly supposedly urinated on an underage girl. Chappelle as Kelly crooned lyrics like, "Said your body, your body is a port-o-potty." “The week that sketch came out, we was in Chicago, at a Common show," Chappelle recalled onstage in video shared by TMZ, "and his dude bust in my room." The outlet reports the comedian took the stage at the Improv Comedy Club in Hollywood Wednesday evening. "I don’t know if it was (Kelly's) goons," Chappelle clarified, "(but) they sure did like him.” Chappelle went on to describe an interaction with Kelly. “He said, 'How are you gonna do the video of me peeing on (girls) like that?' and I said, 'How you gonna do the video?' ” Chappelle's comments follow "Chappelle's Show" co-creator Neal Brennan's own recollection of the "I Believe I Can Fly" singer wanting to brawl with the show's star. "R. Kelly wanted to fight Dave," Brennan said Tuesday on the radio show "The Breakfast Club." "He literally stepped – his goons stepped to Dave in Chicago – and Dave’s goons intervened, and the goons negotiated." Kelly's lawyer, Steve Greenberg, told USA TODAY he could not comment on Brennan's claims. Kelly is currently embroiled in allegations of sexual abuse, resurfaced by an explosive docu-series titled "Surviving R. Kelly." "I don’t think people understand what comedy is supposed to do – we will observe things, we'll make fun of things," Brennan added during "The Breakfast Club." "Did people want us to round up a posse and go arrest R. Kelly? Like, what were we supposed to do? "The idea that we somehow normalized this, like we also did a white supremacist sketch," he said. "I don't think we normalized white supremacy. "Our job is to poke fun at things. And even if it’s bleak, we still poke fun at it," he continued. "We were trying to humiliate a guy who was known for peeing.” USA TODAY has reached out to Chappelle's rep for comment on Brennan's remarks. More:R. Kelly's alleged victim opens up to Jada Pinkett Smith in shocking 'Red Table Talk' More:Listeners are furious that 'Surviving R. Kelly' led to spike in sales, streams for embattled artist

Lars Baron/Getty Images Ferrari continued to dominate at the 2019 Formula One Bahrain Grand Prix, as Charles Leclerc finished top of final practice and qualifying on Saturday. Sebastian Vettel joined him on the front row, beating the Mercedes duo of Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas. Max Verstappen took fifth place, while Red Bull team-mate Pierre Gasly couldn't even make it into the final qualifying session. McLaren duo Carlos Sainz and Lando Norris did, in what was an excellent day for the team. But the star of qualifying was Leclerc, who secured his first ever pole position after several impressive practice sessions. Qualifying Recap Ferrari dominated every practice session, and their advantage carried over into Q1, as Leclerc's first flying lap was a full second better than Bottas'. Autosport did note the rest of the field was competitive relative to Mercedes, believing the massive gap may not have been entirely down to pace: Video Play Button Videos you might like Hamilton would go third-fastest later in the session, although he was still well over half a second behind Leclerc. Red Bull were significantly slower than the top dogs, with Gasly well behind Verstappen. Norris and Romain Grosjean nearly came together when the Haas man swerved onto the racing line, drawing the ire of Formula One writer Curtis Moldrich: Norris didn't let the incident break his concentration, finishing Q1 in an impressive fourth place. Grosjean received a three-place grid penalty, per sportswriter Andrew Benson. The Williams cars predictably missed out on Q2 as their struggles continued, while Renault's Nico Hulkenberg also couldn't push his way into the second session. He had been a standout in practice, but couldn't even best Antonio Giovinazzi of Alfa Romeo in Q1. Hamilton set the early mark in Q2, but his time was once again obliterated by Leclerc. Vettel was significantly slower with his first run, but traffic played a big role; he would record the second-fastest time later in the session. Daniel Ricciardo and Gasly were both in the drop zone with three minutes to go, while the two McLaren drivers worked their way into the top 10. Despite their best efforts both Ricciardo and Gasly fell short with their final runs, continuing their poor starts to the season. Gasly blamed an issue with the throttle: Norris impressed again by going sixth-fastest, drawing praise from YouTuber Matt Gallagher: Mercedes upped the pace to start Q3 but Leclerc still beat Hamilton's initial offering, taking the lead by 0.232 seconds. Vettel ran twice in Q2 and opted not to venture on track early in Q3, limiting himself to a single run, while Verstappen used the same strategy. Both had just a single set of tyres left to work with. Vettel's one lap was a good one, although team-mate Leclerc beat him by nearly two tenths to secure a front-row lockout for Ferrari. Mercedes secured the second row, while Sainz beat out Norris, who had to settle for 10th place prior to Grosjean's penalty. It was still a great day for McLaren, who hadn't gotten both cars into the top 10 since 2017. FP3 Recap Here are the standings from final practice in Bahrain: At the start of the session, the Pirelli Motorsport Twitter account provided details of the tyres in operation this weekend: After using two new sets of tyres in FP2 on Friday, it was anticipated Ferrari might come back toward the rest of the pack on Saturday before giving it their all in qualifying. But they were relentless again in final practice. The Scuderia drivers were coasting for much of the session, until Leclerc upped the pace late on with his mark of 1:29.569. It was a standard the rest of the field were unable to get near to, meaning the Monegasque driver was on top for the second time this weekend. The Autosport Live Twitter account noted there had been encouraging signs from Leclerc in his lap construction: F1 journalist Luke Smith was also impressed with what he'd seen from the Scuderia: It will be intriguing to see how Leclerc copes with the extra expectation in qualifying, especially going up against his team-mate, Vettel; the German has won on four occasions at this circuit. If it's not going to be a Ferrari on top on Sunday, Mercedes will have to do something drastic. Early in the day, they appeared to be at their maximum; when the Silver Arrows are at full tilt, it's rare to see someone of Hamilton's pedigree so far off the pace.<doc-sep>Bahrain Grand Prix qualifying: Charles Leclerc has taken his first pole position When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they'll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. Our Privacy Notice explains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time. Sign up fornow and never miss the top F1 stories again Charles Leclerc seized the first pole position of his Formula One career on Saturday to lead Ferrari to a front-row lockout in qualifying for the Bahrain Grand Prix. Calm and composed in only his second race for the Italian team, the 21-year-old Monegasque was 0.294 seconds clear of last year's pole-sitter Sebastian Vettel who will start alongside under the Sakhir floodlights. Five-times world champion Lewis Hamilton was Ferrari's closest challenger in third for Mercedes, but the Briton was still 0.324 seconds off the pace with team mate Valtteri Bottas alongside in fourth. Leclerc is the second youngest pole sitter of all time after Vettel, who did it at 21 years and 73 days with Toro Rosso at Monza in 2008.<doc-sep>3:11 Fresh from his first ever F1 pole position, Charles Leclerc joins Ant Davidson at the Skypad to reflect on his scintillating pole lap in Bahrain. Fresh from his first ever F1 pole position, Charles Leclerc joins Ant Davidson at the Skypad to reflect on his scintillating pole lap in Bahrain. Charles Leclerc secured his first F1 pole position by leading Ferrari's impressive charge as they held off Mercedes in Bahrain GP qualifying. Leclerc will start Sunday's race ahead of Sebastian Vettel on the front row after outpacing his team-mate by 0.294 seconds to become the second-youngest pole-sitter in the sport's history. "Seb is an amazing driver," said Leclerc. "I will learn a lot from him, but today I'm very happy to be in front of him." Mercedes have been off the pace compared to a resurgent Ferrari all weekend and Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas could only manage third and fourth on the grid respectively. Full result from Qualifying Hamilton hopes for Merc fightback When's the Bahrain GP on Sky F1? Hamilton, however, was only three-hundredths of a second slower than Vettel. 1:47 Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton is expecting a closely fought Bahrain GP and hopes to take the fight to an improved Ferrari team who've locked out the front row. Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton is expecting a closely fought Bahrain GP and hopes to take the fight to an improved Ferrari team who've locked out the front row. "Ferrari have been incredibly quick," said the world champion. "They have shown incredible pace but that doesn't mean they can't be beaten." After facing a hefty deficit in the season-opener in Melbourne, Ferrari have manufactured a one-second turnaround in Bahrain - a seismic shift and one that potentially hints they are the title favourites for F1 2019. Max Verstappen scraped into fifth, just ahead of Kevin Magnussen in the Haas, but Pierre Gasly once again failed to deliver his Red Bull into Q3. 2:25 Ant Davidson is at the Skypad to look at how Charles Leclerc beat Ferrari teammate Sebastian Vettel to pole position for the Bahrain GP. Ant Davidson is at the Skypad to look at how Charles Leclerc beat Ferrari teammate Sebastian Vettel to pole position for the Bahrain GP. In the second qualifying session of the F1 2019 season: Ferrari secured their first front-row lockout since Monza last year and Leclerc becomes F1's second-youngest pole-sitter, behind Vettel - who broke record with Toro Rosso in 2008 Leclerc set a Bahrain track record in his Ferrari but Vettel only had one lap in Q3 and was fortunate to finish just ahead of Hamilton McLaren got both cars into Q3 for the first time since the 2017 Malaysia GP Romain Grosjean finished eighth but was subsequently demoted three places for blocking Lando Norris in Q1 Gasly was knocked out in Q2 as he complained about traction. The Frenchman, Red Bull's new recruit, was eliminated in Q1 in the season-opener in Australia Nico Hulkenberg, who was looking like a top-six contender, was knocked out in Q1 for Renault as Daniel Ricciardo out-qualified his new team-mate for the first time McLaren's impressive rebuild continues Sunday's race is also intriguingly poised in the midfield after another close Saturday shootout, with Haas and McLaren impressively leading the chasing pack. Magnussen's sixth-placed finish was, by his own admission, the result of one of his best qualifying laps for Haas, who were predicted to dominate the midfield. McLaren, however, had no such expectations attached, but Carlos Sainz delivered seventh place ahead of Romain Grosjean, which equals the team's highest grid position from 2018. Grosjean was subsequently handed a three-place grid penalty for blocking British rookie Lando Norris during Q1. McLaren recovery gathering pace Norris will therefore start ninth, behind Kimi Raikkonen, who has started the season strongly on his return to Alfa Romeo. Renault, meanwhile, are trailing their rivals in midfield. Though Ricciardo pulled a lap out of the bag to finish 11th, ahead of Alex Albon and the man who replaced him at Red Bull, Gasly, Hulkenberg endured a hugely frustrating evening to end up 17th. Racing Point were also curiously off the pace, while Williams continue to suffer at the start of F1 2019. George Russell and Robert Kubica's times were almost four seconds slower than the pole time. Bahrain GP Qualifying Timesheet Driver Team Time 1) Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:27.866 2) Sebastian Vettel Ferrari +0.294 3) Lewis Hamilton Mercedes +0.324 4) Valtteri Bottas Mercedes +0.390 5) Max Verstappen Red Bull +0.886 6) Kevin Magnussen Haas +0.891 7) Carlos Sainz McLaren +0.947 8) Romain Grosjean* Haas +1.149 9) Kimi Raikkonen Alfa Romeo +1.156 10) Lando Norris McLaren +1.177 Out in Q2 11) Daniel Ricciardo Renault 1:29.488 12) Alex Albon Toro Rosso 1:29.513 13) Pierre Gasly Red Bull 1:29.526 14) Sergio Perez Racing Point 1:29.756 15) Daniil Kvyat Toro Rosso 1:29.854 Out in Q1 16) Antonio Giovinazzi Alfa Romeo 1:30.026 17) Nico Hulkenberg Renault 1:30.034 18) Lance Stroll Racing Point 1:30.217 19) George Russell Williams 1:31.759 20) Robert Kubica Williams 1:31.799 *handed three-place grid penalty Get the dedicated Sky Sports F1 channel - the exclusive home of all live F1. 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Charles Coates/Getty Images Ferrari dominated the first day of the 2019 Formula One Bahrain Grand Prix, with Charles Leclerc and Sebastian Vettel topping first and second practice, respectively. At a circuit where Ferrari have been tough to beat in the last two years, their drivers made a big statement in the first runs. Leclerc was almost a second quicker than Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas in FP1, while Vettel topped the charts later in the day, with Lewis Hamilton 0.603 seconds behind him. The Scuderia enjoyed one-twos in both of the day's 90-minute sessions. The drivers are back in action again on Saturday, as they face final practice and then an intriguing qualifying session. Remarkably, the drivers may have to contend with some rain in the desert in qualifying, with the forecast saying there’s a 62 per cent chance of showers on Day 2. Here is a look at how Friday’s action played out. FP2 Recap Video Play Button Videos you might like The F1 Twitter account relayed the results of the second practice session: Following their dominant performance in the morning runs, Ferrari ensured they remained in control in the second session. After trailing his team-mate in the morning, Vettel was able to set the benchmark later in the day, as he posted a mark of one minute, 28.846 seconds despite running wide into the final corner. That was enough to see him edge in front of Leclerc and keep out of the clutches of the Mercedes, who were initially six tenths slower. For the Silver Arrows, that was at least an improvement on the morning runs, where the gap had been closer to a second. There was a scary moment for Vettel late in the session, though, as he joined the list of drivers to come unstuck at Turn 3: One interesting decision made by Ferrari was their choice to use another set of fresh tyres in FP2, as it is common practice to return for the second runs on used compounds. That means Ferrari will likely be slower in FP3, with more focus on qualifying. As the Pirelli Motorsport Twitter account relayed, the pace is already up significantly on 2018 at this race: At the moment, Mercedes have ground to make up on Ferrari if they are going to be competitive come race day. However, we're likely to get a truer indication of their pace when the serious runs start in qualifying on Saturday. FP1 Recap Here's the classification from Friday's first session: After a slow start in the 28-degree heat, Red Bull's Max Verstappen set the first time of the day after almost 20 minutes. Mercedes started out on medium tyres, perhaps wary of degradation: Verstappen battled with Valtteri Bottas and Vettel for P1, with Mercedes getting quicker after a swap to soft tyres, but it was Leclerc stole a march on the chasing pack with his best effort shortly before the hour-mark. Meanwhile, Racing Point's Lance Stroll struggled to get going and soon had to return to the pits after a spin: After an hour, the Canadian had completed just four laps and had not set a representative time, so he did well to get 16 under his belt by the chequered flag. He wasn't the only driver to go for a spin, as George Russell lost his rear at Turn 2 late in the session.

NEW DELHI: The Central Bureau of Investigation on Friday arrested a retired general manager and a deputy general manager of Bank of India in its probe related to Rs 2,654 crore bank fraud by Gujarat based Diamond Power Infrastructure Ltd (DPIL).The arrested officials have been identified as V V Agnihotri (retired GM) and P K Srivastava (retired DGM).DPIL promoters Suresh Bhatnagar and his sons Amit Bhatnagar and Sumit Bhatnagar had allegedly cheated a consortium of 11 banks following which the CBI filed an FIR in April this year.The company allegedly availed loans despite the fact that it was named in the RBI’s defaulters’ list and the Export Credit Guarantee Corporation (ECGC) caution list, which, officials say, couldn't have been possible without the involvement of bank officials.DPIL, engaged in manufacturing electric cables and other electrical equipment, fraudulently availed credit facilities from a consortium of 11 banks (both public and private) since 2008, leaving behind an outstanding debit of Rs 2,654.40 crore as on June 29, 2016, CBI said.At the time of formation of consortium in 2008, Axis Bank (with an exposure of Rs 255.32 crore) was the lead bank for the term loan and Bank of India (with an exposure of Rs 670.51crore) was the lead bank for cash credit limits. Other banks which provided loans to DPIL include Bank of Baroda (Rs 348.99 crore), ICICI Bank (Rs 279.46 crore), Allahabad Bank (Rs 227.96 crore), Dena Bank (Rs 177.19 crore), State Bank of India (Rs 266.37 crore), Corporation Bank (109.12 crore) and others.It is alleged that the firm, with active connivance of officials from various banks, managed to get enhanced credit facilities.According to the CBI, the company had been allegedly submitting false stock statements to the lead bank by treating receivables more than 180 days (noncurrent asset) as less than 180 days (current asset) to get more drawing power in their cash credit accounts. CBI said the company also inflated its turnover figures.The accounts of DPIL in Bank of India and Bank of Baroda were declared NPAs on February 2016 by RBI based on asset quality report conducted by it while accounts with other banks were declared NPAs from December 2017. The company, CBI alleged, diverted funds to accounts opened in other banks.The company had been allegedly submitting false stock statements to the lead banks by treating receivables more than 180 days (non-current assets) as less than 180 days (current asset) to get more drawing power in their cash credit accounts.<doc-sep>The CBI on Friday arrested two senior retired officers of in connection with alleged loan fraud of Rs 26.54 billion by Vadodara-based Diamond Power Infrastructure Ltd. (DPIL) in the bank. V V Agnihotri and P K Shrivastava, retired GM and DGM respectively, had allegedly granted undue favours to the company in granting credit limits, the officials said. They said both have been arrested on Friday and will be produced before special court in Ahmedabad on Saturday. The promoters of the company were arrested in April this year. The agency in an FIR had said that the DPIL, which manufactures electric cables and equipment, is promoted by Suresh Narain Bhatnagar and his sons Amit and Sumit, who are also the directors of the firm. The loan, it said, was declared a in 2016-17. "It is alleged that the DPIL, through its management, fraudulently availed credit facilities from a consortium of 11 (both public and private) since 2008, leaving behind an outstanding debit of Rs 26.54 billion as of June 29, 2016," the agency had said.<doc-sep>The Central Bureau of Investigation today arrested two retired senior officers of Bank of India Ltd. in connection with an alleged loan fraud of Rs 2,654 crore by Vadodara-based Diamond Power Infrastructure Ltd. VV Agnihotri and PK Shrivastava, retired general manager and deputy general manager respectively, had allegedly granted undue favours to the power company in granting credit limits, CBI officials said. Both have been arrested today and will be produced before special court in Ahmedabad tomorrow. The promoters of the company were arrested in April this year. The agency in an FIR had said that the DPIL, which manufactures electric cables and equipment, is promoted by Suresh Narain Bhatnagar and his sons Amit and Sumit, who are also the directors of the firm The loan, it said, was declared a non-performing asset in 2016-17. "It is alleged that the DPIL, through its management, fraudulently availed credit facilities from a consortium of 11 banks (both public and private) since 2008, leaving behind an outstanding debit of Rs 2,654.40 crore as of June 29, 2016," the agency had said.<doc-sep>Both have been arrested today and will be produced before special court. (Representational) The CBI today arrested two senior retired officers of Bank of India in connection with alleged loan fraud of Rs 2,654 crore by Vadodara-based Diamond Power Infrastructure Ltd. (DPIL). V V Agnihotri and P K Shrivastava, retired GM and DGM respectively, had allegedly granted undue favours to the company in granting credit limits, the officials said. They said both have been arrested today and will be produced before special court in Ahmedabad tomorrow. The promoters of the company were arrested in April this year. The agency in an FIR had said that the DPIL, which manufactures electric cables and equipment, is promoted by Suresh Narain Bhatnagar and his sons Amit and Sumit, who are also the directors of the firm The loan, it said, was declared a non-performing asset in 2016-17. "It is alleged that the DPIL, through its management, fraudulently availed credit facilities from a consortium of 11 banks (both public and private) since 2008, leaving behind an outstanding debit of Rs 2,654.40 crore as of June 29, 2016," the agency had said While V V Agnihotri was posted as AGM, P K Shrivastava was posted as DGM in the Zonal office of Bank of India in Vadodara in 2007-08. V V Agnihotri had retired as GM and P K Shrivastava as DGM. "Both had shown undue favour in the sanction of the working capital Limits to a Vadodara based private firm in the year 2008. It was also alleged that both these officials were responsible for the processing and recommending the Working capital Limits to the tune of Rs. 53.40 crore (approx.) in violation of the guidelines of the bank," CBI spokesperson Abhishek Dayal said. He said they were also allegedly responsible for disbursal of limits without ensuring compliance of conditions stipulated in the sanction. The company and its directors managed to get term loans and credit facilities despite being on the Reserve Bank of India's defaulters list and the Export Credit Guarantee Corporation's caution list at the time of the initial sanction of credit limits by the consortium, the CBI alleged. When the consortium was formed in 2008, the Axis Bank was the lead bank for the term loan and the Bank of India was the lead bank for cash credit limits It is alleged that the firm, with active connivance of officials from various banks, managed to get enhanced credit facilities. According to the CBI, the company had allegedly submitted false stock statements to the lead bank by treating receivables more than 180 days (non-current asset) as less than 180 days (current asset) to get more drawing power in their cash credit accounts.<doc-sep>

NEW DELHI: The Central Bureau of Investigation on Friday arrested a retired general manager and a deputy general manager of Bank of India in its probe related to a Rs 2,654-crore bank fraud by Gujarat-based Diamond Power Infrastructure Ltd ( DPIL ). The arrested officials have been identified as V V Agnihotri (retired GM) and P K Srivastava (retired DGM). DPIL promoters Suresh Bhatnagar and his sons Amit Bhatnagar and Sumit Bhatnagar had allegedly cheated a consortium of 11 banks, following which CBI registered an FIR in April this year. The company allegedly availed loans despite the fact that it was named in the RBI’s defaulters’ list and the Export Credit Guarantee Corporation caution list, which officials say couldn't have been possible without the involvement of bank officials. DPIL, engaged in manufacturing electric cables and other electrical equipments, fraudulently availed credit facilities from a consortium of 11 banks since 2008, leaving behind an outstanding debit of Rs 2,654.40 crore as on June 29, 2016, CBI said. At the time of formation of consortium in 2008, Axis Bank (with an exposure of Rs 255.32 crore) was the lead bank for the term loan and Bank of India (with an exposure of Rs 670.51crore) was the lead bank for cash credit limits. It is alleged that the firm, with active connivance of officials from various banks, managed to get enhanced credit facilities. The company had been allegedly submitting false stock statements to the lead bank by treating receivables more than 180 days (non current asset) as less than 180 days (current asset) to get more drawing power in their cash credit accounts. CBI said the company also inflated its turnover figures. Facebook Twitter Linkedin EMail

Ben Margot/Associated Press Edmonton Oilers star Connor McDavid and New York Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist were among the winners at the 2019 NHL All-Star skills competition at the SAP Center in San Jose, California, on Friday night. It was a historic night in Northern California, as United States women's national team star Kendall Coyne became the first woman to compete in the showcase. The 2018 Olympic gold medalist participated in the fastest-skater event. Below is a list of the winner's from Friday night's events, as well as a recap of the action. Fastest Skater: Connor McDavid (13.378 seconds) The festivities kicked off with Coyne's historic appearance, and the USWNT star had a solid showing by posting a clean run of 14.346 seconds. Video Play Button Videos you might like While Coyne and Co. gave good efforts, there was no dethroning the two-time defending champ. McDavid captured his third consecutive crown with a time of 13.378 seconds. That performance topped his 13.454 from a year ago, but it wasn't quite enough to surpass his personal best of 13.172, set back in 2017. Meanwhile, Detroit Red Wings star Dylan Larkin's event record of 13.172 (2016) lasts at least one more year. Sadly, fan favorite Gritty went home empty-handed: Puck Control: Johnny Gaudreau (27.045 seconds) Like the fastest-skater event, the puck control competition featured a repeat champion. Chicago Blackhawks star Patrick Kane set the tone early by breezing through the course in a cool 28.611 seconds. And while it looked as though that time might hold up, there's a reason Johnny Gaudreau of the Calgary Flames was the reigning champ. Gaudreau came through in the clutch to deny Kane the title by posting a time of 27.045 seconds: That may not have topped his 24.65 seconds from a year ago, but it was enough to get the job done. Save Streak: Henrik Lundqvist (12 consecutive saves) Meanwhile, the goaltending competition featured the first new champion—and it's all because of King Henrik. One year after recording 14 consecutive saves, Vegas Golden Knights goalie Marc-Andre Fleury appeared to find a groove at one point: And unfortunately for the three-time Stanley Cup champ, his streak ended at six on a goal he would love to have back: At that point, the high mark was eight, meaning Fleury had already been defeated by the time he skated off. Ultimately, though, Lundqvist had the opportunity to show the world why he has a Vezina Trophy in his trophy case. King Henrik made a run at Fleury's record from a year ago before having to settle for only 12 consecutive saves against some of the top players in the world: Add another bullet point to his resume. Premier Passer: Leon Draisaitl (1:09.088) Leon Draisaitl of the Edmonton Oilers blew away the field in the premier passer competition, besting his top competitor, the Carolina Hurricanes' Sebastian Aho, by nearly 10 seconds. How impressive was the 23-year-old's performance? Only two other players managed to beat the 90-second mark, and one competitor (Mikko Rantanen of the Colorado Avalanche) needed more than two minutes to complete the course. In other words, Draisaitl made this challenging obstacle look like a piece of cake. Hardest Shot: John Carlson (102.8 mph) For the second consecutive year, a Washington Capital was the one to light up the radar gun the most. Following in teammate Alexander Ovechkin's footsteps, John Carlson blew away the competition with a 102.8 mph slap shot. That's a shot that would even make Ovechkin, who won last year's event at 101.3 mph, do a double take. Brent Burns of the San Jose Sharks gave the hometown crowd reason to cheer, recording a 100.6 mph shot. Columbus Blue Jackets star Seth Jones (99.4 mph) challenged the century mark on his first attempt, but alas, only two players were able to hit triple digits. Boston Bruins star Zdeno Chara didn't have much to sweat about this year, as his record of 108.8 (2012) was hardly challenged. Shot Accuracy: David Pastrnak (11.309 seconds) Boston Bruins right winger David Pastrnak put on quite the show with his accuracy, cruising through the five-target challenge. His time of 11.309 seconds set the tone early and put pressure on the rest of the field to be nearly perfect. Nobody was able to keep up. Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Kris Letang (12.693) finished more than a second behind the victor. And while Auston Matthews (31.256) may have finished last in the competition, the Toronto Maple Leafs captain earned one of the biggest ovations, as he paid tribute to teammate Patrick Marleau, who spent 19 seasons in San Jose: A fitting tribute in the Shark Tank. Where to Watch: The NHL All-Star Game on Saturday at 8 p.m. ET and related broadcasts all are available through fuboTV.<doc-sep>SAN JOSE, Calif. – Other NHL players have held the title of the NHL’s fastest player. Connor McDavid actually owns it. For the third consecutive season the Edmonton Oilers superstar won the fastest-skater event at the NHL Skills Competition. He neared nicked the boards on his turn and still turned in a time of 13.378, not far off his best time of 13:02 set in 2017. “Some guys like doing this and some guys don’t,” McDavid said. “Personally, I like doing it. It’s always fun.” What makes this result noteworthy is that McDavid is considered the league’s fastest player. He’s not just the fastest player of the group assembled. If you want a better understanding of how fast he is, watch him jet up the ice with the puck on his stick. What makes his speed more spectacular is that McDavid can make plays while leaving defenders in his wake. Zdeno Chara won the hardest shot competition five consecutive seasons, and it’s possible McDavid could surpass that mark in the fastest-skater category. Unless he is injured, he’s almost a lock to be an All-Star every season. It is unlikely anyone will beat him in the near future. McDavid’s win was among the highlights of the Friday night competition. Here are other good and bad happenings in the Skills Competition: Good: Before the last event, Auston Matthews played to the San Jose crowd by peeling off his own jersey to reveal he was wearing a Patrick Marleau Toronto Maple Leafs jersey underneath. Marleau was a very popular player when he played for the Sharks. “Last night, I was at dinner with family and thought it’d be a great idea,” Matthews said. “They made a jersey up quick this morning and I had it ready when I went there. He does so much for myself for me and the team.” The crowd responded with a loud ovation. “It was amazing. I wasn’t expecting that. It was a testament to how much of a legend he is here,” Matthews said. “All the cheering got me so nervous, I forgot there were five targets.” Bad: Dallas Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen suffering a scary fall when he competed in the fastest-skater competition. If he had been injured, it might have changed how we look at that event. “That was a bad fall,” McDavid said. “It was really awkward. We were all happy he was OK. Credit to him for going back out there and putting up another pretty good time.” McDavid said he always checks his edges before competing in this event. Good: Washington defenseman John Carlson saved the hardest-shot competition by winning with a rip of 102.8 mph. With no Zdeno Chara, Shea Weber or Alex Ovechkin in the event, it lacked star power. But Carlson satisfied the crowd with a mighty blast. It was the first time his shot had been clocked since he was a teenager. Carlson doesn’t put himself in a class with Chara and Weber. He said Chara once broke his shin guard with a shot. “That’s a whole different league,” he said. Bad: Trolls on social media suggesting that the decision to allow former U.S. women hockey gold medalist Kendall Coyne Schofield to compete in the fastest-skater contest made a mockery of the event. C’mon folks. This is an exhibition, a night of fun, not the Stanley Cup Final. Fans chanted, “USA, USA, USA” as she lined up to skate. Everyone was curious about how she performed. She skated impressively, finishing ahead of Clayton Keller to place seventh. More:Kendall Coyne Schofield thrills at fastest-skater event More:Injured All-Star shows up to avoid a suspension More:NHL, NHLPA start talks on a positive note, and that's different Good: Johnny Gaudreau won his second consecutive puck control title, edging fellow American Patrick Kane by a little more than 1.5 seconds. Did everyone notice how prominent Americans were in this competition? Jack Eichel was second to McDavid in the skating contest Bad: No Sidney Crosby to go with Ovechkin. We learned a while ago that Ovechkin wasn't coming by choice, but Crosby missed the competition because of illness. He does intend to play on Saturday. But it's never good for fans when two of the NHL's top three highest-profile players are missing.<doc-sep>Minnesota Whitecaps forward and USA gold medalist Kendall Coyne Schofield made history tonight, as the first female to ever compete in the NHL All-Star Skills competition. She replaced Colorado Avalanche All-Star Nathan MacKinnon in the Bridgestone NHL Fastest Skater™ event. Going first, Coyne Schofield put up a time of 14.346 seconds around the rink in one shot, only a day after putting up 14.226 seconds in practice. Of the eight skaters, she took seventh place, topping only Clayton Keller of the Arizona Coyotes. Olympic Gold Medalist @KendallCoyne kicked off the Fastest Skater competition in style! pic.twitter.com/4Ug3dpsuja — NHL on NBC (@NHLonNBCSports) January 26, 2019 Friday afternoon, the NHL announced she would take Colorado Avalanche All-Star Nathan MacKinnon’s place after he dropped out because of an injured foot. It turns out that he advocated for Coyne Schofield to take his place. Nathan McKinnon idea leads to Kendall Coyne Schofield being named in the Fastest Skating contest #NHLAllStar pic.twitter.com/ikqk0F4vwU — Women's Sports Highlights (@WSportHilites) January 26, 2019 A total of five Olympians from both Team USA and Team Canada are at the NHL Skills Competition to represent their countries and showcase test runs of the nights events. As one of women’s hockey’s fastest skaters, Coyne Schofield was set to test run the event before MacKinnon urged for her to compete in it instead.<doc-sep>Kendall Coyne Schofield entered 2019 with her fair share of hockey accolades. The USA Hockey veteran has starred on the women's national team for years, collecting two Olympic medals in between six World Championship honors and a role on the NWHL's Minnesota Whitecaps. She owns two World U18 Championship golds. And she was part of the U.S. team that won it all at the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Games. On Friday, her resume got another boost, as she became the first woman to ever participate in the NHL's All-Star skills competition. As per usual, she and three other women's Olympic standouts were set to demonstrate events at the SAP Center's showcase. But when Colorado Avalanche star Nathan MacKinnon was forced to withdraw from the Fastest Skater competition due to an injury, the Avs All-Star suggested Schofield as a potential replacement. As she announced on Twitter hours before the event, Schofield gladly accepted, then proceeded to finish seventh in the race -- just one second behind former NHL MVP Connor McDavid. After high-fives from NHL All-Stars and a shout-out from McDavid himself, Coyne Schofield opened up on the experience, as reported by RMNB, calling it an "honor" to break barriers and make history ahead of the 2019 NHL All-Star Game. "It was electrifying," she said. "Pretty tired, but awesome to be here."<doc-sep>

Kendall Coyne Schofield's only regret is that she didn't go faster. Coyne Schofield, the first woman to participate in the NHL All-Star skills competition, clocked in at 14.346 seconds in the fastest skater event on Friday night. She finished seventh of eight participants, beating Arizona Coyotes forward Clayton Keller. She was hoping to do better, though. "I definitely wanted to do well, any competitor wants to win," Coyne Schofield told reporters after her groundbreaking performance. "But (Thursday) when we ran through it I clocked in at like 14.26, so I was a little bit slower than that. She added: "I was a little bummed about it, but not too bummed." MORE: Best moments from 2019 NHL All-Star skills competition A 26-year-old forward for the Minnesota Whitecaps and U.S. women's national team, Coyne Schofield was a late addition to the skills competition after Nathan MacKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche withdrew with an injury. Despite the late notice, Coyne Schofield was confident in her abilities to keep pace with the quickest players in the NHL. "My first impression was like, 'I can do this'," she said. "My speed is definitely my strength. Obviously I was a little nervous, but I knew it was a moment that was going to break a lot of barriers and a moment that would change the perception of our game and show support to our game." History was made and barriers were broke. It was such an honor to be the first woman to compete in the @nhl All Star Skills Competition last night. I can’t wait to see what the future holds! #NHLAllStar pic.twitter.com/Sc125oBGCx — Kendall Coyne Schofield (@KendallCoyne) January 26, 2019 As the first skater of the eight-person field, Coyne Schofield literally set the pace for all the other participants. Amid chants of "U-S-A, U-S-A" from the crowd in San Jose, she immediately showed that she belonged with the elite skaters of the sport. “When she took off, I was like ‘Wow!,’ ” Edmonton Oilers star Connor McDavid, who claimed his third fastest skater crown with a time of 13.378 seconds, said. “I thought she might have won the way she was moving. She’s a really good skater and it’s an amazing thing for the game when you can see her participate like that in an event like this.” Coyne Schofield said she was buoyed by the support from the crowd and her fellow participants, admitting that she was a "little nervous" when she stepped onto the ice. "The crowd was electrifying," she said. "To hear the 'U-S-A' chants, everyone erupted when I started. (It) definitely gave me some momentum, and adrenaline was pumping." Coyne Schofield hopes that her performance can open the door for more women to take part in such competitions, noting that the NHL made a "statement" by including her in the event. "(It's) a huge honor to be the first woman to compete in the NHL All-Star skills competition," she said. "It was surreal."

The iPad Pro has been rumoured to be set for quite a substantial upgrade this year When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they'll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. Our Privacy Notice explains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time. Sign up forfor the biggest new releases, reviews and tech hacks UPDATE ONE: It appears Apple fans will have to wait to see what the future holds for new iPads. Tim Cook announced on stage at the tech giant's hardware event tonight, September 12, that the showcase will focus on two products. However, the Apple Watch Series 4 was announced in addition to the iPhone Xs. This means the iPad will not make an appearance at the Gather Round event. Rumours suggest Apple could be planning another hardware event in October that could showcase the future of the tablet line. It has also been predicted new Macs could be shown off at the same time. ORIGINAL STORY: New iPads are expected to be announced by Apple later this year - the company is hosting a hardware event today, September 12, where it could show off the latest models of the lauded tablet. And the iPad Pro has been rumoured to be set for quite a substantial upgrade. Prior reports from publication Macotakara insisted the iPad Pro could replicate design characteristics first introduced with the iPhone X. This means the newest version of the tablet may severely reduce bezels and introduce Face ID as the primary method of unlocking the hardware.<doc-sep>Apple has already had a busy 2018, releasing a new education-focused iPad and new MacBook Pro with Touch Bar models. There’s still plenty to come as the year progresses, though, with the rest of 2018 certainly shaping up to be busy. In addition to the new iPhones coming this fall, Apple is said to have a pair of new iPad Pro variants coming as well with a slew of changes. Read on as we roundup everything we know so far about these new devices… Design Save the 10.5-inch iPad Pro, the iPad has remained largely the same in terms of design over recent years. That all changes this year, however, as Apple is expected to give the iPad Pro an iPhone X-like design overhaul. First and foremost, reports indicate that the company will reduce bezel sizes on both the 10.5-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pro variants. For each of those models, however, this change will mean different things. According to Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple will keep the 10.5-inch iPad Pro the same physical size, but extend the screen. This means you’ll get added screen real estate in a form factor that is the same. According to Kuo, the 10.5-inch model will this year become the 11-inch model because of those reduced bezel sizes. Meanwhile, for the 12.9-inch iPad Pro, Kuo expects Apple to simply reduce the bezel sizes, not increase the display size. Thus, the 12.9-inch display will remain the same, but the overall footprint of the device will decrease, making it more portable and easier to manage. As we reported earlier this month: Kuo’s rumored 11-inch model sounds like a replacement for the current 10.5-inch iPad Pro. That would put the lineup at 7.9-inch, 9.7-inch, 11-inch, and 12.9-inch. Kuo also specifically says 11-inch and 12.9-inch, not 13-inch, which suggests he’s being specific and not rounding 10.5-inch up to 11-inch. This suggests the 12.9-inch iPad will have a smaller overall body versus making the hefty body feature a larger screen. Personally, I’m glad to see the 12.9-inch iPad Pro decreasing its footprint. It’s currently just too big for easy portability in my case, but fitting a 12.9-inch display into a smaller body makes it a very appealing option. Read more: Face ID Perhaps the biggest upgrade of them all for the 2018 iPad Pro models will be the addition of Face ID – and thus the removal of the Home button. As indicated by Kuo, Bloomberg, and various pieces of evidence found within iOS, it’s all but confirmed that this year’s iPad Pros will be the first to include support for Face ID. For instance, in the iOS 11.3 beta, we found references to a new ‘modern iPad.’ Prior to its release, the iPhone X was also referred to as a ‘modern iPhone’ within the iOS code. iOS 12, meanwhile, includes multi-user Face ID support – a feature that makes sense for the iPad Pro as it is commonly shared among multiple people. Face ID on the iPad Pro is also expected to mark the inclusion of support for landscape oriented Face ID recognition. With the iPhone X, Face ID is limited to working in vertical orientation, but the iPad Pro is commonly used in landscape mode. Read more: Notch or no notch? One of the biggest questions about the new iPad Pros is if they will feature notch cutouts like the iPhone X. While there is no hard evidence suggesting either way, my gut feeling is that the iPad will not adopt the notch design. While it’s easy to assume that with Face ID comes a notch, the iPad Pros will presumably have bigger bezels than the iPhone X purely for usability purposes. Thus, there should (hopefully) be room along the top of the device for all the necessary Face ID components without cutting into the display itself. While iOS 12 does include some changes that could perhaps indicate a notch is on its way to the iPad Pro, the more likely scenario is that those changes were made purely in an effort to keep gestures and interfaces uniform across the iPad and iPhone. Read more: Power Currently, both the 10.5-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pro models feature an A10X Fusion processor with 4GB of RAM. This year, the amount of RAM will likely stay the same, but we will almost certainly see Apple switch to a new processor. While it’s not explicitly clear, it’s likely it will adopt a variant of the A12 processors coming to this year’s iPhones. Pricing At this point, there is no indication that the iPad Pro pricing structure will change with this year’s overhaul. You should expect the 11-inch model to start at $649, while the 12.9-inch model will likely start at $799. Of course, pricing is always the hardest thing to predict ahead of an Apple announcement, so those prices could very well change when the new iPad Pros are released later this year. Release As for when we should expect Apple to announce its new iPad Pros, there are two possibilities: September or October. Apple is expected to hold an event in September to announce a trio of new iPhone models, as well as new Apple Watches. It’s possible that the new iPad Pros will be announced at that same event – which would make for both a busy and expensive (for customers) event. The other possibility is that Apple will hold another media event in October. In addition to the iPad Pro, iPhone X, and Apple Watch, Apple is also expected to introduce new Macs this fall. Those new Macs include a refreshed Mac mini (!!! ), a new iMac, and a lower-end MacBook update. There is precedent for Apple holding both a September and October event. In 2016, it held a September event for new iPhones and AirPods, as well as an October event for new Macs. What do you think of Apple’s new iPad Pros coming this year? Are you planning to upgrade? Let us know down in the comments! Subscribe to 9to5Mac on YouTube for more Apple news: FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More. Check out 9to5Mac on YouTube for more Apple news:<doc-sep>

Computer renders based on leaked CAD images could offer a first look at Apple's next-generation 12.9-inch iPad Pro, complete with slim-bezel display, iPhone-esque antenna "lines" and an angular chassis reminiscent of the iPhone 4 series. Shared by OnLeaks' Steve Hemmerstoffer in a post to Twitter on Monday, the high-resolution renders, created in conjunction with tech blog MySmartPrice, claim to reveal a vastly redesigned iPad Pro model widely expected to debut this fall. The images are polished versions of CAD schematics first aired by OnLeaks last week and show an iPad device that departs from Apple's current aesthetic. Gone are the soft edges of iPad's rounded chassis, replaced with an angular case design featuring chamfered edges and breaks along the circumference to accommodate radio-transparent material. A similar architecture defined the iPhone 4 in 2010. As seen in a set of CAD images supposedly showing off an 11-inch iPad Pro last month, today's renders feature two rows of speaker vents flanking a centrally-located Lightning port at the bottom of the device, a design mirrored on the tablet's top edge. Two microphone ports are also in view up top, sitting above a TrueDepth camera system embedded in iPad's bezel. Button positioning appears to remain unchanged from existing iPad models, though the familiar home button has been removed to make way for more screen real estate. Also deprecated is iPad's headphone jack, a modification that would bring the device family in line with iPhone. More dubious is a repositioned Smart Connector that supposedly lives on the back of the tablet directly above its Lightning Connector. MySmartPrice believes the positioning is a concession for Face ID, incorrectly stating that Apple's facial recognition feature is unlikely to work while iPad is in landscape mode. Code discovered in past iOS 12 beta versions have revealed Face ID will indeed accommodate landscape operation in future devices, with iPad thought to be a prime candidate for inclusion. Whether the renders, and indeed the CAD from which they are based, are legitimate is unknown. Hemmerstoffer himself hedges on the renders' veracity, saying in a tweet, "I can't confirm this one is 100% accurate." Rumored for release this fall, Apple's next-generation iPad Pro models are speculated to boast a smaller footprint while retaining screen dimensions thanks to the deletion of Touch ID. According to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the shift to a button-free design will allow Apple to squeeze an 11-inch display into the existing form factor, initially designed to house a 10.5-inch screen. Apple is also anticipated to carry over the jumbo-size 12.9-inch model that ushered in "iPad Pro" branding in 2015.

FSU IS YOUR 2018 NATIONAL CHAMPION! pic.twitter.com/JVz4oqsCLL — espnW (@espnW) June 6, 2018 Despite an early three run deficit at the end of the top of the first inning the resurgent ‘Noles bounced back in the bottom half to cut the lead to only one run. A three run second inning gave the Seminoles the lead. Meghan King delivered another dominating performance for the second night in a row and the Seminoles never looked back winning by a final score of 8-3. Jessie Warren was named Most Outstanding Player of the series. In 34 years of Florida State softball the program has never had a losing season and have had at least 40 wins every year. The Seminoles do have two national titles under their belt, back to back AIAW slow-pitch titles in 1981 and 1982. But this is their first NCAA title in 31 tournament appearances and ten visits to the College World Series. They were also the first ACC team to play for and win a national title. Time to celebrate the amazing season and awesome accomplishment by one of the most successful programs in softball history. Below are reactions from social media on the win. Congrats @FSU_Softball !!!! Go Noles Baby‼️♥️ — DeMarcus Walker (@livinglegend_44) June 6, 2018 So pumped and proud!!!! Loved watching this championship run, this is the definition of FIGHTING, PERSEVERING, BELIEVING AND FINISHING!!! PROUD TO BE A NOLE AND I LOVED EVERY INING!!! Very inspired and proud!!! First ACC national champs, that's big time!!! pic.twitter.com/Xrk63SMB1B — Donte' Pimpleton (@coach_pimp) June 6, 2018 YESSSSSS!!!!!!!!! Way to go Ladies!!!! Y’all deserve it @FSU_Softball !!! So happy for y’all!!!! #Noles — Alec Eberle (@aleceberle54) June 6, 2018 There it is! Congrats FSU Softball! National Champs! Very proud moment for all Noles! Enjoy it — you’ve earned it! Parade coming to Tally soon! — Greg Frey (@CoachFreyFSU) June 6, 2018 Huge congratulations to the Lady Noles!! @FSU_Softball NATIONAL CHAMPS!!! #GoNoles — Drew Mendoza (@DrewMendoza22) June 6, 2018 #Team35 did it. Florida State is your 2018 NCAA National Champion. Congrats, ladies!! https://t.co/EL3lpRkTMN — FSU Beach Volleyball (@FSU_BeachVB) June 6, 2018 Looking forward to honoring our NATIONAL CHAMPIONS at a halftime this fall! Congratulations on making history, @Coach_Alameda and @FSU_Softball! #Noles #NationalChampions — Marching Chiefs (@FSUChiefs) June 6, 2018 Go noles!!!!! — Derrick Brooks (@DBrooks55) June 6, 2018 Amazing to watch people realize their dreams. One night, one time, best in the world. — Walt Bell (@coachwaltbell) June 6, 2018<doc-sep>(6) Florida State (56-12) sweeps (3) UCLA (58-7) 3-1 in the first game and 12-6 in the second game to advance to the Championship Series. This marks FSU's first appearance in the Women's College World Series finals. The Seminoles are also the first ACC team to make the finals. The Seminoles are 6-0 in post season elimination games this year. Game One Florida State was designated as the home team for this game. Meghan King was in the circle for the Noles against Rachel Garcia for the Bruins. King allowed a two out single to Aaliyah Jordan but stranded her at first to end the inning. Garcia allowed a one out Carsyn Gordon single to left and then walked Sydney Sherrill to give FSU first and second with one out. Garcia then got two straight strikeouts to end the threat. In the second King got two quick outs but then walked Taylor Pack and then gave up a single to Brianna Tautalafua. She bounced back with a strikeout of Zoe Shaw to end the inning. Garcia got two quick outs to start the inning but then gave up a double to Morgan Klaevemann. Unfortunately she was stranded when Elizabeth Mason grounded out. Kylee Perez laid down a nice bunt for a base hit to start the third. Her sister Briana Perez reached on an error by Jessie Warren at third. Kylee moved to third on the over throw. Jordan grounded out to short on a nice play by Cali Harrod. Garcia delivered an RBI single to left to score Kylee Perez. Bubba Nickles reached on a fielder's choice when Warren made a great play to throw out Briana Perez at home. King ended the inning on a Madeline Jelenicki groundout. Garcia got out of the third unscathed by sandwiching a Sydney Sherrill single between three Seminole outs. King set the Bruins down 1-2-3 with a ground out and two strikeouts. Dani Morgan started things by beating out a bunt single. Zoe Casas followed with a single to center and she got to second on the throw. After that Garcia struck out the side to get out of the jam with no damage. King kept cruising by sandwiching a two out single by Jordan around three other Bruin outs. Warren started the inning for FSU with a single but Garcia got three straight outs to end the inning. Nickles continued her hot hitting for UCLA with a single through the right side. After a Jelenicki strikeout Taylor Pack grounded into a double play turned by Sherrill at second to end the inning. In the bottom half of the sixth FSU made its move. Morgan started it by blasting the first pitch she saw deep to centerfield. Bubba Nickles tracked it down and put her glove up over the wall and the ball landed in it to rob Morgan of a game tying home run. Casas followed with a single through the right side. Cali Harrod reached after getting hit by a pitch. Cassidy Davis grounded out advancing the runners to second and third. Then came arguably the biggest at bat in modern day Florida State softball history. Elizabeth Mason cranked a 1-2 pitch over the centerfield wall to give the Seminoles a 3-1 lead and ultimately keep the season alive. In the seventh, King got Tautalafua to strike out to start things. Jelly Felix got a pinch hit single for UCLA. After a Kylee Perez strikeout her sister Briana walked but Jordan fouled out to Gordon at first to end the game. Meghan King (24-6) has been absolutely huge all postseason and she was great again today. The redshirt junior earned the win pitching 7 full innings allowing 7 hits, one unearned run with 2 walks and 10 strikeouts. Rachel Garcia (29-4) took the loss for the Bruins. This was the first time all year that UCLA lost after leading at any point in the game (56-1). Elizabeth Mason was the MVP for the Noles. The redshirt freshman went 1-3 with a homerun, a run scored and 3 RBI. Zoe Casas was 2-3 and Morgan Klaevemann was 1-2 with a double. Game Two The same two teams took the field again in the rubber match of their series. UCLA was the home team for this game. Garcia was in the circle again for the Bruins this time matched against Kylee Hanson for Florida State. Warren started the game off with a single right up the middle that just missed hitting Garcia. After two outs Anna Shelnutt singled to right but the inning ended with a Dani Morgan strikeout. Hanson started out well for FSU by sandwiching a Jordan single between three UCLA outs. In the second coach Kelly Inouye-Perez removed Garcia and replaced her with Selina Ta’amilo in the circle. Garcia remained in the game officially as the designated player. FSU immediately took advantage. After a Casas ground out, Harrod homered over the left field wall. Klaevemann followed with a hit to center field that she turned into a double with her speed. Inouye-Perez responded by putting Garcia back in the circle. Mason reached second on an error by Brianna Tautalafua at third. Klaevemann scored on the play. Warren came up and blasted a bomb over the right-centerfield wall driving in Mason. Inouye-Perez made another change putting Holly Azevedo in the circle replacing Garcia. Azevedo got two groundouts to end the inning but the Noles had taken a 4-0 lead. Nickles doubled to right center to start things for the Bruins. Tautalafua grounded out to second to advance Nickles to third. After a Jelenicki pop out, Pack homered over the left field wall to cut the lead to 4-2. In the third Morgan delivered a one out double but was stranded at second. Hanson got UCLA in order to end the inning. Klaevemann started the fourth by getting thrown out on a bunt attempt. Mason followed with a strikeout but FSU wasn't done. Warren singled to center. After a Gordon walk, Sherrill jacked a no-doubter over the right-centerfield wall to give the Noles a 7-2 lead. However, UCLA didn’t lie down. Nickles hit a one out single through the right side. Tautalafua doubled to right center and the Bruins had runners on second and third. After a Jelenicki flyout Pack hit a two run single to cut FSU's lead to 7-4. In the fifth Morgan reached on an error by Brianna Tautalafua at third. She promptly stole second. Casas doubled down the first base line scoring Morgan. After a Harrod flyout Klaevemann reached on a squeeze play scoring Rosario who was pinch running for Casas. Klaevemann took second because UCLA failed to cover the base. After a Mason strikeout the Bruins intentionally walked Warren with first base open. Carsyn Gordon made that strategy backfire when she homered over the left field wall to give the Noles a 12-4 lead. After a Kylee Perez ground out Briana Perez homered over the right field wall. Jordan followed with a single up the middle. Coach Lonni Alameda replaced Hanson with Cassidy Davis in the circle. Garcia grounded into a double play started by Davis who fielded her position very well on the play. In the sixth Inouye-Perez put Garcia back in the circle. Garcia responded by getting the Noles in order in the inning. Nickles continued her scorching hitting by depositing a solo shot over the left field wall to cut the lead to 12-6. The Bruins got two more singles to have runners on first and second with one out but the Nole defense came through again when Malia Quarles hit into a double play. FSU went down in order in the seventh. Alameda inserted King and she got the Bruins in order with two flyouts and a strikeout to send FSU to the championship series. Kylee Hanson (30-6) got the much needed win for the Seminoles. Selina Ta’amilo (10-3) took the loss for the Bruins. Hanson went 4 1⁄ 3 innings giving up 8 hits and 5 runs with no walks and 2 strikeouts. Cassidy Davis went 1 2⁄ 3 innings with 3 hits and one run with no walks or strikeouts. Meghan King closed the game for one inning giving up no hits or walks with one strikeout. Jessie Warren was 3-3 with a homer, 3 runs, 2 RBI and a walk. Carsyn Gordon was 1-3 with a homer, 2 runs, 3 RBI and a walk. Sydney Sherrill was 1-4 with a homer, 1 run, 3 RBI. Zoe Casas, Morgan Klaevemann and Cali Harrod had the other RBI for the Noles. Post Game Florida State has been overlooked nationally all season. This is what happens when you don't play in the SEC or PAC 12 and aren't the defending champs (Oklahoma). However, the Seminoles are proving that they do indeed have the talent to play with and beat the best teams in the nation. FSU took advantage of UCLA's biggest weakness which is pitching depth. The Bruins really needed to win game one because they just don't have the depth to slow down a team as good as FSU when Garcia goes out of the game. To Florida State's credit they were able to hit even Garcia when she was in the game. The defense came up huge in today. The Noles only had one error in 14 innings played today. It will be very important to continue that against for Washington because FSU can't afford to have too many mistakes against the Huskies. Morgan Klaevemann and Carsyn Gordon appeared to break out of their slumps today. Both players had hits in both games. Their resurgence means that there will be very few soft spots in FSU's lineup for Washington to exploit. Florida State now moves on to the championship series against (5) Washington. It will be the best 2 out of 3 for the championship. Washington will be the home team for game one. The game will start at 7pm (ESPN) from Oklahoma City.<doc-sep>

(6) Florida State (57-12) defeats (5) Washington (52-9) 1-0 to take a one game lead in the Women's College World Series best of three final series. Game Recap Due to being the higher seed Washington was designated as the home team. Washington sent freshman Gabbie Plain to the circle while FSU countered with redshirt junior Meghan King. Washington's Sis Bates committed an uncharacteristic error on a Sydney Sherrill infield hit but Plain was able to pitch around it to retire the Noles in the first inning. King retired the Huskies in order in the bottom of the inning. In the second Plain retired FSU in order with two strikeouts and a flyout. King sandwiched a walk between three other outs to end the inning. Morgan Klaevemann started the third inning with a single down the left field line. She promptly stole second and freshman catcher Emma Helm threw the ball into right centerfield allowing Klaevemann to scamper to third. Plain beared down from there and got two straight popouts followed by a strikeout to end the inning. Trysten Melhart started the inning for UW with an infield hit. Kelly Burdick sacrificed her to second. Taylor Van Zee singled up the middle and Melhart went to third with one out. After Van Zee stole second Sis Bates loaded the bases after getting hit by a pitch. King came back and struck out the next two batters and FSU got out of the inning unscathed. In the fourth Anna Shelnutt worked a one out walk. Deja Bush pinch ran for her and stole second. Dani Morgan walked to give FSU runners on first and second with one out. After Zoe Casas flied out Cali Harrod walked the bases loaded. Klaevemann hit a ball to Bates at short and she tagged out Morgan for the third out as she ran in front of her trying to get to third. King gave up a walk to Helm but but then got a foul out and a strikeout to end the inning. Warren hit a one out double in the fifth off of a ball that was at her shoelaces. Carsyn Gordon grounded to short but Warren moved to third. Plain got a foul out to strand her at third. Burdick started the inning with a single up the middle and stole second. Bates sacrificed her to third but King got a groundout to end the inning. "Playoff Anna" Shelnutt started the inning by blasting a 3-1 pitch over the left centerfield wall for the first run of the game. Morgan followed with a single through the right side. After a Casas groundout Morgan stole second. With her sixth steal Morgan sets a WCWS record. Harrod then lined into a double play to end the inning. King kept dealing getting the Huskies out 1-2-3. After two strikeouts Warren doubled down the left field line. Plain ended the threat by striking out Gordon. Taryn Atlee started the last of the seventh with a single up the middle. Melhart tried to bunt her over but the ball went into the air and Warren made an incredible diving catch and then doubled up Atlee from her knees. Look for this play on the Top 10 plays tonight. King ended the game when she got Van Zee to bounce out to her for the last out. Meghan King (25-6) has turned into a cross between Kat Osterman and Jennie Finch since she got off the bus in Oklahoma City. She continued her hot streak in this game going 7 full innings giving up five hits, no runs, with 6 strikeouts and only two walks. She lowered her ERA from 1.22 to 1.13 with the shutout. Gabbie Plain (22-5) pitched very well but took the hard luck loss. Anna Shelnutt was 1-2 with the only RBI on her massive homerun. Jessie Warren continues to rake as she was 2-4 with two doubles. This game went about as well as possible for FSU. King went the whole distance so Kylee Hanson will be fresh for tomorrow. The Noles played error-free softball. And oh yeah, they got the win. Florida State will face Washington in game two tomorrow night at 8pm (ESPN). The probable starters will be Kylee Hanson for FSU (30-6, 1.33 ERA) vs Taran Alvelo for UW (23-4, 1.10 ERA). Florida State will be crowned national champions with a win.

Welcome to tonight's LIVE coverage of Burton Albion's Carabao Cup clash with Aston Villa (7.45pm). The Brewers will be hoping to banish memories of Saturday's 3-1 defeat at Oxford United , where their poor start to the season continued. Nigel Clough's side managed to find solace in the Cup last season, setting up a memorable return to Manchester United in the third-round. For a repeat of that, they'll have to find a way through a rejuvenated Villa , who are once again aiming for promotion back to the Premier League. We'll have all the build-up, team news and live match updates from the game - and you can get in touch and have your say by tweeting @JoshuaMurrayBM or @BurtonAlbionBM.<doc-sep>First things first. You’re not watching today’s Carabao Cup game unless you’re at the stadium. TV rights prevent the Cup game from being streamed. That means your only way to follow this match is via Twitter, via AVTV radio, or via actually being there. Villa take on Burton Albion, with rotation in mind as both sides look to secure a place in the third round of the competition. There’s not much Villa can take from this match, as early cup ties have been historically horrific for Aston Villa - away from home. Don’t expect much at all. UTFV TV and Streaming Location: Pirelli Stadium, Burton, England Kick-off time: 19.45 pm UK, 14.45 am Eastern, 11.45 am Pacific Weather: Mild and cold-ish in Burton Open Match Thread: Join in the comments below! Predictions welcome. Available TV: NOPE. Available video streaming: NOPE Other listings are available from livesoccertv.com. Available radio: BBC WM 95.6 FM (not online), AVTV (If audio doesn’t work, try using Safari). Twitter: You can find our live updates @7500toHolte, and we’d also recommend @VillaReport for updates as well. Aston Villa squad Burton squad TEAM NEWS Midfielder Stephen Quinn comes in for his first #Brewers start, as does @BAFCAcademy graduate @reecehutxchy! Follow the game with Match Centre https://t.co/k0f6NXKq9x#BAFC pic.twitter.com/RWrhCH72lu — Burton Albion FC (@burtonalbionfc) August 28, 2018 Live twitter stream<doc-sep>Aston Villa head to the Pirelli Stadium to take on Burton Albion in the Carabao Cup tonight. Aston Villa boss Steve Bruce addressed the media over the weekend, and delivered a word of warning for any fans who are planning to travel to the Pirelli Stadium tonight to watch the Carabao Cup second round tie against Burton Albion, insisting that there will be big changes to his first XI, as quoted by the club’s official website. The Villans have begun their campaign in decent fashion, taking nine points from their opening five Championship games, but their hectic schedule will surely mean that Bruce rotates his starting line-up against Burton Albion tonight. The Aston Villa boss spoke to reporters about his side’s clash with the League One outfit in the Carabao Cup tonight, and warned the travelling fans that there will be big changes made to the line-up, as quoted by the club’s official website: “There’ll be big changes. The schedule is ridiculous when everyone is just trying to find their feet and get going. To have our seventh game in three-and-a-half weeks is nonsense. So it is what it is, but there will be big changes.” Whilst Villa fans would surely love to see their club progress through to the next round of the competition, they must understand that it features well down on Bruce’s list of priorities this season, and they will probably have to make do with seeing some of their up and coming young starlets in action tonight. In other news, Leeds fans will love Kalvin Phillips' reaction to Ben White's first England call-up<doc-sep>Keep on top of the Villa - sign up here for free AVFC updates Invalid Email Something went wrong, please try again later. Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Steve Bruce has shuffled his pack for tonight's Carabao Cup clash at Burton Albion. The boss has introduced a number of fringe players as the claret and blues look to progress to the third round. Anwar El Ghazi gets another chance to show what he's made of while Rushian Hepburn-Murphy is handed a second senior start up top. Villa are expected to play a 4-4-1-1 formation with either Albert Adomah or El Ghazi supporting the striker. CONFIRMED TEAM: (4-4-1-1) Moreira, Bree, Elphick, Tuanzebe, Taylor; De Laet, Hourihane, Lansbury, Adomah; El Ghazi, Hepburn-Murphy. Subs: Bunn, Chester, Jedinak, Whelan, Bjarnason, Doyle-Hayes, Elmohamady. Loan target Andre Green is a loan target for two of Aston Villa's Championship rivals, according to reports, writes Mat Kendrick. Our sister title The Mirror claims Norwich City and Bolton Wanderers are interested in taking Green, who is not in tonight's squad, on a temporary basis. Green has fallen down the first team pecking order at Villa this month following the arrival of wingers Yannick Bolasie and Anwar El Ghazi. The 20-year-old is determined to make up for lost time this season after missing most of the previous campaign through injury. He was in good form in pre-season and has made two starts and three substitute appearances so far this term. But Bodymoor Heath academy graduate's opportunities are set to be restricted by Bruce's new first choice widemen Bolasie and El Ghazi. Speaking to BirminghamLive last month, Green talked of how he wants to make his mark this season after his frustrating injury lay-off. “It’s obviously frustrating because you always want to play," he said. “The team were doing well and you want to be in a team that’s doing well and achieve things. “So it was really tough. I had to help myself off the pitch wih people around me, the people I love around me, it was really hard. I’m doing everything I can now to get over that. “I’d like to be involved in every game,. I want to start as many games as I can, whether that’s 25, 30 or whatever. “I think goals-wise I want to look for double figures this year and just get into the right position, where I need to be and hopefully take my chances." poll loading What should Aston Villa have done with Andre Green this season? 1000+ VOTES SO FAR Put him in the starting line-up regularly Given him lots of substitute cameos Let him develop with the U23s They're right to loan him out Green revealed he has been working on his composure after admitting his heart was racing when he got into goalscoring positions last season. “My coolness in front of goal, especially last year when I was missing chances, I think that was down to the fact I was getting excited,” he explained. “It’s because I was starting games when I was 19 and getting a bit ahead of myself. I thought I’d scored before I actually put it in the net, so I think that now I’ve had that year behind me I can actually just focus. “I can think ‘you’re not a kid no more, you need to start focusing on every little thing’.” Villa’s attacking coach Steve Agnew has been helping Green with his finishing and the winger admits it is mostly psychological. “I’m working with Aggers at the moment, Steve Agnew,” he said. “He’s helping me especially in that sort of stuff. It’s all in the head. If you think too much about it, you’re obviously going to mess it up. “So you need to just be cool, that’s what I need to start doing, be cool in front of goal. “In terms of our movement and our play, Aggers came to the club to focus on that. That’s what the gaffer’s brought him in for, that pure reason. “You could see instantly when he came in we were keeping the ball better, rather than just hitting it all over the pitch, so he’s had a good impact.”<doc-sep>

STRUGGLING Burton Albion face Aston Villa in a second round Carabao Cup fixture at the Pirelli Stadium, a month on from a pre-season clash which saw Villa win 4-0. The visitors were in good form but suffered a setback at the weekend as a last gasp Sam Baldock penalty meant they had to settle for a 1-1 draw at home to Reading. 1 Jack Grealish took part in the pre-season clash between these two sides back in July Credit: Getty - Contributor What TV Channel is Burton Albion vs Aston Villa on and can I live stream the match? Unfortunately, Burton Albion vs Aston Villa is not being shown on TV or available to live stream. Burton Albion fans can catch live audio commentary of the fixture on BBC Radio Derby. Meanwhile, Aston Villa supporters can catch updates and commentary from the clash through BBC WM 95.6FM. These programmes will not be available online, and fans will need to subscribe to their club's iFollow service for commentary of the fixture. Alternatively, you can follow the action on the SunSport LIVE blog. When is Burton Albion vs Aston Villa? The clash will take place on Tuesday, August 28. The game will kick-off at 7.45pm UK time. It will be held at the Pirelli Stadium. Team news 📝 TEAM NEWS Midfielder Stephen Quinn comes in for his first #Brewers start, as does @BAFCAcademy graduate @reecehutxchy! Follow the game with Match Centre 👉 https://t.co/k0f6NXKq9x#BAFC pic.twitter.com/RWrhCH72lu — Burton Albion FC (@burtonalbionfc) August 28, 2018

Indian engineering firm Larsen & Toubro is set to buy 20.32 percent equity stake in IT services company Mindtree. Larsen & Toubro said it has entered into an agreement with VG Siddhartha and his related entities, Coffee Day Trading and Coffee Day Enterprises, to acquire 20.32 percent stake in Mindtree for Rs 980 per share, aggregating to approximately Rs 3,269 crore. It has announced an open offer as per SEBI takeover regulations to the public shareholders of Mindtree to purchase up to an additional 31 percent of the outstanding shares of Mindtree at a price of Rs 980 per share in cash. This acquisition adds to L&T’s IT services platform with a focus on new-age digital / cloud solutions, making it highly complementary to L&T’s current technology services portfolio. “This acquisition will propel L&T’s technology portfolio into the top tier of Indian IT companies,” said SN Subrahmanyan, L&T CEO and Managing Director. Mindtree founders are looking to block L&T from buying stake in the IT services company. On March 15, the company’s board said it would meet on March 20 to consider the buyback option. The company’s reserves are around Rs 2,800 crore. It means that it can allocate around Rs 280 crore for the buyback of the company’s shares and another Rs 700 crore to buy another 25 percent stake to take control of the company. Mindtree co-founder Subroto Bagchi on Twitter announced the decision to return from his position as head of Odisha Skill Development Authority. “Mindtree has not been designed as an asset to be bought & sold. It is a national resource. It has a unique culture that humanizes the idea of business. Krishnakumar Natarajan, executive chairman; Subroto Bagchi, co-founder; Rostow Ravanan, CEO; and Parthasarathy NS, executive vice chairman and COO; issued the following statement: “The attempted hostile takeover bid of Mindtree by Larsen & Toubro is a grave threat to the unique organization we have collectively built over 20 years. We don’t see any strategic advantage in the transaction and strongly believe that the transaction will be value destructive for all shareholders.” Mindtree reported 17.4 percent increase in revenue to $251.5 million and 22.2 percent growth in net profit to $26.9 million in the December 2018 quarter. Mindtree had 340 active clients in the December 2018 quarter. Its headcount stood at 19,908 with trailing 12-month attrition at 13.4 percent. Mindtree said its digital business grew 32.4 percent. Larsen & Toubro Infotech (LTI) reported 18.2 percent increase in revenue to $346.9 million in the December quarter of 2018.<doc-sep>Larsen & Toubro – Mindtree deal: If the share purchase agreement (SPA) and the open offer goes through, L&T’s stake in Mindtree will stand at 66.32%, giving it the controlling stake in the firm. Larsen & Toubro – Mindtree deal: If the share purchase agreement (SPA) and the open offer goes through, L&T’s stake in Mindtree will stand at 66.32%, giving it the controlling stake in the firm. Heavy engineering major Larsen & Toubro (L&T) Monday said that it has entered into a definitive share purchase agreement (SPA) with V G Siddhartha and his related entities – Coffee Day Trading and Coffee Day Enterprises – to acquire a 20.32 per cent stake in Mindtree at Rs 980 per share, aggregating to approximately Rs 3,269 crore. In a late evening filing to stock exchanges, L&T said, “Immediately following the filing of the public announcement, L&T has placed an order with its broker for on-market purchase of up to 15 per cent of share capital of Mindtree at a price not exceeding Rs 980 per share.” It further said, “Pursuant to execution of the share purchase agreement, aforementioned market order for share purchase and with the intent to acquire majority stake in Mindtree, L&T has announced an open offer as per the Sebi’s takeover regulations to the public shareholder of Mindtree to purchase up to an additional 31 per cent of the outstanding shares of Mindtree at a price of Rs 980 per share in cash.” If the SPA and the open offer goes through, L&T’s stake in Mindtree will stand at 66.32 per cent, giving it the controlling stake in the company. In a separate filing, Mindtree also said it has received L&T’s proposal for an open offer representing 31 per cent of the voting share capital. L&T further informed the exchanges that Mindtree would remain an independent listed entity, and L&T would extend support to Mindtree in its business going forward. “Mindtree will benefit from access to larger client base and wider product offering under a common parentage giving higher returns to shareholders of Mindtree,” the L&T filing said. The price of Rs 980 a piece will be about a 2 per cent premium to Mindtree’s Monday’s closing share price of Rs 962.50 on the BSE. The share price closed up 1.74 per cent on Monday. Mindtree is a technology consulting and services company that began in 1999. Currently, it has a market capitalisation of Rs 15,806 crore. During FY18, Mindtree’s net profit stood at Rs 570 crore up 37 per cent over a year ago, while the revenues at Rs 5,463 crore, were up 4.33 per cent versus FY17. The company’s Ebitda (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation) was up 3.34 per cent at Rs 741 crore in FY18. Last Friday, Mindtree informed exchanges that its board will meet on March 20 to consider the proposal of a buyback of shares of the company. The move was seen as an attempt by the management to prevent any hostile takeover bid of the company. Later on Saturday, Krishnakumar Natarajan, chairman and co-founder, Mindtree had reportedly written to the L&T board against ‘hostile takeover’ of Mindtree and said that it had alarmed stakeholders, institutional investors, customers and even employees. Natarajan also argued that several large IT services providers had failed to integrate acquisitions and said a merger between Mindtree and L&T Infotech would be value destructive for all. Later, on Sunday, Mindtree co-founder and board member Subroto Bagchi said he had quit as chairman of the Odisha Skill Development Agency to help Mindtree steer through the current takeover crises. Bagchi tweeted, “An imminent threat of hostile takeover of Mindtree has made me to resign from the Government to be able to go, save the company. I must protect the tree from people who have arrived with bulldozers and saw chains to cut it down so that in its place, they can build a shopping mall.” He also said that, Mindtree has not been designed as an “asset” to be bought and sold. It is a national resource. It has a unique culture that humanises the idea of business. It sets the standards of corporate governance. I need to be there in its time of difficulty. Hence the hard decision to return. L&T Technology Services, part of the L&T Group, is a listed entity and has expertise in engineering design, product development, smart manufacturing and digitalisation. It has a market capitalisation of Rs 15,504 crore, according to the BSE as on Monday. L&T Infotech is a technology consulting and digital solutions company that claims to have operations in 30 countries, according to its website. It was founded in 1997 as a subsidiary of L&T. The firm has a market capitalisation of Rs 27,289 crore, as per BSE on Monday. —FE<doc-sep>The Bengaluru-based IT services company Mindtree Ltd fell in early trade on Tuesday after conglomerate Larsen & Toubro Ltd (L&T) said it would buy a 20.32 per cent stake in Mindtree for Rs 10,730 crore, including open offer. L&T will buy the stake from Cafe Coffee Day founder V.G. Siddhartha and companies related to him, Coffee Day Enterprises and Coffee Day Trading, L&T said late on Monday. Mumbai-based L&T also placed an order with its broker for an on-market purchase of up to 15 per cent of Mindtree's shares at Rs 980 per share. It is also looking to buy an additional 31 per cent from Mindtree's public shareholders at the same price. The Mindtree acquisition transaction will be fully funded by the Larsen & Toubro and the company will remain independent listed entity post acquisition. L&T stock was trading 1.6 per cent lower on the BSE at Rs 1,357 as of 10:36 am. (With agency inputs)<doc-sep>L&T's hostile takeover bid of Mindtree, explained While L&T maintains that this isn’t a hostile takeover and that Mindtree will be run as an independent company, Mindtree promoters strongly oppose the takeover bid. Money M&A Indian multinational conglomerate Larsen and Toubro is set to acquire IT major Mindtree through a hostile takeover bid. On Monday, it entered into a share purchase agreement with Cafe Coffee Day founder VG Siddhartha to buy 20.3% stake in Mindtree from him and his two affiliate firms. L&T will purchase this stake at a price of Rs 980 per share, which will approximately amount to Rs 32.69 billion. The total deal will cost L&T roughly Rs 10,733 crore. Currently it has cash reserves of Rs 15,000 crore. With the promoters of Mindtree -- Krishnakumar Natarajan, Subroto Bagchi, NS Parthasarathy and Rostow Ravanan – vehemently opposing the takeover, this makes it one of the largest hostile takeovers India Inc. has seen. Here’s an explainer on what the takeover is all about: What is a hostile takeover? By definition, a hostile takeover is one where one company (acquirer) acquires another company (target) either by directly going to the target’s shareholders of by fighting to replace the management in order to get the acquisition approved. And when the target company’s management doesn’t want the deal to go through, it becomes a hostile takeover. In this case, Mindtree’s promoters have unconditionally opposed the takeover bid by L&T and say that it is value destruction for all shareholders. What exactly is L&T doing? Usually, when a corporation is trying to acquire another, it makes an offer to gain control if it owns 25% of the organisation it is trying to acquire. However, L&T would be exploiting a loophole in the Takeover Code of the Securities and Exchange Board of India. Using section 3, clause 1 of the takeover code, along with section 4 of the code, L&T is entitled to announce an open offer to acquire control of Mindtree. As per this, those with 25% stake or more cannot take over a company unless they make an open offer to acquire the shares, and make a public announcement. However, the code also states whether or not one holds shares or voting rights, one cannot take control of the company unless a public announcement of an open offer to acquire those shares is made. What this means is that using both these sections allows L&T to make an open offer, without having to own 25% shares in Mindtree. With this takeover, L&T reportedly aims to acquire Mindtree. It has bought 20.3% stake from Siddhartha and has placed an order with its broker for on-market purchase of up to 15% of share capital. Apart from this, L&T has announced an open offer as per SEBI Takeover Regulations (as required under Regulation 3(1) and 4) to the public shareholders of Mindtree to purchase up to an additional 31% of the outstanding shares of Mindtree at a price of Rs 980 per share in cash. If this goes through, L&T will hold nearly 66% stake in Mindtree. The three promoters together currently own 13.3% in Mindtee. Why does L&T want to acquire Mindtree? The Chairman of L&T Group, AM Naik says that the acquisition of Mindtree fits into the larger plan of the company. According to L&T, it started with Siddhartha approaching them to sell his stake in the company. While it initially had a neutral view towards this, L&T now sees enormous value in taking over Mindtree. L&T MD and CEO Subrahmanyan has maintained that Mindtree will remain independent and that L&T will provide board oversight. L&T already has a listed IT company L&T Infotech, and believes Mindtree will complement the business. While L&T Infotech is predominantly into banking, Mindtree focuses on areas such as retail and hospitality. Addressing the media on Tuesday, Subrahmanyan said that the logic behind acquiring Mindtree is to expand its services business and not to integrate it with L&T Infotech. The objective, he said, is to increase shareholder value. What is VG Siddhartha’s role and why does he want to sell his stake? CafĂ© Coffee Day founder VG Siddhartha held 20.4% stake in Mindtree, making him the single largest shareholder in the company. This, he held along with two of his firms - Coffee Day Enterprises and Coffee Day Trading. Coffee Day Enterprises, as a company, has a total debt of around Rs 6,500 crore as of September, as per a Bloomberg Quint report. Siddhartha has been looking to sell his stake in Mindtree to pare CCD’s debt and at current market prices, Siddhartha’s stake in the company through his companies is worth roughly Rs 3,100 crore. Now, most of these shares have been pledged with banks including Standard Chartered, Edelweiss, Kotak Mahindra, Yes Bank, Axis, among others. However, according to an Economic Times report, Standard Chartered Bank has agreed to lend Rs 3,000 crore to Siddhartha to release his pledged Mindtree shares held with these banks and consolidate all of them under one entity. This, the report says, will make it easier for him and for L&T to transfer the shares. Why is Mindtree opposing the takeover and what is its strategy? Over the past week, the promoters did everything they could to save the company, but to no avail. Mindtree has called a board meeting on March 20 to consider a share buyback to prevent the possible takeover from L&T, as per its filings with the stock exchanges. The Companies Act states that a company can buyback a maximum of 10% of its capital. If they hold a general meeting and pass a special resolution, then they can buy up to 25%. A first measure of its kind to fend off a hostile takeover, the buyback could possibly reduce the number of shares available for purchase. According to Bloomberg, as of December 2018, Mindtree had cash worth Rs 162 crore and investments worth Rs 811 crore. If the board, in its meeting on Wednesday, agrees to the buyback plan, Mindtree can use this money for a buyback and potentially prevent L&T’s takeover bid. Mindtree founders fight back<doc-sep>

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], Mar 18 (ANI): Larsen & Toubro has entered into a definitive share purchase agreement (SPA) with coffee baron V G Siddhartha and his related entities to acquire 20.32 per cent stake in Mindtree, a global technology services and digital transformation company. The entities include Coffee Day Trading and Coffee Day Enterprises. L&T will purchase this stake at a price of Rs 980 per share aggregating to about Rs 3,269 crore. Immediately after the filing of public announcement late on Monday, L&T placed an order with its broker for on-market purchase of up to 15 per cent of share capital of Mindtree at a price not exceeding Rs 980 per share. After execution of the SPA, the market order for share purchase and with the intent to acquire majority stake in Mindtree, L&T has announced an open offer as per SEBI Takeover Regulations (as required under Regulation 3 (1) and (4) to the public shareholders of Mindtree to purchase up to an additional 31 per cent of the outstanding shares of Mindtree at a price of Rs 980 per share in cash. The acquisition is subject to inter alia receipt of necessary regulatory approvals and satisfaction of other conditions as specified in the offer documents. "L&T has sufficient financial flexibility to fund the entire transaction through its existing financial resources," the company informed stock exchanges in regulatory filings. "This acquisition is in line with L&T's stated strategy of focusing on services and asset-light businesses to drive profitable future growth," it said. This further adds to L&T's attractive IT services platform with a focus on new-age digital and cloud solutions, making it highly complementary to L&T's current technology services portfolio. Mindtree's offerings to its customers include application development and maintenance, infrastructure management services, independent testing, package implementation, consulting and IP products related solutions. While Mindtree will remain an independent listed entity, L&T will extend support to Mindtree in its business going forward. Mindtree will benefit from access to larger client base and wider product offerings under a common parentage giving higher returns to shareholders of Mindtree. "This acquisition is part of our strategy to deliver industry-leading IT services to our clients worldwide," said Managing Director and CEO S N Subrahmanyan. "It will help propel L&T's technology portfolio into top tier of Indian IT companies." Mindtree has a well-established management team which has earned the respect of the market in terms of its service offerings and business practices. "This acquisition will allow L&T to further enhance shareholder value for both its own shareholders and Mindtree shareholders in the medium to long term," said Subrahmanyan. (ANI)

OAKLAND, CA - MAY 31: Draymond Green #23 of the Golden State Warriors reacts against the Cleveland Cavaliers during the second half in Game 1 of the 2018 NBA Finals at ORACLE Arena on May 31, 2018 in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) Draymond Green proved to be the ultimate troll in Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday night and the internet lost its mind. There’s no doubt about it, Draymond Green is one of the best trolls in sports. He’s a get-in-your-face NBA star who knows how to get under an opponent’s skin and stay there. Must Read: MSU Football: Post-spring game-by-game predictions In Thursday night’s Game 1 NBA Finals matchup with Cleveland, the former Spartan stirred up some controversy yet again. Not only did he get Tristan Thompson ejected at the end of the game for getting in his face, clapping his hands, but he also mocked Kendrick Perkins and essentially trashed the NBA vets career, insinuating he’s a glorified cheerleader now. With the game in hand as Golden State was up by 10 in overtime, LeBron James stepped to the line for a couple freebies, but Draymond took his time lining up, mocking Perkins with a cheerleader mock. Do you love or hate Draymond Green? (Via cjzero) pic.twitter.com/w3Em3hZ81W — Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) June 1, 2018 As you can imagine, the internet lost its mind, and Cavaliers fans now want a fight between Green and Perkins in Game 2. Just check out some of the internet reaction to Draymond’s tolling of Perkins. If Kendrick Perkins wasn’t signed to fight Draymond Green, why is he on the team? — Eliot Crist (@EliotCrist) June 1, 2018 Draymond ended Kendrick Perkins and Paul Pierce lmao forever laughing stock — BBBeke (@BekeGSW) June 1, 2018 Hey @cavs please put Perkins in to knockout Draymond Green in the first minute of game 2. — Alex Moore (@AMooreOUPL) June 1, 2018 Top 3 Draymond troll game. Not quite as vicious as the Pierce comment, but the Perkins dance will leave a mark. — Fast Break (@GSWFastBreak) June 1, 2018 When does Perkins come back? He’ll shut draymond up real quick — abbie pearce (@abbie_pe22) June 1, 2018 Draymond Green is the biggest punk in all of professional sports, PLEASE put Kendrick Perkins in next game to just destroy him PLEASE — Scoop (@ldorazio34) June 1, 2018 Cavs should dress Perkins next game and get him to fight Draymond — Kermit (@RealJimisSlim) June 1, 2018 Kendrick Perkins has one Flagrant Two at his disposal. I suggest he use it wisely. *cough* Draymond *cough* — Joey Crawford (@BadJoeyCrawford) June 1, 2018 I hope Kendrick Perkins starts game two just to get into a fist fight with draymond — Cody Wideman (@CwId3) June 1, 2018 I guarantee if Kendrick Perkins suit up, Draymond wouldn’t last the whole game pic.twitter.com/qNMWZiKphQ — DeMarvion Overshown (@dee_overshown6) June 1, 2018 Kendrick Perkins better start game 2 with a haymaker for Draymond — Derek Milliken (@DMilly18) June 1, 2018 We need a Kendrick Perkins VS. Draymond Green fight. — Evan Taylor (@13EvanTaylor) June 1, 2018 I hope Ty Lue let’s Kendrick Perkins play to destroy Draymond Green at some point — Logan Bowles (@LoganBowles_) June 1, 2018 Clearly many of the comments were from Cleveland fans who want Perkins inserted in Game 2 just to lay a haymaker on Draymond. The former Spartan loves to troll and his antics can sometimes be too much, but he’s accomplishing his goal to get under the skin of Perkins and the Cavaliers. Trolling is a major part of Draymond’s game and NBA fans are clearly fed up. Will Perkins make an appearance in Game 2, per Cleveland fans’ wishes? It’s doubtful, but it will be talked about leading up to Sunday’s big matchup. Draymond needs to focus on playing like he did in overtime to lead the Warriors to a win rather than trash talking, but it seems to be working nonetheless.<doc-sep>The Golden State Warriors are chasing a commanding 2-0 NBA Finals lead over the Cleveland Cavaliers, and the intensity of the Finals has led to a ton of confrontations throughout. One of the more puzzling matchups for one of those random fracas occurred at the end of the third quarter in Game 2 when Kendrick Perkins and Stephen Curry came nose to nose. Curry vs. Perkins 😳 pic.twitter.com/kPBadlNMhg — Dime on UPROXX (@DimeUPROXX) June 4, 2018 Curry appeared to take offense at the Cavaliers players not moving their feet to give him room to land after a last-second heave, and let the Cavs know about it. Like most dust ups in the NBA, nothing came of it and Curry went on to open up the fourth quarter with two straight three-pointers.<doc-sep>

Jeff Chiu/Associated Press Cleveland Cavaliers center Kendrick Perkins angered multiple Golden State Warriors players following a third-quarter incident with Stephen Curry in Game 2 of the NBA Finals on Sunday. Perkins did not move his legs on the bench when Curry backed into him after a shot attempt, resulting in a verbal altercation between the two. "I'm not going to get into it. No comment," Curry told Chris Haynes of ESPN. Curry had chucked up a desperation heave that missed at the end of the quarter and was off-balance as he attempted to gather himself near the Cavs' bench. He appeared to trip a bit over Perkins' legs and turned around to say something to the big man, resulting in a brief back-and-forth. Suffice it to say, things went off the rails for Cleveland afterward. Curry went off in the fourth quarter, knocking down five of his NBA Finals record nine threes in the last 12 minutes, as the Warriors earned a 122-103 victory. Golden State leads the best-of-seven series 2-0. Perkins, meanwhile, hasn't played a minute of basketball the entire postseason. His playoff experience has been about making headlines for jawing at other people—rapper Drake and Perkins got into it during Cleveland's second-round series against the Toronto Raptors. Video Play Button Videos you might like Looking on the bright side for Cleveland: Things, uhh, went downhill for Drake after that scuffle! The NBA told Drake to tone it down on the sidelines, Rihanna said she and Drake were no longer friends, he released a single that flopped and Pusha T released one of the most savage diss tracks in history at his expense. If things go a similar way for Curry, the Warriors could be in danger of losing a 2-0 series lead. From a basketball perspective, the Warriors probably have a right to be upset. Perkins isn't required to get out of the way; it's just a common courtesy for your fellow competitor. Given Curry's history of ankle issues, it also likely added a wrinkle of frustration from Golden State.

Mark Ruffalo 'spoils' plot of final Avengers film FREE now and never miss the top Royal stories again. SUBSCRIBE Invalid email Sign up fornow and never miss the top Royal stories again. When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they'll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. Our Privacy Notice explains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time. With just a few weeks until the first Avengers 4 trailer is expected to arrive, reports, rumors and leaks are flying. An incredibly detailed description of the entire footage appeared on Reddit and went viral before being mysteriously removed. Nothing ever disappears from the internt, however, and copies appeared elsewhere. What is described sounds sensational and could be dismissed as yet more fan fiction if it hadn't been so quickly erased. Unlike other controversial sites like 4Chan, posts are rarely taken down from Reddit unless they break some form of rule or unless a complaint is upheld. Or, for example, if they really do reveal a massive spoiler or leak. The full and very length description is included below and may be filled with spoilers so procede with caution. Notable parts show the involvement of Captain America and the Kree before they even appear on the big screen, the much-missed Loki, a very grey-haired Tony Stark, confirmation of Hawkeye as Ronin, Doctor Strange being contacted in the spirit realm, Quantum Realm adventures and the set-up for a return match between Hulk and Thanos. The most notable moment of all is one of the Infinity Stones disappearing form the Gauntlet, implying the Avengers have found a way to rewrite time. Much of it sounds almost too perfectly like the combination of every popular theory so far and it also folds in the latest favourite for the A4 movie title but it is an exciting and compelling read. Avengers 4 trailer and title leaks Avengers 4 trailer and title leaks include Loki scenes LEAKED AVENGERS 4 TRAILER DESCRIPTION: "The trailer starts off showing the damaged Infinity Gauntlet in a field on the farm planet. As the camera focuses in on the Gauntlet, we hear Tony’s voice: “We were destined to lose.” Epic music score starts. The Quinjet is shown landing in a Wakandan wasteland as we hear Steve Rogers say: “We have come so far.” Tony and Nebula step off the jet as the remaining Avengers approach. Steve has a look of relief and says: “Tony”. Tony, seemingly defeated, shakes his head and gives a friendly smirk back to Cap. Marvel Studios Logo appears. "We get a glimpse of the Battle of New York from 2012 Avengers. Loki is shown looking shocked and baffled as he is on top of the Stark tower. There is a flash of a blue light as the camera pans back. (Cuts to black) Next we see the Wakandan throne with M’Baku at the helm. He’s surrounded by his new kingsguard. (A mix of the hill tribe and Dora Milaje). Shuri and Banner are seen working on a new project in the lab. Black Widow, in full gear, is in Hawkeye’s family home from Age of Ultron. Basically everything is thrown all over the place and broken. Nat is studying some type of map with multiple photos and locations on it. A quick shot of Thanos is shown with a long sword, walking down an alleyway in New York City. The next shot is a dark hooded figure with glowing eyes, aiming a bow and arrow before shooting towards the camera." Avengers 4 trailer and title leaks include Thanos and the Gauntlet Avengers 4 trailer and title leaks include Captain Marvel and the Kree "(1-2 visuals of the Quantum Realm) Scott Lang (no suit) is shown running through a park dodging explosions. (Shot of Space) Thor and Valkyrie are aboard a Kree ship. Thor says: “If the stories are true, you’re our universe’s last hope. If such a thing even exists anymore”. The next shot is an older, determined Tony Stark walking through the new SHIELD HQ (Avengers Facility in upstate New York). He’s in full SHIELD attire and carrying an orange briefcase. Banner (wearing spandex) is seen running from something, looking terrified. The next shot is Ant-Man appearing out of a flash of light and landing in a desolate place. We see it from his point of view from inside his helmet. He looks left to right and to his left again and says: “What in the-“. "(Camera focuses on Vormir and its stars) Next, a shot of Rocket and Nebula modifying some new weapons in the lab. Rocket says “When can we try this bad boy out?” They both smile at eachother and fist-bump. We get our first glimpse of Iron Man in his red and gold nanotech armor. Hulk falls from the sky and lands in front of him. Thanos, in full armor, smiles. Hulk smiles back. The next shot is in Japan. War Machine, Nat, and Steve (in their full Avengers gear) are surrounded by The Yakuza. Hawkeye (Ronin) walks through everybody from behind them and approaches the Avengers. There’s an intense exchange of looks between Clint and Natasha. (Next shot is at the Sanctum) Wong is communicating with Dr. Strange’s soul via portal. (Cuts to black) Grey haired Tony Stark and Ant-Man are in a post-apocalyptic NYC. The screen flashes back and forth multiple times through multiple scenes." Avengers 4 trailer leaks include Captain America, Iron Man and Ant-Man Avengers Infinity War: Deleted scene reveals sequel hint<doc-sep>Credit: Marvel Studios While everyone waits for the next blockbuster installment of The Avengers and for Marvel to give us all some official details, there’s no choice but to grasp at straws. Today, those straws came in the form of a Reddit thread that popped up (and was quickly deleted) that may have the info everyone desperately wants like a detailed description of the first trailer and the all-important title. Warning: Spoilers Ahead. That title, if the leak is to be believed, is Avengers: Annihilation and, let’s be honest, it could be better. Then again, considering Chris Evans and others are not signed on for more movies, Annihilation may prove to be appropriate. ADVERTISEMENT Thanks for watching! Visit Website For the supposed details of that trailer, here’s a (rather long) description from the deleted thread. Whether it’s true or not, only time will tell but you can be sure everyone will be comparing this to the first official trailer from Marvel, whenever that finally drops. ADVERTISEMENT Thanks for watching! Visit Website ADVERTISEMENT Thanks for watching! Visit Website Credit: Marvel Studios Marvel Studios Logo appears. We get a glimpse of the Battle of New York from 2012 Avengers. Loki is shown looking shocked and baffled as he is on top of the Stark tower. There is a flash of a blue light as the camera pans back. (Cuts to black) Next we see the Wakandan throne with M’Baku at the helm. He’s surrounded by his new kingsguard. (A mix of the hill tribe and Dora Milaje). Shuri and Banner are seen working on a new project in the lab. Black Widow, in full gear, is in Hawkeye’s family home from Age of Ultron. Basically everything is thrown all over the place and broken. Nat is studying some type of map with multiple photos and locations on it. A quick shot of Thanos is shown with a long sword, walking down an alleyway in New York City. The next shot is a dark hooded figure with glowing eyes, aiming a bow and arrow before shooting towards the camera. (1-2 visuals of the Quantum Realm) Scott Lang (no suit) is shown running through a park dodging explosions. (Shot of Space) Thor and Valkyrie are aboard a Kree ship. Thor says: “If the stories are true, you’re our universe’s last hope. If such a thing even exists anymore”. The next shot is an older, determined Tony Stark walking through the new SHIELD HQ’s (Avengers Facility in upstate New York). He’s in full SHIELD attire and carrying an orange briefcase. Banner (wearing spandex) is seen running from something, looking terrified. The next shot is Ant-Man appearing out of a flash of light and landing in a desolate place. We see it from his point of view from inside his helmet. He looks left to right and to his left again and says: “What in the-”. (Camera focuses on Vormir and its stars) Marvel/Avengers: Infinity War Next, a shot of Rocket and Nebula modifying some new weapons in the lab. Rocket says “When can we try this bad boy out?” They both smile at eachother and fist-bump. We get our first glimpse of Iron Man in his red and gold nanotech armor. Hulk falls from the sky and lands in front of him. Thanos, in full armor, smiles. Hulk smiles back. The next shot is in Japan. War Machine, Nat, and Steve (in their full Avengers gear) are surrounded by The Yakuza. Hawkeye (Ronin) walks through everybody from behind them and approaches the Avengers. There’s an intense exchange of looks between Clint and Natasha (Next shot is at the Sanctum) Wong is communicating with Dr. Strange’s soul via portal. (Cuts to black) Grey haired Tony Stark and Ant-Man are in a post-apocalyptic NYC. The screen flashes back and forth multiple times through multiple scenes. We see Captain Marvel floating with her fists on fire and her eyes lit up. Thanos in the soul stone with young Gamora screaming at him Loki and Thor fighting off Chitauri together. And Tony handing Steve a brand new shield in the Wakandan throne room. (Cuts back to Tony and Scott) (Photo: Marvel Studios) Tony opens the orange briefcase as Scott hands him an illuminated bracelet. Tony asks: “How?… Is this even possible?” (Iron Man and Ant-Man are shown travelling through the Quantum Realm. Tony and Scott are back in the battle of New York from 2012. The final shot before the title reveal is an Infinity Stone disappearing from Thanos’ damaged gauntlet. He abruptly gets up and puts on his armor. His face goes from extremely infuriated to a menacing smile. Title reveal:Avengers: Annihilation Avengers: Annihilation Stinger:The Hulk is training at the new SHIELD facility with Black Widow and Steve. Steve notices that Hulk has been training non-stop as of late, so he asks why. Hulk responds in Banner’s normal voice with: “My rematch is coming real soon, I can feel it!” The Hulk is training at the new SHIELD facility with Black Widow and Steve. Steve notices that Hulk has been training non-stop as of late, so he asks why. Hulk responds in Banner’s normal voice with: “My rematch is coming real soon, I can feel it!” True fans who have been trying to sleuth out where Avengers 4 may bring our heroes post-Snap will likely find this at odds with the original comics. That's no real surprise though, there are plenty of changes between the early 90s Infinity War plot and the MCU. Moreover, there seems to be some discrepancies with a previous reddit thread from the same guy who accurately leaked the plot of Avengers: Infinity War. You can check that thread out here and decide for yourself if this trailer matches that spoiler and, most importantly, if it all fits with what would make for a satisfying ending to this long and wild journey with Marvel.<doc-sep>We’re still six months away from the release of ‘Avengers 4,’ but merchandising waits for no man, woman, or giant purple space being. Last week, an alleged leaked box for some Avengers 4 action figures hinted that an even “greater” threat than Thanos could turn up in the film. Now, some new details on Avengers 4 Lego may provide even more information. The latest leak comes from Instagram user falconfan1414, who consistently reveals information on upcoming Lego sets. In the latest post, they share details on five upcoming Lego sets allegedly tied to Avengers 4, revealing working titles and how many pieces each box will contain: Captain America Kit: $20 and 167 pieces War Machine Vehicle: $35 and 362 pieces Iron Man location set: $60 and 524 pieces Avengers 4 big vehicle: $80 and 832 pieces Avengers 4 location set: $100 an 699 pieces Before we dive into what this could all mean for the plot of Avengers 4, it’s important to remember that these Lego sets rarely reflect the exact movies they’re based on. Most of the time there’s a pretty big difference between what’s happening in the Lego world and in the official Marvel Cinematic Universe. But this is still a pretty intruiging leak, so let’s have some fun with it. Article continues after this related video. The most intriguing listing of the bunch is that “War Machine Vehicle.” Clearly it’s a smaller set. Maybe it’s just an armored car or a small plane. Or maybe it’s some sort of advanced suit made by Tony Stark, kind of like the Hulkbuster armor but for War Machine. There’s not much to back this up in the comics, but that’s never stopped Marvel Studios before. Of course, this is just speculation, but at the very least it suggests that Don Cheadle’s character could play a big role in Avengers 4 — which makes sense considering half of the Avengers died at the end of Infinity War. The other big question mark is the larger $80 Avengers 4 “big vehicle.” The name suggests our heroes could get some new sort of ship in their quest to undo the events of Infinity War. Again, we’re just speculating, but it’s still pretty exciting. As for the rest of them, there’s not much to say for now, but hopefully falconfan1414 will return soon with even more details — and maybe a few leaked photos. Avengers 4 hits theaters on May 3, 2018.<doc-sep>

Mark Ruffalo 'spoils' plot of final Avengers film Avengers fans are looking to all corners of the Internet for clues to what the next movie could be about. One big resource is the upcoming Avengers 4 trailer. But without much to go on, not even a title, fans have taken to Reddit to speculate. One recent post claims to reveal the full details of the entire plot of the upcoming trailer. Could THIS be the plot of the Avengers 4 trailer? Unfortunately, we don't know for sure whether the below description will be the plot as the trailer is still nowhere to be seen. But the recently deleted Reddit thread seemed to give a plausible and detailed idea of what could be in the upcoming trailer. The leak reportedly came from the same anonymous 4Chan user, who accurately predicted the plot of Avengers: Infinity War. WARNING: The following could contain Avengers 4 spoilers. AVENGERS 4: WILL THIS SHOCK CHARACTER APPEAR IN AVENGERS 4? Avengers 4: Fan art shows the main Avengers in the upcoming movie Read the full Reddit thread below: Marvel Studios Logo appears. We get a glimpse of the Battle of New York from 2012 Avengers. Loki is shown looking shocked and baffled as he is on top of the Stark tower. There is a flash of a blue light as the camera pans back. (Cuts to black) Next, we see the Wakandan throne with M’Baku at the helm. He’s surrounded by his new kings guard. (A mix of the hill tribe and Dora Milaje). Shuri and Banner are seen working on a new project in the lab. Black Widow, in full gear, is in Hawkeye’s family home from Age of Ultron. Basically, everything is thrown all over the place and broken. Nat is studying some type of map with multiple photos and locations on it. A quick shot of Thanos is shown with a long sword, walking down an alleyway in New York City. AVENGERS INFINITY WAR DVD: WHEN IS INFINITY WAR ON BLU-RAY AND DVD? Mark Ruffalo: The Hulk actor took to The Tonight Show to fake spoil the title of Avengers 4 The next shot is a dark hooded figure with glowing eyes, aiming a bow and arrow before shooting towards the camera. (1-2 visuals of the Quantum Realm) Scott Lang (no suit) is shown running through a park dodging explosions. (Shot of Space) Thor and Valkyrie are aboard a Kree ship. Thor says: “If the stories are true, you’re our universe’s last hope. If such a thing even exists anymore”. The next shot is an older, determined Tony Stark walking through the new SHIELD HQ’s (Avengers Facility in upstate New York). He’s in full SHIELD attire and carrying an orange briefcase. Banner (wearing spandex) is seen running from something, looking terrified. The next shot is Ant-Man appearing out of a flash of light and landing in a desolate place. We see it from his point of view from inside his helmet. He looks left to right and to his left again and says: “What in the-”. (Camera focuses on Vormir and its stars) Next, a shot of Rocket and Nebula modifying some new weapons in the lab. Rocket says “When can we try this bad boy out?” They both smile at each other and fist-bump. We get our first glimpse of Iron Man in his red and gold nanotech armour. Hulk falls from the sky and lands in front of him. Thanos, in full armour, smiles. Hulk smiles back. The next shot is in Japan. War Machine, Nat, and Steve (in their full Avengers gear) are surrounded by The Yakuza. Hawkeye (Ronin) walks through everybody from behind them and approaches the Avengers. There’s an intense exchange of looks between Clint and Natasha (Next shot is at the Sanctum) Wong is communicating with Dr Strange’s soul via the portal. (Cuts to black) AVENGERS 4 THEORY: WILL THIS HERO SACRIFICE HIMSELF? Avengers: Mark Ruffalo was 'fired' by the Russo brothers, the directing team behind Avengers

The only thing that kept us hanging on during the glacial gameplay of the Rams and Patriots’ Super Bowl LIII spat was the promise of first look footage from some of our most anticipated movies and shows. A Tom Brady snap is exciting, sure, but a Thanos snap is life or death! From superhero movies to sci-fi streaming series, the Super Bowl trailer offerings had something for everyone. Here’s what we got: Related The best commercials from the 2019 Super Bowl Avengers: Endgame A new 30-second spot offers a glimpse of Earth’s mournful survivors. But Marvel may have erased one character too many? Us Jordan Peele’s follow up to Get Out stars Lupita Nyong’o and Winston Duke ... and Lupita Nyong’o and Winston Duke. Expect the doppelgangers to deliver serious doppelbangers. And speaking of Peele... The Twilight Zone Peele’s reboot of the Rod Serling mystery series is arriving to CBS All Access in April. The anthology show’s cast includes John Cho, Allison Tolman, Kumail Nanjiani, Adam Scott, Sanaa Lathan, Steven Yeun, Greg Kinnear, Taissa Farmiga, Jessica Williams, and DeWanda Wise, but we don’t get any of them here — instead this spot’s got Peele and a whole lot of mood. Captain Marvel We’re only a month away from Captain Marvel’s big-screen debut, and Marvel took the time to emphasize just how much high-flying adventure — in planes, in outer space — we should expect. Our only gripe: needed more Goose. Hanna Based on the 2011 film of the same name, Amazon’s new series about a young assassin who breaks out of murder school got a kick-ass first trailer during the big game. And there was a bonus: the premiere episode is live for 24 hours. You have until Monday night! Toy Story 4 Toy Hell is hanging on the prize wall of a traveling carnival. In Toy Story 4, Buzz Lightyear goes to Toy Hell. Alita: Battle Angel Surprise: James Cameron and Robert Rodriguez’s manga adaptation is pretty darn good! Wonder Park Wonder Park takes a few leaps in the premise department. “Wonder Park” is an imaginary park — but now it’s real? And under attack? There are talking animals because this is a CG-animated movie in the year 2019? This may be a trip. The Handmaid’s Tale If you’re a Rams fan and thought the night couldn’t get more depressing, Hulu provided a new look at the third season of its acclaimed dystopian series. Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark Based on Alvin Schwartz’s book of the same name, this Guillermo del Toro-produced horror movie takes everything that scared the hell out of you when you were a kid and puts it on screen. Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw The Fast franchise gets a superhero spinoff in which Idris Elba plays a bulletproof boi. If things must go boom, we suppose this is an acceptable way of doing it.<doc-sep>On Sunday, the 53rd edition of the Super Bowl took place in Atlanta, USA, and as the American sporting tradition dictates, a number of ads and trailers were released during the event’s half-time break. If you want to read more about the half-time show, click here, but for the trailers and advertisements we found noteworthy, here are six of the best below. Avengers: Endgame teaser trailer Marvel released its second teaser trailer for its eagerly anticipated flick Avengers: Endgame. The 30 second video shows the team preparing for the big battle with Thanos after he destroyed half of it during Infinity War. The movie will premier in April. Toy Story 4 teaser trailer Toy Story 4 is another highly anticipated movie, especially considering the fact that many thought the franchise was completed with its third installment. The teaser shows Woody and Bo Peep in a theme park, with Buzz Lightyear being harassed by the local toys. Bo Peep last appeared in Toy Story 2, and the trailer suggests that she’s had a bit of a makeover. Toy Story 4 will be released in June. Captain Marvel teaser trailer Captain Marvel‘s latest teaser shows off more of the title character’s charisma and super powers with the tagline “higher, further, faster”. The movie is set for release in March. Game of Thrones and Bud Light The ad is set in medieval times where the Bud Light Knight is an entrant in the village jousting tournament. He loses to The Mountain from Game of Thrones, and then a dragon shows up and sets everything on fire. You know, the usual stuff. Unfortunately, the ad doesn’t give any clues about the upcoming final season of the show, which is set for an April debut. Microsoft’s Xbox Adaptive Controller Microsoft’s rather heartfelt ad about its Adaptive Controller for Xbox shows how the piece of equipment has helped a number of children play video game where they otherwise would not be able to. Amazon Alexa Amazon’s ad is a funny take on its own product not being suitable for every occasion. The video shows celebrities interacting with Alexa that has been built into devices like hot tubs and dog collars, ultimately causing some chaos. Feature image: screenshot, YouTube via Game Of Thrones<doc-sep>Winter is here, both in the real world and in Westeros. And the final season of “Game of Thrones” is just a little over two months away now. But HBO has been relatively low key with its marketing so far, releasing only a smattering of footage — and no true trailer so far. But that could all change this weekend, if the cable net opts to run an ad for “Game of Thrones” season 8 during the Super Bowl on Sunday. It’s not terribly common, however, for TV shows to advertise during the Super Bowl, unless it’s the network airing the game plugging its own shows. That said, it was only a year ago that HBO shelled out for a spot during the Super Bowl for “Westworld,” and “Game of Thrones” several measures more popular than that sci-fi drama. So should you expect to finally get a real look at the concluding season of “Game of Thrones” Sunday evening? Also Read: 'Game of Thrones' Bosses Promise a Season 8 Trailer Is Coming - Though They 'Wish' It Wasn't Officially, and unofficially, we know about as much as Jon Snow does. Which is to say that we know nothing. HBO is keeping its plans, or lack of plans, for Super Bowl Sunday under wraps. Which means, in turn, that we can’t draw any conclusions about whether there’s going to be any “Game of Thrones” goodness in store for us during the Big Game. But the fact that the marketing campaign for “Game of Thrones” season 8 really hasn’t even started yet, and the fact that HBO pushed “Westworld” during the Super Bowl last year, makes us think that we could finally get a proper trailer on Sunday. But we haven’t heard anything concrete either way. But if there was ever a moment to get the hype started in earnest, Sunday is about as good as it gets. But we’re all going to have to wait until Sunday night to find out for sure. So that’s something to root for even if you don’t care who actually wins the game.<doc-sep>

Last week, we shared that Disney would have several TV spots for the 2019 Super Bowl. And though we speculated what those TV spots would be, many of our suspicions were correct. With all of the highly anticipated films set to premiere this year, we’ve been just as excited for the new movie trailers to drop as we are for the movies to actually hit theaters. So you bet our eyes were glued to our television screens at every commercial break, waiting to catch the latest trailers for Disney’s 2019 film releases. Here are all of the Disney ads that aired during the 2019 Super Bowl on Sunday, February 3: Avengers: Endgame While the TV spot for “Avengers: Endgame” wasn’t nearly as long as we hoped, it still continued to keep up pumped for the upcoming film. And “Guardians of the Galaxy” fans will be happy to see Rocket make an appearance in the latest trailer. Take a look: Captain Marvel We’re not sure if we could be more excited for “Captain Marvel” than we already are, but this action-packed trailer has us itching to see the film as soon as it hits theaters next month. With “Captain Marvel” kicking off the lineup of Disney and Marvel movies being released in 2019, it’s no wonder Disney would give one of their Super Bowl TV spots to the newest Marvel heroine. Toy Story 4 “Toy Story 3” had us weeping, but by the looks of this trailer, “Toy Story 4” will have us laughing in our movie theater seats. The latest trailer takes place at what looks like a state fair features not only Bo Peep (who, on a side note, we’re so happy will be returning) but also Buzz Lightyear…as a carnival game prize? Check out the trailer to see what we mean: For more Disney film magic, check out our post of all the Disney movies coming out in 2019. Which Disney film are you most excited to see this year?

Man Utd team news: Injuries, suspensions and line-up vs Leicester City Everything you need to know ahead of the Premier League clash at Old Trafford on Friday Manchester United and Leicester City raise the curtain on the Premier League season on Friday night at Old Trafford, and for the home side the new campaign will come as blessed relief following a turbulent summer. Jose Mourinho's squad bears a similar face to that on display last season, with Brazilian midfielder Fred their only established signing alongside back-up goalkeeper Lee Grant and promising young full-back Diogo Dalot. The Red Devils will also be partially affected by the late return of some of their players after successful World Cup campaigns, but some of them will be pushed into action by the manager due to a growing injury crisis which was increased during an indifferent run of form in their pre-season campaign. Man Utd Injuries United are without six players through injury alone for the opening game of the season, even overlooking those who may not yet be match fit following their late return to the camp. Nemanja Matic has undergone surgery on an abdominal issue picked up at the World Cup, while Dalot has also been under the knife due to a knee problem. Sergio Romero and Marcos Rojo also had surgeries after being injured on international duty, with Romero having missed Argentina's entire run in Russia as a result. Antonio Valencia limped out of the pre-season draw with San Jose Earthquakes with a calf injury, while Ander Herrera is out after developing a problem during the loss to Bayern Munich last Sunday. Man Utd Suspensions Neither team has any suspension concerns carried over from the end of last season. Possible Man Utd Starting Line-Up Mourinho could well name a very similar line-up to the one which took the field against Bayern Munich last week, although he does have the option of calling in more than one of his late returners. The likes of Paul Pogba, Romelu Lukaku and Ashley Young have had less than a week's training after their progress to the final weekend of the World Cup and all three could be considered. With Herrera injured, Mourinho will be forced into at least one change, which will likely see him ask Pogba to step up and make a start, while Lukaku and Young may be given starts if the manager chooses to overlook Marcus Rashford and Luke Shaw. Despite the club failing to add a centre-back during the transfer window, Mourinho still has many options in that department, and Chris Smalling and Phil Jones are among the alternatives to Eric Bailly and Victor Lindelof. Meanwhile, Matteo Darmian continues to deputise for Valencia despite the fact he is likely to leave before the month is out, and Andreas Pereira should make his first league start for the club after season-long loan spells at Granada and Valencia. Leicester City Team News Foxes fans were given the double boost on Thursday of confirmation of Harry Maguire's presence this season following United's interest and the announcement that Jamie Vardy has signed a new long-term contract. Besides the news surrounding the England pair they have also had the injection of new signings Filip Benkovic and Caglar Soyuncu to add to a host of earlier purchases. Among them are former United centre-half Jonny Evans on a £3.5 million deal from relegated West Bromwich Albion, while Danny Ward has been signed from Liverpool for £12.5m as competition for long-term number one Kasper Schmeichel. Article continues below They also added £25m James Maddison from Norwich City and Ricardo Pereira from Porto for £22.5m, while Riyad Mahrez departed to Manchester City, to give Claude Puel's squad a fresh look heading into the new campaign following their ninth-place finish last time around. TV Channel & Kick-off time The match at Old Trafford kicks off at 8pm BST on Friday, with live coverage available in the UK on Sky Sports Premier League and Sky Sports Main Event. In the U.S. the game will be shown on NBCSN at 3pm ET. Best Opta Match facts<doc-sep>Speaking to MUTV and in his press conference ahead of the clash with the Foxes at Old Trafford, the manager confirmed Ander Herrera and Nemanja Matic are among several players who could miss the first game and those who only returned to training on Monday are not 100 per cent ready. “No miracles,” he declared. “The players with a proper pre-season are fit and they are strong. For example, Alexis Sanchez had a good pre-season with lots of matches and lots of minutes. He's more than ready but you cannot have the players who arrived only last Monday after the World Cup semi-finals or final and three weeks' holiday. You cannot expect them to be fit. ”They returned on Monday. They trained on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and today, so you can imagine that they're not really fit and ready, but we have needs.<doc-sep>The 2018 summer transfer window won't live long in the memories of Manchester United supporters. United began the window well with the early acquisitions of Fred and Diogo Dalot but Lee Grant was the only man to follow over the next two months as Jose Mourinho was left frustrated by the club's lack of dealings. You're probably wondering how we can bring you any transfer news the day after the closure of the window - but don't fret, we will find a way. In slightly more positive news, the new Premier League season gets underway tonight with United's game against Leicester at Old Trafford and we'll be bringing you all the build-up to that game right here. United have also confirmed their squad numbers for the 2018/19 season ahead of the game and the players have arrived at the Lowry Hotel ahead of the opening game of the season. So, yeah, stick with us (or come back at your leisure at regular intervals throughout the day) for your daily fix of all things United.<doc-sep>

Paul Pogba and Anthony Martial were among Manchester United squad members who met up ahead of the Premier League curtain-raiser against Leicester at Old Trafford tonight. World Cup Pogba winner only returned to training this week, having not featured for United in pre-season due to his post-World Cup break. The Frenchman was linked with a move to Barcelona over the summer but was spotted entering the Lowry Hotel - United’s pre-match base - along with Romelu Lukaku in Salford this afternoon. Martial, who left United's tour to attend the birth of his second child, was also present after returning to training late. United boss Jose Mourinho said in his pre-match press conference on Thursday a number of his squad were playing catch-up following their post-World Cup breaks. "They [Pogba, Ashley Young and Marouane Fellaini] return on Monday, train Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and today," he said. "So you can imagine that they are not really fit and ready but we have needs." Andreas Pereira could start after impressing in midfield on the pre-season tour, while fellow Brazilian Fred is in contention for his competitive debut. Meanwhile, 18-year-old goalkeeper Matej Kovar was also spotted with Sergio Romero not yet recovered from the injury that kept him out of the World Cup with Argentina. While not caught by photographers, Luke Shaw is understood to be in the squad for the game against Claude Puel’s side. Jesse Lingard and Matteo Darmian were not spotted with the United party, despite not being named on Mourinho's injury list. The Portuguese confirmed yesterday that he would be without Diogo Dalot, Romero, Marcos Rojo, Nemanja Matic, Antonio Valencia and Ander Herrera who are all injured. "Romero, he had a surgery after his injury before the World Cup," Mourinho said. "Valencia, he was injured in pre-season, Marcos Rojo, he was injured in the World Cup. Dalot had a surgery in Porto by the end of April and not yet ready. "Ander Herrera injured against Bayern. Matic injured in the World Cup and surgery in Philadelphia a couple of weeks ago. And I think that's it. Confirmed Manchester United squadmembers Goalkeepers: David de Gea, Lee Grant, Matej Kovar. Defenders: Eric Bailly, Chris Smalling, Victor Lindelof, Phil Jones, Ashley Young, Luke Shaw. Midfielders: Scott McTominay, Paul Pogba, Juan Mata, Fred, Andreas Pereira, Marouane Fellaini. Forwards: Marcus Rashford, Romelu Lukaku, Alexis Sanchez, Anthony Martial.

Super Bowl 53 didn't exactly inspire excitement on the field, so the brands that ponied up for commercials during the big game got a bang for their buck. A 30-second ad during the Super Bowl cost around $5 million this year, according to Bloomberg News. "CBS Corp., which will broadcast the big game from Atlanta on Feb. 3, is selling 30-second commercials for $5.1 million to $5.3 million, people familiar with the matter said. That’s roughly the same price as last year, when Comcast Corp.’s NBC sold them for $5.24 million, according to research firm Kantar Media." Some companies ran teasers and even released their ads early to generate buzz on social media and get more bang for their buck. From Bud Light to Olay and everything in between, here's a collection of the best commercials that ran during the big game in 2019 to discuss around the water cooler Tuesday. MORE: Breaking down the 'NFL100' commercial frame by frame Pepsi Super Bowl ad Budweiser Super Bowl ad Olay skin care Super Bowl ad Hyundai Super Bowl ad Stella Artois Super Bowl ad Mercedes-Benz Super Bowl ad Mr. Peanut Super Bowl ad Bubly Super Bowl ad Amazon Super Bowl ad Doritos Super Bowl ad M&M's Super Bowl ad Michelob ULTRA Super Bowl ad Michelob ULTRA Pure Gold Super Bowl ad Avocados from Mexico Super Bowl ad BON & VIV Spiked Seltzer Super Bowl ad Bumble Super Bowl ad Colgate Total Super Bowl ad Expensify Super Bowl ad Pringles Super Bowl ad Kia Super Bowl ad Devour Super Bowl ad Yellow Tail Super Bowl ad Verizon Super Bowl ad Toyota Super Bowl ad Bud Light "Corn Syrup" ad To be clear, Bud Light is not brewed with corn syrup, and Miller Lite and Coors Light are. pic.twitter.com/x6tWqdSRXN — Bud Light (@budlight) February 3, 2019 "Game of Thrones"/Bud Light ad T-Mobile "What's for dinner?" ad The Twilight Zone Super Bowl ad What dimension are you even in? 🌀 Witness the extended cut of the debut @TheTwilightZone promo featuring @JordanPeele. #TheTwilightZone pic.twitter.com/J54ZnqlpDO — The Twilight Zone (@TheTwilightZone) February 4, 2019 NFL "100 years" Super Bowl ad The all-time greatest, most competitive NFL players gathered for the #NFL100 gala. What could possibly go wrong? pic.twitter.com/pvE0fKuSye — NFL (@NFL) February 4, 2019 Burger King Super Bowl ad the whopper's out of the bag. keep eating like Andy. #EatLikeAndy pic.twitter.com/Bg3ZuK1V3J — Burger King (@BurgerKing) February 4, 2019 Avengers Super Bowl ad "Some people move on. But not us." Watch the brand new Marvel Studios' #AvengersEndgame spot that aired during the Big Game. See the film in theaters April 26. pic.twitter.com/ruu7A7MnEk — The Avengers (@Avengers) February 3, 2019 Washington Post Super Bowl ad<doc-sep>Super Bowl Sunday is upon us, and so are brand new commercials. And this year's batch is certainly expected to deliver with high-profile celebrities such as Cardi B, Christina Applegate, Jeff Bridges, among others slated to make special cameos. But it's going to cost companies a pretty penny to run them (we're talking millions). Companies will have to fork over anywhere between $5.1 and $5.3 million for ads that run after kickoff, according to Variety. If you want a pre-game slot, then expect a bill that could run up to hundreds of thousands of dollars to more than $1 million — the price is determined by the timing. That's a huge jump from the average price to run an ad during Super Bowl I in 1967, which was about $37,500, Nielson Media Research shows. COCA-COLA NIXES SUPER BOWL AD AFTER 11-YEAR RUN In fact, the cost of running a 30-second add has become so pricey in recent years Coca-Cola reportedly decided to drop out of the running this year for a spot during the game itself. Instead, the soda giant plans to run a 60-second ad before kickoff, Stuart Kronauge, senior vice president of marketing for Coca-Cola North America, recently confirmed to Variety. “We have a long history of using the country’s biggest advertising stage to share a message of unity and positivity, especially at times when our nation feels divided,” he said. “This year, we decided to place our ad just before the national anthem as Americans come together in their living rooms to remind everyone that ‘together is beautiful.” Fortunately, some companies have already given fans a sneak peek at their star-studded ads. Here are a few to look out for. Cardi B, Lil Jon and Steve Carell Cardi B, Lil Jon and Steve Carell all make appearances in Pepsi's Super Bowl commercial. The ad centers around Cardi B's signature phrase "o-kurrrr." The company said they'll use it help answer the often asked question, "Is Pepsi OK?" “It’s what happens in real life a fair amount,” Greg Lyons, the company’s CMO for North American beverages, told Adweek. “We had a choice to embrace it and flip it on its head or to ignore it. We play it off as something consumers can really relate to, and we did it in a fun Pepsi way that really highlights and celebrates how great Pepsi is.” FANS UPSET AT JEEP FOR 'KILLING A UNICORN' IN SUPER BOWL COMMERCIAL FOR NEW GLADIATOR PICKUP Pepsi has already caused significant buzz ahead of the championship game, and it's likely the ad played a big part in that. The company had more than 51,600 mentions on social media on Thursday, according to analytics company Talkwalker, which said it appears Pepsi can declare victory over Coca-Cola (at least, for now). "This aggressive campaign, and the SBLIII half-time buzz, seems to allow Pepsi to win both the mention battle (282,000 Pepsi mentions vs 181,000 Coke mentions) and the engagement battle (1,8 million Pepsi shares/retweets vs 1,5 million Coke shares/retweets in North America in the last 30 days)," Talkwalker told Fox News. Jeff Bridges Jeff Bridges may be reprising his iconic role as Jeffrey “The Dude” Lebowski in the Coen Brothers classic “The Big Lebowski." A short video he posted last implies it could happen — at least during the Super Bowl. The actor posted a 15-second video to his Twitter account, where he appeared to be dressed as the character. "Can't be living in the past, man. Stay tuned,” he captioned the post, though he didn't provide any further context. Christina Applegate Christina Applegate is going to need all of her backseat passengers (M&Ms) to shut up. The actress will star as an annoyed driver in M&M's Super Bowl ad titled "Bad Passengers." “Do I have to break you guys apart?” she asks her bickering candy passengers before coming to a halt and yelling, “Okay, that’s it: If you don’t stop, I will eat all of you alive right now!” According to Eater, it's the first time the company has revealed a brand new candy — a chocolate bar with mini M&Ms inside — during the Super Bowl. Jason Bateman "Which floor?" Jason Bateman plays an elevator operator in Hyundai's Super Bowl commercial, which CNET confirms will air during the first quarter of the big game. During the ad, several people enter the elevator as Bateman presses the buttons to go to various floors. Each time the door opens, people are directed toward cringeworthy scenes: such as a dentist operating or jury duty. Hyundai is hoping the commercial encourages car shoppers to use its Shopper Assurance program, where dealers can post the market price of vehicles online. "We understand that shopping for a new car is typically something people don't look forward to," Dean Evans, chief marketing officer for Hyundai Motor America, said in a statement to CNET. "However, our dealers are using Shopper Assurance as a North Star in helping evolve and improve the retail experience. This year's Super Bowl spot communicates the program in a fun, lighthearted way that viewers will relate to." Fox News' Chris Ciaccia and Madeline Farber contributed to this report.<doc-sep>Despite a rallying cry from comedian Amy Schumer for celebrities to turn down Super Bowl ads, it looks like more Hollywood stars than ever are hitting the small screen in 30 to 90 second bites during Sunday's big game. It's not just more star power this year -- the wattage is up. Cardi B, Harrison Ford, Jeff Bridges, Sarah Jessica Parker and Serena Williams all make appearances in spots for Pepsi, Amazon, Stella Artois and dating app Bumble. "This year is definitely celebrity heavy," Kristina Monllos, Adweek's senior editor for brand marketing, told ABC News. "We're noticing even more, and big names." Like all things NFL, the Super Bowl and its halftime show have become controversial. Rihanna and Cardi B have reportedly turned down offers to perform in solidarity with former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who hasn't played in the league since the 2016 season when he took a knee to protest police brutality against people of color. Last fall, Schumer urged celebrities to boycott Super Bowl ads in an Instagram post. Schumer has admittedly appeared in two commercials during the big game. “I personally told my reps I wouldn’t do a Super Bowl commercial this year,” she wrote. “Hitting the NFL with the advertisers is the only way to really hurt them.” Schumer's rep did not respond to a request for further comment. Despite reportedly turning down the offer to play in Pepsi's Halftime Show, Cardi B does appear in a Pepsi commercial with Steve Carrell. The NFL does not traditionally pay performers for the halftime show but does usually cover the cost of the performance (sets, crew and technicians, for example). Artists take the opportunity to perform on one of the world's biggest stages (in terms of audience size). "Obviously I cannot speak for Cardi B. I think that for some celebrities there's a difference between appearing on the field during the game and being part of the commercials," Adweek's Monllos said. "A commercial is not being there during the game, not associating directly with the NFL. For some performers, there is a difference." A rep for Cardi B did not respond to a request for comment. However, CBS, the network airing Super Bowl LIII, is charging more than $5 million for a 30-second commercial, or more than $166,667 per second. Tennis great Serena Williams, who appears with Kaepernick in the controversial "Just Do It" Nike anniversary ads, makes an appearance for Bumble, which is in the midst of branching out from a dating app to a business tool. The commercial's title is "The Ball is in Her Court.” "With Serena, you have an opportunity to talk about women making the first move in a career journey via Bumble," Mollnos said. "People still want the platform of the Super Bowl for the ads, even if they don't necessarily agree with the NFL." A rep for Williams did not respond to a request for comment. Even Harrison Ford and Forrest Whitaker, who are usually associated with big movie events, both appear in an Amazon ad for rejected Alexa products.<doc-sep>Photo : Toyota Now, here’s a Super Bowl story we can get behind this year. She’s defied the odds. Now football phenom Antoinette “Toni” Harris is getting the respect she deserves, in tandem with the biggest game of the year. Toyota has tapped the 22-year-old trailblazer to appear in their Super Bowl LIII ad for the all-new 2019 RAV4 HV (RAV4 Hybrid), a crossover sport utility vehicle that serves as an apt metaphor for Harris’ own journey. Because one game-changer deserves another. Advertisement “The 2019 RAV4 HV is the vehicle that will shatter perceptions of hybrids, much like how Toni is shattering perceptions of a football player,” Ed Laukes, group vice president, Toyota Marketing, Toyota Motor North America, said in a press release. “We’re excited to highlight Toni’s inspirational story during the Big Game and remind viewers that assumptions should always be challenged.” Harris, who is the first and only female football player to be offered a full scholarship as a non-specialist—and the first to play a non-specialist position, on defense—is getting the full Super Bowl treatment. Toyota’s ad is narrated by veteran sportscaster Jim Nantz and directed by legendary Super Bowl director Joe Pytka, who has directed more than 80 Super Bowl commercials. “Toni’s story and the Toyota RAV4 HV narrative complement each other nicely and it was a true pleasure to feature them during the most-watched television event of the year,” Pytka aid of his first time working with both. The spot is part of Toyota’s ongoing cohesive and multiculturally inclusive marketing approach, which joins its diverse group of agencies in a total market model called Total Toyota, or T2. Toni’s story was created and produced by Chicago-based black ad agency Burrell Communications, with additional support from Saatchi & Saatchi and Zenith Media. Harris made her mark playing sophomore defensive back (free safety) at East Los Angeles College. Now, the Detroit native has four additional scholarship offers from universities hoping to help her take her game to the next level, interest that could very well peak following her appearance in Toyota’s ad near the end of the second quarter of the Super Bowl. “I am thrilled to partner with Toyota on our like-minded quest to defy expectations, lead the charge without compromise and overcome adversity,” Harris said. “I hope this will inspire others who are experiencing a similar journey.”<doc-sep>

The main show at the 2019 Super Bowl is on the field, with Tom Brady and the New England Patriots facing off against Jared Goff and his Los Angeles Rams. But there’s a big battle between the game, too, as major companies and advertisers spend millions of dollars to get your attention during the commercial breaks. While last year’s Super Bowl ratings were down slightly, more than 100 million people are expected to tune in Sunday for the big game. That’s a lot of potential customers. As is tradition, brands are going above and beyond this year to try to make the best Super Bowl 53 commercials. Here, in our list of the best commercials of Super Bowl 2019, we recognize some of our favorite ads. Best Super Bowl Commercial for Football Itself You get a gold star if you can name every football phenom in this spot from the NFL itself. Best Super Bowl Commercial That Wasn’t Actually a Commercial Although many stars made Super Bowl ad cameos this year, the skit that started the game had its own iconic duo – Peyton Manning and actor John Malkovich. Best Super Bowl Commercial That Hyped Game of Thrones and Beer at the Same Time Bud Light and HBO, ‘The Bud Night’ The final season of Game of Thrones might not be set to premiere until April 14, but HBO teamed up with Bud Light to give football fans a taste of the show’s carnage. The Super Bowl Commercial With the Best Message Bumble, ‘The Ball Is in Her Court’ Bumble, the Tinder rival wherein women make the first move, made its first Super Bowl ad this year, starring tennis superstar Serena Williams. The message? Women shouldn’t wait to go after what they want. The Super Bowl Commercial With the Best Cameos Pepsi, ‘More Than OK’ Pepsi, which perennially lives under Coke’s shadow, has long embraced its role as an underdog in its advertising. Here, Steve Carell, Lil Jon and Cardi B assure a thirsty nation that Pepsi is just fine. Runner-Up: Stella Artois, ‘Change Up the Usual’ Sarah Jessica Parker and Jeff Bridges return in their roles as mostly-functioning alcoholics Carrie Bradshaw and The Dude, respectively, changing up their typical drink orders for a glass/bottle of Stella. Only 90s kids will understand, or whatever. The Best Super Bowl Commercial Featuring Beloved Superheroes Marvel fans eager to learn more about the fate of their favorite superheroes got an adrenaline-fueled fix Sunday evening when a new spot for Avengers: Endgame debuted early into the first quarter. The 30-second mini-trailer offered brief glimpses of stars including Chris Evans, Bradley Cooper, Paul Rudd and Benedict Cumberbatch. The film flies into theaters April 26. The Super Bowl Commercial With the Best Mashup Song That Should Be Released As a Single, Like, Yesterday Doritos, ‘Now it’s Hot’ It’s utterly unclear what any of this has to do with Doritos, but give us a full version of this Chance the Rapper-Backstreet Boys “I Want It That Way” mashup immediately. Also, let them do the halftime show. And here’s the full version of the song: The Super Bowl Commercial With the Best Dumb Joke Pringles, ‘Sad Device’ If you’ve never known the wonder of stacking multiple flavors of Pringles in the same bite, you’re missing out. And so is this Amazon Echo-alike, without hands, mouth or a soul. The Best Super Bowl Commercial That Will Hit You In The Feels Microsoft, ‘We All Win’ Microsoft’s heartfelt Super Bowl spot features kids with developmental disabilities who’ve used the company’s new Xbox Adaptive Controller to better enjoy gaming with friends. That controller, by the way, was also one of TIME’s 2018 Best Inventions. Runner-up: Google, ‘100 Billion Words’ Google’s heatwarming spot for its translation app was widely lauded. The Best Super Bowl Commercial Starring Harrison Ford Amazon, ‘Not Everything Makes the Cut’ Grumpy Harrison Ford? Check. Cute dog? Check. The stars of Broad City, astronaut twins and Forest Whitaker? Check, check, check. The Best Commercial Featuring Alex Rodriguez, Charlie Sheen and a Flying Peanut Car Planters, ‘Crunch Time’ Free idea: Reboot the Fast and the Furious franchise, but everybody’s driving peanut cars. The Best Super Commercial With a Rehashing of a Seinfeld Episode Even though this joke was better 25 years ago, when Seinfeld did it in The Raincoats, it’s always a joy to see Luke Wilson. Contact us at letters@time.com.

The Detroit News Matt Charboneau, Angelique S. Chengelis, John Niyo and Bob Wojnowski of The Detroit News offer their predictions on the outcome of Saturday's Michigan State vs. Northwestern game at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing (noon, FS1/760 AM). Matt Charboneau: Michigan State is still searching on offense and that search continues against a team that has won in its last two trips to Spartan Stadium and has won three of four in the series. How much giving up a 17-point lead last week will affect Northwestern remains to be seen. But with the way the Spartans have had trouble putting teams away, expect this one to be close. Michigan State, 27-20 Angelique S. Chengelis: Northwestern had a 17-point lead early on Michigan a week ago, and once the Wolverines made adjustments, the Wildcats were shut down. This could be close for a half, but Michigan State will take over. The Spartans have some key injuries and MSU quarterback Brian Lewerke has been shouldering much of the responsibility, and he will be rewarded against the Wildcats. Michigan State, 28-10 John Niyo: The Spartans’ injuries are a big reason they’ve struggled so much offensively. And the loss of Cody White isn’t going to make life any easier, especially against a stubborn Northwestern team that has won its last four Big Ten road games and doesn’t beat itself. Michigan State, 27-21 Bob Wojnowski: The Wildcats struggle to run the ball, and the Spartans have the top run defense in the country. Hmm. Looks like you can expect Clayton Thorson to throw a ton, and Michigan State’s secondary is vulnerable. But the Spartans can pressure the quarterback, and they’ll have ample opportunity to do so. Brian Lewerke needs to cut down on turnovers, or this could be another close, crazy one. Northwestern has won three of the last four in the series and will hang around here. Michigan State, 24-17 MORE COVERAGE Michigan State offense still searching for balance Trieu: J.D. Duplain to visit Michigan State, fresh off Ohio State offer MSU mailbag: Connor Heyward on the rise; LJ Scott's status still TBD Dantonio looking for an 'identity' for MSU<doc-sep>Free Press sports writer Chris Solari looks ahead to Michigan State's homecoming game Saturday against Northwestern: Fast facts Matchup: No. 19 Michigan State (3-1, 1-0 Big Ten) vs. Northwestern (1-3, 1-1). Kickoff: Noon, Saturday, Spartan Stadium, East Lansing. TV/radio: Fox Sports 1, WJR-AM (760). Line: Spartans by 10 1/2. Injury report MSU: Out: WR Cody White (left hand); P Jake Hartbarger (right leg); CB Tyson Smith (illness); CB Josiah Scott (left leg); Questionable: CB Josh Butler (undisclosed); RB LJ Scott (leg); FB Collin Lucas (head); RG Kevin Jarvis (right leg); WR Darrell Stewart Jr. (left ankle); WR Jalen Nailor (undisclosed); WR Cam Chambers (undisclosed); DE Dillon Alexander (right leg); DT Mufi Hill-Hunt (knee); TE Noah Davis (undisclosed); LB Ed Warriner (undisclosed); LB Chase Kline (undisclosed); OL James Ohonba (undisclosed); RB Alante Thomas (undisclosed); Probable: LT Cole Chewins (undisclosed injury); LG/LT Luke Campbell (right leg); LG David Beedle (leg). Northwestern: Out: RB Jeremy Larkin (cervical condition; retired); Questionable: OL J.B. Butler (ankle); OL Blake Hance (undisclosed); OL Tommy Doles (undisclosed); LB Khalid Jones (foot); DT Ben Oxley (undisclosed); DB Greg Newsome II (undisclosed); LB Nate Hall (lower body); TE Trey Pugh (undisclosed); WR Jalen Brown (undisclosed). More:Michigan State football healthy enough to move forward? More:Michigan State football's Cole Chewins coping with 'frustrating' injury Scouting report When MSU has the ball: The Spartans’ struggling run game and banged-up offensive line continues to be the story, and mounting injuries at wide receiver are adding to the strain. The run game was better last week against Central Michigan, with QB Brian Lewerke running more and freshman La’Darius Jefferson emerging as a bigger back who is not afraid of contact. Still, MSU was missing four of its top six receivers by the end of the CMU win, after Cody White broke his hand. Should Darrell Stewart also sit out again with White, Lewerke will need to find another target so defenses cannot double-team senior Felton Davis III. Northwestern allows 379 yards per game, 142.3 rushing and 236.8 passing. Sophomore LB Paddy Fisher leads the Wildcats with 34 tackles in coach Pat Fitzgerald’s 4-3 defense and had 19 tackles against the Spartans last year. Northwestern ranks 121st out of 129 Football Bowl Subdivision teams in red-zone defense, last in the Big Ten. More:Mad at Michigan State's play-calling? It falls on Mark Dantonio More:Examining every turnover by Michigan State football QB Brian Lewerke More:Michigan State football defense seeks more pressure on Clayton Thorson When Northwestern has the ball: Quarterback Clayton Thorson, coming off a torn ACL in December, has been up and down this season, and the sudden retirement of top running back Jeremy Larkan disrupted an already languishing run game, which now faces the Spartans’ FBS-leading run defense (40.3 yards per game). Injuries and ineffectiveness on the offensive line have not helped either facet, with Thorson getting sacked six times last week in a 20-17 loss to Michigan. One thing the Wildcats do well is avoid penalties, ranking first in the Big Ten and sixth nationally at just 34 yards per game. The Spartans rank 92nd in the country at 67.8 yards penalized, with a few defensive personal fouls and pass interference calls in the past two weeks. CB Justin Layne and S David Dowell were called for pass interference penalties against CMU (the Chips declined the flag on Layne), but both had their first interception of the season. MSU has seven players with interceptions this season despite allowing 288.3 passing yards per game. Know the foe Veteran presence: Thorson, a senior who has started all 43 games of his Wildcat career, threw for career highs of 383 yards, 33 completions and three TDs in a loss to Akron two weeks ago. Against Michigan last week, he struggled against pressure and was just 16 of 27 for 174 passing yards. He did run for his first TD of the season. Thorson was 33 of 48 for 356 yards passing in the Wildcats’ 39-31 triple-overtime win over MSU last year. More:Northwestern holds the blueprint to beat Michigan State football More:Michigan State football all too familiar with Northwestern pass offense RB situation: Larkin remains Northwestern’s leading rusher with 346 yards and five TDs in his four games. Finding someone to replace that production could take time. The Wildcats used three running backs against Michigan, including converted wide receiver Solomon Vault. He combined with John Moton IV and Isaiah Bowser to average 2.7 yards on 21 combined carries, which totaled 56 yards. Moton ran for 36 yards on 13 carries against U-M in his first career start and has 57 yards on 25 carries with two TDs this season. Mean Joe: Northwestern defensive end Joe Gaziano has 16 career sacks, including 2.5 this season. Gaziano sacked Lewerke and forced a fumble in last season's game, and he also had a sack in the first start of Lewerke's career in 2016. Two cents Bend, don’t break: Despite allowing 288.3 yards per game and ranking 114th in pass defense, MSU ranks 68th nationally in allowing 12.41 yards per completion. The Spartans have given up just five passing touchdowns, two of them coming last week against CMU and one of them on a trick play. Streaking Cats: The Wildcats have won three of the past four meetings in this series, scoring 93 points total the past two years – the Spartans hold a 37-19 series lead all time. Coach Mark Dantonio is 5-4 against Northwestern since 2007. Ohio State's Urban Meyer, Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz and Notre Dame’s Brian Kelly are the only other coaches to have beaten Dantonio’s MSU teams four times. Prediction: MSU 20, Northwestern 13 Contact Chris Solari: csolari@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @chrissolari. Download our Spartans Xtra app for free on Apple and Android devices!<doc-sep>Souichi Terada Special to Detroit Free Press Welcome to our Michigan State football live blog as the Spartans take on Northwestern. MSU (3-1, 1-0 Big Ten) hosts the Wildcats at Spartan Stadium and special writer Souichi Terada leads the conversation. Observations:Michigan State's offense a mess so far against Northwestern Feel free to follow along or join in the live analysis and banter. Access to live blog for mobile users.<doc-sep>

EAST LANSING — Halftime observations from Spartan Stadium, where Northwestern leads No. 19 Michigan State, 14-6, on Saturday. Offense is a mess No LJ Scott. No Kevin Jarvis. Now no David Beedle. And MSU’s offense has no consistency, either, failing to generate any type of a run game and allowing Northwestern to key in on the pass. MSU also had two red zone drives sputter and turn into Matt Coghlin field goals instead of TDs. Without Scott for the third straight game, neither Connor Heyward nor La’Darius Jefferson found much room running. MSU used walk-on Alante Thomas on one play to try and get some speed to the edge. Six different Spartans carried 14 times for 41 yards. Live blog:Join the conversation for Michigan State vs. Northwestern Lewerke got the offense moving late through the air in the 2-minute drill, but the pass game struggled for much of the half. And then the junior QB missed a linebacker dropping in coverage and threw his sixth interception of the season to end the drive in Northwestern territory. MSU has 159 of its 200 yards of total offense through the air. Lewerke is 14 of 25, and he has not been sacked because he has evaded pressure with his feet. Injuries Beedle hurt his arm on the second play of the game and left. Cornerback Josh Butler, who played only one snap last week against CMU, appeared to injure his leg in the second quarter and went to the bench. MSU continues to be without WRs Cody White and Jalen Nailor, as well as starting RB Scott and FB Collin Lucas. Defensive holes The Spartans’ pass coverage struggled against Northwestern QB Clayton Thorson, who is 15 of 21 for 219 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. This time, though, it was Thorson’s deep ball that burned the MSU defense. The first was a 77-yard scoring pass to Kyric McGowan as MSU safety David Dowell missed his assignment and left the receiver all alone on the left sideline. The second came one play after Butler’s injury and pass interference penalty. Thorson threw at his replacement, and Tre Person got beat and had to retreat in coverage without turning his head. He caught up to Northwestern’s JJ Jefferson, but the WR made a diving catch at the goal line for a 34-yard TD. The Wildcats have run the ball officially just eight times for minus-20 yards, but one was a sack of Thorson for a 12-yard loss and the other was a kneel-down at the end of the half. Record-breaker Coghlin’s two field goals, from 27 and 25 yards out, broke the MSU record for consecutive field goals. He now has 16 straight, topping Brett Swenson’s previous mark. Contact Chris Solari: csolari@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @chrissolari. Download our Spartans Xtra app for free on Apple and Android devices!

NEW DELHI: Delhi Police crime branch probing into the mystery behind the mass suicide of a family would question the fiance of the woman who was supposed to get married later this year. Police are scanning through their call details as well.The possibility of the family being disciples of a godman practicing occult rituals is also being probed. Their search history on the internet is being probed as well.Police are investigating the handwriting in a diary that has mentioned about the suicide. In the note, the writer has asked the others to select anytime between midnight and 1am to take the extreme step.Sources say that the role of some relatives are being probed as well.<doc-sep>Doctors have however said a 'suicide pact' remains only a theory at this point of time. As the deaths of 11 family members at a north Delhi home remained shrouded in mystery, mental health experts said on Monday that people in mass suicide cases generally "show commonalities" and suggested that a "psychological autopsy" be conducted in the case to unravel the puzzle. The deceased, including seven women and two children, were found hanging from an iron-mesh in the ceiling on Sunday. The incident has baffled investigators and psychiatrists. Police suspect the deaths were part of a suicide pact after handwritten notes found at the house indicated a "religious or spiritual angle". But two members of the family on Monday dismissed the suicide pact theory and insisted the 11 people were killed. A senior doctor from the department of psychiatry at AIIMS suggested that a "psychological autopsy" be conducted in the case to get to the bottom of the mystery. "In layman's term, a psychological autopsy would mean interacting with the victims' relatives, friends and acquaintances to see if there was any pattern - like if they were reading the same book or similar themed books or were part of any cult or were influenced by any occultist," he told PTI on the condition of anonymity. The doctor said the cause of the deaths has not been ascertained yet and therefore a 'suicide pact' remains only a theory at this point of time. Asked what factors drove people to commit suicide en masse, he said: "People who are emotionally very unstable, gullible or vulnerable are prone to enter into suicide pacts". Generally there are several commonalities in such cases, whether of age, religion or some other aspect. "In the Burari case, there is an entire spectrum of age from 15 to 77. And the emotional status of a young person is very different from a middle-aged or old person. Also the number 11 in this case is rather overwhelming for committing such acts," he said. Ten of those dead were found hanging from the iron-mesh, while the body of the 77-year-old Narayan Devi was lying on the floor in a room of the house. The deceased had their mouth taped and faces covered with pieces of cloth cut from a single bed-sheet. Only Devi' face was not covered. Bhawna Barmi, senior clinical psychologist at Fortis Escorts Hospital in Okhla, said: "A common theme in majority of suicidal cults is that they believe in an apocalyptic theology." "Mass or cult suicides occur mostly in groups that feel stuck in their lives and they believe that they are unable to control the consequences of their life. Hence, they often believe that death is the only possible option," she said. Asked what behavioral signs such people exhibited, she said: "Signs include isolation from any group activity or gathering or avoidance of any social interaction with behavioral changes that can be evident if paid attention to." Other signs include talking about feeling hopeless or having no purpose; talking about feeling trapped or being in unbearable pain; and talking about being a burden to others. "The society around such people should be aware of what is happening around us for our own and other's safety. We should be vigilant and remove the idea of being ignorant just because it is convenient," Ms Barmni said.<doc-sep>"The line of investigation is focused on the role of Lalit and his wife," said police. The family that was found hanging in their north Delhi house on June 30 began preparations at least 10 days before its alleged "mass suicide", police said. As per a video footage obtained from a premises opposite the family house, the family bought goods used in rituals, five tables and bandage from shops close to their Burari home. The Crime Branch officials on Wednesday visited the house in Sant Nagar and conducted another search. Police said Crime Branch investigators believe that one of the dead couples -- Lalit Bhatia and his wife Tina -- tied the hands and legs of other family members before all of the them hung themselves from an iron grill on a ceiling of a corridor during a ritual prayer. "In another video clipping, Bhavnesh's wife Savita and Tina were seen purchasing five stools at 10 p.m. on June 30. After some time, their teenage children Dhruv and Shivam were seen carrying electric wire, which was used in hanging by some of the family members. "The line of investigation is focused on the role of Lalit and his wife," Deputy Commissioner of Police Joy N Tirkey said. "The Crime Branch, which is examining the CCTV footage of the last two months, has found couple involved in suspicious activities. The couple was seen carrying goods used in ritual prayers from June 23 to 30. In one of the footage of June 27, Lalit was seen carrying a polybag containing items connected to Vastu Shastra," a senior police officer connected to the probe said on the condition of anonymity. "Lalit daily recalled the previous day's chores and listed activities in his registers and made lists of things on which he had instructed other family members to follow. He used to research on death and mysteries of soul. As per his mobile phone details, he often watched paranormal and ghost shows on 'You Tube' and other Internet platforms," he added. "It was found in investigation that generally the family used to send one of their servants to purchase household goods," the officer said. "An employee at a nearby restaurant said he delivered 20 loaves as ordered by Lalit Bhatia on July 30 night. The food packet was received by Lalit Bhatia who took money from his brother Bhavnesh to pay up," the officer added. "Lalit Bhatia was last seen entering the house on the night of the incident. He was seen walking in the street with family pet dog which was chained in a room on the second floor during the ritual prayer. Their neighbour said that the family generally unleashed the dog during night hours and the pet was seen barking loudly on the fateful night," he said. "Like his late father Gopaldass, who was in the Indian Army, Lalit gave all family members training in discipline, code of conduct, rehearsals of dos and don'ts during ritual practices. As per an entry in one of the registers seized from the house, he also instructed family members often to stand to position like soldiers after morning prayers for increasing mental strength," the officer added. The police officer said visera reports were expected within 10 to 15 days, which will tell if the family's food was laced with sedatives before their deaths. "We will take help of psychology and paranormal experts as prima facie we suspect it to be a case of shared psychotic disorder," he said. Septuagenarian Narayani Devi and her 10 family members were found hanging in their house on Sunday when a neighbour went to check on them.<doc-sep>The death of 11 members of a family in north Delhi’s Sant Nagar on Sunday remains shrouded in mystery even as autopsies revealed that all of them died from hanging. As Delhi Police continues to probe multiple theories to figure out the possible reason behind the incident, here are 10 odd things related to the case. 1. Eight ‘taped’ cellphones on silent mode were kept in a drawer and was mentioned in the recovered handwritten notes. 2. Eleven plastic pipes, protruding from a wall of the house, weren’t connected to any water source, police say. 3. The main door of the house has 11 iron rods. 4. Main door was left open when the ‘religious ritual’ was performed. Police said the family chose not to close the door. 5. The family had ordered 20 chapatis but no curry, dal or vegetables from a nearby restaurant. 6. All 11 family members were blindfolded, their ears plugged with cotton and mouths closed with tape. Nine of them had their limbs tied. 7. Out of the 11 family members, nine were found hanging with iron rods of a ceiling ventilator. 8. Only the eldest among the dead, 77-year-old Narayan Devi, was found lying in a room. 9. Two notebooks in which rituals were written were found in the prayer area of the house. 10. The pet dog was kept chained on the second floor. When police found it, the dog had high fever.<doc-sep>

Read also: Police probe focuses on notings in diary at site What we know so far Postmortem report June 17 Read also: Why this ‘mass suicide’ was different June 30 8pm: 10pm: 11pm: July 1 7.15am: 7.30am onwards 12pm: Read also: Loose ends in mass suicide theory keep cops busy Many answers we don't know Mysterious Burari deaths: Some unanswered questions NEW DELHI: 11 members of a family were found dead in their house in North Delhi's Burari area on Sunday.10 members were found hanging from an iron mesh in the hallway while an elderly woman was found dead on the floor in another room. While the police registered a case of murder of the woman over death by strangulation, they are probing an occult angle to the incident.Here is what we know about the case so far, and the questions that remain unanswered.Postmortem of 6 bodies have been completed so far. Police sources say autopsy report mentions 'ligature hanging' as the reason behind death. No signs of struggle were found, says the autopsy report.Family gathers for Narayani's granddaughter's engagementBhavnesh shuts his plywood shop and returns homeOther son shuts his general store and goes homeNarayani's younger son, Lalit, calls his sister, Sujata, to ask about her well-beingNeighbour Gurcharan Singh visits family after noticing both shops were shut (they opened early). Finds the bodies hanging, alerts policePolice receive PCR callPCRs dispatch; inspectors M P Bhardwaj, Manoj Kumar and ACP K C Negi rush with teamsCM Arvind Kejriwal and MP Manoj Tiwari visit spot; meet locals 1pm: Bodies sent to mortuary for post-mortem after crime scene inspected by forensic experts and cops1. The elderly woman in the other room was strangled. If it was a "suicide pact", why was she murdered?2. Did a family member kill them and commit suicide?3. Why was the main door of the house open? Did the "killers" have a free passage?4. If an outsider was involved, why did none of the neighbours hear the dog bark?5. If it was a case of mass suicide, why didn't any of the family members leave a note?6. Relatives say there were no issues in the family. If it was a suicide pact, what could be the reason?7. Most of the deceased had chunnis around the neck with religious messages. Why?8. Cops say robbery in the house seemed unlikely as cash found intact. Why did the killer, if an outsider, not take the money?9. Why were the hands and legs of the deceased tied up if it was suicide?10. The kids' bodies were found hanging too. Did the children agree to kill themselves without making any noise?11. The children's feet were touching the ground. Were they killed and their bodies hanged?12. Why were their faces covered?13. Did the family ingest poison?

Former Yankees player Jose Canseco has accused A-Rod of cheating on J.Lo with his ex-wife. A-Rod and J.Lo announced their engagement over the weekend and debuted a ring worth more than $1 million. Because apparently he couldn’t give them five minutes to enjoy their engagement, former New York Yankees player Jose Canseco is out here accusing Alex Rodriguez of cheating on Jennifer Lopez...with Jose’s ex-wife. Which... Giphy As Vulture first noted, Jose hurled this accusation on Sunday night (just one day after A-Rod and J.Lo’s announcement), saying, “Watching World of Dance watching J.Lo text Alex Rodriguez little does she know that he is cheating on her with my ex-wife Jessica poor girl she has no idea who he really is.” This content is imported from Twitter. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. Watching World of Dance watching J.Lo text Alex Rodriguez little does she know that he is cheating on her with my ex-wife Jessica poor girl she has no idea who he really is — Jose Canseco (@JoseCanseco) March 11, 2019 He continued his accusations in a series of tweets, writing, “I was there a few months back with her when he called her on her phone,” and “Alex Rodriguez stop being a piece of shit stop cheating on Jennifer Lopez.” This content is imported from Twitter. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. I was there a few months back with her when he called her on her phone — Jose Canseco (@JoseCanseco) March 11, 2019 This content is imported from Twitter. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. Alex Rodriguez stop being a piece of shit stop cheating on Jennifer Lopez — Jose Canseco (@JoseCanseco) March 11, 2019 Oh, and he also offered to take a polygraph, which NOPE, NO THANKS! This content is imported from Twitter. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. I am willing to take a polygraph to prove that what I'm saying about Alex Rodriguez is 100% accurate — Jose Canseco (@JoseCanseco) March 11, 2019 Literally, my dude. No one asked for this. This content is imported from {embed-name}. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. Follow Mehera on Instagram. Mehera Bonner Mehera Bonner is a news writer who focuses on celebrities and royals. This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io<doc-sep>J.Lo and A-Rod. Photo: Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images Just 24 hours after Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez announced their engagement, the bliss was disrupted by Rodriguez’s fellow former New York Yankee, Jose Canseco, who accused A-Rod of cheating — with Canseco’s own ex-wife, Jessica Canseco. And now, a Playboy model is also accusing A-Rod of having cheated on J.Lo a few weeks before he proposed. Zoe Gregory told The Sun that A-Rod asked her for “naughty videos” and that they discussed a potential threesome with another woman, during which he asked, “She hot? Fun? How many times have you been with her?” Gregory said that he asked for “dates you can fly out (maybe next week to SF)” and sent a selfie showing “his penis and muscly thigh.” She said that the messages, some of which she provided to The Sun, began the day after Christmas and stopped in late January. “He was being like a dirty dog,” she said. “He seemed like a needy, horny bloke. If he is doing this right up until the point he is proposing to her, it is just not fair … J.Lo needs to wake up. I feel bad for her and I don’t think it’s right.” Earlier this month, Canseco addressed Rodriguez in a series of tweets, telling him to “stop being a piece of shit stop cheating on Jennifer Lopez,” claiming that he was with Jessica when she received a call from Rodriguez, and challenging Rodriguez to “a boxing match or an MMA match.” He also tweeted his phone number at J.Lo, in case she wants “to know the truth.” Later, Jessica Canseco denied the allegations, tweeting, “Those false accusations Jose is making are not true!” “I have known Alex for many years and haven’t even seen him for over 5,” she wrote. “I certainly did not sleep with him.” She went on to say that she is “friendly with both [A-Rod] and Jennifer … As for Jose he can keep playing with his Alien friends.” Sounds like the divorce wasn’t exactly amicable. Those false accusations Jose is making are not true!🖐🏻I have known Alex for many years and haven’t even seen him for over 5. I certainly did not sleep with him. I am friendly with both him and Jennifer. As for Jose he can keep playing with his Alien friends😂🤦‍♀️ — jessicacanseco (@jessicacanseco) March 12, 2019 Neither J.Lo nor A-Rod have publicly addressed the allegations, though at the time of Canseco’s accusations, J.Lo was rumored to be shrugging them off. A source told Us Weekly that she “trusts” A-Rod and is ignoring the “noise.” “She’s heard the cheating rumors in the past and has never let it bother her,” the source said. “She trusts him and his love. They are inseparable and together almost all of the time. Jose Canseco has an ax to grind, but she doesn’t hear the noise.” This post has been updated. Stay in touch. Get the Cut newsletter delivered daily Email This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Terms & Privacy Notice By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice and to receive email correspondence from us.<doc-sep>BuzzFeed Bring Me Obsessed with travel? Discover unique things to do, places to eat, and sights to see in the best destinations around the world with Bring Me!<doc-sep>

Jennifer Lopez Responds to Alex Rodriguez Cheating Rumors: 'It Doesn't Matter, I Know What Truth Is' But Jose Canseco was far less supportive. The former MLB player stirred up infidelity allegations on Twitter just a few days after the engagement news broke. “Watching World of Dance watching J.Lo text Alex Rodriguez little does she know that he is cheating on her with my ex-wife Jessica poor girl she has no idea who he really is,” he claimed in the tweet. “I was there a few months back with her when he called her on her phone,” adding, “Alex Rodriguez stop being a piece of s— stop cheating on Jennifer Lopez.” Lopez, 49, had been quiet about the allegations until an interview with Power 105.1’s The Breakfast Club on Wednesday. Speaking to host Charlamagne Tha God, the Hustlers star seemed totally unbothered by the rumor. Newly-Engaged Jennifer Lopez And Alex Rodrigez Give Smiles As Bright As Her New Engagement Ring When Out And About For Dinner In New York Credit: Splash “It doesn’t matter. I know what truth is. I know who he is. He knows who I am,” she said. Soon after Canseco’s Twitter tirade, his ex-wife Jessica Canseco came to Rodriguez’s defense — and slammed her former spouse in the process. “I have known Alex for many years and haven’t even seen him for over 5,” she said in a tweet. “I certainly did not sleep with him. I am friendly with both him and Jennifer. As for Jose he can keep playing with his Alien friends.” The allegations have failed to cool the romance between the power couple. “We’re just happy,” Lopez tells Charlamagne Tha God of her husband-to-be. “We’re not going to let other people come out and tell us what our relationship is. I know what our relationship is.” jennifer-lopez-1 Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez | Credit: Jennifer Lopez/Twitter A source confirmed to PEOPLE back in March 2017 that the “Dinero” singer and the baseball star had “been dating for a few weeks.” They made their red carpet debut a few months later at the Met Gala and have since become one of Hollywood’s most-talked about A-List couples. Today, the pair are focused on raising their blended family — which includes 10-year-old twins Max and Emme (Lopez’s children with ex Marc Anthony) and Natasha, 13, and Ella, 9 (Rodriguez’s children with ex Cynthia Scurtis) — while balancing a long list of professional engagements.

Roger Federer left Nike after 24 years and unveiled his new endorsement deal at Wimbledon. Federer has joined Uniqlo with a new deal that is reportedly worth over $300 million. Despite the separation from Nike, Federer is still wearing personalized Nike shoes that include an updated logo just for the 2018 Wimbledon Championships. Roger Federer made his rumored divorce from Nike official by taking the court at Wimbledon in Uniqlo apparel. According to Darren Rovell of ESPN, Federer recently signed a new contract with Uniqlo worth over $300 million over ten years and is guaranteed even if he retires before it expires. The new deal technically ends Federer's 24-year relationship with Nike, but it appears the two sides are not entirely out of each other's lives yet. While Federer was in Uniqlo apparel for his opening match at Wimbledon, he was still wearing Nike shoes. It is not unusual for an athlete to wear shoes from a company they are not endorsing — he has to wear something — but it is interesting to note that the shoes were still personalized with a unique logo specific for this year's tournament even though his Nike contract expired more than a month ago. Here is a close-up of the shoes. In addition to Federer's Nike RF logo, the logo on the right shoe has the No. 8, reflecting how many Wimbledon's he has won. Matthew Lewis/Getty Images For comparison, here are Federer's shoes from the 2017 Wimbledon Championships, before winning his eighth title. Julian Finney/Getty Images According to Rovell, the RF logo belongs to Nike, but Federer is optimistic that a deal will be worked out so that he can still use it. "Federer says that although Nike has owned his 'RF' logo since 2010, he expects to work a deal out to transfer the logo to him so he can use it going forward," Rovell wrote.<doc-sep>Sandra Harwitt Special to USA TODAY Sports WIMBLEDON, England — It is familiar territory for eight-time Wimbledon champion Roger Federer to be the first player to play on Wimbledon’s Centre Court on the opening Monday of The Championships. It’s an honor that has always been extended to the men’s defending champion, and which Federer has enjoyed on nine occasions, stepping in as the previous year’s finalist for the injured Rafael Nadal in 2009. This year, however, there was something very different about Federer’s appearance as he walked on court, which marks his 20th consecutive year playing singles at Wimbledon, an Open era record in the men’s game. For the first time since he signed his initial contract in 1994, Federer stepped out in something other than Nike clothing. Federer is signed to a contract as a global brand ambassador with the Japanese apparel company Uniqlo, which bills itself as a “life company that creates LifeWear.” MORE:Sloane Stephens knocked out in first round at Wimbledon MORE:Serena Williams questions frequency of her drug tests MORE:Petra Kvitova shares harrowing bond with Monica Seles The endorsement deal is reportedly an eyeball-popping figure when it comes to payment, but there’s been no official announcement on what he’s earning from Uniqlo. Reports have it that he will make at least $30 million a year for the 10-year contract, which led a reporter to ask him about his new $300 million deal. “It’s good you know my contract or you have no clue and you’re just saying something,” said Federer, laughing, after he defeated Dusan Lajovic of Serbia 6-1, 6-3, 6-4. “I was excited to wear Uniqlo today. I must tell you, it’s been a long time coming. I felt very good out there.” It is believed, but also has never been verified, that his most recent Nike 10-year deal which ended on March 1 of this year, improved his bank account assets by around $12 million a year. According to Forbes magazine, Federer rakes in more than $65 million a year via endorsements, which doesn’t include tournament prize money. There was a hint that a Federer wardrobe change was coming Sunday when he came to do his Wimbledon pre-tournament press conference. He arrived at the interview room looking very smart in an open shirt topped by a blazer that was completed with his Wimbledon members pin affixed to the collar. Gone, at least temporarily, is his personal — and popular with fans — RF monogrammed line. He debuted the signature brand by wearing a white warmup jacket embroidered with shiny gold initials at Wimbledon 2006, becoming the only Nike endorser besides Tiger Woods with his own initialed collection. Federer, however, believes the RF brand will make a powerful comeback as part of the Uniqlo collection. “So the RF logo is with Nike at the moment, but it will come to me at some point,” he said. “I hope rather sooner than later, that Nike can be nice and helpful in the process to bring it over to me. It’s also something that was very important for me, for the fans really. “The good news is that it will come with me at one point. They are my initials. They are mine.” For now, Federer donned a simple white outfit — it’s whites only at Wimbledon — with plans to up the clothing game in the pipeline. “Obviously we need to figure out with Uniqlo at what point we can start selling clothes for the public as well,” he said. “We’re hopeful the beginning of next year people can start buying my stuff. For the moment, as fast at retailing as they are, as great as they are, it just needs a bit of time.” There was, however, one remnant remaining as a reflection of Federer’s former self on court. Uniqlo is an apparel company and doesn’t do shoes, so his feet looked familiar as he scooted around the court in Nike sneakers. “With the shoe situation, I don't have a shoe deal,” Federer said. “I’m looking forward to see what shoes I will be wearing in the near future. For now, I will be wearing Nike. They have shown interest to have a shoe deal with me, as well. Ties are not broken there. I have deep roots with Nike. I've had a great relationship over the last 20 years. “But everything is open,” he added. “Yeah, it's very exciting also again to see what's out there, who wants to do something with me.” Federer joins 24th-seeded Kei Nishikori of Japan, wheelchair tennis players Shingo Kunieda of Japan and Gordon Reid of Britain, and Australian golfer Adam Scott as Uniqlo ambassadors. Federer, a 20-time Grand Slam champion, is not the first major tennis name to endorse Uniqlo. Novak Djokovic, a 12-time Grand Slam champion, wore the Japanese brand until last year when he signed a five-year deal with Lacoste. Rafael Nadal continues to wear Nike in what is reportedly a $50 million, five-year deal, which expires at the end of this year. Serena Williams is also a Nike contracted player. In terms of tennis, Federer received a bit of good news regarding his hope of retaining the Wimbledon title. Borna Coric,, who denied Federer the title at Halle, Germany, just over a week ago, was ousted in straight sets by Daniil Medvedev of Russia. The 16th-seeded Coric was potentially a quarterfinal opponent here for Federer.<doc-sep>

The partnership between Roger Federer and Uniqlo becoming official on Monday was the topic of the day. The Swiss player headed into the Centre Court for his first round match against the Serb Dusan Lajovic wearing headband, shorts, t-shirt, wristbands producted by the Japanese brand. ‘I was excited to wear Uniqlo today', said Federer. 'I must tell you, it’s been a long time coming. I felt very good out there. It’s also crucial to play well, so it was helpful. The RF logo is with Nike at the moment, but it will come to me at some point. I hope rather sooner than later, that Nike can be nice and helpful in the process to bring it over to me. It’s also something that was very important for me, for the fans really. Look, it’s the process. But the good news is that it will come with me at one point. They are my initials. They are mine. The good thing is it’s not theirs forever. In a short period of time, it will come to me. Obviously we also need to figure out with Uniqlo when at one point we can start selling clothes for the public as well. All this has just gotten underway. We’re hopeful the beginning of next year people can also start buying my stuff. For the moment, as fast at retailing as they are, as great as they are, it just needs a bit of time.’ Uniqlo doesn't produce tennis shoes, so another brand will be needed for Federer. ‘With the shoe situation, I don’t have a shoe deal. I’m looking forward to see what shoes I will be wearing in the near future. For now, I will be wearing Nike. They have shown interest to have a shoe deal with me, as well. Ties are not broken there. I have deep roots with Nike. I’ve had a great relationship over the last 20 years. But everything is open. Yeah, it’s very exciting also again to see what’s out there, who wants to do something with me.'

CBB: Roxanne and Ryan make up after altercation FREE now for the biggest moments from morning TV SUBSCRIBE Invalid email Sign up fornow for the biggest moments from morning TV When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they'll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. Our Privacy Notice explains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time. Last night it all kicked off on Celebrity Big Brother when Roxanne alleged Ryan had punched her. It all unfolded as Ryan was seen walking up to Roxanne, who was talking with psychic Sally Morgan. Ryan began moving side to side, with his hands held in a boxing stance, and then presumably proceeded to punch the air near Roxanne for a few seconds and then headed into the kitchen. But Roxanne said: “That b****y hurt” to which Ryan responded immediately: “Did it? I’m sorry”. Ryan then moved towards Roxanne and tried to comfort her but she pulled away and left the kitchen. Following Roxanne’s complaint in the Diary Room, Big Brother pulled Ryan in for a chat and outlined the severity of the situation and he was given a formal warning, after which he apologised for his actions. However, fans of the show were left unhappy with the outcome of the incident and over 11,000 complaints were made to Ofcom. In tonight’s episode prior to the eviction, Ben and Roxanne had a private chat in the bathroom out of the cameras’ view where she recounted her version of events and he could be heard voicing his disapproval. But in the wake of the incident during Ben’s exit interview Emma told him they were showing him the footage in the sake of “fairness”. Once he had seen the exchange, Ben remarked: “Breaks my heart, I’ll be honest at the end of the day.” Celebrity Big Brother 2018: Ben Jardine was evicted tonight Celebrity Big Brother 2018: Ben was shown the footage of the incident “She’s laughed it off [in the footage], I feel like I’ve been mugged right off again. “I’m such a mug, I always fall for it. “I just try to do the right thing by saying ‘right, it’s not right to do that’.” It was evident Ben was not happy with what had happened as he told Emma how he had pulled Ryan away for a chat about the incident before he had seen what actually happened. “I’ve said to him ‘it is what it is mate’, I just felt all day that I’d been played and that I’d been a mug,” he shared with Emma. Celebrity Big Brother 2018: Roxanne told Ben about the incident Celebrity Big Brother winners 2001-2017 Thu, January 4, 2018 Celebrity Big Brother: The full list of winners from 2001 - present. Play slideshow WENN 1 of 21 Celebrity Big Brother winners 2001-2017<doc-sep>Ben Jardine was the third star to be evicted from the house following a shock twist, which saw his fellow housemates choose the reality star to leave the house over footballer Jermaine Pennant. While striking up close bond with Roxanne Pallett, the Married at First Sight star admitted he felt 'mugged off' after watching the clip of the 'play fight' between the actress and Ryan Thomas. During his post-eviction interview with Emma Willis, the 36-year-old said: 'That's not on. It breaks my heart...I feel like I've been mugged right off.' He's out! Ben Jardine was the third star to be evicted from the house following a shock twist, which saw his fellow housemates choose the reality star to leave the house over footballer Jermaine Pennant Ensuring Ben received a closer look at the 'punch' incident between the soap stars, the host presented the TV personality with the clip from Thursday's edition of the show. After watching the short video, the star appeared visibly shocked, as he confessed: I told her to show me what he did, and she swung, so I said, "that's not right". 'I trusted Roxy and trusted what she said. All I say, in my life, things have happened to my family, you've seen me, I like to have a little box. So when she told me, I took it on my shoulders and it really messed me up. I looked at the little lady next to me, she was petrified.' 'Mugged off': While striking up close bond with Roxanne Pallett, the Married at First Sight star admitted he felt 'mugged off' after watching the clip of the 'play fight' between the actress and Ryan Thomas Speaking on how he feels about the Emmerdale actress, 35, he detailed: 'All I'll say is she's a lovely girl, she does what she does. I do feel a little bit of a mug sat here right now...she was a comfort blanket for me...I think she's a lovely girl, that's all I can say...I do feel a bit upset, played.' The pair's relationship has sent viewers into meltdown over the past couple of weeks as he previously confessed his love for her, despite the brunette's recent engagement with beau Lee Walton. Over the past week, Ben has been flirting up a storm with Roxanne - whose tactile friendship went one step further on Monday night. Not impressed: During his post-eviction interview with Emma Willis, the 36-year-old said: 'That's not on. It breaks my heart...I feel like I've been mugged right off' The reality star pressed the engaged actress up against a wall and kissed her on the neck, after confessing he had feelings towards her. With the public putting Ben and footballer Jermaine in the bottom two, it was up to their fellow housemates to decide on who went home. Up first was Dan Osborne, who complained over having to send one of his 'boys' home, stating: 'This is insane, they're both my boys. Whose idea was this?.' Insight: Ensuring Ben received a closer look at the 'punch' row, the host presented the TV personality with the clip from Thursday's edition of the show Confused: After watching the short video, the star appeared visibly shocked, as he confessed: I told her to show me what he did, and she swung, so I said, "that's not right".' Eventually coming up with his decision, he said: 'I'm gonna choose Jermaine, I think he'll take it better than Ben.' Following in his lead was Gabby Allen and Nick Leeson, who also chose Jermaine. Roxanne appeared distraught as she insisted she'd rather be evicted than nominate one of her pals to go home. Putting up a fight, she said: 'I can't choose between those lads. I'd rather go. I will go. I want to go. They're two of the best people in here. I can't choose. I want to go. Purely because he said to me tonight he's ready to go I'll have to pick Jermaine.' Meanwhile, Hardeep Singh Kohli, Kirstie Alley, Ryan and Sally Morgan all chose Ben to go home - turning the housemates' vote into a tie. Big Brother then instructed the celebs to raise their arms to nominate again, in front of each other. During this vote, broker Nick changed his mind as he joined Hardeep, Sally, Ryan and Kirstie in voting for Ben to be booted from the house. Earlier in the episode, Roxanne confronted Hardeep after Ben informed the engaged beauty about their conversation on their 'weird' relationship. In a pickle: With the public putting Ben and footballer Jermaine in the bottom two, it was up to their fellow housemates to decide on who went home In Thursday's edition of the show, Hardeep pulled Ben up for rubbing his foot on Roxanne's back. Clarifying his statements to the former soap star, the presenter, 49, admitted: 'It wasn't about you...you weren't doing anything. He was stroking your back with his foot. This has nothing to do with you as you are passive in the situation. Defending her friendship, she fired back: 'My friendship with Ben is my rainbow in this house, I have been nothing but honest, I felt disheartened and crushed to think people were trying to destroy that. We're like brother and sister.' Torn: Roxanne appeared distraught as she insisted she'd rather be evicted than nominate one of her pals to go home In agreement: Meanwhile, Hardeep Singh Kohli (L), Kirstie Alley, Ryan Thomas (R) and Sally Morgan all chose Ben to go home - turning the housemates' vote into a tie Awkward: Big Brother then instructed the celebs to raise their arms to nominate again, in front of each other Before revealing that he believed Roxanne 'loves a little bit of drama' during a conversation with reality star Ben, Hardeep confessed: 'You've referred to yourself as being annoying, and we all annoy each other as its a pressure cook environment.' Viewers flooded Twitter with comments on the Hippy Trail host's remarks on Roxanne's personality, with many agreeing with the outspoken star. One wrote: 'Hardeep, NAIL ON THE HEAD. “Someone like Roxy can choose to misrepresent things because she likes a bit of drama” #CBBUK' Saying his goodbyes: During the vote, broker Nick changed his mind as he joined Hardeep, Sally, Ryan and Kirstie in voting for Ben to be booted from the house 'I hate this little lost girl act that Roxanne does, constantly plays the victim hardeep is spot on she loves a bit of drama. She is very dangerous and needs to go #CBBUK', another tweeted. 'Hardeep might have faults but least he confronts people unlike the rest of the passive mob #CBBUK.' Ben's eviction follows Thursday night's episode, which saw Roxanne breaking down in tears after labelling Ryan, 34, a 'woman beater' and called on producers to kick out the fellow soap star. Brave face: The third housemate to be evicted from the house appeared in high spirits as he posed for cameras following his exit Off he goes: The TV personality was joined by host Emma Willis, who looked typically chic in a polka dot top and ankle-grazing bottoms Radiant: The 42-year-old cut a typically elegant figure in her smart ensemble, which she teamed with a pair of pointed heels The actress has been accused of 'setting back' the work of domestic abuse charities after she accused a fellow contestant of punching her during a 'play fight'. Following the accusations, outraged viewers took to social media in defence of Ryan, tweeting broadcasting watchdog Ofcom with their complaints. Many claimed Ryan was 'obviously play fighting' and 'hardly touched her' during the incident, which aired on last night's episode. An Ofcom spokesman told MailOnline it had received 11,215 complaints about last night's show. She said: 'We are assessing these complaints against our broadcasting rules, before deciding whether or not to investigate.' 'Nail on the head': Viewers flooded Twitter with comments on the Hippy Trail host's remarks on Roxanne's personality, with many agreeing with the outspoken star Meanwhile, the actress has been backed by a domestic abuse charity, who has said that 'play fighting can be frightening'. Sian Hawkins, Head of Campaigns and Public Affairs at Women's Aid, tells The Sun Online: 'Play fighting may not seem serious but if you have been in an abusive relationship it can seem frightening and even trigger memories of the abuse. 'Domestic abuse means you don't feel safe in your home environment, and as a woman who has previously spoken about being in a violent and abusive relationship, Roxanne clearly did not feel comfortable going to sleep in the same room as someone who had physically hurt her, even if that was not his intention. 'An estimated 1.2 million women experienced domestic abuse last year alone; while you might not think you know someone who has experienced domestic abuse, it is highly likely that you do.' Roxanne previously detailed the abuse she suffered at the hands of an ex-boyfriend, who she claims would pull her hair and hit her. Amid the backlash against Roxanne over the 'punch' row, her spokeswoman said the star would be 'very upset' to discover that she had caused offence to victims of domestic abuse. Struggling: In Thursday night's episode Roxanne broke down in tears after labelling Ryan a 'woman beater' and called on producers to kick out the fellow soap star The statement read: 'Roxanne has no contact with the outside world to make her own statement, however we do know that Roxanne has worked closely with various domestic violence charities due to being a victim of domestic violence herself. 'She would be very upset to find out she may have caused offence to others who have been through the same. 'We can't make any more comment at present until such time as Roxanne is out of the Big Brother house and is able to address this situation herself.'<doc-sep>

Married At First Sight star Ben Jardine was evicted from the Celebrity Big Brother house CBB: Ben Jardine comforts Roxanne after row with Hardeep Who left the Celebrity Big Brother house last night? Ben Jardine became the third star to be evicted from the Celebrity Big Brother house, following on from Natalie Nunn and Chloe Ayling. The Married at First Sight star, 36, was booted out of the Elstree compound after his fellow housemates voted to send him packing. In his post-eviction interview, he told Celebrity Big Brother host Emma Willis: “I've had a good time and just tried to be me." He was also asked about how he felt about the incident between Emmerdale's Roxanne Pallett and Ryan Thomas from Coronation Street, Jardine said: “I trust Roxy and trust what she was saying... When she said that, I was like, 'Woah’.” Shortly before his elimination, Ben and Roxanne, 35, had had a conversion about the incident during which she claimed that the Coronation actor, 34, punched her in the ribs. Jardine was left shocked by Pallett’s words when she claimed: “The reason I was in the diary room a lot yesterday is because something happened in here, an altercation.” She went on to say: “The reason I didn’t tell you last night was because you’d had a few drinks… So, Ryan punched me. WHY DID ROXANNE PALLETT LEAVE CELEBRITY BIG BROTHER? Married At First Sight star Ben Jardine was evicted from the Celebrity Big Brother house Married At First Sight star Ben Jardine was evicted from the Celebrity Big Brother house “He punched me repeatedly in my ribs there, and I didn’t say anything but I was in so much pain all night. “It was intentional to hurt… he went for it, he did it with his fists and it was SO sore, and aggressive. I walked off and for the next hour I was in a blur of confusion.” However, after Jardine was shown footage of the incident during his post-exit interview, he did a U-turn. He told Willis: "It breaks my heart... Now I feel like I've been mugged right off... I always fall for it, don't I... That's not what I got told." WHAT HAPPENED BETWEEN ROXANNE PALLETT AND RYAN THOMAS? Despite feeling “mugged off”, he defended Pallett: “All I'll say is she's a lovely girl, she does what she does. “I do feel a little bit of a mug sat here right now... “She was a comfort blanket for me... I think she's a lovely girl, that's all I can say... I do feel a bit upset, played." Pallett has now left the house in a storm of controversy after she alleged that Thomas punched her. “Roxanne has decided to leave the BB House. The remaining housemates have been informed,” a spokesman for Celebrity Big Brother said. CELEBRITY BIG BROTHER 2018 LINE-UP Married At First Sight star Ben Jardine was evicted from the Celebrity Big Brother house

Protesters at Edmonton's Pride parade expected mixed reaction when they stopped the parade in its tracks and issued a list of demands, including uninviting all Edmonton police, RCMP and military personnel from the parade. But Shay Lewis, who was part of the protest, said stopping the parade was necessary for the conversation to move forward. "The protest happened because they were unwilling to talk with us without us having any type of leverage," Lewis, who is gender-fluid and uses pronouns they/them, told CBC's Edmonton AM Monday. Lewis said a group met with the Edmonton Pride Festival Society to discuss the participation of police and military in the parade, but it wasn't until they stopped the parade that the Pride committee agreed with its demands. One of those demands was to uninvite Edmonton police, RCMP and the military from future parades. "One of the biggest issues is that there's a lot of individuals within the queer and trans community, within the people of colour community, that just don't feel comfortable around the police because of their personal experiences of trauma," Lewis said. "When police are there, they don't come." The goal of Pride, Lewis said, is to be an inclusive space for all. But the participation of police can be triggering, with many still keenly remembering the 1981 police raid on the Pisces Health Spa where 56 men were arrested for "acts of indecency." As well, the fact that street checks still disproportionately affect black and Indigenous people makes the police presence challenging for some people at Pride. "The way they represent, possibly, their profession or their career impacts everyone around them," they said. Shea (won’t give last name) helped organize the protestors. He says they the protesters are part of a group who didn’t want Edmonton Police in the parade. He says they plan to block the parade until they reach a resolution with Pride organizers. pic.twitter.com/tOOpDH52Qe —@TravisMcEwanCBC Police disappointed but accepting All levels of police have expressed disappointment over the decision. The Edmonton Police Service called it "difficult to understand and disappointing," but they accept it. Mike Elliott, president of the Edmonton Police Association (EPA), was volunteering in the beer gardens at the parade over the weekend. While disappointed, he said he is willing to pursue difficult conversations about the relationship between the community and its police. "I don't want people to be fearful or feel like they can't be comfortable around a police officer," Elliott said Monday. "If they feel that way, we need to hear about what those issues are." Elliott acknowledged past wrongs of the bathhouse raids and said levels of police and government are looking into how to ensure people of colour are not disproportionately targeted by street checks. About a dozen protesters brought the Edmonton Pride parade to a halt on Saturday. The Edmonton Pride Festival Society agreed to the protesters' demands, which included banning the police, military and RCMP from walking in future parades. (Christopher Martin/CBC) But he said it's important police continue to show their support to the community. If they can't do that through the parade, Elliott said his door is open. "I'm more than willing to sit down at the table and find out what can be done, if we can change, what needs to be changed, what doors need to be opened to address their concerns," he said. Listening, he said, will help police learn how to do their jobs better. "I may think I know the issues, but maybe I don't know them all or I don't understand them from their perspective," he said. "But I want to learn from their perspective." Lewis said communication between the two groups would be a great start. They acknowledged the strides police have made in recent years but said it's not good enough yet. Lewis says their demand to uninvite Edmonton police, RCMP and the military is to ensure all members of the community at the parade feel comfortable. (Abdul Malik/Supplied) In an ideal situation, Lewis said they want to march in a city free of marginalization of every minority, regardless of how they identify — and Edmonton is far from it. "Until then, we can't just say that it's enough or that we're content that things have happened," Lewis said. "We recognize that they've been changing and we just want them to keep going forward."<doc-sep>Send this page to someone via email Old Strathcona was packed with people Saturday, as the Pride Parade officially kicked off this year’s Edmonton Pride Festival. The parade includes floats from local sports teams, politicians, community groups, businesses and law enforcement. “The amount of people here… it’s crazy,” said Cole Pickett. “It’s way different from anything that I’ve experienced. It’s really nice to see.” For one group of young people, it was their first time at Edmonton’s Pride Parade. “It’s just a really nice way to celebrate and support everyone… It’s really fun too,” one girl said. Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "It's just a really nice way to celebrate and support everyone… It's really fun too," one girl said. “We came to support our friends and be with people who are like us,” her friend added. READ MORE: Gloomy weather doesn’t stop thousands of Edmontonians from attending 2017 Pride Parade Kevin Quail is a retired police officer who now plays for the Edmonton Police Service pipes and drums. Story continues below advertisement “This parade is, hands down, the most energetic, fun parade I’ve ever been in,” he said. It was sunny and warm at the start of the parade but some clouds and light showers rolled in shortly after it began. The parade was also halted for about 20 minutes when a group of demonstrators presented some demands to the Pride Society. Story continues below advertisement The group — which did not affiliate itself with any one organization — described itself as “a number of queer and trans people of colour and their allies.” “A group of people of colour, trans and queer folks and their allies briefly held up the parade to bring more awareness to the fact that the Pride Society had unfortunately asked a lot of people of colour to march as marshals in the parade — which was great — but then when those folks brought their demands and their needs for their own safety to have the police and military, etc. not walk in the parade, those requests were ignored not once but twice,” spokesperson Alexis Hillyard said. “This was the necessary action to have further productive dialogue.” Demonstrators stall parade demanding Pride Society disinvite @edmontonpolice and military from future parades, restructure board/hiring practices to increase diversity among other points. @GlobalEdmonton pic.twitter.com/nD8x1L1YUX — Albert Delitala (@AlbertGlobal) June 9, 2018 This is the list of demands the demonstrators presented to the Pride Society: That the Pride Society uninvite the Edmonton Police Service, RCMP and military from marching in future parades. That the society restructure its board and staff hiring practices to have more representation from people of colour and trans folks. That more well-funded spaces specifically designed for people of colour and trans folks be included in festival. That all mainstream Pride spaces clearly acknowledge and honour pride’s history as a demonstration against police oppression. Hillyard told a Global News reporter that the Pride Society had agreed to meet the demonstrators’ demands before the parade continued. Story continues below advertisement READ MORE: Edmonton Pride Festival rejects UCP’s application to march in Pride parade In a statement posted on Twitter, the Pride Society said board representatives met with the demonstrators, forwarded their demands to the rest of the Edmonton Pride Festival Society Board of Directors and, after discussion, a motion was put forward to accept the demands. “The Edmonton Pride Festival Society is in agreement with each of the demands presented,” the society said in a news release shared later Saturday afternoon. “EPS, RCMP and military will not march in the parade until the community feels that they have taken the necessary steps for all community members to feel safe with their presence.” READ MORE: Pride Centre of Edmonton to more than double in size to keep up with demand The board will also hold community consultations to determine how to move forward with these demands and “to determine how the Edmonton Pride Festival Society can best support all communities suffering from systemic racism and oppression.” The society also thanked the demonstrators for their courage and for remaining peaceful and respectful. June 9 Edmonton Pride Festival statement by Anonymous mhXtDcYr6 on Scribd Story continues below advertisement<doc-sep>“EPS, RCMP and military will not march in the parade until the community feels that they have taken the necessary steps for all community members to feel safe with their presence,” festival society board members said in a news release . On Saturday, the Edmonton Pride Festival Society barred police officers and military personnel from marching in future parades, hours after protesters blocked the route and demanded the ban. “I know we’ve worked hard to break stereotypes, break barriers,” said Sgt. Michael Elliott, president of the Edmonton Police Association. “We’ve made great steps forward to build relationships.” We apologize, but this video has failed to load. “Obviously there’s more work that needs to be done,” Staff Sgt. Jeremie Landry with the RCMP’s K Division said Sunday. “What’s important now is we use our energy on having a dialogue with the Pride society and community at large.” Police organizations say they are disappointed to be shut out from marching in the Edmonton Pride parade and hope to work with the festival committee so that officers can eventually rejoin the event. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content The annual event was set to kickoff at 11 a.m. Saturday, and included a number of police officers marching out of uniform for the first time. The parade was halted almost immediately when dozens of protesters — brandishing signs with messages such as “No justice, No pride” and “Racism is a queer issue” — cut off the road. Protest spokeswoman Alexis Hillyard, who said the action was planned on social media and not affiliated with a particular group, outlined four demands including banning police and military. Protesters also called for the society to restructure its hiring process to include more people of colour and transgender people, as well as improving representation in the festival itself. The festival society agreed to the demands. Police organizations said they respect the decision made by the festival society. “We’re very passionate about being reflective of the community we police,” said Landry, who marched in Saturday’s parade. “And we are recruiting … we want all individuals to feel included and that there’s a place for them.” Elliott, who was volunteering at the festival grounds when the standoff took place, lauded the decision to march in the parade out of uniform. “I thought that was a bold step,” he said. As for next year, he said he will participate in Pride regardless if he’s allowed to march. “I’m a little disappointed but this will not stop me from tearing down barriers,” he said. “I’m open to inclusivity, co-operation, and community … that’s what makes us who we are, the diversity we have in our country.” cclancy@postmedia.com twitter.com/clareclancy<doc-sep>The decision by the Edmonton Pride Festival Society to ban police and military members from walking in future parades drew mixed reactions Sunday. Members of the Edmonton Police Service, RCMP and military participated in Saturday's Pride parade. About a dozen people protested their presence and brought the parade to a halt for about half an hour after it began. Protesters on Whyte Avenue, near 104th Street, asked the society to uninvite police and military members, acknowledge the event's historical roots as a protest against police oppression and include more trans people and people of colour on its board and staff. One of the protestors' demands was for the Edmonton Pride Festival Society to include more trans people and people of colour on its board and staff. (CBC) The society agreed to all of the protesters' demands and said in a statement it will not allow EPS, RCMP and members of the military to march in the parade "until the community feels that they have taken the necessary steps for all community members to feel safe with their presence." Agnieszka Kucharska, a media liaison for the protesters, said she was pleased with the society's response. "It's really good and a relief to have the opportunity to be finally heard and validated," she told CBC News Sunday. 'More dialogue needs to happen': RCMP About a dozen protesters brought the Edmonton pride parade to a halt on Saturday. The Edmonton Pride Festival Society agreed to the protesters' demands, which included banning RCMP, military and Edmonton police from walking in future parades. (Chris Martin/CBC) Staff Sgt. Jeremie Landry with the RCMP's K division said the RCMP respects the society's decision. "Obviously, it's our goal that all individuals feel safe with our presence," he said. Approximately 40 people — including police officers, civilian staff, friends and family — participated in the RCMP's Pride parade contingent. Landry said their participation reflects a desire to celebrate diversity within the RCMP and the community. RCMP members agreed to march out of uniform as a "proactive step" to try and make people feel safe, he said. "More dialogue needs to happen," he said. The RCMP is committed to meeting with people who have concerns about police attending the annual parade, he added. 'Marginalizing a marginalized group' The protest held up Saturday's parade for about half an hour. (Chris Martin/CBC) John McDougall, a soldier and member of the Edmonton Police Commission, said he was gutted to hear about the decision. He was on a plane in New York while the protest was happening, but watched with interest on social media because he organized the approximately 10 military members who signed up to march together. The decision to ban military members from the parade amounts to "marginalizing a marginalized group," McDougall said. He added he was disappointed the society made a "snap decision" instead of taking a year to discuss the issue, between parades. "A blanket exclusion without knowing everything isn't the way to go," he said. This is the wrong direction. #exclusion #discussion #communityengagement —@milmedicPA McDougall has worked in the military for three decades, advocating for LGBT issues. "Now I have to go back to work and say to people, 'Thank you for being brave and coming forward, thank you for standing up to represent the LGBTQ+ community at Pride, but now you can't go,' " he said. Once back in Canada, McDougall said he plans to volunteer to be a military liaison for the society and participate in conversations about future military participation. Pride marchers weigh in The society's decision drew strong reactions on social media, and from people who walked in the parade. Ward 3 Coun. Jon Dziadyk, who is also a member of the military, said he was frustrated by the protest because it seemed to "fly in the face of inclusivity." Derek Jagodzinsky said police should be able to walk in Edmonton's pride parade in uniform. (Emilio Avalos/Radio-Canada) Fashion designer Derek Jagodzinsky thought the decision was "kind of ridiculous" and said police should be able to march in uniform at the parade. "If somebody was trying to shoot people or beat up somebody, who's going to protect them?" Jagodzinsky said. KoKo Carlson said people in the queer community have been talking about problems with police for a long time. "The broader part of the community doesn't see those problems for various reasons — white privilege being the main one," Carlson said. "Those voices haven't been listened to and they had to do what they had to do to get heard." KoKo Carlson, who walked in Edmonton's pride parade on Saturday, supports the decision to ban police from the parade. (Emilio Avalos/Radio-Canada) The society's board of directors has committed to hosting a series of community consultations on the topic. A community stakeholders meeting is scheduled for June 25.<doc-sep>

An Alberta RCMP spokesperson said the organization hopes that Saturday’s brief protest during the Edmonton Pride parade will open a dialogue to improve the relationship between police and the LGBTQ community. “We were at the parade yesterday to celebrate the diversity within the RCMP among our employees, as well as to celebrate the diversity of the LGBTQ2S+ community in Edmonton, and to show our support as strong allies and many of us as members of that community ourselves,” Staff Sgt. Jeremie Landry said Sunday. “Unfortunately, it is disappointing that certain individuals feel unsafe,” said Landry. “As police, we want everyone to feel safe in our presence.” Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "Unfortunately, it is disappointing that certain individuals feel unsafe," said Landry. "As police, we want everyone to feel safe in our presence." The parade through Old Strathcona was halted for about 20 minutes when a group of demonstrators blocked the route and presented demands to the Pride Society, including disinviting RCMP, Edmonton Police Service and military members from participating. Story continues below advertisement READ MORE: Edmonton Pride Parade continues after being stopped by demonstrators The group — which did not affiliate itself with any one organization — described itself as “a number of queer and trans people of colour and their allies.” Alexix Hillyard, spokesperson for the group, told Global News that the issues with military and police had been brought up to the Edmonton Pride Society, and that those requests were ignored not once but twice. READ MORE: Pride Toronto asks police to withdraw application to march in 2018 parade “Our friends, our family and ourselves have been harmed… have been killed by police,” one protester said through a megaphone. “We talked about the fact that we can’t feel safe, we can’t enjoy Pride knowing police are here.” “The Edmonton Pride Festival Society is in agreement with each of the demands presented,” the Edmonton Pride Society said in a news release shared later Saturday afternoon. “EPS, RCMP and military will not march in the parade until the community feels that they have taken the necessary steps for all community members to feel safe with their presence.” Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "EPS, RCMP and military will not march in the parade until the community feels that they have taken the necessary steps for all community members to feel safe with their presence." On Monday, the society elaborated. “This is not about individuals who exist within those organizations. Organizations are made up of people but it’s important to remember that when an organization is asked to step aside, change behaviour, or do anything, we are not asking that of each of the individuals within. We are asking the people in power of that organization to effect change. Story continues below advertisement “EPFS is about supporting all members of the community, including those who happen to be employed by the police or military. This is about the systemic racism and oppression that people within our community face from those organizations.” The society also thanked the demonstrators for raising their concerns respectfully and peacefully. “Pride was born from protest against police oppression and to ignore that is to ignore an important part of our history. Some community members stood up and made sure their voices were heard.” Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "Pride was born from protest against police oppression and to ignore that is to ignore an important part of our history. Some community members stood up and made sure their voices were heard." READ MORE: Police to participate out of uniform in London Pride parade It’s a decision that Landry said the RCMP respects, but added they want to work closely with all groups involved. “I think it’s very important that we look at this as an opportunity for improvement, rather than looking at this as a hurdle or a step backward,” Landry said. “The door has now been opened hopefully for some good, strong dialogue.” In a statement released Monday, Edmonton police said: “While the June 9 decision to exclude the Edmonton Police Service from marching in the Pride Parade is difficult to understand and disappointing, we nonetheless will fully accept this decision.” Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "While the June 9 decision to exclude the Edmonton Police Service from marching in the Pride Parade is difficult to understand and disappointing, we nonetheless will fully accept this decision."

Among major video game publishers, there is perhaps no company more threatened by video game emulators and ROMs — digitized versions of games for use on those emulators — than Nintendo. The company takes a hard-line stance against them on its corporate website, and Nintendo has now sued the owners of two separate ROM sites, alleging copyright infringement. The lawsuit, the text of which was obtained by TorrentFreak, was filed in Arizona against Jacob Mathias and the company Mathias Designs over the websites LoveROMs.com and LoveRetro.co, both of which are used to distribute ROMs of Nintendo’s games, as well as other Nintendo properties such as musical recordings. According to Nintendo’s lawsuit, the websites have damaged Nintendo, and the unauthorized use of its software “infringes and threatens irreparable injury to Nintendo’s intellectual property rights.” Nintendo is seeking a ton of money in the lawsuit, including $150,000 for each case of copyright infringement found on the sites as well as up to $2 million for each infringement of one of its trademarks. Nintendo also seeks “compensatory damages” and an award to cover its legal fees. The lawsuit resulted in quick action being taken by the websites. LoveRetro.co was taken down completely, while LoveROMs.com had all Nintendo titles removed from its library. Nintendo requested as part of its lawsuit that the two websites transfer their domain names into Nintendo’s control, and that they identify those who originally provided them with the unauthorized copies of its games. We hear about Nintendo taking steps to prevent piracy against its older games far more often than we do from other publishers, primarily because the company’s back catalog of games continue to be popular. “It doesn’t make any business sense,” said Nintendo regarding support emulators in a post on its corporate site. “It’s that simple and not open to debate.” Nintendo certainly still plans to sell its classic games to new customers. In addition to the NES Classic and SNES Classic systems, which contain a number of acclaimed titles for Nintendo’s older systems, the Nintendo Switch Online subscription service will provide players with access to several more classics. Many will have added online support, but they’re being offered in place of a “Virtual Console” system like on the 3DS, Wii U, or Wii. Editors' Recommendations<doc-sep>robtek / Shutterstock.com Nintendo has filed a lawsuit against the alleged creator and owner of two ROM sites, seeking up to hundreds of millions of dollars in damages over emulations of games for its systems. The sites, LoveROMS and LoveRETRO, are being sued in Arizona federal court over copyright infringement and unfair competition. TorrentFreak was the first to publish the 27-page PDF of the lawsuit, in which Nintendo claims that the sites are "built almost entirely on the brazen and mass-scale infringement of Nintendo’s intellectual property rights." The company is seeking $150,000 in damages per Nintendo title on the sites, plus as much as $2,000,000 for each infringed trademark. "The LoveROMs and LoveRETRO websites are among the most open and notorious online hubs for pirated video games," the lawsuit, filed on July 19, reads. "Through the LoveROMs and LoveRETRO websites, Defendants reproduce, distribute, publicly perform and display a staggering number of unauthorized copies of Nintendo’s video games, all without Nintendo’s permission. This includes thousands of games developed for nearly every video game system Nintendo has ever produced." LoveRETRO has since been taken offline. "Loveretro has effectively been shut down until further notice," the homepage reads. "Thanks for your patronage to date and we hope to get this figured out." In a Facebook post, LoveROMS wrote that "All Nintendo titles have been removed from the site. #willupdateyoulater" Nintendo is also requesting an order for the domain names for those sites, as well as others in the defendants' possession. For now, though, it seems to have already achieved its primary goal: getting those ROMS offline.<doc-sep>Two popular ROM-hosting websites have been hit with a lawsuit by Nintendo, specifically for providing piraters access to its exclusive first-party library of games. The sites, LoveROMs and LoveRETRO, were hit with a 27-paging filing that details exactly why the two sites were specifically hit with the lawsuit, stating: “The LoveROMs website alone receives 17 million visitors each month. Such visitors are drawn to the website by the widespread availability of free, unauthorized copies of Nintendo’s video games and other highly valuable intellectual property. The resulting popularity of Defendants’ LoveROMs and LoveRETRO websites has allowed Defendants to reap substantial ill-gotten gains, including through donations and the sale of advertising on the LoveROMs and LoveRETRO websites.” LoveROMS has since removed all Nintendo-related titles from its website, although other titles from other consoles remain available. LoveRETRO, on the other hand, has “effectively been shut down.” In addition to giving it the domain names of each site and source of its ROMs, Nintendo also demands $150,000 USD after statutory damages for each game hosted on the site as well as $2,000,000 USD for each trademark infringement. In related news, Nintendo recently launched a Switch patch to stop hacks.<doc-sep>

Nintendo has filed a lawsuit against two big emulator sites, seeking millions of dollars in damages. Nintendo filed a lawsuit against the owner of two major sites that deal in emulators for its classic systems, as well as ROMs for many classic Nintendo games. The sites are LoveROMS, and LoveRETRO, both of which Nintendo believes are operated by the same owner. The company has filed a suit with a federal court in Arizona over what it says is copyright and trademark infringement. A 27-page PDF of the lawsuit was obtained by Torrent Freak. In it, Nintendo details how Jacob Mathias and his Arizona company, Mathias Designs, offer pirated video games and other unauthorised copies through the two sites. “The LoveROMs website alone receives 17 million visitors each month. Such visitors are drawn to the website by the widespread availability of free, unauthorized copies of Nintendo’s video games and other highly valuable intellectual property,” the lawsuit reads. “The resulting popularity of Defendants’ LoveROMs and LoveRETRO websites has allowed Defendants to reap substantial ill-gotten gains, including through donations and the sale of advertising on the LoveROMs and LoveRETRO websites.” Nintendo highlights this so called commercial infringement several times throughout the filings, essentially saying that the sites’ owner makes money off of Nintendo’s products and intellectual property. Nintendo is asking for $150,000 in damages per Nintendo game, and up to $2,000,000 for each trademark being infringed upon. This could add up to over $100 million if you consider the number of games being offered. The figure is probably intended to force the sites to shut down rather than being the end goal itself. So far, LoveRETRO has shut down “until further notice,” while LoveROMS removed all ROMs for Nintendo games. The subject of emulating old games has always been a murky one, with enthusiasts often operating in grey areas of the law. Most companies are typically against it, even if the games and hardware being emulated are no longer on sale or easily accessible. Nintendo has historically been adamant in its stance against emulation of its games, shutting down fan-made games based on old ROMs, cracking down on links to certain popular ROMs and generally making it a hassle for people who don’t know where to look to find said ROMs.

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If you wish to object to the use of your data in this way, please tick here. ‘We’ includes The Week and other Dennis Group brands as detailed here<doc-sep>Liverpool's Fabinho gets SERENADED by team mates on birthday HERE for the latest MUFC breaking news and transfer updates SUBSCRIBE Invalid email Sign upfor the latest MUFC breaking news and transfer updates When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they'll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. Our Privacy Notice explains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time. In what's set to be a thrilling night at Anfield, one player who could be given the chance to impress is Fabinho. Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has stressed he has no doubts about midfielder Fabinho's quality. LIVERPOOL vs RED STAR | FOLLOW LIVE COVERAGE! Joining the Reds from Monaco over the summer, Fabinho did not make his debut until mid-September when he came off the bench in the 89th minute of the Champions League opener against Paris Saint-Germain. Since then he has made two further appearances but just one start, coming in the Carabao Cup loss to Chelsea. With Jordan Henderson and Naby Keita both out through injury, Fabinho looks set to feature in the clash with Red Star Belgrade at Anfield. Asked if it could be a big chance for the Brazil international, who turned 25 yesterday, Klopp said: "Yes, of course, no doubt about that. It's clear. "It's his birthday by the way, so it would be a nice present, eh? "I didn't make the line-up, how we will start, but of course it is very important for us that he's now been here for a few months, got used to all the things. "If you watch Fabinho playing at Monaco, (he was) full of confidence. You come to a new club and it depends a bit on your personality. "He's not the loudest person on the planet, it's not that he's come in and said, 'Sit down all of you and I'll explain to you how we played at Monaco because we were in Champions League semi-final the year before and became French champions'. "He is looking, watching and it always takes a little bit of time. That's how it is. But on the pitch, he is back now and that's good. So, all fine." Liverpool vs Red Star Belgrade kick off time: The fans are ready for the Champions League clash What time does Liverpool vs Red Star Belgrade kick-off? The match kicks off at 8pm tonight BST. Is Liverpool vs Red Star Belgrade on TV tonight? The Champions League clash will be shown on BT Sport 2 and BT Sport 4K UHD tonight. Pre-match coverage gets underway at 7pm. Can I live stream Liverpool vs Red Star Belgrade? BT Sport customers will be able to stream the action via the official app and the company’s own website. However, EE mobile customers will be able to stream matches for free, thanks to a subscription plan recently announced by the network. Liverpool vs Red Star Belgrade kick off time: Can the visitors upset the odds? Liverpool vs Red Star Belgrade team news Liverpool XI: Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Gomez, Van Dijk, Robertson, Fabinho, Wijnaldum, Shaqiri, Mane, Salah, Firmino. Subs: Mignolet, Lovren, Moreno, Milner, Lallana, Sturridge, Origi. Red Star XI: Borjan, Degenek, Babic, Stojkovic, Gobeljic, Jovicic, Krsticic, Ebecilio, Srnic, Nabouhane, Boakye. Subs: Popovic, Savic, Causic, Simic, Jovancic, Pavkov, Stojijlkovic. Liverpool vs Red Star Belgrade kick off time: Will Mohamed Salah strike for the Reds tonight?<doc-sep>Sports Mole looks ahead to Wednesday's Champions League Group C clash between Liverpool and Red Star Belgrade, including team news, predictions and a full preview. Liverpool will be bidding to bounce back from their late defeat to Napoli on matchday two when they welcome Red Star Belgrade to Anfield on Wednesday night. Just one point separates the top three sides in Group C after two matches, but Liverpool will be hoping for maximum points from back-to-back games against Red Star, who were thrashed by Paris Saint-Germain last time out. Liverpool © Reuters Liverpool's season so far has been defined by either grinding out ugly wins or failing to win by as many as they should given the chances they create. In many ways, Reds fans will be happy with that. For too long Liverpool have dropped points in matches just like Saturday's trip to Huddersfield Town, when they were far from their best but still managed to scrape a win. Mohamed Salah's goal at the John Smith's Stadium saw Jurgen Klopp's side return to winning ways after a four-match run without a victory, keeping them level on points with Manchester City at the top of the Premier League table in the process. It is certainly a position supporters would have taken after nine games had it been offered to them at the beginning of the season, and while it is unlikely that they will be able to sustain such form unless they do eventually reach the levels they are capable of, the fact that they have made their best-ever start to a Premier League campaign and still have vast room for improvement will be encouraging. It was in the Champions League last season that Liverpool showcased those levels they will be aspiring to again this term - particularly going forward, when Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino established themselves as the most prolific attacking trio in the competition's history en route to the final. There was more evidence of that on matchday one when they beat a Paris Saint-Germain side that have swept all others in front of them this season, although the attacking flair abandoned them on their last Champions League trip. Many of Liverpool's defining European displays of 2017-18 came away from home, but they could have no complaints at leaving the Stadio San Paolo empty-handed earlier this month - even if Napoli needed a last-gasp winner to take all three points. The Reds have now lost three of their last four Champions League games, although at Anfield they are unbeaten in their last 17 European outings in a run which stretches back to October 2014. Klopp's side could be forced to lean on that home form in order to get through what is a difficult group, and anything other than a win against the team which looks weakest on paper could prove to be a costly slip-up on a night where at least one of PSG or Napoli are guaranteed to drop points. Recent Champions League form: WL Recent form (all competitions): WLDLDW Red Star © Reuters For a team which has become accustomed to winning, Red Star's 6-1 defeat at the hands of PSG on matchday two would have come as a sharp wake-up call. The Serbian outfit may not have been expecting to challenge for a place in the last 16 having been drawn alongside PSG, Liverpool and Napoli, but their goalless draw with the latter on matchday one will have given them hope that they could at least hold their own. A response will be expected to their joint-heaviest ever European defeat, although Anfield is perhaps not the most likely place for it to happen. The opening two games in this group stage suggest that Red Star will instead need to rely on their home form to take points off their more illustrious opponents, although they have only lost two of their last nine European away games. Many of those have come against teams of a different calibre entirely to those Red Star find themselves up against now, though, with the 2018-19 campaign being their first in the Champions League proper having finally made it through the qualifying stages at the seventh attempt. Vladan Milojevic's side have overcome teams from Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia and Austria to make it this far, so then being thrown into games against three of Europe's heavyweights is a tough ask. Liverpool must not fall into the trap of regarding Red Star as whipping boys, though; the Serbian champions have lost just three of their last 19 European outings and the defeat to PSG - as heavy as it was - is their only defeat in their last 38 matches across all competitions. Domestically, Serbia's most successful club are currently on a 38-game unbeaten run in the league - including 34 wins - to help build a seven-point lead at the top after only 12 matches of the new campaign. Red Star will not be the last club to be on the wrong end of a big score against PSG this season, but the challenge for them now is to learn from that drubbing and avoid a similar fate against another talented attack. Recent Champions League form: DL Recent form (all competitions): WWLWWW Team News © Reuters Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson was taken off at half time of his side's match against Huddersfield at the weekend after complaining of a tight hamstring, so he is unlikely to be risked for this match. Henderson's absence could therefore allow Fabinho to make just his second start for the club, while Georginio Wijnaldum should also return to the starting lineup after missing out at the weekend. Firmino was also named on the bench at Huddersfield and is expected to return, while Mane remains a doubt due to the thumb injury he sustained on international duty. Trent Alexander-Arnold could be handed a recall at right-back having missed the past two games, leaving Klopp with a decision whether to start Joe Gomez or Dejan Lovren alongside Virgil van Dijk in defence.<doc-sep>Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has a few injury worries but will still be confident the players he has at his disposal will be able to get the three points Liverpool will be looking to tighten their grip on their prospects of reaching the last 16 of the Champions League when they face Red Star Belgrade at Anfield on Wednesday night at 8pm. Jurgen Klopp’s side are currently second in Group C with three points after a 3-2 victory over Paris Saint-Germain and a last-gasp defeat to Napoli on matchday two. 3 The Reds were so close to claiming a creditable draw in Naples Liverpool vs Red Star match preview They will be wary of their opponents, who are top of their domestic league but this is a game where Liverpool are expected to take all three points comfortably. Klopp, though, will have to do without midfielders Jordan Henderson and Naby Keita, who both have hamstring injuries. However, Sadio Mane is available for selection after missing the Reds’ win at Huddersfield in the Premier League on Saturday. 3 Keita picked up an injury against Napoli before getting another one while on international duty So who will start for Liverpool against Red Star in the Champions League? Find out talkSPORT.com’s prediction below.<doc-sep>

Liverpool vs Red Star Belgrade: TV channel, live stream, squad news & preview The Reds will be eager to claim victory over Red Star when they host the Serbian side at Anfield on Wednesday to gain momentum in the Champions League Jurgen Klopp's side will be looking to return to winning ways in the Champions League when they host Red Star Belgrade at Anfield on Wednesday evening. Liverpool opened their Champions League account with a victorious 3-2 win against Paris Saint-Germain, but slipped to a 1-0 defeat away to Napoli on their most recent European outing. They sit second in the 'Group of Death' in Group C and could jump to first place should they win against Red Star and see Napoli drop points against PSG. Article continues below Game Liverpool vs Red Star Belgrade Date Wednesday, October 24 Time 8pm BST / 3pm EST TV Channel, Live Stream & How To Watch In the United States (US), the game can be watched live and on-demand with fuboTV (7-day free trial). New users can sign up for a free seven-day trial of the live sports streaming service, which can be accessed via iOS, Android, Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV, Roku and Apple TV as well as on a web browser. US TV channel Online stream Univision Deportes En Vivo fubo TV (7-day free trial) In the United Kingdom (UK), the game can be watched live on BT Sport 2 and streamed via BT Sport Live. UK TV channel Online stream BT Sport 2 BT Sport Live Squads & Team News Position Liverpool players Goalkeepers Alisson, Mignolet, Grabara Defenders Clyne, Gomez, Van Dijk, Moreno, Alexander-Arnold, Robertson, Lovren Midfielders Jones, Fabinho, Milner, Shaqiri, Wijnaldum, Markovic Forwards Sturridge, Firmino, Mane, Salah, Solanke Naby Keita and Jordan Henderson have both been ruled out of the fixture against Red Star with hamstring troubles, but though there were injury scares for Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk sustained during the international break, the duo both line up from the start. Sadio Mane is available for selection after picking up a hand injury while on duty with Senegal, while Roberto Firmino and Fabinho also start. Confirmed Liverpool XI: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Gomez, Van Dijk, Robertson; Wijnaldum, Fabinho, Shaqiri; Salah, Firmino, Sturridge. Position Red Star Belgrade players Goalkeepers Popovic, Supic, Borjan Defenders Degenek, Babic, Rodic, Stojkovic, Sumaila, Gobeljic, Terzic Midfielders Jovicic, Krsticic, Meleg, Ebecilio, Srnic, Marin, Causic, Simic, Jovancic, Nabouhane, Jevtovic Forwards Pavkov, Stoiljkovic, Cafu, Boakye, Nabouhane Confirmed Red Star Belgrade XI: Borjan; Stojkovic, Degenek, Babic, Gobeljic; Krsticic, Jovicic; Srnic, Ebecilio, Ben; Boakye. Betting & Match Odds Liverpool are priced at odds of winning 1/18 according to bet 365, while a draw is available at 16/1. A win for Red Star is priced at 50/1. Match Preview It's already become a tight race within Group C as just one point separates the top three sides after only two matches, but the Merseyside club will be looking to register maximum points when they face Red Star on back-to-back occasions for their next two fixtures. The Serbian side were thrashed 6-1 by PSG in their previous tie, which drew accusations of match-fixing by the French giants – who have denied the allegations. Red Star supporters have been banned from attending the clash at Anfield due to a punishment received from UEFA for a pitch invasion in August's Champions League qualifiers vs RB Salzburg, though the Merseyside Police are still planning for additional protective measures since 1,000 Red Star fans had travelled to the club's last game against PSG. Liverpool registered their first win in five matches in all competitions with Saturday's sluggish 1-0 win to Huddersfield, and will be eager to return to winning and goal-scoring ways in Europe when they host the Serbian side at Anfield. The Reds looked far from their best in their most recent European loss to Napoli despite kicking off their Champions League campaign with a thrilling 3-2 win over the French giants, but a congested October schedule that consisted of facing Chelsea twice and Manchester City at home has seemed to put a strain of fatigue on the home side. Salah ended his goal drought with his strike against Huddersfield to mark half a century of goals scored in the Premier League for both Chelsea and Liverpool, and will be eager to get off the mark against Red Star.

Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) speaks and Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) listens as U.S. Attorney General William Barr testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee May 1, 2019 in Washington, DC. Barr testified on the Justice Department’s investigation of Russian interference with the 2016 presidential election. Photo : Alex Wong ( Getty Images ) Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) is running for president, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t have time to hand Attorney General Barr his ass right quick. In fact, she did it all in less than a minute. Advertisement Here’s how it all went down: Barr—who may or may not subsist on a diet of T-Rex T-Bones and Brontosaurus burgers—was sitting before a firing squad of Democrats, and a feathering squad of Republicans, to answer why he took a 400-page report and summed it up in four pages, which completely ripped out the spine of the report, and then held a press conference to taint the American public’s view of said report, because he knew no regular American who wasn’t a member of Congress would read that shit, all to protect his lord and overseer President Trump. Well, when Harris got her shot, she didn’t miss: Sen. Harris: Attorney General Barr has the president or anyone at the White House ever asked or suggested that you open an investigation of anyone? Barr: I wouldn’t, uh — Harris: Yes or no? Barr: Could you repeat that question? Harris: I will repeat it. Has the president or anyone at the White House ever asked or suggested that you open an investigation of anyone? Yes or no, please, sir. Barr: Um, the president or anybody else? Harris: Seems you would remember something like that and be able to tell us. Barr: Yeah, but I’m trying to grapple with the word “Suggest.” I mean, there have been discussions of matters out there that they’ve not asked me to open an investigation... Harris: Perhaps they’ve suggested? Barr: I don’t know. I wouldn’t say suggest. Harris: Hinted? Barr: I don’t know. Harris: Inferred? You don’t know. During the exchange, Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) looked on like a girlfriend who was watching her best friend confront her lying man about cheating. Booker was literally sitting looking at Barr with the “bitch why you keep lying?” face, and it was glorious. In fact, Harris was the only Democrat who seemed to stump Barr and throw him off his game, and by his game, I mean lying to protect the president. Barr literally moved his lying game to Matrix levels where he basically argued, rejected or appeared to misread blatant statements that could’ve been concluded by a normal nonpartisan person as obstruction of justice. But Mr. Flintstone is clinging firmly to President Trump’s fat-ass tie, so until all of these people are impeached, we will have to live with them being shamed. Oh, Kamala wasn’t finished. W hen asked if she believed Barr should resign, Harris stated flatly: “Yes.” And then walked off with her HBCU swagger.<doc-sep>At the hearing, Barr shrugged all this off as if it were a big nothing. At one point, Barr casually misrepresented Mueller’s views on the matter, claiming that Mueller “was very clear with me that he was not suggesting that we had misrepresented his report.” But Mueller explicitly said Barr had misinformed the public! Barr took refuge in hair-splitting without betraying the slightest concern that he had misled the country.<doc-sep>Sen. Kamala Harris speaks to a crowd at the She The People Presidential Forum at Texas Southern University on April 24, 2019 in Houston, Texas. (CNN) — Democratic senator and presidential candidate Kamala Harris said she has concerns about the integrity of the US government following her questioning of Attorney General Bill Barr at a hearing on Wednesday. “One of the things that is very much at play and very present at this moment in time in our country is a concern about whether or not our democracy is intact, whether it can be trusted, whether the leaders in our democracy can be trusted,” Harris said Wednesday on CNN’s “Anderson Cooper 360.” Harris’ comments came hours after the conclusion of a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing with Barr, where the newly minted attorney general defended his handling of special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe and his decision not to accuse President Donald Trump of obstruction of justice. Harris, who is running as a progressive prosecutor, has repeatedly created viral moments as she has questioned Trump nominees and Cabinet members in congressional hearings over the past few years. She has used her sharp, direct questions to illustrate her toughness – and implicitly her ability to take on President Donald Trump in future debates – and those skills have set her apart from other candidates in the 2020 field. During the hearing, Barr was unable to tell Harris whether anyone at the White House had suggested he open an investigation of anyone, asking her to specify whether she was referring to the President or anyone else. “Seems you’d remember something like that and be able to tell us,” Harris said. “Yeah but I’m trying to grapple with the word ‘suggest,’ ” Barr replied. “There have been discussions of matters out there that they have not asked me to open an investigation, but –” Harris asked, “Perhaps they’ve suggested, hinted?” Barr replied, “I don’t know, I wouldn’t say suggest. I don’t know.” The senator from California then grilled the attorney general on whether he had reviewed the underlying evidence as he was responsible for the charging decision. The line of questioning revealed that neither Barr nor Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein had looked at Mueller’s underlying evidence before deciding not to charge Trump with obstruction of justice. The two also shared a testy exchange over Rosenstein’s role in the Mueller investigation, specifically whether Rosenstein had been approved by Department of Justice ethics officials to participate in overseeing the probe when he was also a witness. “Did you consult with DOJ ethics officials before you enlisted Rod Rosenstein to participate in a charging decision for an investigation, the subject of which he is also a witness?” Harris asked. “My understanding was that he had been cleared already to participate in it, by the –” Barr replied, before Harris reiterated, “So you had consulted with them, and they cleared it?” “No, I think they cleared it when he took over the investigation. That’s my understanding,” Barr responded. “You don’t know whether he has been cleared of a conflict of interest?” Harris asked. Barr responded, “Well, he wouldn’t be participating if there was a conflict of interest.” When pressed on whether Rosenstein’s case had been reviewed by ethics officials, Barr said, “I believe it was – well, I believe it was reviewed.” Harris told Cooper that while she believed voters would prioritize immediate economic and personal concerns, she thought they cared about the investigations and the conduct of the Justice Department, calling the issue “symbolic, and, actually, a litmus test on whether our democracy is intact.” “(In) this case it’s about whether the attorney general is fulfilling his responsibility to the people of our country,” Harris said. In recent weeks, her team has sent somewhat desperate sounding emails to supporters acknowledging that they have fallen short in their fundraising goals. On Wednesday, Harris sent a message seeking contributions a little over an hour after questioning Barr. “I’ll be frank: Attorney General Barr refused to answer most of my questions – and when he did, his answers were alarming,” the email read. “He admitted he had never even reviewed the underlying evidence of the Mueller report, and he refused to say whether the President has ever ordered him to investigate anyone. This is unacceptable.” She added, “I’m running for president because the American people deserve truth and integrity from their elected leaders. That’s not what we’re getting right now. If you’re with me in this fight, I need you now.” Harris, along with other 2020 competitors, later called on Wednesday for Barr to resign. In her CNN interview, Harris argued that what she called the lax reading from Barr of Mueller’s obstruction findings “calls into question the integrity of our criminal justice system” in comparison to the justice system’s treatment of people charged based on less exhaustive findings. “It makes people who walk into courthouses every day say, ‘Am I getting justice? Is this really justice?’ ” Harris said. “Is it justice for some or justice for all?”<doc-sep>

Attorney General William Barr had some tense moments with Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee during his testimony about Robert Mueller’s Russian investigation and the decision not to charge President Donald Trump with obstruction of justice. The committee is packed with veteran Democrats, including three who are running for president in 2020. One of them is California Sen. Kamala Harris, whose interaction with the attorney general has caught people’s attention. The full 8-minute, 13-second exchange that was tweeted out by CSPAN received nearly 1.5 million views by Wednesday night. Harris––who is the former attorney general for California and a former district attorney for San Francisco––interrogated Barr on several topics before her time expired, but she opened with a question about White House pressure on the Justice Department. “Has the president or anyone at the White House ever asked or suggested you open an investigation into anyone?” she asked. First Barr asked Harris to repeat the question. Then, he challenged Harris’ wording: “I’m trying to grapple with the word ‘suggest.’ I mean, there have been discussions of matters out there that… they have not asked me to open an investigation but…” Harris responded: “Perhaps they’ve suggested?” Then, as Barr hesitated, she followed up, “Hinted?” “Inferred?” Barr ended the exchange with “I… don’t know.” Harris also pressed Barr to acknowledge that no one in his office––not he, nor Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, nor anyone else––had actually looked at the underlying evidence that Special Counsel Mueller’s team had gathered before Barr and Rosenstein made the determination not to charge Trump with obstruction of justice. “We accepted statements in the report as the factual record. We did not go underneath it to see whether or not they were accurate. We accepted it as accurate,” Barr said. Harris noted that Mueller’s office had collected a “great deal” of evidence. She asked whether a prosecutor could make such a critical decision without reading the evidence. “If in any U.S. attorney’s office around the country, the head of that office, when being asked to make a critical decision, about in this case, the person who is in the highest office in the land and whether or not that person committed a crime, in that case would you accept them recommending a charging decision to you if they had not reviewed the evidence?” Harris said. “That’s a question for Bob Mueller,” he said. “He‘s the U.S. attorney, he’s the one who presents the report.” “But you made the charging decision, sir,” Harris returned. Contact us at letters@time.com.