Diretório

FILE -Liberia's President Joseph Boakai addresses the 80th session of the UN General Assembly at United Nations headquarters, Sept. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis, File)2026-08-20T13:04:39Z HARBEL, Liberia (AP) — The United States sent 20 deportees to Liberia, who arrived on Thursday as part of 1,200 migrants that the African country will receive under a new deal.The deportees arrived at the Roberts International Airport outside Monrovia. The Liberia-U.S. agreement is among the largest third-country deportations driven by the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration.The 1,200 deportees will include African nationals and also nationals from North America, South America and the Caribbean, according to Liberian Information Minister Jerolinmek Piah.During a briefing on Tuesday, Liberian Justice Minister Natu Oswald Tweh said that the majority of the deportees had committed migration-related violations and offenses, and that they could seek asylum in the West African country if they wished.Under a series of often-secret agreements, the Trump administration has deported thousands of people to nearly two dozen countries that aren’t their own, advocates say, with about 10 of them in Africa. Immigration lawyers have said the Trump administration uses deportations to third countries as a legal loophole to indirectly force asylum-seekers back to their home countries.In many cases, migrants are deported to countries they’ve never been to or where they face safety risks and are left with little choice other than to return to the home countries they were fleeing from.

A mine operated by Serra Verde Mining digs for rare earth elements including neodymium, praseodymium, terbium and dysprosium, which are essential for the production of permanent magnets, in Minacu, Goias state, Brazil, July 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres, File)2026-08-20T13:03:56Z SAO PAULO (AP) — The world is increasingly turning to Brazil to explore for rare earth minerals that are crucial for technology and renewable energy. The country’s large reserves are second only to China and have attracted investors, many of them with foreign support.An analysis by The Associated Press and Reporter Brasil of all National Mining Agency records through June shows that rare earth exploration applications have surged, with more than 86% filed in the past three years, including 268 in the first half of 2026.The interest is already raising environmental concerns for the Amazon and other areas.Here are takeaways from the story:The US and others are seeking alternatives to ChinaRare earth minerals are a group of chemicals essential in digital and defense technologies, used in electronics, magnets and batteries. They are also used in wind turbines and electric vehicle motors, critical to the transition away from fossil fuels like oil, gas and coal that cause global warming. The International Energy Agency estimated in 2022 that demand for rare earths could increase at least threefold by 2040. China has nearly half of the world’s reserves and dominates global processing. Brazil has the second-largest reserves and is becoming increasingly attractive to investors seeking alternatives to China after Beijing restricted exports last year. By reviewing all National Mining Agency records in Brazil through June, the AP-Reporter Brasil analysis found that foreign investors are driving the growing interest in rare earth exploration, accounting for more than four in 10 applications.Australian and U.S. firms dominate the interest. Among recent deals was the acquisition of Serra Verde, Brazil’s only commercial rare earth producer, by a U.S.-backed company.Chinese firms had not filed any rare earth exploration applications in Brazil as of June, but they are positioning themselves in the sector. Last year, state-owned China Nonferrous Metal Mining Group acquired tin producer Mineracao Taboca and announced plans to assess rare earth potential at its Amazon mine. Separately, Shenghe Resources signed an agreement with Brazilian partners WEG Mineracao and Fenrir do Brasil to pursue rare earth projects, including one in Minas Gerais. Read More New mining push could impact communities and ecosystemsAt least a quarter of the applications overlap with or are within 10 kilometers (6 miles) of protected areas and Indigenous territories, including in the Amazon, according to Reporter Brasil’s Energy Transition Observatory. Experts say mining projects within this buffer zone can cause environmental damage. Depending on what is mined, toxic chemicals can be released and radioactive waste generated. Other potential impacts include deforestation and polluted water seeping into rivers and lakes, which can poison fish populations, as well as air pollution and noise.In Goias state, in central Brazil, a small Afro-Brazilian community overlaps with mining claims by the Canadian firm Aclara Resources, which last year secured $5 million in project development financing from the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation.Aclara in a statement said its project initially overlapped with the community’s territory, but “no mining activities will take place there.” Still, residents fear operations that could start as early as 2028 could affect local springs and wildlife. Brazil is considering safeguards around foreign influence“The challenge today is that China dominates processing and refining,” said Brazilian lawmaker Zé Silva, author of pending legislation that would establish a federal policy on critical minerals and rare earths, set investment priorities and create a national council to monitor significant foreign influence in the sector. “Under our proposal, companies are welcome to invest, but they must transfer technology to Brazil, including processing capacity.”On Monday, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said the Senate would move forward with the proposed law, to defend national interests.“We will not allow anyone from outside to come here and exploit our mineral resources, because we want their processing and transformation to happen here,” Lula said. ___The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org. GABRIELA SÁ PESSOA Sá Pessoa covers the Brazilian Amazon rainforest for The Associated Press. She is based in Sao Paulo, Brazil. twitter mailto

A mine operated by Serra Verde Mining digs for rare earth elements including neodymium, praseodymium, terbium and dysprosium, which are essential for the production of permanent magnets, in Minacu, Goias state, Brazil, July 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres, File)2026-08-20T13:02:03Z SAO PAULO (AP) — In the global race to secure rare earths that are key for everything from mobile phones to green technologies, Brazil is emerging as an alternative to China’s dominance, particularly for the United States and Australia, according to an analysis of mining permits by The Associated Press and Reporter Brasil.That could boost the economy of Latin America’s largest and most populous nation, which is second only to China in rare earth reserves.Foreign capital is rushing in. Nearly half of the 2,727 overall rare earth exploration applications — or 42% — in Brazil were made by subsidiaries of foreign mining companies or firms with foreign ownership stakes. Eleven of the 20 companies with the largest number of applications are backed by foreign investment, mostly from Australia, the U.S. and Canada. The analysis reviewed all National Mining Agency records through June. Rare earth exploration applications have surged, with more than 86% filed in the past three years, including 268 in the first half of 2026, according to the agency’s public data.But the mining, which in some cases could happen near reserves in the Amazon rainforest, also comes with major environmental risks. Indigenous communities are beginning to sound the alarm. It also raises questions about relations between the U.S. and Brazil, long trading partners, and Brazil and China, which have become closer in recent years. Read more Takeaways from the AP-Reporter Brasil story on the US and others turning to Brazil for rare earths “Brazil’s rare earths are significant not just because of the sheer size of the deposits,” said Robert Muggah, co-founder of the Igarape Institute, a Brazilian think tank, “but because they sit at the intersection of resource nationalism, energy transition demand, Western supply-chain diversification and competition with China’s rare earth dominance.”___ Read More This article is a collaboration between Reporter Brasil and The Associated Press. ___ A mine operated by Serra Verde Mining digs for rare earth elements including neodymium, praseodymium, terbium and dysprosium, which are essential for the production of permanent magnets, in Minacu, Goias state, Brazil, July 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres, File) A mine operated by Serra Verde Mining digs for rare earth elements including neodymium, praseodymium, terbium and dysprosium, which are essential for the production of permanent magnets, in Minacu, Goias state, Brazil, July 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres, File) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More Rare earths are essential in digital and defense technologies, used in electronics, magnets and batteries. They are also used in wind turbines and electric vehicle motors, critical to the transition away from fossil fuels like oil, gas and coal that cause global warming. The International Energy Agency estimated in 2022 that demand for rare earths could increase at least threefold by 2040.The AP-Reporter Brasil analysis identified a wave of U.S. investment after China last year restricted rare earth exports in response to U.S. tariffs. That put tremendous pressure on U.S. companies, and many experts believe it brought President Donald Trump back to the negotiating table with Beijing.The new U.S. investment has included the purchase of Brazil’s only commercial rare earth producer, Serra Verde, by a firm in which the U.S. government has a stake. The analysis also drew on corporate ownership records compiled through Cruzagrafos, a platform developed by the Brazilian Association of Investigative Journalism.Future mining will carry environmental risks Children carry water from the Branco River at dawn at the Kalunga quilombo, a Brazilian settlement founded by escaped enslaved Africans, in the rural area of Cavalcante in Goias state, Brazil, Aug. 15, 2022. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres, File) Children carry water from the Branco River at dawn at the Kalunga quilombo, a Brazilian settlement founded by escaped enslaved Africans, in the rural area of Cavalcante in Goias state, Brazil, Aug. 15, 2022. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres, File) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More At least 25% of the applications are to mine in areas that overlap with or are located within 10 kilometers (6 miles) of 283 protected areas and Indigenous territories, according to the Energy Transition Observatory, a platform developed by Reporter Brasil that cross-references geolocation data from mining projects and protected lands. Experts say mining projects within this buffer zone can cause environmental damage.Depending on what is mined, toxic chemicals can be released and radioactive waste generated. Other potential impacts include deforestation, air pollution, noise and polluted water seeping into rivers and lakes, which can poison fish populations and sully drinking water supplies. The path from an exploration permit to commercial production can take five to 10 years, requiring companies to submit technical studies and exploration plans to the National Mining Agency and environmental regulators. Projects affecting Indigenous territories must also undergo consultation with the communities. Fishermen carry their catch of the day to the beach in Salvador, Bahia state, Brazil, Sept. 15, 2022. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd, File) Fishermen carry their catch of the day to the beach in Salvador, Bahia state, Brazil, Sept. 15, 2022. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd, File) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More But rising demand has spurred efforts to speed approvals. Brazil’s Ministry of Mines and Energy, under President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, has discussed streamlining environmental licensing for strategic mining projects. Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro, a leading candidate challenging Lula in October’s election, has also proposed faster permitting for mining.“Mining always leaves a footprint,” said Gilvan Magalhães, president of the residents’ association of Familia Magalhaes, a small Afro-Brazilian community in Goias state in central Brazil. Their territory with some 30 families overlaps with mining claims by the Canadian firm Aclara Resources, which last year secured $5 million in project development financing from the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation.Aclara in a statement said its project initially overlapped with the community’s territory, but “no mining activities will take place there.” Still, residents fear operations that could start as early as 2028 could affect local springs and wildlife. Australian and US firms lead mining requestsAustralia, the U.S. and Canada offer investment mechanisms that reduce risk in a sector where few prospects become profitable mines, said Julio Nery, director of mining affairs at the Brazilian Mining Institute.Of every 1,000 potential rare earth prospects, only about 100 justify drilling and exploration. “And out of those 100, you’ll end up with only two good projects. The success rate is not very high,” Nery said. Australian companies have taken a leading role in Brazil, accounting for 695 mining applications. Nearly a third were filed by Borborema Recursos Minerais, a subsidiary of the Sydney-based Brazilian Rare Earths Pty Ltd.“We recognize that the critical minerals environment at the moment is quite concentrated,” Sophie Davies, Australia’s ambassador to Brazil, told the AP in an interview without specifically referencing China. “The challenge is where and how the markets are traded and how minerals are produced.” An Indigenous woman marches with a sign that reads in Portuguese “More fish, less mining,” during the 20th annual Free Land Indigenous Camp in Brasilia, Brazil, April 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Luis Nova, File) An Indigenous woman marches with a sign that reads in Portuguese “More fish, less mining,” during the 20th annual Free Land Indigenous Camp in Brasilia, Brazil, April 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Luis Nova, File) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More U.S. companies ranked second with 347 applications.Alpha Minerals Brazil, controlled by Texas-based Rare Earth Americas Inc., accounted for 181. Originally incorporated in the Cayman Islands, the company moved to the U.S. in 2025 and says it is “on a mission to become the premier new source of rare earth supply for America.”Other major filers include Mineracao Apollo, partly controlled by Nevada-based Atlas Lithium, and Aclara, which recently opened a pilot processing plant in Louisiana, where it plans to turn rare earth materials into metals and alloys.The US government offered up to $1.6 billion in supportIn February, the only company producing rare earths in Brazil, Serra Verde, secured a $565 million financing package from the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation. In April, USA Rare Earth announced an agreement to acquire Serra Verde for about $2.8 billion, three months after the U.S. Department of Commerce announced plans to provide up to $1.6 billion in support to USA Rare Earth. The department receives over 16 million shares in the deal, finalized in June. A mine operated by Serra Verde Mining digs for rare earth elements including neodymium, praseodymium, terbium and dysprosium, which are essential for the production of permanent magnets, in Minacu, Goias state, Brazil, July 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres, File) A mine operated by Serra Verde Mining digs for rare earth elements including neodymium, praseodymium, terbium and dysprosium, which are essential for the production of permanent magnets, in Minacu, Goias state, Brazil, July 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres, File) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More Serra Verde is the only producer outside Asia with capacity to supply all four magnetic rare earth elements — neodymium, praseodymium, dysprosium and terbium — essential to automotive, medical, renewable energy, electronics, robotics, defense and aerospace industries.“The Western rare earth sector stands at a critical inflection point, as governments and strategic industries urgently seek reliable sources of critical rare earths — particularly scarce heavy rare earths,” Thras Moraitis, CEO of Serra Verde Group, said in a statement during the acquisition.Leonardo Durans, a director at Brazil’s Trade Ministry overseeing rare earth policy, said the country will not take sides in the U.S.-China dispute.China shows interest but projects lag behindThe AP-Reporter Brasil analysis showed that Chinese companies had filed no rare earth mining applications in Brazil as of June, but they have shown interest.Mineracao Taboca, Brazil’s largest tin producer, was acquired last year by state-owned China Nonferrous Metal Mining Group, which operates a cassiterite mine in the Amazon rainforest and has announced plans to study rare earth potential in the area.Also last year, Shenghe Resources Holding signed a memorandum of understanding with Brazilian companies WEG Minerao and Fenrir do Brasil to pursue rare earth opportunities. Fenrir has a mining project in Minas Gerais, a state in the southeast, focused on the exploration of elements including rare earths.China’s rare earth reserves still are thought to be double what Brazil might have. China has an estimated 44 million metric tons, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, while Brazil has an estimated 21 million metric tons, according to its Geological Service.“The challenge today is that China dominates processing and refining,” said Brazilian lawmaker Zé Silva, author of pending legislation that would establish a federal policy on critical minerals and rare earths, set investment priorities and create a national council to monitor significant foreign influence in the sector. “Under our proposal, companies are welcome to invest, but they must transfer technology to Brazil, including processing capacity.”On Monday, Brazil’s president said the Senate would move forward with the proposed law, to keep mining-related jobs in the country and defend national interests.“We will not allow anyone from outside to come here and exploit our mineral resources, because we want their processing and transformation to happen here,” Lula said.___The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org. GABRIELA SÁ PESSOA Sá Pessoa covers the Brazilian Amazon rainforest for The Associated Press. She is based in Sao Paulo, Brazil. twitter mailto 获取更多RSS：https://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Protesters hold signs with messages that read: "Free the prisoners, No one is happy except President Saied and Where is development? Where is freedom? You have destroyed our purchasing power", during a demonstration against President Kais Saied in downtown Tunis, Tunisia, Saturday, July 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Ons Abid)2026-08-20T12:56:36Z TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) — A summer of extreme heat has left many Tunisians short of water and electricity — and full of anger at the country’s leadership. A protest is expected in the capital Tunis on Thursday by a new opposition collective tapping into the growing frustration.The protest has been called by the Nafas movement, which seeks to bring together political parties and independent figures beyond the North African country’s traditional opposition to President Kais Saied.The umbrella initiative, launched in May, has been calling for an end to what it describes as government failure and injustice in the country that was the birthplace of the Arab Spring pro-democracy uprisings. Among grievances are repeated cuts to Tunisia’s utility supplies, chronic shortages of essential medicines, rising living costs and unemployment.The protest comes amid a summer of extreme heat, with temperatures reaching up to 50 degrees C (122 F) in some parts of Tunisia. The heat wave pushed electricity demand to record levels and led state-owned utility STEG to introduce rationing measures in several regions. The power cuts also affected water pumping stations, exacerbating long-running concerns over access to drinking water in parts of the country. Shelves of bottled water emptied quickly as lengthened blackouts disrupted factory operations.The production slowdown was deepened by a shortage of raw plastic materials, triggered by ongoing shipping disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, which cut off petrochemical exports to North Africa for bottle manufacturing. A protest by Nafas in Tunis last month brought together opposition activists alongside citizens who had not previously taken part in political demonstrations. Participants included several social media influencers expressing discontent with the country’s political status quo for the first time, driving a rare surge in turnout among younger people. Read More That protest was held on the fifth anniversary of Saied’s power grab, when he suspended parliament, sacked the government and cemented his rule. Demonstrators called for political change and the release of political prisoners while also raising concerns over deteriorating economic conditions and failing public services. Saied has consolidated power since 2021 and has presided over increasing restrictions on independent media, civil society and any dissenting voices. He notably targets groups he accuses of receiving foreign funding to stir unrest and destabilize Tunisia’s national interests. Sign up for Morning Wire: Our flagship newsletter breaks down the biggest headlines of the day. Email address Sign up By checking this box, you agree to AP's Terms of Use and acknowledge that AP may collect and use your data pursuant to our Privacy Policy. Recent rallies have seen a distinct shift in tone, as slogans demanding Saied to step down have become more explicit. Among those utilized recently were the 2011 Arab Spring revolutionary chant “the people want the fall of the regime” and “Dégage” (Get Out), a slogan raised in the protests that ousted Tunisia’s long-serving autocratic leader Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.

Protesters hold signs with messages that read: "Free the prisoners, No one is happy except President Saied and Where is development? Where is freedom? You have destroyed our purchasing power", during a demonstration against President Kais Saied in downtown Tunis, Tunisia, Saturday, July 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Ons Abid)2026-08-20T12:52:51Z MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — Pirates hijacked a Cameroon-flagged cargo ship off Somalia’s Puntland coast earlier this week and took the vessel, which was carrying Turkish weapons, toward the region’s Nugaal coast, a Somali official said Thursday.The M/V LUTUF was seized on Monday about 3½ nautical miles off Marraya in Puntland’s Eyl district, the official told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity, because he wasn’t authorized to speak publicly about sensitive information.The ship, owned by Polar Movement Shipping, was carrying weapons bound for a Turkish military training facility in Mogadishu, as well as communications and satellite equipment, the official said.The 10-member crew included six Indians, one Turkish national, one Georgian and two Serbian security guards, he said.There was no immediate comment from Turkish authorities about the incident. Eight pirates, believed to be members of a group previously involved in the hijacking of the M/V Sward on April 26, took the vessel toward the coast near Garmaal in Puntland’s Dangoroyo district.Two Turkish-owned vessels later approached the hijacked ship, while Turkish helicopters and drones monitored the area, the official said. On Tuesday, a small boat carrying two men approached the vessel and delivered khat, a stimulant commonly chewed in Somalia, he said. After the boat returned to shore, an airstrike followed, killing four men and wounding two others, the official said. The circumstances of the strike, including who carried it out and whether those killed were involved in the hijacking, couldn’t immediately be independently verified. The status of the LUTUF, including its crew and cargo, wasn’t immediately clear. The AP couldn’t independently verify all details of the account. Read More ___Suzan Fraser contributed to this report from Ankara, Turkey.

Ypsilanti Township in Michigan passed a six month moratorium on “major electric utility infrastructure” on Tuesday night. The moratorium is a delaying tactic, the latest in the Township’s long fight to stop the construction of a $1.2 billion data center that’s backed by the University of Michigan and the Pentagon’s nuclear war scientists at Los Alamos National Laboratories (LANL).Last year, the university announced it was partnering with LANL on the construction of a massive 220,000 square foot hyperscale data center in Ypsilanti Township and residents have been fighting it ever since. During a meeting of the Township Board on August 18, the council unanimously passed a resolution that will delay the construction of new electrical infrastructure for 180 days.💡Do you know anything else about this story? Is your town fighting a data center? I would love to hear from you. Using a non-work device, you can message me securely on Signal at +1 347 762-9212 or send me an email at matthew@404media.co.Data centers need a lot of energy, and Michigan’s power authority will have to build new substations in the Township to power the proposed facility. The moratorium asked the local power authorities to use the six month delay to study noise pollution and how the new infrastructure would affect existing customers. The moratorium is narrowly focused on “the nature and scale of electrical infrastructure necessary to serve new high-energy-demand land uses [...] including infrastructure associated, but not limited to hyper-scale data centers, mid-sized data centers, artificial intelligence computing facilities, and high-performance computational centers, industrial facilities, and other intensive electrical users.”Earlier this month, the University of Michigan announced it had settled on a specific plot of land in Ypsilanti Township — a 144-acre plot on Textile Road. In a press release about the decision, the University said the data center would have the “capacity to change the world” and insisted it would not be a “high value target risk” in a war, that it would not store any hazardous nuclear material, and was not a weapons production facility. LANL previously confirmed that the data center will be used for nuclear weapons research. Ypsilanti Township Supervisor Brenda Stumbo told WEMU news that the selection of the site was a “travesty of justice” because it ignores constituents’ concerns about environmental impact.During the August 18 moratorium vote, the Board projected a large stock photograph of an electric substation behind its members. The photo was meant to remind people of the size of the incoming infrastructure and the lack of communication from the university about it.“This picture’s really important to think about because U of M has been so crystal clear that they’ve been communicating to us abundantly — which is not true,” Strumbo said during the meeting. “That speaks to the lack of respect.”Ypsilanti Township's data center fight is unique in that its board of local leaders are united with the community in opposition to the project. Township Board members have repeatedly spoken about the University's lack of respect and lack of communication. “We will fight to our very last breath,” Strumbo said during a Board meeting in June. In April, the Board voted to institute a 365 moratorium on delivering water to data centers. The University threatened legal action in response and called the move “discriminatory.” The University of Michigan declined to comment on this story.

The couple are moving back after six years in the United States. What they will do, and much else, are still unclear.

One of the most stylish things to do in any home is to “break” the fifth wall, also known as the ceiling, and douse it in a brilliant hue or an eye-popping pattern. But if you’re looking to soon sell your home — or are anxious about embracing trends for fear that it may impact your resale value — you may find yourself wondering if this look is right for you. READ MORE...

The first Ashes Test in Perth was Mark Wood's first for 16 months and he has not played since [Getty Images]Fast bowler Mark Wood said he looks back on his performance in England's dismal Ashes campaign with "shame".Wood was battling to overcome a knee injury in the run-up to the tour, but played in the series opener against Australia.England suffered a calamitous defeat in Perth. From leading by 105 runs with nine second-innings wickets in hand on the second afternoon, the tourists were beaten before the day ended.Wood was subsequently ruled out of the tour with the same knee issue and has not played since."I look back on it shamefully," the 36-year-old told Test Match Special. "We should have won that first game. The whole tour is different if we win in Perth."England's defeat in Perth came as a result of a collapse of nine wickets for 99 runs. Australia's target of 205 meant the hosts having to make the highest total in a low-scoring match, but they cantered to victory in 28.2 overs thanks to Travis Head's sensational 123."Australia were there for the taking," said Wood. "Then the game just seemed to be in fast forward, which is why I feel shame, because the game has finished."At one point, Gus Atkinson was bowling, we were just bowling bouncers at Head and he was smacking them, and I remember looking at the score and thinking 'this game is finished'."I stopped the play and went to Gus to say 'what are we actually doing here, because this is the last resort. If you don't change it now, we're finished, and the game is literally gone'."Head was so good that day, then the momentum was with them. I just look back and think 'what a shame'. It's a total missed opportunity."How Root brought welcome calm on return as England captainTongue & Robinson cut Headingley ball in halfBefore the Ashes, Wood had gone 16 months without playing a Test, first because of an elbow injury, followed by the knee problem.The Durham man tried to play at the start of the English summer, yet his only cricket in the run-up to the Ashes was a warm-up game against England Lions. He was limited to eight overs at Lilac Hill because of tightness in his hamstring."I look back at it from a personal point of view that I was nowhere near ready," said Wood."Coming to Perth my knee probably wasn't right, and then my hamstring – I've never had a hamstring problem in my whole career. I think the hamstring was over-compensating for my knee, protecting my knee, and that's why it got tight."I remember bowling in the nets in Perth, almost convincing myself I'm ready to go, then at the back of my mind thinking 'I'm nowhere near'."England's tour was dogged by poor performances on the field and issues off it, all under huge scrutiny from the local media.Headlines about the visitors began on their arrival at Perth airport and, during their stay in Western Australia, they were followed to golf courses and even on a trip to an aquarium.Later on the tour, in Brisbane, Wood was one of three players photographed riding an escooter without a helmet, contravening Queensland law.When the England squad left Brisbane, a member of their security team became involved in altercation with a TV cameraman."People can say what they want about when Australia come here, but if they get followed like we got followed in Australia, I would be amazed," said Wood."Me and Ben Stokes went for a walk, and this guy fell out of the bush with his camera. We had reporters running after us, asking us questions."A lot of the times we were doing interviews, saying outlandish things that probably didn't help the cause. It just felt like a huge pressure cooker, more so than normal."The scrutiny and pressure the team was under, even in the dressing room – from a team that is usually quite relaxed, there was more heated discussions than I remembered in that team."This shouldn't be an excuse. The main problem is we didn't play well."England were also criticised for a mid-tour holiday in the resort of Noosa, when the drinking of some players was questioned.In one instance, some of the squad were pictured drinking openly at a table outside a roadside bar.Wood, who is teetotal, said: "I wouldn't have done that. If I was a drinker, I wouldn't have done that, but that's not to say what I think is right or wrong, that I'm righteous, or I would have done the right thing."I wouldn't have done that because of what people might perceive me to be."Wood was in Noosa, then left the tour straight after."Their choice is their own," he said. "They're grown men. If it is to their detriment and they don't play well, that's a detriment to your career, so that's up to you as an adult."My choice might have been different, but that is my choice, and I've made loads of bad choices in my career."Wood also discussed the attitude towards golf by a squad led by captain Ben Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum. Stokes retired from international cricket in June, with McCullum sacked as Test coach soon after.In the Stokes-McCullum era, England players often played golf in their downtime, but the frequency of their time on the course and their openness about the pastime led to criticism that they spent too much time golfing and not enough time training.Wood is not a golfer and said: "The perception of how it looks to people is worse than what it actually was."Is it a bad thing? The lads get to spend loads of time together. They don't just play golf, they're talking about cricket. You get away from the mental pressures of the tour, or at home. I see both points."The problem for me is how it's perceived by the public. That's the bit that looks wrong to me."I liked to get away and see where we were staying. You'd often fly into a place, see a hotel, or fly out. I'd often grab Mark Saxby, the masseur, or Chris Woakes and we would go to a coffee shop, or find somewhere."Asked if he felt other players were "obsessed" with golf, Wood replied: "I wouldn't say they were obsessed, but the lads certainly did like their golf."Root calls on England to be 'good human beings'Booze, beach, beaten - how England lost the Ashes

India left-arm spinner Manav Suthar said practising with the Kookaburra ball before the Sri Lanka series helped him adapt quickly to the conditions as he played a key role in India's win in the first Test in Galle.Suthar picked up 10 wickets in only his second Test as India defeated Sri Lanka by 165 runs on Wednesday to take a 1-0 lead in the two-match series.The 22-year-old took 6 for 55 in Sri Lanka's second innings and finished with match figures of 10 for 101, helping India wrap up the victory on the fifth day.Speaking in a video released by the BCCI, Suthar said he had started preparing with the Kookaburra ball after India's match against Afghanistan and spent plenty of time practising with it before leaving for Sri Lanka."I take Test cricket very seriously. My focus is to improve day to day when I go to practice. I practice as much as I can. My focus after the Afghanistan game was to adapt as soon as possible. I practised a lot with the Kookaburra ball. I practised in nets and at home."Suthar also said India's decision to arrive in Sri Lanka 10 days before the Test gave him enough time to understand the conditions and get used to bowling with the Kookaburra ball."We came to Sri Lanka ten days ago, and it helped a lot in adapting to the environment and how to play with the Kookaburra ball. I get time to adapt. It has helped me a lot."— BCCI (@BCCI) The spinner said patience was important on the Galle pitch and revealed that he discussed the approach with Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav during the match."We were talking about how patiently we can play. We knew that it would be difficult for the new batsmen to play on this wicket."Suthar said India's victory meant more to him than his personal performance.“The most important thing is that we won the match. That is the most important thing. I am very happy about that. I am very happy that I was able to perform in the team’s victory. Winning is the best thing.”He added that beginning the series with a win has given India momentum heading into the second Test.“It is very important because you get momentum when you start this series. You get a good rhythm. You get momentum as a team. It helps a lot. Everyone feels good when we win. I would like to say that it is very good. Winning is the best thing.”Suthar will now look to carry his form into the second Test against Sri Lanka, which begins on August 23.

New England Patriots linebacker Robert Spillane is excited to have former teammate and veteran lineman Greg Van Roten in the mix. Spillane and Van Roten spent time together with the Las Vegas Raiders in 2023. They became good friends during that run, and now, they'll have an opportunity to team together again in New England. The Patriots have dealt with notable injuries at the guard position, with Ben Brown being out for multiple weeks and Andrew Rupcich going on season-ending injured reserve. Van Roten has started in 105 NFL games and brings plenty of experience as a depth option for the team. When speaking with media members, Spillane noted that Van Roten is a hard worker, which is reminiscent of a player who entered the league as an undrafted free agent in 2012. Robert Spillane says new #Patriots guard Greg Van Roten is a hard worker and a good friend of his from their time with the Raiders pic.twitter.com/wJ2NCwyTBB— Taylor Kyles (@tkyles39) August 18, 2026Van Roten is a solid signing for additional depth along the offensive line. Injuries are bound to happen throughout a grueling NFL season, but the Patriots have added another veteran to the room with experience being thrown into the fire. If disaster strikes, they've at least positioned themselves to have a fighting chance. Follow Patriots Wire on Twitter and Facebook.This article originally appeared on Patriots Wire: Patriots' Robert Spillane gave initial thoughts on latest OL signing

Four-time title winner Max Verstappen is sixth in this year's drivers' championship [Getty Images]The news conference that followed the announcement of Max Verstappen extending his contract at Red Bull until the end of 2030 was approaching its final moments when a light-hearted remark got to the crux of his decision."I was closer to retiring than changing teams," Verstappen said.The four-time champion has been facing existential questions this year about his future in Formula 1.The first was triggered by the new engine regulations introduced this year - did he even want to continue racing in this form of motorsport?The second followed on - if so, did he want to stay at the team that has been his home since the start of his journey at the top level of the sport?The announcement that Verstappen had added two further years to a contract that already lasted until the end of 2028 has put both questions to bed, to a degree. But the first more than the second.Verstappen extends Red Bull deal to 2030How to follow Dutch Grand Prix on the BBCThree races into this season, after the Japanese Grand Prix, the frustrations of driving the new hybrid engines of this year boiled over in Verstappen.The need to constantly recover energy to power the batteries, the impossibility of doing so to the extent that they are fully charged at all times, and the artificiality that had been introduced into the racing as a consequence, were too much for the Dutchman after a race at Suzuka, arguably the greatest circuit on the calendar."Is it worth it?" Verstappen pondered out loud. "Or do I enjoy being more at home with my family? Seeing my friends more when you're not enjoying your sport?" By 2028, the split between internal combustion and electrical power will be 60:40 in favour of the internal combustion engine, when it is more like 53:47 now.That will reduce - but not eliminate - the energy starvation suffered by the engines, and as a consequence make driving the cars feel more enjoyable.Verstappen is the purist's purist. He wants to drive on the limit all the time.So it was total anathema to him having the engines run out of battery power, robbing them of 470bhp, before the end of long straights, needing to recover energy through the fastest corners, and having power off-sets between one car and another decide overtakes.In May, he had an experience that underlined to him what F1 had lost, to his mind.He raced a Red Bull-branded Mercedes AMG GT at the Nurburgring 24 Hours, and he was nothing less than sensational, particularly in a first stint that took the car he shared with two other drivers from 10th to first. Only a late driveshaft failure robbed him of victory.This, to him, was what racing was all about.Since Japan, the complaints of the drivers - Verstappen was far from the only driver to express his discontent - have been heard by the sport's bosses.Tweaks to the rules are being introduced over the next two years, to increase the proportion of the total power output of the engine coming from the internal combustion side.At the last couple of races before the summer break, which is brought to an end by this weekend's Dutch Grand Prix, a softening of Verstappen's tone in F1 was discernible. And on Thursday he confirmed it."After the first few races, I said to Laurent [Mekies, the Red Bull team principal], 'Don't come to me with any kind of questions about the future'. Because I didn't even know if I wanted to stay," Verstappen said."I love racing. I had a lot of very good discussions with F1, but also with the FIA. And I think we are slowly working towards something that becomes better and better."Also from my side, of course, I adapted. I accept the situation that we're all in and just trying to make the best of that."Also with the year that I signed to, it again opens up the door maybe, you know, when potentially the V8s come in to look at that again as well."That is a reference to ongoing discussions about the next engine regulations, due to come in by 2031 at the latest.It says something about the mess the sport has got itself into with the latest engine rules that discussions about the next ones, due in five years' time, started even before the first race of the new power-units.The FIA, the sport's governing body, was primarily responsible for the issues with energy starvation that have caused so much angst this season.They were warned by teams and drivers for the last two years or more that this energy starvation situation would become an issue. But they did not listen, instead focusing on adding ever-more complexities to the rules to try to address some of the consequences of it.Verstappen finished second at the Hungarian Grand Prix before the summer break [Getty Images]Now, though, FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem is pushing new rules that would effectively turn back the clock in F1 by a decade and a half - he wants naturally aspirated V8s, ideally with no hybrid at all, or just with some electrical window dressing.This approach misses the point somewhat, as it is not hybrid that is the issue, but the relationship between recovery, battery capacity and deployment.It also introduces other problems, such as what would be a significant increase in the amount of fuel cars needed to start the race because the engines would be far less efficient.On top of that, far from all the engine manufacturers are happy about Ben Sulayem's proposal.The V8 side of it no one has a problem with. But Audi and Mercedes, for example, would prefer the engines to be turbocharged. And there is a desire in some quarters for the hybrid part of the engine to be more significant than token.But none of that should be a concern for Verstappen. The key point is that his main concern - being able to use all the power the engine has whenever he wants it - should no longer be an issue, with whatever new rules are produced, and whenever they come in.And that is how Verstappen has come to make peace with where things are at."Personally, I'm not happy with it," he said. "It's, let's say, not fantastic. But I still love racing. I mean, it's still a Formula 1 car."That decided, it brought him to the secondary part - stay at Red Bull, or consider a move?Mercedes have been long-time suitors, and although they had indicated they were likely to stick with Kimi Antonelli and George Russell for next year, the temptation to make room for Verstappen had he pushed for a move would have been tough for boss Toto Wolff to resist.Verstappen also had talks with McLaren, where his friend and long-time race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase is moving in the future by 2028 at the latest.Verstappen's involvement in this year's Nurburgring 24 Hours created a lot of interest in the race, with weekend tickets selling out for the first time in the event's history and organisers saying a record 352,000 attended [Getty Images]Red Bull have had a difficult 2026 so far - Verstappen is yet to win a race, and has repeatedly voiced his frustrations about the car's performance.Mekies would not elaborate on what he called the "strategic decisions" he has shared with Verstappen, but clearly they were enough. The fact that Red Bull allow him to pursue his extra-curricular actives, such as the Nurburgring 24 Horus, without pushing back was also a factor."First of all, you need to feel good where you're at," he said. "Red Bull allows me to do things also a little bit outside of Formula 1. So it's, like, a big plus. You know, all of it, the whole package, which I'm very grateful for."He talked about his love for Red Bull, about what he called a "really, really good, very open and transparent" relationship with Mekies.Verstappen and Mekies would not elaborate in public on the details of the new contract they have negotiated.But the deal, according to insiders, involves a small pay bump to what was already the biggest driver salary in F1, and leaves Verstappen still in control of his own future, with options to leave if expected performance is not delivered.But it also, as Mekies pointed out, amounts to "a demonstration of trust Max has put in the team".Verstappen said: "I always said - and I said this when Dietrich [Mateschitz, the late Red Bull co-owner] was still alive - my goal and target is to finish my career in this team. We are getting close to that. "Of course, there's still a lot of years ahead, but that's still the target."

The Baltimore Ravens traveled to Minnesota this week, and their reasons for doing so were about more than a change of scenery. Joint practices offer coaches opportunities to evaluate players against unfamiliar opponents. They also provide a chance to stress-test schemes before the regular season begins. For head coach Jesse Minter, that made Wednesday's work against the Minnesota Vikings particularly valuable.Following a very intense joint practice session, Minter spoke with media members. He was asked whether he expected Minnesota's defense to provide a significant challenge for Baltimore's offense. After all, Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores has built a reputation as one of football's most aggressive and creative defensive play-callers, consistently finding ways to pressure offenses and force quarterbacks into difficult decisions. Minter's answer left little doubt about the respect he has for Flores."Yes, absolutely (When asked about whether he though facing Flores' defense would provide a good test). Nobody probably pressures more in the league than 'Flo' [Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores]. He does a phenomenal job. He is one of the best coordinators in the league. So, it is a great test."The praise carries additional weight coming from Minter, a defensive-minded head coach whose own reputation has been built on creativity and adaptability. Rather than viewing Flores' pressure packages as an obstacle, Minter seemed to embrace the challenge they presented.A useful August stress test for the RavensWe all hear this more often. Joint practices are often more valuable than preseason games for established veterans because coaches can create specific situations and evaluate how players respond. Against Flores, Baltimore's offense received exactly the kind of difficult examination teams hope to encounter before September.Minter noted that Flores' approach remains distinctive even in a league increasingly built around pressure and disguise."It is a unique scheme that is unique to him and maybe a guy or two that has broken out from his tree. He does a great job, [and I have] tons of respect for him."That uniqueness is precisely what makes practices like these beneficial. An offense can spend weeks preparing against its own defense, but eventually familiarity takes over. Facing an outside opponent introduces new looks, different tendencies, and unexpected challenges. Minter acknowledged there were likely both positive and negative moments for Baltimore's offense throughout the session. That is often the point."I am sure there were some good and bad. I am sure there were some plays where he had some really good calls dialed up, and I am sure Lamar [Jackson] made some plays as well."The Ravens will return to the practice field against Minnesota for another joint session before the teams meet in preseason action. By then, Baltimore's offense will have another opportunity to measure itself against one of the league's most respected defensive play-callers.That challenge is precisely why Minter welcomed the matchup in the first place. August is not about proving what a team already does well. It is about exposing flaws before opponents can exploit them when the standings matter. Facing Brian Flores' defense may not always be comfortable, but discomfort often produces the most valuable lessons. If Baltimore's offense leaves Minnesota with a clearer understanding of where it must improve, the Ravens will likely view the week as a success regardless of how many individual battles were won or lost along the way.This article originally appeared on Ravens Wire: Jesse Minter explains why Brian Flores was an ideal test for Ravens

Yesterday, the internet piled on Sen. Darline Graham Nordone (R-SC) – the sister of the late Lindsey Graham, who was appointed by her state’s Republican governor to serve the rest of her brother’s term – for giving one of the worst answers in a political debate when asked about her position on Taiwan. Now she says it’s OK because no one cares about international politics. They care about trans kids. Related “Sinister”: Lindsey Graham’s sister makes surprising move in bid to win a Senate seat “I tripped up on one question last night regarding Taiwan,” Graham Nordone told Sean Hannity on Fox News yesterday. “I’ve said many times, I’m not a politician, certainly not a career politician, I don’t speak politician. You know, I was just honest.” “I think people in South Carolina are more worried about making ends meet, they’re concerned about boys in girls’ sports. One lady talked to me extensively about that today.” Your LGBTQ+ guide to Elections Stay ahead of the election with our newsletter that covers candidates, issues, and perspectives that matter. Subscribe to our Newsletter today “They’re concerned about a lot of other things other than Taiwan.” Darline Graham: I tripped up on one question last night, regarding Taiwan. I don't speak politician. I was just honest. Of course, Taiwan is our friend. But I think people in South Carolina are more worried about boys in girls sports. pic.twitter.com/xKZNxkldrN— Acyn (@Acyn) August 20, 2026 Graham Nordone was appointed as a caretaker for her brother’s Senate office in July, and almost immediately afterward she announced her own Senate campaign, despite having no background in elected office. On Tuesday night, at a debate for the special primary to determine the GOP nominee for the Senate seat, Graham Nordone was asked about her position on the conflict between Taiwan and China and whether it is a “national security issue” for the US. “I’m just gonna be honest here, I have not- On national security that- I’m not that informed on national security, so…” Graham Nordone responded. “But I do support the military.” Her response received a lot of attention online, and yesterday she appeared on Hannity’s show for a friendly interview in which he tried to help her downplay her lack of knowledge about world affairs. “I wonder how many people around the country, if I gave them a map, could pick out Taiwan?” Hannity said as he brought the topic up during the interview. “I don’t think many.” Hannity on AOC: Wow, she couldn’t answer a question about Taiwan! Hannity on Darline Graham: Why is everyone making a big deal about this question on Taiwan? People can’t event find it on a map! pic.twitter.com/dfD8QK45j5— Acyn (@Acyn) August 20, 2026 Later in the interview, Hannity said that Graham Nordone must have extensive knowledge about the Middle East and Ukraine because of who her brother was. “I know we need to stand with the Israel,” she responded, explaining that she is more focused on domestic policy. Hannity: I bet based on all your time with your brother, that you know probably everything about the Middle East…. Darline Graham: Absolutely. I know national security is important. We have a wonderful commander in chief. I know that we need to stand with Israel… pic.twitter.com/Df6cVQHmyW— Acyn (@Acyn) August 20, 2026 Graham Nordone used attacks on trans people to bolster her campaign since its inception. In July, she released a video announcing her Senate campaign where she said, “Men don’t belong in women’s sports.” South Carolina already bans trans kids from participating in school sports with others of their gender and was among the first states to do so in 2022. It’s not clear why this would be a concern for people in her state, since even states that allow trans kids to participate in school sports see few trans kids exercising that right. Graham Nordone will face Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC) in a special primary on August 25. Early voting has already started. Subscribe to the LGBTQ Nation newsletter and be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.

2026-08-20T13:50:14Z Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers have released two United Nations staff members who they detained more than a week ago, the U.N. said Thursday, adding that the reason for the two men’s detention remains unclear.The arrests were the latest in a series of detentions by Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities. Last week, the advocacy group Human Rights Watch said six staff members of a local organization working on women’s and children’s rights had been “forcibly disappeared” for more than a month.The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan said its two employees, who were detained in the western city of Herat on Aug. 9, were released Thursday morning and appeared to be in good health.“UNAMA has not been formally notified of the reasons for their arrest and detention and continues to follow up with the de facto authorities,” the U.N. said in a statement, adding that it understood that the charges against the two had been dropped. It said the organization was also following up “to ensure respect for the privileges and immunities of the United Nations, as well as the safety, security, and freedom of movement of United Nations and associated personnel throughout the country.”Afghan authorities did not immediately comment on the U.N. staff members’ release. The U.N. mission’s mandate from the U.N. Security Council includes promoting and supporting humanitarian assistance to the Afghan people, promoting human rights, equality for women and girls, inclusive governance and economic stability.On Aug. 12, Human Rights Watch said six senior members from the Women and Children Legal Research Foundation were detained on July 18 after they were told to come to their office to retrieve laptops and phones confiscated during a raid on the organization’s offices about a month earlier. Read More It said authorities had not provided any information on the staffers’ whereabouts, and called for them to be allowed visits by family members and lawyers. The six were still in custody on Thursday, HRW said. The Taliban seized power in Afghanistan on Aug. 15, 2021, as U.S. and NATO forces withdrew from the country after two decades of war.Shortly after, they barred girls from education beyond primary school and banned women from nearly all employment, effectively excluding women and girls from public life. They have also effectively condoned child marriage and have made domestic violence punishable only in cases in which a woman has suffered visible injuries or broken bones. Sign up for Morning Wire: Our flagship newsletter breaks down the biggest headlines of the day. Email address Sign up By checking this box, you agree to AP's Terms of Use and acknowledge that AP may collect and use your data pursuant to our Privacy Policy. In June, at least 30 women were arrested in Herat for alleged infringements of the country’s draconian dress code for women, sparking a rare protest in the city which Taliban police violently suppressed, leaving at least one person dead. ELENA BECATOROS Becatoros oversees coverage of southeast Europe for The Associated Press, with frequent assignments to the Middle East and Afghanistan. Based in Athens, Greece, she has worked around the world, including covering war in the Balkans, Iraq, Afghanistan and Ukraine. twitter instagram mailto

Somali women displaced by drought sit at Feynuus Nutrition Centre on the outskirts of the capital, Mogadishu, Somalia Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Farah Abdi Warsameh)2026-08-20T13:38:16Z MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — Six million people in Somalia are facing acute food insecurity while the World Food Program has only a tenth of the resources it had in 2022 when it helped avert famine in the drought- and conflict-stricken East African nation, the head of the U.N. agency told The Associated Press.“We can only do the bare minimum,” WFP executive director Carl Skau said Wednesday during a visit to a nutrition center on the outskirts of the capital, Mogadishu. “We’re only providing these nutrition supplies to the children that are really the worst hit.”The reduced funds, because of cuts in international aid by donors and the redirection of resources to other humanitarian crises, meant that the WFP is unable to expand its assistance in Somalia, Skau said.Millions of people at risk but far less aidThe WFP projects that 1.9 million children under age 5 in the country will suffer acute malnutrition this year, including nearly 500,000 who will require urgent treatment for severe acute malnutrition. Overall, around 30% of the population faces critical levels of food insecurity, the U.N. has said. “We had 10 times more resources than now,” Skau said of the 2022 hunger emergency that was caused by a prolonged drought. “We were able to step in, and we prevented a famine here in Somalia.” “We know what’s going on, we have the capacity, we have the experience of dealing with this. We just need the resources now to do it.”The consequences of the current food shortage, which is also a result of drought, conflict and the displacement of people, are seen at the Feynuus Health Center in Mogadishu’s Kahda district. Dozens of women carrying babies waited beneath a large tree or crowded along the veranda of the corrugated-metal facility seeking help.Inside, health workers placed children in a blue weighing sling, screened them for malnutrition, and distributed therapeutic food. Read More One desperate mother tells her storyHalima Mohamed Hassan, a mother of six, had walked nearly 3 kilometers (2 miles) carrying her malnourished 4-year-old child. She is pregnant, but said she hadn’t eaten for two days. Her last meal was plain rice.Health workers treated the child she brought with a special nutrient-dense food, while Hassan said that her other children were also malnourished, but she wasn’t able to bring them to the center. “I could not carry all of them,” she said. Sign up for Morning Wire: Our flagship newsletter breaks down the biggest headlines of the day. Email address Sign up By checking this box, you agree to AP's Terms of Use and acknowledge that AP may collect and use your data pursuant to our Privacy Policy. Hassan fled the Lower Shabelle region four months ago after her husband died of malnutrition, she said. Food and water became scarce, and conflict made it increasingly dangerous for the family to stay.She and her children walked for four nights before reaching a camp for internally displaced people on Mogadishu’s outskirts.Hassan now shares a makeshift shelter with her widowed mother and her mother’s four other children. The two women look for occasional work washing clothes in nearby neighborhoods to feed their household of 12. A health center tries its best to helpThe Feynuus center receives between 250 and 350 patients daily, mainly displaced women and children from regions outside Mogadishu, said Abdirahman Barkhad, program director of Youth Link Somalia, which operates the center.Barkhad said that about 10 nearby health and nutrition centers had closed because of a reduction in humanitarian funding, increasing pressure on those that remain.“We have witnessed children collapsing, because their families do not have enough food,” he said.Mohamud Moallim Abdulle, commissioner of the Somali Disaster Management Agency, described the country’s food situation as “extremely alarming.”He said that an estimated 1.85 million children are malnourished, while around 6 million people are affected by drought, and 2 million urgently need assistance.They don’t know where their next meal isSkau said that mothers he met this week in the town of Burhakaba described drought, insecurity, and also rising food prices as the main drivers of the crisis. Some had lost their crops and fled their homes. Others walked for three or four hours to reach health facilities, because aid workers couldn’t reach them.“I spoke to women with eight to 10 children,” Skau said. “They don’t know where the next meal is going to come from.” Insecurity, with Somalia battling a 20-year-long insurgency by the al-Shabab militant group, also makes humanitarian operations more expensive. WFP must use aircraft in areas where staff and supplies can’t travel safely by road, and some communities are inaccessible, Skau said.He said that conflict in the Middle East was adding to the pressure by driving up fuel and food prices, limiting agricultural supplies, and drawing funding toward other emergencies.After her child received some food at the center, Hassan began the walk back to the camp they live in. Her five other children were still waiting and hungry, she said, and she would have to return with them one at a time.___For more on Africa and development: https://apnews.com/hub/africa-pulse___ The Associated Press receives financial support for global health and development coverage in Africa from the Gates Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

AP reporter Christopher Bodeen walks along the Mutianyu Great Wall section on the outskirts of Beijing, on Nov. 10, 2017, while covering Melania Trump’s visit to the wall. (AP Photo/Emily Wang)2026-08-20T13:37:50Z TOKYO (AP) — Christopher Bodeen, a tenacious, old-school wire service reporter who brought a keen analytical eye and a wry sense of humor to decades of work in China, Taiwan and in war zones and natural disasters across the globe for The Associated Press, has died. He was 55.Bodeen died Monday after a struggle with cancer and complications from a stroke, his daughter, Ingrid, said Thursday by telephone from Taiwan. Bodeen, who spoke fluent Mandarin with a proud Taiwan accent, spent much of his career detailing China’s rise to an economic, political and military superpower — and the accompanying friction from what critics have long called Beijing’s heavy-handed efforts to establish dominance in Asia and beyond. “Chris was a reporter who would go anywhere and do anything for the story,” said Charles Hutzler, AP’s former bureau chief in Beijing. After a huge quake flattened a swath of Sichuan province in 2008, Bodeen composed his account from one devastated town sentence by sentence over text messages because of damaged telecommunications networks. “It was one of the first eyewitness reports the AP and the world received about one of the worst earthquakes in decades,” Hutzler recalled. He was an expert on politics and Chinese military issuesFrom AP bureaus in Shanghai, Beijing and Taipei, Bodeen was for years the news agency’s go-to person on Chinese politics and military issues, able to quickly determine the newsworthiness of the government’s often abstruse statements.“A chat with Chris would inevitably turn into a remarkable history lesson,” said Emily Wang Fujiyama, former Greater China news director. “He had astounding knowledge of the region and would be writing about China’s military presence in the South China Sea, pivot to Taiwan’s intricate politics, and just as deftly write about the political sensitivities of Tibet, Mongolia and China.”Bodeen was born in Missouri on Sept. 9, 1970, but he spent parts of his childhood in the Middle East, Europe, Africa and Asia. His father was a foreign service officer and his mother a former diplomat, his daughter, Ingrid, said. Friends and colleagues remembered his love of the Boston Red Sox, esoteric punk rock -- and his contagious enthusiasm for the job of journalism.“He was the blondest, palest person you’ll ever meet” yet also spoke pitch-perfect Chinese, said Ted Anthony, AP’s former China news editor and news director for Asia. “So when the earthquake in Sichuan happened in 2008, he went out there, put on one of his ever-present ballcaps to cover his hair, and slouched down. He passed as Chinese, started interviewing people and sailed under the scrutiny of the authorities.” He was ‘always ready for adventure’Bodeen joined the AP in 1996, in Taiwan, the self-governing democratic island China claims as its own, before working as an editor on the agency’s international desk in New York and then joining the AP bureau in Beijing as a correspondent, in 2000. He majored in history and Asian studies at Tufts University, graduating in 1993. Read More “Chris Bodeen was always ready for adventure. Hiding in the hills of Hainan Island, China, to try to report on the return of an American Air Force plane forced down in 2001, he was the best colleague to be with,” said Raf Wober, a video journalist in the AP’s Hong Kong bureau. In a 2017 story on efforts to burnish the image of Chinese leader Xi Jinping, Bodeen described state broadcaster China Central Television leading its evening national news bulletin “with more than four minutes of uninterrupted clapping for Xi as he met with adoring citizens,” and a Russian translator who “was so engrossed with reading a recent speech by Xi, Xinhua (the official news agency) said, that he skipped lunch and dinner just to finish studying it.”While much of this might have seemed amusing to outsiders, Bodeen was careful to note that “the domination of (Xi’s) image in official propaganda evokes, for some, the painful memories of the upheaval of the 1960s and ’70s, when Mao (Zedong) was accorded the status of a near deity.” Sign up for Morning Wire: Our flagship newsletter breaks down the biggest headlines of the day. Email address Sign up By checking this box, you agree to AP's Terms of Use and acknowledge that AP may collect and use your data pursuant to our Privacy Policy. Passion for family and work was his hallmarkBodeen was deeply proud of his two daughters and loved showing off their artwork and achievements — and creative Halloween costumes — to colleagues. “Every parent thinks their kids are the best, but, hand to God, these girls are both adorable and seriously tough cookies,” he wrote of his children.“He truly, passionately loved what he did, as much as he loved being a dad,” Ingrid Bodeen said. She recalled that when her father spent long stints reporting from Afghanistan during her childhood, “he would always have my mom fax over my spelling lists and homework so we could work on them together. He never missed a spelling test week.”Bodeen was also beloved by colleagues for his sharp sense of humor, his knowledge of good local food and an encyclopedic knowledge of movie and TV comedies from the ’70s and ’80s. Kanis Leung, an AP reporter in Hong Kong, said that Bodeen once told her about an old correspondent’s description of news reporting as “the art of shoving 50 pounds of oatmeal into a 10-pound sack.” “Except,” Leung said, “he didn’t say oatmeal.” Bodeen is survived by his wife, Yen Ling, daughters Ingrid, 26, and Naomi, 22, his parents and a sister. FOSTER KLUG Klug is the AP’s news director for the Koreas, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific. He’s covered Asia since 2005 and has reported from across the region, including multiple trips to North Korea. twitter

A Palestinian salesman shows an iPhone 17 Pro Max to the camera at a mobile phone store in Gaza City, Sunday, Aug. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)2026-08-20T13:23:24Z CAIRO (AP) — The smuggling of goods restricted by Israel into the Gaza Strip has boomed, with items from cigarettes and iPhones to fuel and solar panels making their way to desperate residents of the tiny coastal territory devastated by a nearly three-year war.An Associated Press investigation — based on an analysis of Israeli court documents and on interviews with traders, merchants, truckers, officials, and Palestinian residents who face skyrocketing prices for everyday essentials — built a picture of the smuggling market and found that soldiers and other middlemen are accused of pocketing millions of dollars in the illicit trade. Most of AP’s sources spoke on condition of anonymity because of their roles in the illegal smuggling business and concerns about their safety in Gaza. Here are some takeaways from AP’s report. Sources say Gaza’s Hamas-led government is taking in money on smuggled itemsMerchants and one Palestinian official said Gaza’s Hamas-run government takes in some profit from goods coming into the enclave. Merchants refer to it as “taxing” — on both smuggled goods and those brought in legally.Mohammad Barbakh, of the Palestinian Economy Ministry in Gaza, said the government receives up to 20% of the price of smuggled goods if the merchant reports them to authorities, and that increases to 80% if the items go unreported and authorities discover them. But he said authorities don’t call their cut “taxes” and that they haven’t taxed goods entering legally since the war’s start. Barbakh and other sources said the government doesn’t engage in commercial smuggling directly or oversee the trade. Two senior officials in the Hamas administration said — on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to speak to journalists — the money collected helps fund social services and pay salaries for Gaza’s civil service and police force. They estimated up to $100 million had been collected on smuggled goods since a fragile ceasefire deal. Read More Barbakh said the government doesn’t have exact figures on smuggled goods “because these operations are conducted clandestinely.”In response to AP questions, Ismail al-Thawabta of the government’s media office said no collected funds go to Hamas’ military wing. Israeli indictments show the scope of smuggling, including military linksSince late 2025, Israeli authorities have broken up several alleged smuggling rings, indicting more than a dozen people, including reserve soldiers operating in Gaza. The traders, merchants and truckers who spoke to AP say that’s a fraction of those involved.In one of the biggest cases, prosecutors accused several people of running a smuggling ring out of the central town of Kiryat Gat. Indictments show they’re accused of bribing reserve soldiers in Gaza, including Bezalel Zini, brother of the head of the Shin Bet, Israel’s powerful domestic security agency. Court documents assert that millions of dollars are changing hands in smuggling rings. Two Israeli brothers, Eliran and Avi Algarabli, earned some $2.2 million from smuggling runs from October to December, when they were arrested, documents say. Other defendants in cases are accused of making $1 million to $3 million. Sign up for Morning Wire: Our flagship newsletter breaks down the biggest headlines of the day. Email address Sign up By checking this box, you agree to AP's Terms of Use and acknowledge that AP may collect and use your data pursuant to our Privacy Policy. Smuggling fuels Gaza’s economy Smuggling is a major source of income as most of the population “lost their source of living,” a tribal leader said, on condition of anonymity over safety concerns.Several top merchants estimated that smuggling comprises over half their total operations and can bring in more than 70% of profits.Those costs get passed on to residents, for groceries and other needs. Residents say a vehicle battery can go for more than $2,300, compared with $140 prewar. “Baby formula and pet food were also smuggled,” said Mohamed Abu Taha, a Gaza resident and father of one. Cigarettes rake in the biggest profitsCigarettes and tobacco products have been banned from entry to Gaza since the war’s start.Perhaps no item is as in demand. Prices per pack, residents say, hit $140 recently, and over $1,000 during Israel’s total blockade.“You could find two or three men sharing one cigarette,” Abu Taha said. For smugglers, these products are easy to hide and the potential profit huge. Shipments of thousands of packs have been hidden in Israeli military vehicles, commercial trucks, aid shipments and even hollowed-out pineapples, according to traders, court documents and Israeli official statements.COGAT, the military department in charge of coordinating entry of goods into Gaza, didn’t reply when asked why cigarettes are banned. Have a news tip? Tell our investigators AP’s global investigative team accepts tips securely and confidentially. Choose the method that works best for you. Email [email protected] Signal +1 (202) 281-8604 Secure and confidential Israel bans many items on the grounds of “dual use” Beyond cigarettes, smugglers also bring in essential goods, like concrete, vehicle parts, anesthetics and other drugs. Israel restricts quantities of some goods and bans others outright. The military classifies some 150 broad categories of items as “dual use,” asserting they could be repurposed by Hamas militants for military functions – including asphalt, steel pipes, wooden planks and X-ray machines, according to documents provided by COGAT.Besides the U.N. and other humanitarian groups bringing in aid, Israel has given 12 senior traders in Gaza permits to import commercial goods. Shipment contents must be approved by Israeli authorities, a process aid workers and merchants say can be long and opaque, sometimes ending with a “dual use” rejection.COGAT said it has let in some “dual use” items including generators and X-ray machines, under strict monitoring. The Israeli military said via email that it takes smuggling “very seriously.” It said cases of suspected involvement by Israeli military personnel are “examined and handled in accordance with the law.” But military officials didn’t answer a list of detailed questions from AP on the roles of soldiers or Gaza’s government in smuggling. Residents pay the price, and some question Israel’s ban list Payments along the way go to many players, including drivers and warehouse workers in Israel and Gaza, said one trader. “You are paying at every step, plus the price of the goods themselves,” he said.Gaza residents have faced another summer with limited resources. For example, fans that once cost $100 can run $500.“When we ask the merchants why they don’t import fans, they say the Israeli army refuses to allow them in because they’re dual use,” resident Mohamed Abu Olwan said. “What would they make with them? Rockets?”____Associated Press journalists Wafaa Shurafa in Deir al-Balah, Gaza; Natalie Melzer in Tel Aviv, Israel; and Lee Keath in Cairo contributed. SAMY MAGDY Magdy is a Middle East reporter for The Associated Press, based in Cairo. He focuses on conflict, migration and human rights abuses. twitter facebook mailto

I can clearly remember the first time I saw a deepfake. I was waiting for the train on my way to the Vice office in 2017 when I got a Twitter DM from someone who saw it posted to Reddit. It was a short .gif from the start of a porn video, showing a woman lying on a bed and talking to the camera, only the woman’s face had been edited to look like Gal Gadot.The deepfake was shockingly realistic for the time, and as Sam’s reporting on it from that day on has shown, deepfakes have primarily been used to harass and degrade women. We were surprised by how advanced the technology seemed at the time and knew that the internet and the law wasn’t prepared to deal with it. The technology has advanced exponentially since then, and the internet and the law has still not caught up to it. But as concerning as deepfakes clearly were the moment we laid eyes on them, the problem was never that we thought Gal Gadot actually made an adult video. Deepfakes can look convincing, but they never fooled us that what we were seeing was real. But for the past few months I’ve been looking at a new and strange type of AI generated nonconsensual image on X that I think will fool a lot of people. These images, which I’ve started calling subtlefakes, are not as clearly offensive, but they are a lot more convincing. The concerning implication is that it’s not just the technology that is advancing now, but that the people who wield it maliciously are getting more sophisticated. Much like “cheap fakes,” which in 2019 Data & Society described as an edited piece of media that manipulates the truth without requiring AI or any other advanced technology, subtlefakes are another form of synthetic media that has taken over the internet since the emergence of deepfakes in 2017.These more convincing images are not AI generated nudes of celebrities or face-swapped identities onto porn videos, but AI generated images of celebrities that are subtly edited to make them more revealing or provocative. We’ve written countless stories about AI generated nonconsensual media of celebrities and non celebrities. It’s a form of harassment that causes psychological and material damage to people, and they don’t have to be believable to do that. Even if the image looks photorealistic, it is often clearly fake for the simple reason that it’s unlikely that the biggest actor in the world would suddenly produce hardcore pornography that’s posted by a random account to X. The images I’ve been seeing lately are often only slightly altered. One type of image, for example, will edit a real photograph of a famous actor walking a red carpet, but edit it to make her dress more revealing or to make her butt or boobs bigger. Another type is entirely AI-generated post-workout selfies at the gym. The only example I feel totally comfortable sharing is one that was called out and shared by the target of one of these fakes, actor Xochitl Gomez. As a side-by-side she shared on Instagram shows, someone had taken a real photograph of her at a parking lot, looking over her shoulder and smiling at the camera, and used AI to make it look like she was bending over in one image and putting her hand on her butt in the other. Similarly, someone had taken an image of her on a red carpet and used AI to make it seem like she’s turning her back to the camera and sticking her tongue out. These images are not just photorealistic, they also don’t have the usual context clues we’ve come to expect from nonconsensual images. I think I am very good at spotting AI generated images because it’s a big part of what we do here, and I don’t think I could tell these were AI generated if I was just scrolling on X. These images are almost always posted by verified engagement farming accounts on X, which pays the people who operate them if their posts get enough impressions. X obviously doesn't care if people are doing this and a bunch of other stuff that’s as bad or worse. I’ve seen at least one account that shared a few of these subtle deepfakes, but when I scrolled down their post history I found nonconsensual fully nude and sexual images that they monetized via other platforms, so that’s another reason why X accounts might be doing this. There are many, many accounts like this and they are earning millions of views.I think it’s interesting because it’s a new, and as far as I know, yet to be covered use of nonconsensual AI images. It’s also important and in the public’s interest to know it’s happening because people should know what kind of AI content is targeting them, especially if it’s at the expense of other people. It’s also possibly a warning sign for how people’s AI use is evolving from abusive but obviously fake, to more subtle, less offensive, but much harder to detect. The other reason these types of images are going to be harder to moderate is that it’s easier to produce them. There are plenty of services that let people easily AI generate nonconsensual nudes of anyone, but they almost always involve some friction. People have to go to a sketchy site, install a sketchy app, or pay a small fee. As we’ve reported many times in the past, more easily accessible AI generators from tech giants can be manipulated to produce nonconsensual images as well, but generally speaking, most companies are trying to prevent people from making those images with their tools. While it’s not impossible, it does require some effort to bypass those guardrails. It is not so hard to bypass those guardrails if the nonconsual images people are producing don’t include any nudity or sexual acts, assuming the AI generator is even design to prevent those type of images. Most mainstream AI generation tools at least try to prevent people from generating any type of nudity. Fewer of them try to prevent people from generating the likeness of a real person. I can’t say for certain where most of the subtlefakes I’ve seen come from, but I know that at least some of them were made with X’s own Grok because some images included the Grok watermark. X has repeatedly been caught enabling nonconsensual images and only attempting to do something about it after public outrage. X did not respond to a request for comment.“Large social media platforms that are really struggling under the weight of this for the first time,” Hany Farid, an image forensics expert and cofounder of deepfake detection firm GetReal, told me. You can see my full interview with Farid here. “They've always had a problem, but this seems to be the first time where they're like, ‘Oh man, this is really bad.’ And I think it's because the volume and the sophistication of the fakes is nothing we've seen before.”The primary targets of deepfakes always were and continue to be women, but Farid said other nefarious uses of the technology are also becoming harder to deal with.“If you go back 10 years, it was pretty clumsy,” Farid said. “It's getting more and more sophisticated. They're evolving. Cyber criminals evolve and that's going to make everybody's job much much harder as the years go on.” Our reporting on deepfakes over the years has taught us that people make them because they feel entitled to women’s bodies, because they are intentionally trying to hurt them, or because it’s profitable. I’m sure all those reasons apply to subtlefakes, but it appears to me that the current state of X is pouring gasoline on that fire. People use subtlefakes as advertisements for accounts other platforms where they monetize nonconsensual images, but that is rare. It seems that the more logical scheme is to monetize pure engagement via X’s ads revenue sharing program, which pays X users for engagement. It’s not a lot of money, but it’s easy money. Since X is not interested in moderating this content, one person can also operate multiple accounts, posting dozens of times a day. In general, my X feed is mostly different types of engagement farming. Another type of subtlefake I’ve seen a lot of doesn’t require AI at all. For example, this post about OnlyFans model Sophie Rain claims that Drake paid her $2,000,000 to take her virginity, and includes two random images of Drake and a completely unrelated TMZ video of Rain. People click on the video to see if she said what the post claims, and the account gets the engagement before they realize it’s a lie. This kind of easy, stupid, but effective garbage is what X is rewarding, and these subtlefakes are just one concerning outcome.

Nature, Published online: 20 August 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-02612-3Promising trial results suggest cancer vaccines work and could be used to target other tumours.

PREVIEW | St. Johnstone vs Celtic: team news, lineups, predictions (Scottish Premiership 22/08)St. Johnstone and Celtic face off this Saturday at the McDiarmid Park in Scottish Premiership.St. Johnstone currently have 3 points and lie in 7th position. In their last encounter, Simo Valakari's team were beaten 1-0 by St. Mirren (Scottish Premiership 2026/27). Celtic have won 6 points to date and are placed in 1st position. In their last game, Martin O´Neill's team won 3-0 against LASK Linz (Champions League [Qualification] 2026/27).The last meeting between the two teams ended with Celtic winning 5-0.UnavailableSt. JohnstoneCelticLast starting XIsSt. Johnstone ( vs St. Mirren 2026-08-08): Toby Steward, Liam Smith, Cheick Diabate, Zach Mitchell, Matty Foulds, Reece McAlear, Jason Holt, Sam Stanton, Jamie Gullan, Ruari Paton, Josh FowlerCeltic ( vs LASK Linz 2026-08-19): Viljami Sinisalo, Colby Donovan, Cameron Carter-Vickers, Auston Trusty, Kieran Tierney, Mika Baur, Callum McGregor, Benjamin Nygren, Camilo Durán, Kasper Hogh, Yang Hyun-jun

Ibrahima Konate sets clear objective after Real Madrid presentation: ‘I want to be part of the club’s history’The third official presentation of the summer arrivals at Real Madrid took place today. After manager Jose Mourinho on Tuesday and Bernardo Silva yesterday, it was Ibrahima Konate’s turn. The Real Madrid Sports City hosted the official welcome ceremony for the French defender as a new Real Madrid player continuing the new trend of a low-key ceremony, moving from the grand presentations the club used to do in the past.Konate presented as new Real Madrid playerPresident Florentino Perez received him in the boardroom, where the defender signed a contract that will keep him at the club for the next four seasons, until June 30, 2030. After signing, Konate received a replica of the Santiago Bernabeu, a watch and a shirt bearing his name and the number 16. Konate’s presentation finally took place. (Photo courtesy: Real Madrid official website)Honorary Real Madrid president Jose Martínez Pirri also attended the ceremony.Konate speaksFollowing the official presentation, Konate briefly spoke to Real Madrid TV, wherein he explained what it meant for him to be a Real Madrid player.“It means a lot to me because the first shirt I ever had was the Real Madrid shirt, which was a gift from my older brother,” he recollected.“From that moment on, I always dreamed of playing for this fantastic team and today I’m very happy to be living that dream. “I know the club has very high expectations of anyone who wears this shirt and I’m here to fight for this team with everything I have, both on and off the pitch.”On what it felt like seeing Real Madrid’s 15 European Cups lined up together, he added: “I feel great. I only regret one, the one in Paris in 2022, because I was playing for Liverpool at the time and Madrid won that Champions League again.”Eyeing more success with Real Madrid. (Photo courtesy: Real Madrid official website)Continuing, he added: “I want to be part of Real Madrid’s history and I want to win trophies, win the Champions League with this team and be part of its history forever.”He then thanked the president and everyone involved, in perfect Spanish, for making his dream a “reality.”Concluding, Konate said: “I promise to give everything for this shirt.”Konate joined Real Madrid for free after choosing not to renew his contract with Liverpool.With his signing, Mourinho gains greater depth in a position that was severely affected by injuries last season. As things stand, the French international could start alongside Dean Huijsen in Saturday’s La Liga opener vs RCD Espanyol.

NEW YORK (AP) — The Grand Slam tennis tournaments have created a player council, giving players greater input into matters involving the biggest events in the sport.The Grand Slam Player Advisory Council was announced Thursday by the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open. It will begin following the final major of the year, which begins next week in New York.Players have been seeking a larger share of revenues from the Grand Slams, along with better representation, health options and pensions. Some limited their media appearances at the French Open and Wimbledon as a protest, with top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff among the stars who even threatened a potential boycott of the Slams before play began in Paris if they didn’t start receiving more compensation. “The Grand Slams are the biggest events of the year and the events that the players prioritize and focus on throughout the season," American Jessica Pegula, the No. 3-ranked woman, said in a statement. "Their impact on a player’s career cannot be overstated, and that is why it is so important that we have a voice in matters at these tournaments." The Grand Slams said the goal of the council will be to strengthen the partnership between the tournaments and the players, with a focus on player input into sporting matters at the events.The tournaments and players are currently developing the composition and structure of the council. Interested players will be invited to apply for positions.Along with matters that affect the Grand Slams collectively, the council will provide a forum for players to discuss things such as prize money and player welfare with each of the tournaments individually.The Australian Open, French Open and U.S. Open are operated by non-profit governing bodies. Wimbledon is run by the private All England Club.“We have listened to the players’ desire for a greater voice and this advisory council is an important step toward a stronger relationship between the Grand Slams and the players," said Deborah Jevans, chair of the All England Club. "We look forward to working together to elevate the player experience, further enhance the Grand Slam tournaments and ensure the sport continues to thrive.”___See AP’s full tennis coverage here

Mar 16, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) reacts after scoring a basket during the first quarter against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn ImagesThe Los Angeles Lakers‘ front office has been hard at work this offseason. With several new additions to the roster, the Purple and Gold certainly look like a brand-new team. While promising, these many new faces would typically raise concerns about the process of building chemistry. However, Lakers superstar Luka Doncic seems to have taken the lead on this front.Luka Doncic invited the entire Lakers squad to Slovenia this summer, offering to host them and even pay for their trip to his hometown. As noteworthy as this gesture is, Doncic pulled out all the stops to ensure his teammates arrived in comfort.According to a report on Zurnal24.si, the Lakers superstar chartered a private plane for his teammates to fly to and from Ljubljana. To make matters more impressive, however, the report also revealed the cost Doncic incurred, as it mentioned:“Doncic covered all the costs of a several-day trip, during which basketball players from the most famous NBA franchise will get to know some of the beauties of Slovenia. For transportation from the United States, Doncic rented a private jet of a prestigious brand. The aircraft is a Global 8000 from the Canadian manufacturer Bombardier… The Bombardier Global 8000 accommodates 20 passengers in its luxurious interior.”“The plane costs around $75 million, and renting it isn’t cheap either. The cheapest rental rate is $18,000 per hour, but that’s only for those who book at least 25 hours of flight time per year. If we take into account the length of the flight from Los Angeles to Slovenia, we can conclude that Doncic paid around a quarter of a million dollars for the one-way air transportation of his teammates.”As one of the highest-paid players in the NBA, it is not surprising for Luka Doncic to foot the bill for his teammates. Still, an expected airfare of nearly $500,000 is nothing short of ridiculous.Either way, Luka Doncic’s efforts are likely to be well received as the Lakers’ roster recently touched down at Ljubljana airport. Videos of Lakers players such as Austin Reaves, Walker Kessler, and Bronny James arriving also drew some traction on social media, as the squad was immediately greeted by fans.The Lakers have officially arrived in Slovenia, where a huge crowd of fans was there to welcome them. 🇸🇮(Via 24ur/IG) pic.twitter.com/4fSeyBkXSg— Tyler Covers NBA (@TylerCoversNBA) August 20, 2026It is worth noting that this trip will have very little to do with basketball. Reports indicated that the itinerary would focus on team bonding with activities such as golfing, finishing in Lake Bled, and touring. Hence, even before the team can get to know each other on the court, it appears Luka Doncic is prioritizing getting familiar with his teammates as individuals first.In many ways, Luka Doncic’s commitment to building chemistry is quite promising. In light of the drama currently surrounding the Purple and Gold, these updates provide some semblance of stability within the team’s core.The Lakers will remain in Slovenia from August 20 to August 24. Given that the majority of the Lakers squad is in Slovenia, with Cameron Carr being the only exception due to rookie orientation, the 27-year-old’s efforts to unify the team may yield fruit.

Jamier Brown’s return to the football field for his original high school will have to wait until September.The five-star senior wide receiver and Ohio State commit, who was to have played this season at Big Walnut until transferring back to Huber Heights Wayne earlier this month, will serve a two-game suspension due to Ohio High School Athletic Association rules violations, the organization announced.Brown’s suspension was first reported Aug. 19 by The Dayton Daily News, which said the violations are “two separate and unrelated incidents” that each carried a one-game suspension.Those are not related to his transfer back to Wayne.The state’s top-ranked recruit, according to 247Sports, Brown will miss Wayne’s opener Aug. 21 at Fairfield and a Week 2 home game Aug. 28 against Cincinnati St. Xavier, last year’s Division I state runner-up.Brown is scheduled to make his season debut Sept. 4 against Lakewood St. Edward.Brown had transferred from Wayne to Big Walnut in January, only to return to his original school as preseason practices began. He was seen practicing at Wayne on Aug. 4, and his transfer was confirmed by both districts the next day.OHSAA director of media relations Tim Stried told The Dispatch on Aug. 20 that Brown’s transfer has been approved and he had been ruled eligible to play the entire regular season and playoffs, if not for the rules violations.The violations will be made public at the OHSAA Board of Directors meeting Aug. 27.Had Brown remained at Big Walnut, his status for playing the entire season would not have been determined until after Week 5, Stried told The Dispatch in July. OHSAA rules dictate that transfers can only play the first half of the regular season in their sport, unless they meet a necessary exception.Brown met an exception during track and field season, which culminated in three individual or relay state championships and a share of the Division II team title. But Brown would have had to apply for the same exception in football, Stried previously said.High school sports reporter Dave Purpura can be reached at dpurpura@dispatch.com and at @dp_dispatch on X.This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State WR commit Jamier Brown suspended for two games by OHSAA

Under the right conditions—wet and oxygen-deprived—the same chemical reactions that cause tissue to break down can instead have the opposite effect, according to a new study

California Attorney General Rob Bonta discusses a lawsuit against Meta during a press conference on Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026, in Oakland, Calif. Joining him are Colorado Attorney General Philip Weiser, and New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)2026-08-20T14:18:03Z CHICAGO (AP) — Meta insists it has a long history of protecting its youngest customers as it defends itself against a swath of lawsuits alleging its social media empire harms children.In the latest such instance, the social media giant is fighting allegations in a California federal court that it contributes to the youth mental health crisis by deliberately and stealthily designing features to get children hooked on its platforms Instagram and Facebook. Four states are seeking billions of dollars in damages as well as fundamental changes to how Meta runs those apps.Children’s mental health, and what they do and see on social media, are all issues “Meta takes seriously and tries to act on,” Paul Schmidt, a lawyer for the tech giant, said in opening statements this week.Critics say the company’s safety record falls short and that many of its protections simply don’t work. They include Marc Berkman, executive director at the Organization for Social Media Safety, who said Meta introduced safeguards promising to protect children in response to public pressure rather than out of concern.There’s been a “lack of real institutional willingness to act here,” Berkman said.Here’s a look at some of the changes Meta has introduced, along with the work advocates say could still be done. Access to users and content-focused protectionsMost of the changes Meta has introduced focus on addressing harassment and offensive content. Instagram users have always been able to block others — and, along with Meta’s oldest crown jewel, Facebook — the app has gradually added features for reporting problematic accounts and inappropriate content. Read More In 2016, Instagram users were given the option to delete or filter comments they found offensive, and later added warnings that prompted users to reconsider posting potentially harmful content, as well as options to limit comments and tags on their posts.Meta also says it prevents adults from starting private chats with teens if they are not already connected, and has increased checks to make sure users under 13 — the minimum age for holding a Facebook or Instagram account — aren’t online. Schmidt said in his opening remarks that Meta recognizes some users still sign up using incorrect birthdays but that the company takes enforcement of age limits seriously.The company says it also posts warnings and resources at the top of Instagram search results related to suicide, self-harm and eating disorders, and touts its “Teen Accounts,” launched in 2024, as a safe space for teenagers online. It aligns photo and video restrictions for teen accounts with those for a PG-13 movie, unless there’s parental permission otherwise. Critics complain these changes amount to little more than corporate posturing. A September 2025 report from former employee and whistleblower Arturo Béjar and four online safety advocacy nonprofits accused Meta of not taking “real steps” to address youth safety, instead opting for “splashy headlines about new tools for parents and Instagram Teen Accounts for underage users.”“We really found that overall what Meta was marketing under Teen Accounts was very lacking in actual protections,” said Haley Hinkle, policy counsel at Fairplay, which co-authored the report. They evaluated 47 of Meta’s 53 safety features for teens on Instagram and found 60% of them were either not available or didn’t work as advertised, Hinkle said.Meta called the report’s findings “misleading” and “dangerously speculative.” Scrolling and core designResearchers say Meta’s efforts to reduce the risk of children becoming addicted to the scrolling features of social media platforms have been largely unsuccessful.Ashley Shea, a Ph.D. candidate specializing in social media and online spaces at Cornell University, points to what academics call “attention-capture deceptive designs” that are not exclusive to Meta’s platforms. They include infinite scrolling, “casino style” pulls to refresh content, push notifications and algorithmic recommendations. Those features “prey on the cognitive vulnerabilities” of young people with developing brains, in particular the need to feel rewarded.Meta has taken important steps to address problematic content, cyberbullies and sexual predators, Shea said, but she has not seen the same level of effort to offset the addictive impact of attention-capture deceptive designs. Nudges and time management controls“There’s no question that some teens struggle to manage their time with social media,” Schmidt said Tuesday, adding that Meta’s time management tools prove its evolution on the issue. Those tools include parental supervision controls and in-app “nudges” for teen users who repeatedly look at the same type of content or spend too long on Instagram or Facebook late at night.Hinkle notes the “entirely voluntary” time management tools are not easy to set up, and amount to “far too little too late.”Béjar, the former Meta employee and whistleblower, agrees. In testimony Wednesday, he said a tool called “Take a Break” is “designed to fail.” Users have to turn the feature on themselves and, he said, very few do.Across the board, tech companies exist to maximize revenue, said Berkman, and for almost every social media platform today, that means “maximizing children using their features for as long as they can.” Legal challenges focused on “the fact that these are defective products by design because of their features, not the content per se” is something new, Shea added. And beyond the courtroom, mounting pressure on lawmakers could bring more industrywide changes. “The momentum only continues to grow,” she said. “Ultimately, these are for-profit companies that respond to economic pressures. And so I think that the more economic pressure they’re confronted with through these litigations, the quicker they will have to adapt.” WYATTE GRANTHAM-PHILIPS Grantham-Philips is a business reporter who covers trending news for The Associated Press. She is based in Chicago. twitter mailto

A youth plays near the machine where the sugar cane is weighed in the Lima batey, or neighborhood, in La Romana, where Central Romana Corporation, Ltd. operates its sugar operations in Dominican Republic, Nov. 17, 2021. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix, File)2026-08-20T14:15:45Z SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — U.S. Customs and Border Protection faced scrutiny Thursday after a watchdog group warned that forced labor persists on sugarcane fields in the Dominican Republic, which exports large amounts of sugar and other products to the U.S.In 2022, the federal agency had imposed a ban on imports of sugar and other products made by Central Romana Corporation, Ltd., accusing the company of isolating workers, withholding wages and fostering abusive working and living conditions.The ban, however, was lifted last year under the Trump administration, sparking an outcry that was revived when the nonprofit Corporate Accountability Lab published a report Tuesday noting that forced labor persists. The report was published following more than three years’ worth of investigations.U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, an Oregon Democrat, sent a letter Thursday to Customs and Border Protection requesting information behind the reversal of the ban. He accused the agency of appearing “to have abruptly abandoned its own established administrative procedures.” “Circumventing standard trade enforcement processes for politically connected, billionaire-owned corporations undermines the integrity of U.S. trade policy,” Wyden wrote.He requested administrative records, final recommendations and other documents related to the case. The Associated Press sought comment from the agency, which acknowledged the emailed request but had not yet commented.“Ensuring that U.S. trade enforcement mechanisms are immune from political interference and adhere to statutory requirements is critical to ensuring that forced labor does not illegally enter the supply chain of goods unwittingly bought by American businesses and consumers,” Wyden wrote. 获取更多RSS：https://feedx.net https://feedx.site

A youth plays near the machine where the sugar cane is weighed in the Lima batey, or neighborhood, in La Romana, where Central Romana Corporation, Ltd. operates its sugar operations in Dominican Republic, Nov. 17, 2021. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix, File)2026-08-20T13:55:36Z DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — Bangladesh’s Parliament elected a stalwart of the country’s new ruling party to the presidency Thursday after the post fell vacant last month following the resignation of the former president, who was a close ally of ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.The vote confirmed the expected victory of Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, a veteran of the ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party, or BNP, who got 255 votes to 88 for challenger Oli Ahmed of the opposition Jamaat-e-Islami party and its allies. A total of 349 members of Parliament were eligible to vote in what was the first contested presidential election since Oct. 1991, when the nation became a parliamentary democracy. Every presidential election since then had been uncontested, drawing no challengers to the ruling party’s candidate.Alamgir was a long-time secretary-general of BNP and steered the political movement against the 15-year rule of Hasina. She fled the country in August 2024 during a mass uprising over allegations of autocratic rule and corruption in the allocation of government jobs, and her party has been barred from politics since last year. Bangladesh’s president is the head of state and commander-in-chief of the influential armed forces, while the prime minister is the head of the government. Though the presidency is largely ceremonial, it has important roles to play during political crises. Alamgir was expected to take office on Friday. Last month, Bangladesh’s former President Mohammed Shahabuddin, who took office during Hasina’s rule, resigned halfway through his term, following years of political turbulence. His resignation meant that Hasina, who is in exile in India, lost a trusted ally in the establishment at home. A new government headed by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, the son of a former prime minister who was the archrival of Hasina, came to power with a landslide victory in February after 18 months of interim rule under Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus. Hasina’s party was not allowed to take part in the election. Read More Shahabuddin was known to be a trusted follower of Hasina. Following her ouster, he faced strong opposition from a student group that led the uprising against Hasina. The protesters branded him a collaborator of Hasina and took to the streets demanding his resignation and arrest. 获取更多RSS：https://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Scottie Scheffler hits from the 12th tee during the final round of the St. Jude Championship golf tournament, Sunday, Aug. 16, 2026, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)2026-08-19T21:35:14Z ST. LOUIS (AP) — Scottie Scheffler is on the cusp of a PGA Tour record Tiger Woods has held for more than 26 years, one that means next to nothing to the world’s No. 1 player because of so many factors in play.Scheffler is coming off his 21st career PGA Tour victory, all in the last five years. Last week’s win was worth $3.6 million, the fifth time this year he has earned $2 million or more. That brought him to within $1,034,756 of surpassing Woods on the career earnings list.He could do that with a three-way tie for third in the BMW Championship. Just don’t look for any sparkling wine, much less a celebration. Prize money began to soar because of Woods, and it spiked with the arrival of LIV Golf. It was a matter of time.Besides, that’s not the way Scheffler keeps score.“That has a lot to do with the purses and all that,” Scheffler said Wednesday. “I’m not really too close to him in terms of career wins. What am I, like a fourth of the way there?” Close enough. Woods is at 82 wins, tied for the all-time record with Sam Snead.Money topics at Bellerive Country Club, hosting the BMW Championship for the first time since 2008, is all about 30 players trying to get to East Lake to play for a $40 million purse — $10 million for the winner — and the FedEx Cup.That’s not a concern for Scheffler, either, or for the likes of Matt Fitzpatrick, Cameron Young, Rory McIlroy and a host of others who were among the top 50 in the FedEx Cup to advance to the second FedEx Cup playoffs event. But it is to Gary Woodland, still recovering from brain surgery and at No. 31 with a chance to reach the Tour Championship for the first time in six years. And it is to 46-year-old Adam Scott, the only player in the field who was at Bellerive for the last BMW Championship. Read More Getting to East Lake all but assures a spot in all four majors. That’s a big perk, along with the chance to win a $10 million payoff.“Making the Tour Championship has always been important,” Scott said. “It’s always been a marker of your performance throughout the year.” There’s a little more at stake for a short list of players — Scheffler, Fitzpatrick, Young, perhaps even McIlroy. No one has really stood out as PGA Tour player of the year. Scheffler moved to the front with his eight-shot win at the FedEx St. Jude Championship last week. It’s only his second win this year, but it goes along with five runner-up finishes and five other top 4s.Scheffler has played so well he already is guaranteed the $23 million bonus for leading the FedEx Cup through the BMW Championship. That doesn’t count toward official earnings.That number stands at $119,964,411. Perhaps another testament to changing times is that Woods earned his last official paycheck in the 2024 Masters ($44,000), moving his total to $120,999,166. Scheffler won the Masters that year and moved to No. 12 at $57,658,464.So he has made just over $62.3 million in his last 48 tour starts over two years and four months. Great golf. Big money. It was a matter of time.And it really doesn’t matter to Scheffler. “Tiger did a lot for the game of golf and he put us in a position where we’re able to earn some pretty good stuff financially, so that’s something we’re very grateful for,” Scheffler said. “When you look at where the purses were at before he came out on tour to where they’re at now is a pretty stark difference. And we’re very thankful for his contributions to the game and hopefully we’ll see him back out here competing again soon.”Scheffler’s first PGA Tour check was $25,080 for a tie for 43rd at the 2018 St. Jude Classic. Last place at the BMW Championship this week pays $66,000.The testament to Woods is how long he kept his name atop the career money list.He took over for Davis Love III — Love was at the top for all of two weeks — when Woods tied for second in the Buick Invitational at Torrey Pines (total purse was $3 million) on Feb. 13, 2000. Six players in the BMW Championship field weren’t even born then.Talk of money took Scheffler back to his early days of grinding. He had financial freedom with an endorsement deal he signed with Nike, so there was no concern on entry fees in Monday qualifiers or even gas money to get there. But those were fun times to him. “Just trying to find my place in the game,” Scheffler said. ___See AP’s full golf coverage here DOUG FERGUSON Ferguson has been The AP’s golf writer since 1998. He is a recipient of the PGA Lifetime Achievement in Journalism award. twitter mailto 获取更多RSS：https://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is reinventing the government’s role in the world’s most important bond market.

“The Necessary Conversation,” a podcast and YouTube show, is a very public example of the political disputes families are having all across the country.

HOUSTON, TEXAS - NOVEMBER 20: T.J. Sanders #98 of the Buffalo Bills looks on prior to an NFL football game against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium on November 20, 2025 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Michael Owens/Getty Images) | Getty Images The biggest X-factor on the Bills 2026 defense is hardly discussed by fans or media despite the fact he was an early-round pick a year ago. It’s T.J. Sanders, and I’m writing this piece to raise awareness of his importance to and potential within Buffalo’s defense under Jim Leonhard.Think about it — in back-to-back years the Bills made early second-round picks in the NFL Draft. People can’t help themselves with Keon Coleman. He’s the most hot-button topic on this Bills team. Entering his second season, I wouldn’t blame you if you forgot Sanders was on the roster. Of course, receivers will naturally garner more attention than defensive tackles, yet given Buffalo’s defensive struggles in the playoffs and Buffalo’s new defensive coordinator fresh on everyone’s mind, you’d think the former No. 41 overall selection would be generating some semblance of buzz before Week 1. And his quiet rookie season — that did feature a reasonably serious injury — may be the main cause of the general apathy regarding Sanders right now. He missed five games with a knee injury and appeared on just 30.2% of the Bills defensive snaps. And, yes, there were some ugly reps once he returned from said injury, particularly when anchoring against double teams against the run. But that’s not why the Bills drafted Sanders, to devour blockers and free up second-level teammates. Having thoroughly scouted him at South Carolina — and loving him as a prospect — I believe Brandon Beane traded up to snag Sanders at No. 41 to be the upfield penetrating understudy to Ed Oliver. Sure, there’ll be an uptick in read-then-react asks of trench players in Leonhard’s scheme. However, Oliver will still be the primary one-gap backfield disruptor. And he needs a rotational piece behind him. That’s where Sanders can be an asset on this new-look defense. Despite those ugly run-game reps, plays in which Sanders was easily displaced from the intended running lane, he did generate 13 pressures on 164 pass-rushing snaps in the regular season as a rookie, good for a respectable, bordering-on-encouraging 7.9% pressure rate. At defensive tackle in the NFL, once you’re pressure rate hits double digits, you’re a darn-good rusher. And the talent is undeniable with Sanders. Here’s a reminder of how athletic he tested before the 2025 draft: He’s an explosive dude at close to 300 pounds. In his final two seasons at South Carolina, Sanders tallied 16.5 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks. The production was there in the SEC, no doubt. The general indifference surrounding him, I think, is due not just the lowlights but the long stretches of invisibility and reps with average-at-best effort during his debut NFL campaign. Now, of course, his knee injury must be considered on those fronts. But if a now fully healthy Sanders can play motivated and taps into all of his natural talent, he can become a seriously valuable member of Leonhard’s defensive front that features a plethora of new players. And the flashes were there against the Panthers in the preseason opener. At 3-technique, check the efficiency of Sanders’ counter move that resulted in a pressure of Kenny Pickett:pic.twitter.com/OTnxSfuboX— Chris Trapasso (@trapassofilm) August 20, 2026And even that wasn’t the quickest one-on-one win from Sanders in Buffalo’s exhibition opener. And, sure, he did miss a tackle in this game and didn’t record an official stat — yet these reps provided a glimpse of what he’s capable of in a pure pass-rushing role: pic.twitter.com/eIMaRWITwi— Chris Trapasso (@trapassofilm) August 20, 2026If, when Oliver needs a rest, Sanders can jump into that 3T spot and provide lightning-quick wins like those, it’ll be an enormous development for Leonhard’s defense. Defensive tackles with that first-step explosiveness and powerful hand work aren’t easy to come by in the NFL, and those attributes are exactly why he was a Top 50 selection a year ago.Here’s the abridged version of my pre-draft scouting report on Sanders:T.J. Sanders is a tall, athletic interior defensive lineman who excels with a mix of counter moves and relentless effort across all three downs. His rushes are often high, which limits his power, but he compensates with strong hand usage and savvy technique. He shows a good burst off the snap and demonstrates excellent hand placement, frequently utilizing the swipe and arm-over move.Despite his height and frame, Sanders possesses impressive lateral mobility and flexibility, allowing him to squeeze through gaps and perform well on stunts. His strength is a work in progress for NFL double-team situations. As a run defender, Sanders stands out for his relentless pursuit from the backside and reliable tackling.He was my No. 3 IDL with a late Round 2 – early Round 3 grade.Over the past close to a decade now, the Bills have done a masterful job developing raw-ish talents within their program. Josh Allen is, quite obviously, the shining example. Sanders is Buffalo’s latest project with immense upside. And if that upside is realized in Year 2, the Bills defensive front will be a lot better than everyone is expecting, which is why Sanders is the ultimate defensive X-factor on this team.

Red Sox have huge Roman Anthony question amid looming return from injury originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.The Boston Red Sox have come roaring back into the playoff race this season after looking completely out of it earlier this year, even after firing Alex Cora.But now, a little over halfway through August, the Red Sox are right there with the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays atop the American League. A deep postseason run would not be a huge surprise for the Red Sox.Another big storyline developing alongside this turnaround is Roman Anthony finally gearing up to return to the lineup. Ahead of his potential return, MLB.com's Ian Browne poses a big question for the Red Sox that could play a huge role in the team's odds this season: "What kind of impact will Roman Anthony make?"Red Sox facing exciting Roman Anthony question"Slotting Anthony in at the top of the order could be of particular significance for a team that has lacked production in the leadoff spot," Browne writes.The impact from Anthony's return is very much up in the air. While he hit a massive home run during his rehab assignment, there is still a question of how he'll fare against big league pitching.This season in the big leagues, before his wrist injury knocked him out for the majority of the year, Anthony has a .229 average with one home run, five RBIS and a .675 OPS.Anthony, simply put, wasn't a good player before his stint on the injured list. If Anthony comes back and plays like he did before the injury, his impact would be negligible at-best.MORE: Phillies expected to name Alex Cora manager after 2026 unless they win the World SeriesThe Red Sox have been able to get by without him, and could probably be okay even if Anthony returns and isn't playing well.However, if Anthony were to come back and play at the .859 OPS level he showed in 71 games during his rookie season in 2025, then the Red Sox could be a lot more than just simple postseason contenders.Anthony coming back and playing at an All-Star level could have the Red Sox as very legitimate World Series contenders. They'd have a good chance to go on a deep run this year.That's why Anthony is such a big question mark for the Red Sox the rest of the way. His return, and how he'll play once he's back, could potentially make or break the Red Sox in their pursuit of a World Series appearance.More MLB news:Brewers World Series odds look a bit bleak with MLB HR historyAstros expected to fire Joe Espada if they miss the postseasonDodgers update on Shohei Ohtani pitching again has major MVP implicationsDodgers and Mets predicted to be only teams active in Tarik Skubal’s free agent marketDiamondbacks' Corbin Carroll joins only Lou Gehrig and Joe DiMaggio in wild MLB history

HOOVER, AL - MAY 25: Ole Miss infielder Judd Utermark (27) strikes out in the ninth inning during the SEC Baseball Tournament Final game between Ole Miss Rebels and Vanderbilt Commodores on May 25, 2025, at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium in Hoover, Alabama. (Photo by David Buono/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images On July 31, U.S. District Court of Colorado judge Charlotte Sweeney granted an injunction to college athletes who graduated in high school in 2022 and meet certain criteria. Essentially this class falls in between the COVID 5th year and the new 5-in-5 rule that goes into effect next year.The high school class of 2022 basically attended college surround by teammates on either side of them that were awarded a fifth year of play while they did not. Honestly, it’s the correct ruling. Neither Utermark nor Furniss were selected in the 2026 MLB draft. Furniss was surprising since he did hit for average, but both will have one more opportunity to be in front of scouts.This obviously creates a shakeup with the Rebels roster. Head Coach Mike Bianco had essentially replaced the two with transfers via Jason Fultz and Trey Hawsey. Fultz, the Clemson transfer, is likely the odd man out finding playing time among the four names. Hawsey and Furniss should split 1B/DH duties. More of these announcements will come across the country and with various sports and Ole Miss is already seeing the potential impact of this ruling on the football side of things as well.

Miami coach Jeff Hafley | Getty Images The word from Miami is that live-tweeting will be allowed during the joint practice on Thursday morning between the New York Giants and Miami Dolphins.Video, apparently, is not beng allowed. Still, keep it here for updates that come out of the practice from New York and Miami beat writers in attendance.Giants right guard Sisi Mauigoa walking off the field with the training staff. They took his shoulder pads off— Pat Leonard (@PLeonardNYDN) August 20, 2026Well, this isn’t good news.Jaxson Dart starts 4 for 4 passing in 11 on 11: two to Isaiah Likely, including one at the second level on the right side, and two to Calvin Austin, including a terrific touch throw to the left sideline Cam Skattebo RB1 Josh Ezeudu and JC Davis both put Dolphins D linemen on…— Pat Leonard (@PLeonardNYDN) August 20, 2026Hot start for Jaxson Dart.The Dolphins' offensive line and blocking scheme is off to a very slow start against a strong Giants D front— Joe Schad (@schadjoe) August 20, 2026This is the kind of thing the Giants are counting on.Giants S Jevon Holland beats Will Kacmarek on the blitz, sacks Malik Willis during 11 on 11 drills— Marcel Louis-Jacques (@Marcel_LJ) August 20, 2026Dennard Wilson dialing stuff up.Deonte Banks shaken up on a big hit on kick return. Brian Burns and Giants on sideline fired up. Intensity building … Heat advisory here today. Oppressive, humid…— Pat Leonard (@PLeonardNYDN) August 20, 2026Let’s hope Deonte Banks is alright. Also, you wonder if this is hinting at extracirricular activities coming at some point. Banks reportedly back in for hsi next rep, so he appears OK.Giants starting out strong in 1 on 1s:🔵Deonte Banks with an INT in the end zone guarding Jalen Raegor 🔵Malachi Fields wins two downfield on Jason Marshall Jr. and Marco Wilson on nice Jaxson Dart throws🔵Dart also with deep completions in 1 on 1s to Darnell Mooney and…— Pat Leonard (@PLeonardNYDN) August 20, 2026Early impressions are positive.Malik Nabers not participating in joint practices with the Dolphins. Not a surprise. Coach John Harbaugh said the other day they were going to back off him in this setting.— Jordan Raanan (@JordanRaanan) August 20, 2026No Malik Nabers vs. Dolphins. That is what we expected.Giants and Dolphins joint practice about to start. The heat is definitely on. pic.twitter.com/b8E2KkTsH9— Paul Schwartz (@NYPost_Schwartz) August 20, 2026This is what the scene looks like. To my knowledge, video will not be allowed once practice actually begins.No 7-on-7 today, Dolphins coach Jeff Hafley said of joint practice with Giants. Team drills all 11-on."We want to play real football and see if we can block them."— David Furones (@DavidFurones_) August 20, 2026The Giants usually do one 7-on-7 period during practice. Will they do so amongst themselves during the early part of practice?

Sports-media website Awful Announcing released its annual ranking of local MLB TV broadcast teams, as determined by voters, and the Milwaukee Brewers unit finished in ninth place for a second straight year.The process invites readers to give a letter grade (A to F) and share comments on the teams they've seen, a process that garnered 85,000 individual votes from 9,300 respondents.The Brewers team ranked eighth in 2024 and ninth in 2023, so they seem to have a steady place in this range.The announcers (listed as Jeff Levering, Brian Anderson, Craig Coshun, Bill Schroeder, Tim Dillard, Vinny Rottino and Sophia Minnaert) got a score of 2.60, lodged between the eighth-place Toronto Blue Jays team (2.62) and 10th-place Baltimore Orioles (2.55)."Milwaukee continues to field a top-ten broadcast team admired by many of its viewers," the site wrote. "Graders shared appreciation for Anderson and Levering as the 'best one-two combo in MLB.' Sideline reporter Minnaert received near-unanimous praise, with graders calling her 'the best field reporter in sports' for her insightful, bilingual player interviews. Longtime analyst Schroeder provides 'comfortable' familiarity, while newer analysts Dillard and Rottino add 'fresh perspectives.' Graders consistently appreciated that the TV broadcasts feel 'polished,' 'friendly,' and 'deeply knowledgeable.'"The San Diego Padres team, which includes former Brewers outfielder Tony Gwynn Jr. and former Brewers pitcher Bob Scanlan, were given the top score in the rankings at 3.07Other announcer connections involving Wisconsin in Awful Announcing's rankingsRacine native Duane Kuiper, a longtime broadcaster for the San Francisco Giants, was part of the team given the No. 2 ranking, with a score of 3.02.Former Brewers pitcher Ben McDonald is part of the Orioles team that ranks 10th.Beloit College graduate Joe Davis, who's become one of the foremost national broadcast voices, is the lead play-by-play man for the 14th-place Dodgers team (2.22).Former Brewers catcher Dave Valle is part of the 15th-place Mariners unit (2.21).Former Brewers announcer Cory Provus serves as Twins play-by-play lead, and Brewers Hall of Famer Paul Molitor is also part of the broadcast team ranked 16th (2.18).Former Brewers utility man Mark Sweeney is part of the St. Louis Cardinals team that ranks 18th (2.13).Former Brewers announcer Joe Block is one of the lead play-by-play announcers for the Pirates, as is former Brewers infielder Neil Walker. They rank 20th (2.01).Former Brewers closer Dan Plesac is part of the White Sox crew that ranks 21st (1.99).Tampa Bay (13th at 2.26) also has a Brian Anderson. No relation to the Brewers' broadcaster. And no, not the former Brewers infielder. There are many Brian Andersons. It's like the Matrix.This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Where do Brewers announcers rank in website's annual rankings?

Aimee Breault of Acushnet, Mass., live-streams a demonstration in support of Lindsay Clancy outside Plymouth Superior Court, where Clancy is on trial in connection with the deaths of her three children, Thursday, Aug. 20, 2026, in Plymouth, Mass. (AP Photo/Josh Reynolds )2026-08-20T14:42:56Z PLYMOUTH, Mass. (AP) — Hundreds of Lindsay Clancy supporters, many wearing pink, gathered Thursday outside the courthouse where she is on trial in the killings of her three children.Several of the 300 women, and a few men, said Clancy’s story resonated with them and that they wanted to raise awareness about how the mental health system treats women. Clancy’s lawyer does not dispute that she killed the children, but says she should not be held criminally responsible because she was mentally ill. ___EDITOR’S NOTE: This story includes discussion of suicide. If you or someone you know needs help, the national suicide and crisis lifeline in the U.S. is available by calling or texting 988.___The livestreamed trial has brought attention to postpartum psychosis, a rare mental illness Clancy’s attorney says she had that is linked to the stress, sleep deprivation and hormonal changes that follow childbirth. After strangling her children, Clancy jumped from a second-story window and remains paralyzed from the waist down. Prosecutors say the former labor and delivery nurse planned the Jan. 24, 2023, killings and contrived to get her husband out of the house by sending him to pick up medicine for one of their children and dinner for the family. They have also questioned the seriousness of her suicide attempt.Thursday’s rally was the first time during the nearly monthlong trial that supporters have come out in such large numbers. “Women are being dismissed, neglected and ignored when we speak up,” said April Vincent, a 52-year-old paralegal from Providence, Rhode Island. “We’re scared because nobody takes us seriously. Nobody wants to hear us and really we just need to be heard. I’ve been dismissed plenty of times.” Read More The women, some wearing shirts with messages including “Peace For Lindsay” and “Justice For Lindsay,” stood silently for more than an hour ahead of Thursday’s proceedings. They broke into applause at the sight of Clancy’s defense attorney Kevin Reddington. Toward the end of their rally, supporters formed a circle, said the Lord’s Prayer, held up their arms and formed hearts with their hands. Some held flags from different countries to show the support for Clancy was global. Clancy, 36, has pleaded not guilty to murder charges in the deaths of Callan, Dawson and Cora Clancy, who ranged from 8 months to 5 years old. Researchers estimate that postpartum psychosis — which is more serious and less common than postpartum depression — afflicts 1 to 2 per 1,000 women after delivery. Sign up for Morning Wire: Our flagship newsletter breaks down the biggest headlines of the day. Email address Sign up By checking this box, you agree to AP's Terms of Use and acknowledge that AP may collect and use your data pursuant to our Privacy Policy. Jeanne Zaborski, a 72-year-old retired nurse from Rockland, Massachusetts, said she hopes the cases raise awareness about postpartum health. She and many others at the rally said they had been following the trial almost daily.“It’s very sad,” Zaborski said. “I am a mother. I am a grandmother. I have a sister who had problems after birth and it’s just very sad. I hope Lindsay gets the care she needs and deserves and other women will come together like we did today.”Rally organizer Renee Kimball implored the crowd to trust that Reddington “has Lindsay’s fight.”“It’s important that we just be still, have a moment of silence and know that God is working through us for Lindsay and for the rest of the world that are going through similar things she is going through,” Kimball said. MICHAEL CASEY Casey writes about the environment, housing and inequality for The Associated Press. He lives in Boston. twitter mailto 获取更多RSS：https://feedx.net https://feedx.site

General view of the St James' Park stadium ahead of the English Premier League soccer match between Newcastle United and Wolves in Newcastle, England, Sunday, Feb. 27, 2021. (Alex Pantling/Pool via AP, File)2026-08-20T14:35:11Z Newcastle is investing $260 million in a training complex that will be ready to use from the 2029-30 season, a signal that its Saudi owners are still committed to the club after a raft of high-profile player sales over the past year.There has been growing skepticism over the commitment of the Public Investment Fund — Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund that bought Newcastle in 2021 — following the exit of Alexander Isak last offseason and Bruno Guimaraes, Anthony Gordon and Sandro Tonali this summer, with the club fighting to comply with English soccer’s stricter financial rules.Newcastle also didn’t qualify for the lucrative Champions League — a competition which brought in estimated prize money of 50 million pounds ($70 million) to the club last season — after finishing 12th in the 20-team Premier League in an underwhelming campaign under now-departed coach Eddie Howe. PIF has also stated its intention to scale back its sports portfolio, including withdrawing financial backing for LIV Golf.“The project represents a significant long-term investment into the club’s future by its owners PIF and RB Sports & Media,” Newcastle said in a statement.Newcastle CEO David Hopkinson said it was a “landmark moment” for the club. The statement said Newcastle will purchase the 260-acre Woolsington Hall estate — which includes a derelict listed country house and parkland — close to the city’s airport and build what the club describes as a “world-class training complex.”The purchase is subject to planning permission, which will be applied for next year, and “with a view to the men’s first team moving in for the 2029-30 season.” Read More The site was previously purchased by former Newcastle chairman John Hall as a potential academy venue in 1994.There is “flexibility to integrate bespoke women’s and girls’ facilities,” Newcastle said.___See AP’s full soccer coverage here STEVE DOUGLAS Douglas is a Europe-based sports writer who has covered some of the world’s biggest events for The AP over the last 15 years, notably the men’s soccer World Cup final in 2022. As well as soccer, he handles a range of other sports including golf, cricket and rugby. mailto

Togo's President of the Council of Ministers Faure Gnassingbe attends the talks with Russia's President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2025. (Ramil Sitdikov/Pool Photo via AP, File)2026-08-20T14:24:19Z LOMÉ, Togo (AP) — Two French documentary filmmakers and their Togolese fixer have been jailed in Togo after more than three weeks in custody in the West African nation, an advocacy group said Thursday, amid strained relations between the government and French media.Reporters Without Borders said that filmmakers Gaël Mocaër and Sebastian Perez Pezzani and fixer Fred Vedomey were placed in pretrial detention Monday and charged with making “false declarations” in immigration procedures.The Paris-based media freedom group, known by its French acronym RSF, called for their immediate release.Mocaër and Perez Pezzani were filming an episode of a documentary series for a French public television network when police arrested the three on July 27 in Kara, northern Togo, RSF said. Northern Togo has been plagued in recent years by attacks from armed groups linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group. The detentions come as Togo has moved closer to Russia and to Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, three military-led countries that have expelled or sidelined French forces and strengthened relations with Moscow.Russia and Togo signed a military cooperation agreement last year providing for joint exercises and military training. Togo has also restricted French media. In June 2025, authorities suspended broadcasts by French international outlets Radio France Internationale and France 24 for three months, accusing them of inaccurate and biased reporting during their coverage of protests against leader Faure Gnassingbé.RSF said that the filmmakers charged on Monday had applied for work visas and received authorization from Togo’s Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Arts. Read More Culture Minister Isaac Tchiakpé rejected RSF’s assertion that the filmmakers had received authorization from his ministry to carry out the documentary shoot.“They would not have been detained if they had had the proper authorizations and followed the required procedures,” Tchiakpé told The Associated Press.Togo’s media regulator, the HARC, said it had received no accreditation request from the filmmakers or France Télévisions, and hadn’t been informed of their filming in northern Togo. RSF said that police seized the crew’s equipment and detained the three, briefly releasing them July 30 before rearresting them and transferring them to the capital, Lomé. Sign up for Morning Wire: Our flagship newsletter breaks down the biggest headlines of the day. Email address Sign up By checking this box, you agree to AP's Terms of Use and acknowledge that AP may collect and use your data pursuant to our Privacy Policy. RSF called the proceedings “unjustified” and “disproportionate,” and said that Perez Pezzani has serious health problems requiring immediate medical attention.

As Peyton Stearns, top right, of the United States, looks on, Marta Kostyuk, top center, of Ukraine, serves against Serena Williams, bottom left, and Venus Williams, bottom right, also of the United States, during a women's doubles match at the Cincinnati Open tennis tournament, Monday, Aug. 17, 2026, in Mason, Ohio. (AP Photo/Kareem Elgazzar)2026-08-20T14:19:32Z NEW YORK (AP) — The Grand Slam tennis tournaments have created a player council, giving players greater input into matters involving the biggest events in the sport.The Grand Slam Player Advisory Council was announced Thursday by the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open. It will begin following the final major of the year, which begins next week in New York.Players have been seeking a larger share of revenues from the Grand Slams, along with better representation, health options and pensions. Some limited their media appearances at the French Open and Wimbledon as a protest, with top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff among the stars who even threatened a potential boycott of the Slams before play began in Paris if they didn’t start receiving more compensation. “The Grand Slams are the biggest events of the year and the events that the players prioritize and focus on throughout the season,” American Jessica Pegula, the No. 3-ranked woman, said in a statement. “Their impact on a player’s career cannot be overstated, and that is why it is so important that we have a voice in matters at these tournaments.” The Grand Slams said the goal of the council will be to strengthen the partnership between the tournaments and the players, with a focus on player input into sporting matters at the events.The tournaments and players are currently developing the composition and structure of the council. Interested players will be invited to apply for positions. Along with matters that affect the Grand Slams collectively, the council will provide a forum for players to discuss things such as prize money and player welfare with each of the tournaments individually. Read More The Australian Open, French Open and U.S. Open are operated by non-profit governing bodies. Wimbledon is run by the private All England Club.“We have listened to the players’ desire for a greater voice and this advisory council is an important step toward a stronger relationship between the Grand Slams and the players,” said Deborah Jevans, chair of the All England Club. “We look forward to working together to elevate the player experience, further enhance the Grand Slam tournaments and ensure the sport continues to thrive.”___See AP’s full tennis coverage here BRIAN MAHONEY Mahoney is an editor on the AP Sports desk. He also is a pro basketball writer, primarily covering the two NBA teams in New York. twitter mailto 获取更多RSS：https://feedx.net https://feedx.site

The RP2354A-powered Romu is smaller than a bread bag clip. The post Romu, the RP2350 Board Small Enough To Lose appeared first on Make: DIY Projects and Ideas for Makers.

The RP2354A-powered Romu is smaller than a bread bag clip. The post Romu, the RP2350 Board Small Enough To Lose appeared first on Make: DIY Projects and Ideas for Makers.

School is back in session for millions of students across the country. The Onion shares tips for ensuring your child has a safe commute. Attend a different school each day to throw would-be kidnappers off your trail. Determine if your bus driver needs uppers, downers, or both. If cycling to school, disguise yourself as a three-row SUV to ensure safety on the road. Don’t cut through the old Guilford place. That plot has a shadow upon it. Remain seated while the school bus is moving unless something cool is happening behind you. Leave your fox, chicken, and grain at home to avoid any possible river-crossing problems. Only accept rides from strangers whose vehicles have a NHTSA five-star safety rating. Follow the path of the wing’d crow, for it surely knows the way to James Polk Elementary! Avoid walking past dangerous places along the way, like schools. The post Tips For Getting To School Safely appeared first on The Onion.

A visitor walks in front of Alibaba booth during the 3rd China International Supply Chain Expo at the China International Exhibition Center, in Beijing, China, Friday, July 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A., File)2026-08-20T15:05:43Z HONG KONG (AP) — China’s technology giant Alibaba on Thursday reported a 75% drop in profit for the latest quarter as it invested big in artificial intelligence infrastructure, even as revenue coming from its AI-related services gained 45%.The Hong Kong- and U.S.-listed company, which started out in e-commerce and online retail but is increasingly focused on AI technologies, said that its profit for April-June was at 10.5 billion yuan ($1.6 billion), down from 43.1 billion yuan ($6.4 billion) the same quarter last year.Quarterly revenue grew 9% to almost 269 billion yuan (nearly $40 billion), with revenue from its AI cloud and compute services up 45% to 48.4 billion yuan ($7.2 billion).But capital expenditures, including investments in AI infrastructure to meet customer demand, jumped 75% to 67.7 billion yuan (about $10 billion) during the quarter, weighing on profits. Alibaba attributed the significant increase in spendings to factors including “fluctuations” in procurement cycles, increase in CPU, or central processing unit, compute capacity in anticipation of growing customer adoption of AI “agents” and higher pricing of chip components.“As we continue to ramp up our supply, our AI and Cloud revenue growth will accelerate further in the coming quarters, alongside continued improvement in profitability,” said Alibaba CEO Eddie Wu in prepared remarks during an earnings conference. Alibaba’s U.S.-traded shares fell more than 3% Thursday. Read More Alibaba, one of China’s biggest companies, said last year it planned to invest at least 380 billion yuan (about $56 billion) over three years in cloud computing and AI infrastructure.It has been making advances with its flagship Qwen AI and has launched “agentic” AI services for commercial customers. In July, it previewed its Qwen3.8-Max AI model which the company said was “second only” to Anthropic’s Claude Fable 5.It has also pledged an ambitious goal of surpassing $100 billion in terms of annual AI and cloud revenue within the next five years. CHAN HO-HIM Chan writes about business and economy in China for The Associated Press, reporting on key sectors of the world’s second-largest economy from trade and technology to autos. He is based in Hong Kong. mailto

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - JANUARY 1: Defensive tackle Zxavian Harris #51 of the Ole Miss Rebels celebrates after the game against the Georgia Bulldogs during the College Football Playoff Quarter Final Game at Caesars Superdome on January 1, 2026 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by CFP/Getty Images) | Getty Images On Wednesday afternoon, Adam Schefter of ESPN broke news that a temporary restraining order against the NCAA had been granted for over 30 players to play another year of college sports. This whole restraining order against the NCAA thing has gotten wild for sure, but the last one played out pretty well for Ole Miss. The Rebels are back at the forefront this time as Zxavian Harris, Wydette Williams and Dae’Quan Wright were a part of the lawsuit seeking another year of eligibility. This is related to the injunction put in place on July 31 that has allowed Judd Utermark and Will Furniss to return to the Ole Miss Baseball program in 2027. Essentially, the high school class of 2022 is the only class of athletes that did not benefit from the added eligibility from COVID or the new 5-in-5 rule put in place by the NCAA.According to the lawsuit, if the players, such as Williams and Wright, are released by their NFL teams by September 1, they will be eligible to return to a college roster. The restraining order only holds a 10 day window with just a one week transfer window.Here is an important note, the ruling by Charles Sweeney on July 31, made a way for guys like Utermark and Furniss to return, it did not automatically make players eligible who signed a pro contract. That is why this lawsuit and restraining order were needed.Now the begs the question about those three players and their chances to return to Ole Miss. Would they enter the portal and go play for Lane Kiffin?Greg Sankey said the following about the situation a week ago:“Recent court rulings should not be interpreted as creating broader eligibility relief beyond the scope of the applicable orders. In addition, SEC eligibility rules, including those relating to intraconference transfers, remain in effect until fully or individually waived, or the rule is changed.”So even if the handful of former SEC athletes were to return and maybe forced to transfer due to NIL or roster spots, they would have to transfer out of the conference. So we should not worry about Zxavian Harris batting down Trinidad Chambliss passes or Dae’Quan Wright catching touchdowns against us, not in SEC play at least.Plus, let’s not forget this banger of a quote from Harris, ““That’s what Kiffin tried to do. He tried to be a damn announcer … trying to be a troll. We were going to troll him. We got something for him. He was just trying to steal our shine. That’s all he tried to do.That’s all he’s been trying to do, is steal our shine.”This news isn’t going to be a shock to Pete Golding and the staff. They have been aware of the lawsuit and been having conversations with the players involved. That does not mean the Rebels will see any of the three return, especially since Zxavian Harris has already entered the transfer portal as of today.

WVU Tech’s season opener will be an NAIA top five showdown.As was expected, the Golden Bears are No. 2 in the NAIA preseason Top 25 that was announced on Wednesday. They are coming off last year’s unbeaten run to the national championship game, which they dropped 2-1 to preseason No. 1 Grand View (Iowa).Whatever the Golden Bears are able to do as an encore begins Saturday when they host University of the Cumberlands at the YMCA Paul Cline Memorial Sports Complex. First kick is set for 5 p.m.The Patriots are perennially one of the top teams in the nation, and that has not changed. They checked in at No. 4 in the preseason rankings.It will be a rematch from last year’s meeting, when the Golden Bears went on the road and came away with a 4-2 win over the then-No. 2 Patriots. That was the win that made everyone take notice of the Golden Bears. They entered the Top 25 soon after and never dropped out.The Golden Bears lost several players to transfer from that team, including forward Julen Recalde (West Virginia University), striker Leny Duperray (Florida Tech) and keeper Luka Felix (University of Charleston).Those losses and more sent third-year head coach Nick Semnani on the recruiting trail. Among the players he reeled in is freshman Joost Hermeling, a 6-foot-5 forward from Germany and transfer from JUCO power Pima Community College.RSC rival Rio Grande is ranked No. 24 in the preseason poll.l l lThe WVU Tech women will also get their season started on Saturday at Milligan University with the first of five straight road games. The game will start at 7 p.m.The women, like the men, were the preseason pick to win the conference championship. They are coming off a runner-up finish in the RSC Tournament.

Mike Dotson would just as soon forget about the way last season ended.Greenbrier East won its first regional championship in eight years and was playing in the Class AAA state tournament against Nitro, a team the Spartans had defeated 2-1 in the regular season. The Spartans fell behind 37 seconds into the match on a penalty kick after they were called for a hand ball in the box, and that’s where it stayed the rest of the afternoon.It was a truly heartbreaking way to end what had been their best season in nearly a decade, and can certainly serve as a motivational tool for the players as they start the 2026 season.“I try not to say anything about it. They bring it up several times,” Dotson said with a smile.Truth be told, the Spartans don’t need any extra inspiration. They lose only two players from that 19-3-1 team in Kennedy Stewart (5 goals, 10 assists) and Trinity Perkins.And it just so happens that Greenbrier East is currently on a run of one of its most accomplished group of female athletes. Many of the soccer players were also on the basketball team that won a state championship in March and the track and field team that brought home a state title in May.The Spartans have serious aspirations of doing the same in soccer, which would make for one memorable calendar year.“They have that motivation internally,” Dotson said, “so it's a nice little push for them.”The Spartans have eight seniors, among them captains Avery Thompson, Ava Workman and Kiana McClung. Workman was second on the team last year with 24 goals and first with 14 assists.McClung, who was held out of Wednesday’s 10-0 season-opening win at Shady Spring with an injury, had eight goals and eight assists.Thompson, a key defender for a team that allowed only an own-goal in the entire month of October last season, was the Region 3 Player of the Year as voted by state soccer coaches.“(She has) a confidence that everybody knows. They play off her,” Dotson said. “And then Ava just comes up offensively. (Junior) Rylee Wickline has really helped our midfield. This is her third year, so I see her really directing everybody in the midfield. So you’ve got those three right down the middle, it really helps solidify our team.”There is also some youth on the team, but that has proven not to be a detriment in the Spartans program.Sophomore Lyla Brown tied the team record for goals in a season with 28 last fall. She kept it going against Shady Spring with a hat trick.Brown wasn’t alone. Freshman Mia Furlong also had three goals in her debut.Sophomore keeper Adeline Vickers developed into a weapon in her first year. Freshman midfielder Addy Vance had three assists against the Tigers.The Spartans, who will host South Charleston Saturday at 1 p.m., have their goals clearly set. The key is keeping it in perspective.“We tell them you have to handle the expectations, and a lot of people are expecting it there,” Dotson said. “I think the seniors have been really pushing them. Every practice is best versus best. If you go against a good defender, you're going to get better offensively. I think we start four sophomores. I see a lot of growth in them right now.”In addition to hat tricks by Brown and Furlong, Workman scored two goals and Abby Taylor and Rylee Wickline had one each. Vance assisted on three goals and Brown two, followed by Furlong, Workman and Ellie Russell with one apiece.“For the first game, we did pretty well,” Dotson said. “Our defense actually played really well. They shifted really well. The midfield, I thought they settled in. At first their touch was a little heavy, everybody wanting attacks. But once we got settled in for a few minutes, we attacked.“All around, I thought it went about how I thought, but we see a lot of improvement we can get.”

SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA - DECEMBER 28: Alfred Collins #95 of the San Francisco 49ers celebrates a win against the Chicago Bears following the game at Levi's Stadium on December 28, 2025 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) | Getty Images Pro Football Focus wrote about each team’s biggest concern heading into the 2026 season. For the San Francisco 49ers, it’s the “misses” along the defensive line:The 49ers need much more from their first- and second-round picks on the defensive line this season. Last season, Mykel Williams played just 385 snaps before suffering a season-ending injury, earning a 54.7 PFF grade and generating only 19 pressures on 245 pass-rushing snaps. Alfred Collins stayed healthy and logged 550 snaps, but his 35.0 PFF grade was tied for the second-lowest among the 94 interior defenders who played at least 300 snaps.San Francisco still has plenty of talent on defense, but not enough to absorb misses on premium draft picks along the defensive line. Both Williams and Collins will be expected to take significant steps forward in 2026.This year is huge for Williams. The 49ers did everything they could within reason to set him up for success this offseason. They added a proven NFL defensive tackle in Osa Odighizuwa and a designated pass rusher in Romello Height. Those moves let Mykel stay on the edge on early downs before kicking inside on obvious passing downs.In turn, Williams should consistently have 1-on-1s. Fifteen rookies played at least 20% of their team snaps in 2025. Among them, Williams ranked 11th in winning percentage as a pass rusher at 8.8%.Twelve played at least 20% of their team’s running downs. Williams fared much better here, recording a 6.2 stop percentage with an average depth of tackle of -0.1 yards, which was the only negative number in the group. In fact — it’s a small sample size of 133 snaps— Williams had the lowest average depth of tackle among any player.As noted, Collins’ grade was alarmingly low as a rookie. Of the 18 rookie defensive tackles who played at least 20% of the snaps in 2025, Collins finished 14th in run stop rate with the 12th lowest average depth of tackle, at 2.5 yards. Another potential concern that showed up in the first preseason game was Collins’ missed tackle rate. He had the sixth-highest among rookie defensive tackles at 14.3%.It’s easier to have faith in Mykel, despite him coming off a serious knee injury. He’s 22, plus the traits are there, as are the surroundings. Collins, who turns 25 in October, hasn’t shown us any consistency to suggest he can take the next step as a player. After a couple of highlights in Week 5 against the Rams last year, Collins went nearly three months without another game where he flashed, and that was against the Titans.Williams gets a pass if he has a slow start to the season. Collins does not. The 49ers need Collins to play up to his draft status for the defense to reach its ceiling this year.

The Denver Broncos (1-0) are set to host the Green Bay Packers (0-1) at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver, Colorado, in Week 2 of NFL preseason on Friday, Aug. 21.Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. MT (9:00 p.m. ET), and the game will be locally televised in the Denver market on 9News with Steve Levy (play-by-play) and Ryan Harris (analyst) serving as the commentators. The Broncos-Packers matchup will also be televised for out-of-market fans on NFL Network, which is available to stream on FuboTV.Out-of-market fans can also stream Denver's preseason games on NFL+. Additionally, the game will be televised on these local channels, according to 506sports.com: KUSA (NBC/9 - Denver)KKTV (CBS/11 - Colorado Springs)KJCT (ABC/8 - Grand Junction CO)KTVX (ABC/4 - Salt Lake City)KOAT (ABC/7 - Albuquerque)KGWN (NBC/5.2 - Cheyenne WY)KCWY (NBC/13 - Casper WY)KOTA (ABC/3 - Rapid City SD)KPTM (FOX/42 - Omaha)KFXL (FOX/51 - Lincoln NE)KWCH (CBS/12 - Wichita KS)WIBW (CBS/13 - Topeka KS)WGBA (NBC/26 - Green Bay)WTMJ (NBC/4 - Milwaukee)WKOW (ABC/27 - Madison)WAOW (ABC/9 - Wausau WI)WQOW (ABC/18 - Eau Claire WI)WXOW (ABC/19 - La Crosse WI)WLUC (FOX/6.2 - Marquette MI)KQDS (FOX/21 - Duluth MN)KXLT (FOX/47 - Rochester MN)KGCW (CW/26 - Quad Cities)KWWL (NBC/7 - Waterloo IA)KCCI (CBS/8 - Des Moines IA)WQRF (FOX/39 - Rockford IL)WYZZ (FOX/43 - Peoria IL)WAND (NBC/17 - Decatur IL)BEK TV (North Dakota)KDLT (NBC/5 - Sioux Falls SD)KETV (ABC/7 - Omaha)KTBY (FOX/4 - Anchorage AK)KATN (FOX/2.2 - Fairbanks AK)After facing the Packers, Denver will host the Minnesota Vikings in their preseason finale next week (Aug. 28). After that, the Broncos will finalize a 53-man roster ahead of the 2026 NFL regular season.Social: Follow Broncos Wire on Facebook and Twitter/X! Did you know: These 25 celebrities are Broncos fans.This article originally appeared on Broncos Wire: What channel will the Broncos-Packers game be on? Here's the full listOur editors independently choose our recommendations. Some content is produced with paid support from a third party, however our editorial decisions remain independent. If you buy through our links, the USA TODAY Network may earn a commission. Prices and availability may change.