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AZ Alkmaar striker joins FC Utrecht on loan with purchase option includedFC Utrecht have announced the signing of Sem van Duijn from AZ Alkmaar on loan for the 2026/2027 Eredivisie season. The 22-year-old striker has a year in which to convince Utrecht to pick up the purchase option they have agreed with AZ Alkmaar as part of the loan deal. Van Duijn gets to link back up with former Telstar head coach Antonio Correia, who left the side to take over at Utrecht this summer. Van Duijn made a name for himself in the amateur leagues with Quick Boys. Prior to joining AZ Alkmaar in 2024, he scored 22 goals in 70 games for the side, with 19 of these coming in 38 games during the 2023/2024 season. The striker only played two games for the AZ Alkmaar senior team, with most of his time spent with Jong AZ Alkmaar in the second tier. Over the course of two seasons he scored 15 goals for the side in 43 games. Van Duijn had a successful spell on loan at Telstar with Correia last season. In 16 games for the then newly promoted side he scored five goals and provided two assists. GBeNeFN | Ben Jackson

[BBC]We asked for your views after Rangers were dumped out of Europe following defeat on penalties to Jablonec in the Conference League play-off.Here are some of your comments:Louise: I didn't think it was possible to have a worse team than the start of last season but Rangers continue to go backwards. Another summer and millions of pounds wasted on another team with no substance or quality. The only player with any heart was Findlay Curtis who had the guts to take a penalty at such a young age. Rangers were Europa finalists not too long ago and now we can't even qualify for Conference football.Les: The worst performance I've seen in a long time.Paul: What another catastrophic result for this inept and substandard Rangers team in Europe. To rely on the younger players in a penalty shootout to bail you out was such a painful watch. Pittodrie at the weekend will be another stern test but will they step up to the challenges that lie ahead?Michael: Derek McInnes looks to be completely and utterly lost managing at an actual big club. His win percentage is lower than Russell Martin's. Get him out ASAP, we can't afford another start like last year before we actually find someone who can do the job.G Young: Give Derek time, he was manager of the season three months ago with Hearts. The manager can't be sacked every week, give him another three games at least.Jacob: Where do we go from here? Derek has got to go as that is unforgivable. We were so much better off begging Danny Rohl to stay and honestly I do not know where to start with what is wrong with this club. The players are not up for it and neither is the board or management. The recruitment is so poor.Gordon: That might be the worst Rangers performance in my lifetime. The manager quotes Sir Alex Ferguson or Walter Smith stories but is not fit to shine their boots.

In these first few years of the AI era, tens of thousands of published writers have received emails that begin something like this: “Dear Fred, “I’ve long admired your novels, but feel that Windsong Malaise is the best yet. You etch so sensitively the tensions between the heroine and her brother, and it’s remarkable how he becomes a sort of unconscious doppelganger. Your dialogue feels wonderfully real, evoking the emotions we have all felt when blocked from our dreams by dystopian reality. This is a book worthy to stand with Barthelme, Barth, and Pynchon.” On and on it goes, thoughtfully praising the very aspects of Windsong Malaise that you feel most proud of. Such a letter is all the more enticing if the book it concerns is an earlier one that reviewers neglected, and now at last someone sees its unique qualities. Only at the very end of the message does your correspondent mention that he or she works for a federation of 137 book clubs that wants to make Windsong Malaise their next choice to read. Of course there will be a very small fee to cover the cost of printing the necessary promotional materials. . . . Confess: the first time you fell for it. Or almost fell for it. Some of these letters are uncannily well written. I’ve received many such letters, but a recent one was unexpected. A decade ago, I had the privilege of writing a forward to a new edition of George Orwell’s classic memoir of fighting in the Spanish Civil War, Homage to Catalonia. When the age of book promotion scams dawned, an AI engine clearly had read the book but did not know that Orwell had died in 1950. It could not find an email address for him, but it could for the far less illustrious guy whose name also appeared on the cover. Hence, one morning the message below appeared in my inbox. This makes me wonder: if one of us writes a preface to a new edition of Hamlet, will we receive an email that begins, “Dear Will”? Try it and see. ————————————————– From: John Clerk Sent: Monday, April 20, 2026 11:03 AM To: ahochschild@********.*** Subject: George, when truth meets war… readers keep looking Hi George, I recently revisited Homage to Catalonia, and what continues to stand out is the raw, firsthand tension between idealism and disillusionment as your experience on the front lines evolves into a deeper confrontation with propaganda, political division, and the fragile nature of truth itself. That combination of lived history and moral clarity is what makes the book so enduring. Because of that, your work is a natural fit for carefully curated Goodreads Listopia lists focused on themes like “war memoirs with political insight,” “books about propaganda and truth,” “essential political nonfiction,” and “firsthand accounts of historical conflict.” These are categories where readers actively search for meaningful, perspective-shaping works like yours. To give some context, Goodreads Listopia is made up of public, reader-created lists where books are grouped by very specific themes, ideas, or historical topics. Readers browse these lists every day when deciding what to read next especially when they’re looking for something insightful or relevant to current discussions. These lists are permanent and continue attracting attention over time, making them a powerful tool for ongoing discovery. Positioning your book on the right Listopia lists offers lasting benefits: • It places your work directly in front of readers already searching for these themes • It increases “Want to Read” ads, strengthening visibility across Goodreads • It encourages organic readership and thoughtful reviews over time • And it continues working in the background without ads or ongoing promotion For a book with such historical depth and continued relevance, this kind of targeted, long-term visibility ensures it keeps reaching new generations of readers. What I do is strategically position books onto the most relevant, high-traffic Listopia lists so they’re discovered by the right audience. Authors in history, politics, and nonfiction have seen consistent improvements in discoverability through this approach because it aligns directly with how readers explore and engage with these topics. If you’d like me to take care of this for you, just reply YES, and I’ll handle everything with no extra effort needed on your end. I’d love to include your book before the current list placements close. Best regards, Clerk ###

This first appeared in Lit Hub’s Craft of Writing newsletter—sign up here. Consider these opening lines. Their source is far from obscure, so there’s a good chance you’ll recognize them right away. Take a moment over them anyway: “So now get up.” Felled, dazed, silent, he has fallen; knocked full length on the cobbles of the yard. His head turns sideways; his eyes are turned towards the gate, as if someone might arrive to help him out. One blow, properly placed, could kill him now. The excerpt is taken, of course, from the first page of Wolf Hall, for which Hilary Mantel won the Booker Prize in 2009. Not exactly a deep cut as historical fiction goes, but for my purposes a near-ideal example. Of what? Well, in the rules I’m about to set out, I warn of the ways in which we can get historical fiction wrong. And Wolf Hall—from its opening lines to its final page—is as complete a demonstration of technical excellence as we could wish for. We’ll discuss some examples in just a moment, but first a bit of procedural housekeeping. You will object, I’m sure, that literary craft is infinitely nuanced and that rules like the ones below are reductive and arbitrary. Plus, you might argue, they get broken all the time, and by unassailable giants of the genre. The thing about literary giants, though, is that they tend to know what they’re doing. When they break a rule, they generally understand it thoroughly and weigh their decision carefully. When you break one you’re just doing it wrong. Good? Good. Yes, Susanna Clarke did it, but (a) she did a lot more besides, and (b) you are not Susanna Clarke. Also, one last thing: In case anyone missed my tiresome play on words, the “dating” in the title refers to the various techniques you can use to situate your novel in time and place. You may be familiar with some or all of these, but you should still pay attention. Most require a light touch and a clear notion of the desired effect. Some, though, should be approached like they just oozed from a meteorite in a puddle of hissing slime. Okay, team, let’s have fun out there! Rule No. 1: Go Easy on the Period Diction Language is what books are made of, and all prose and dialogue must be outfitted in some sort of style. If your setting comes stocked with pungently recognizable idiom—with prithees and sires and by-your-leaves—there’s a temptation to help yourself in great armfuls. But look again at the Mantel excerpt. Her chosen milieu is Tudor England, and she has a scholar’s intimacy with the flavors of Early Modern English then in use. But a modern novel crusted stiff with pre-Shakespearean locutions would no longer be a modern novel; it would be a wearying parlor trick. Mantel cleaves instead to a felicitous simplicity, to constructions that achieve consonance with the period but stop short of mimicry. She begins as she means to go on. The boy on the ground is Thomas Cromwell, who will one day be Lord Privy Seal and the unsparing architect of the English Reformation. His public utterances will brim with courtly niceties, and with legal and ecclesiastical arcana. Mantel will show us just enough of all that when the time comes. For now he is just a boy, cowering before his brutish father. His world was not wide before, and now it has shrunk to a few miserable particulars: a blunt taunt, a cobbled yard, a beating. Now as then, the words for such things are simple. Rule No. 2: Spell Like a Normal Person Say you’ve pitched up in England at some point from the early Georgian era onwards, or in America a little later on. You’ll have made the exciting discovery that your primary sources include actual novels. Let’s imagine, too, that in a spirit of dauntless thoroughness you’ve sought out the unmodernized editions of Defoe or Fielding or whoever. It’s a worthy philological undertaking, if nothing else. Our modern conventions of orthography, typography and speech-marking took a long time to solidify, and it’s instructive to see that process unfold. It’s not without its perils, though, particularly when you reach the relatively familiar climes of the nineteenth century. Here you’ll feel mostly at home, and when your eye is caught by such archaisms as Jane Austen’s spellings you might find yourself wondering what harm it could do. You certainly wouldn’t be the first. But listen, this is not the way. You are not going to fast-track your way to authentic Regency by putting “chuse” for “choose.” Yes, Susanna Clarke did it, but (a) she did a lot more besides, and (b) you are not Susanna Clarke. Rule No. 3: Don’t Use Your Research to Accessorize You’re writing a historical novel, which means you’ve been putting in some serious hours at the library. (You have, haven’t you? Because this is in no way optional.) And having done all that research, you might form the view that none of it should be wasted. Like, that one detail about the turning radius of Shillibeer’s Omnibus—that has to go somewhere, surely? The answer, alas, is usually no. You should read widely about your period and deeply about those particulars that naturally arise in your story. Most of that reading, though, should be kept off the page or confined to the gentlest cross-hatching. That way, the reader will attend gladly to the details you do alight on, having come to trust that they matter. Treat the rest of your shiny trinkets like in that mirror-twirl trick when you’re getting ready to go out. If it catches your eye immediately, take it off. Rule No. 4: The Past Is Another Country, but Your Characters Live There Choosing a point of view is a consequential decision for any novelist, but in historical fiction the stakes are heightened. Omniscient narrators are a thing, to be sure, and they were much more of a thing in centuries past, along with chatty and freely moralizing perorations to the Gentle Reader. However, managing such conspicuous anachronisms requires consummate skill (see Eleanor Catton’s The Luminaries for how it’s done), so don’t say you weren’t warned. I most cases, though, you’ll be using either the first person or the near-default close third. This means that in any given scene, you’ll be relating the proceedings from the perspective of a specific individual shaped by highly particular circumstances. That individual should want, care about and notice a closely circumscribed subset of things. Her own clothing? Maybe, if some occasion requires it and she has the means and leisure to change it. The streetscape, the shopfronts, the hansom cabs, the coal smoke, the gaslights, the stink? Unless she’s new here, then not without some particular reason. Just like you, she’s probably preoccupied with something (so tell us that instead), and just like you, most of what she sees every day is all but invisible. Choose carefully. Rule No. 5: Stop Worldbuilding Like It’s Westeros, Dammit All this pontificating might give you the wrong impression, so I should make it clear that I, too, am a trash human with terrible habits. Exhibit A: Your boy watches way too many video essays on YouTube. These are all far too long, and too many are about fantasy fiction and its weird fixation on the Everlasting Medieval. I bring this up because I’ve developed a pet theory, which is that the quasi-historicism of fantasy fiction has opened a portal to a parallel genre, infecting historical fiction with Certain Tendencies. Among these are the egregious outbursts of exposition that are tolerated in the cause of “worldbuilding,” as if having an official term somehow makes it okay. There’s no excuse for wheeling in some talkative NPC just to explain why the townsfolk are acting skittish. As with most technical problems, find a solution that’s natural and unobtrusive. This carry-on usually occurs under flimsy pretexts. “We had all heard the tales,” someone will begin, and the tales that follow will bespeak an oral tradition of near-miraculous efficiency. We will learn of the ills wrought by this or that king; such-and-such a usurper; one bunch or another of interlopers, of idolaters, of haughty conquerors, of benighted rabble. The glories of some former age may be lamented, and our sympathies directed to parties judged righteous or wronged. Decades, even centuries, may be encompassed by these marvelously comprehensive surveys. Some readers may even welcome them, on the grounds that there’s just so much to cover and it’s, like, hella convenient. That’s no excuse. This isn’t Elden Ring, and there isn’t supposed to be a hotkey for lore. Reveal your world as someone experiences it, or don’t reveal it at all. Rule No. 6: Stop Set-Dressing Like It’s Downton Abbey Again, I don’t issue this edict from some kind of high horse. I still know every single number in that one musical episode of Buffy, so it’s not like I don’t love me some high-fructose TV. I’m not coming for anyone’s comfort reads either. There’s a place in this world for book covers with someone’s lush decolletage and a font from a wedding menu. Given that you’re six points deep into this particular list, however, I’m going to assume that Bridgerton is not the vibe you’re going for. And at the grownup table, sad to say, you don’t get to blow the budget on wardrobe and production design then call it good. No one’s saying your text has to be barren of ornament. There can be sumptuous frocks and silk wall hangings, but the gaze that gets drawn to them should not be your own. Because again, who is doing the seeing here? Is it someone awed and out of their element? Someone briskly assessing workmanship or disparaging a social inferior? Someone taking brusque possession while sneering at all this decadence? Moments like these may occur, but they must arise in the natural course of your story. Otherwise, make do like the rest of us and save your fire takes on eveningwear for posting about the Met Gala. Rule No. 7: Your Characters Aren’t Tour Guides Worldbuilding aside, you should be wary of any explanations that arrive at oddly convenient moments. There is the common practice, for instance, whereby some minor character is briefly seconded to a protagonist’s service, only to be dispensed with again once the required payload of information has been delivered. These are perfunctory roles by definition, so lackeys of one kind or another are often favored. Innkeepers may be pressed into service, or drivers, porters, errand boys or grooms. Discontented domestics are perennial favorites too, as are enterprising sex workers. Anyone will do, really, as long as they stay long enough to say something useful, but not so long that they become a nuisance. And look, I get it: exposition is hard and perfect verisimilitude is neither possible nor desirable; we all make our small accommodations. There’s no excuse, though, for wheeling in some talkative NPC just to explain why the townsfolk are acting skittish. As with most technical problems, find a solution that’s natural and unobtrusive. That’s pretty much your whole job. Rule No. 8: Historical Fiction Is Still Contemporary Fiction I’ve saved this rule for last because it’s the one nearest my heart. If I have indulged myself elsewhere in this list, veering now and then towards puckishness or provocation, in this I am entirely sincere. As historical novelists, like writers of any kind, we should be faithful to our subject and to our reader. Yet subject and setting are not the same, only closely entwined. We do justice if we can to the substrates of our chosen worlds, but we make no claims to true scholarship. We are inventors of moments, of days, of lives, and truthful only after our own fashion. We are attentive visitors to the past, yes, and we tread its ground carefully, but we are not museum-keepers or archaeologists. We do not unearth cities but remake them; do not raise the dead but summon in their place the newly living. In doing so, we never conjure the same spectre twice, and it is no fault that we catch our own voices in theirs; that they wear our many skins and tremble with our many kinds of love. We honor their imagined worlds, but we make them for the one we live in. _______________________________________________________ The Naming of the Birds by Paraic O’Donnell is available via Tin House.

Claire Stapleton’s Don’t Be Evil, Kimon de Greef’s The Ego Trip, and Dave Ziren’s The People’s Historian all feature among the best reviewed nonfiction titles of the month. Brought to you by Book Marks, Lit Hub’s home for book reviews. * 1. Don’t Be Evil: Bad Bosses, Fake Promises, and My Escape from Big Tech by Claire Stapleton (William Morrow and Company) 4 Rave • 1 Positive • 1 Mixed “A blunt account of one woman’s transformation from eager-to-please corporate striver to clear-eyed activist. It well earns its place alongside other recent accounts of the misdeeds of Big Tech like Sarah Wynn-Williams’ Careless People and Anna Wiener’s Uncanny Valley … Books like Stapleton’s will at least arm people determined to reform them with information they’ll need to make that effort.” –Harvey Freedenberg (BookPage) 2. The Ego Trip: Psychedelic Toads, a Trail of Deaths, and the Guru Who Peddled Transcendence by Kimon de Greef (Doubleday) 4 Rave • 1 Positive “A marvelous trip, exploring centuries of the Seris’ tribulations, the growth of commercial toad milking in a region dominated by narco gangsters, quarrels among rival gurus and competition between the sons of an English countess and a German baroness to develop 5-MeO-DMT into a pharmaceutical.” –Annie Bartlett (BookPage) 3. The Rise and Fall of the Artificial State by Jill Lepore (Liveright) 3 Rave • 2 Positive • 1 Mixed “Staggering, sobering, yet essential reading for all who want to understand the arc of this increasingly digital, online, corporate, and out-of-control world.” –Carol Haggas (Booklist) 4. Days of Miracle and Wonder: Paul Simon and the Trials and Triumphs of Graceland by Ahley Kahn (Atria) 4 Rave • 1 Mixed “What a welcome surprise … Has only made me appreciate the album’s intricacies and paradoxes all the more … Kahn lets his historical actors speak for themselves as often as possible, collecting a remarkably wide array of voices for so short a book.” –Mark Braude (The New York Times Book Review) 5. The People’s Historian: The Outsized Life of Howard Zinn by Dave Zirin (Dutton) 2 Rave • 3 Positive • 2 Mixed “Rousing … It’s a wonderful portrait of a historian who reshaped America’s understanding of its potential for change.” –Publishers Weekly

Chang-Rae Lee’s A Tender Age, Téa Obreht’s Sunrise, and Paul Yoon’s Etna all feature among the best reviewed fiction titles of the month. Brought to you by Book Marks, Lit Hub’s home for book reviews. * 1. A Tender Age by Chang Rae-Lee (Riverhead) 11 Rave • 1 Mixed • 1 Pan “Luminous … In his masterful almost-ending, Lee shrouds what exactly happened on that life-altering precipice, brilliantly inviting room for interrogation and interpretation..” –Terry Hong (Shelf Awareness) 2. Sunrise by Téa Obreht (Random House) 10 Rave • 1 Pan Read an interview with Téa Obreht here “Obreht is riveting in each time frame as she exults in emulating and subverting tales of the Old West while exposing the poisonous complexities of gender, taboo love, myth, history, and our desecration of the wild in a breathtaking, shocking, and reverberating survival story.” –Donna Seaman (Booklist) 3. Etna by Paul Yoon (Scribner) 8 Rave • 1 Positive • 1 Mixed Read an excerpt from Etna here “For all its compactness, Etna has the shape of an epic … Stands out among Yoon’s work … This is, at times, a wrenching novel, strewn with broken bodies, but its atrocities never overwhelm its faith in creaturely communion, and in grief and longing that clarify, rather than obscure, one’s desires and selfhood.” –Rachel Vorona Cote (The Atlantic) 4. Triage by Claudia Rankine (Graywolf) 4 Rave • 6 Positive • 1 Mixed “Colorfully, referentially, and intellectually dynamic … A glossy-paged, art exhibition catalog-worthy book … Though the narrative’s ending verges on negative abstraction, Rankine clearly demands that we confront our failure to prioritize Gazans and reckon the massive resultant losses, personal, ethical, and human alike.” –Walton Muyumba (The Boston Globe) 5. The Amateur by Chris Bohjalian (Doubleday) 7 Rave Read an essay by Chris Bohjalian here “Bohjalian’s wonderful book is a morality tale, a snapshot of a strange, careless time in a particular slice of America, a psychological exploration of guilt and its repercussions, a portrait of a girl going off the rails—and then, because of an exciting plot twist, a courtroom drama.” –Sarah Lyall (The New York Times Book Review)

It’s nighttime in the playroom and the toys have gathered for a conference. For modern audiences, this scene likely evokes the imaginative world of Toy Story, the long-running film franchise about the secret lives of children’s toys, which launched to great acclaim in 1995 and recently released its fifth installment. But Woody the cowboy doll and Buzz Lightyear the action figure are not among the group assembled here. Instead, the toys gathered in young Maggy Howard’s room are simple objects crafted from rubber, tin, and wood. One is a fresh arrival from Europe. Another has survived gunfire on the Civil War battlefield. All have something to say. As the night unfolds, so do their tales, which comprise a set of narratives published in 1866 under the title “What the Playthings Said to Each Other on Midsummer Night.” Although critics hailed the original Toy Story for its “incredibly clever” and “inventive” concept, the film’s central conceit has roots in a literary genre that first became popular in eighteenth-century Britain: the it-narrative. Also known as object tales or novels of circulation, it-narratives relate the adventures of inanimate objects (and, less commonly, animals) as they travel across settings and between different owners. Typically narrated in first person, it-narratives test familiar borders of subject and object, inviting readers to imagine what human society might look like from the perspective of small and easily overlooked things, ranging from corkscrews to pins to literal flies on the wall. While today we think of Toy Story as children’s media, the it-narrative originated as a decidedly adult genre. Because object narrators tend to be things that circulate across layers of society, the it-narrative offered a ready platform for social satire. What’s more, as tales that turn on the circulation and exchange of commodities, it-narratives were particularly apt vehicles for critiquing Britain’s burgeoning consumer culture. In stories such as Joseph Addison’s “Adventures of a Shilling” (1710) and Charles Johnstone’s Chrysal; or, the Adventures of a Guinea (1760), authors used the fictional adventures of object narrators to expose instances of greed and self-interest drawn from life. The adventures of Addison’s titular shilling include being hoarded, offered as a bribe, and sent as an insulting accompaniment to a letter disinheriting a son. Johnstone’s guinea, meanwhile, bears witness not only to the machinations of hack authors and exploitative merchants, but also to the sufferings of a destitute poet shut out from the literary marketplace, who receives the guinea as a pity gift and immediately uses it to buy food. More than a few early it-narratives verged on pornography. The capacity of most object narrators to travel in intimate proximity to human bodies prompted authors to relate sensational, fly-on-the-wall details about people’s private lives. If the ability to circulate enabled object narrators to prompt class critique, it also allowed for more straightforward modes of entertainment. With its episodic structure, the it-narrative echoed the form of picaresque novels such as The History of Tom Jones (1749) and popular adventure fiction such as Robinson Crusoe (1719). It-narratives including Helenus Scott’s The Adventures of a Rupee (1782) served up adventure alongside satire, with Scott’s novel doubling as an orientalist travel narrative; the rupee’s travels, which take place across India, China, and England, include an extended visit to a seraglio. Likewise, in Chrysal, which was perhaps the most popular it-narrative of its day, the guinea’s peregrinations across Europe and the Americas not only reflected the increasingly globalized nature of Britain’s mercantile society but also allowed Johnstone to engage in anthropological fantasy. The novel features several chapters set among an invented group of Indigenous Americans, whose “females” and their private habits come in for voyeuristic scrutiny. As such details suggest, more than a few early it-narratives verged on pornography. The capacity of most object narrators to travel in intimate proximity to human bodies prompted authors to relate sensational, fly-on-the-wall details about people’s private lives. Chrysal, for instance, features a detailed episode in which an aristocrat picks up a sex worker on the street. A similar desire to titillate motivates a subset of tales narrated by articles of clothing, including coats, silk petticoats, waistcoats, and wigs, as well as the anonymously-authored History of a French Louse (1779). Born on the head of a courtesan, the History’s insect narrator rides shotgun on a series of libidinous adventures that include an assignation with American ambassador to France Benjamin Franklin, whose decaying teeth, the History’s louse reports from his close-up vantage point, “might have been taken for cloves.” It-narratives may have been fiction, but the anonymity afforded by object narrators frequently encouraged authors to dish on real celebrities. By the mid-nineteenth century, the it-narrative began to interest authors invested less in provoking excitement than in guiding the moral development of their readers. As literary scholar Leah Price has observed, the it-narrative’s premise held special appeal for Christian missionaries, whose evangelical activities likewise hinged on social circulation. A new crop of it-narratives published by religious organizations in both the United States and Britain soon emerged. Often featuring object narrators with a moral valence—Bibles and prayer books were popular—these stories targeted audiences with limited means to select their own reading material, including children. Like the toys in Toy Story, who reward “good” owners (imaginative children) and punish or seek to escape “bad” ones (violent children, greedy adults), object narrators in nineteenth-century religious and moral fiction do not simply observe human activity; they judge it. For some authors of nineteenth-century children’s literature, it-narratives thus offered a framework for encouraging young readers to self-police their own behavior. Well before Carol Aebersold and Chanda Bell’s The Elf on the Shelf (2005), a picture book packaged with a toy elf that children are instructed to imagine watching their every move, it-narratives sought to transform children’s things into auxiliaries for parental surveillance. In children’s it-narratives such as The History of a Pocket Prayer Book (1839) and The Adventures of a Work-Bag (1826), authors forego the sharp edge of satire for the blunt instrument of didacticism. Both the prayer book and the work bag openly praise behaviors they view as diligent, such reading a prayer every night or being “dedicated to [one’s] needle.” But they are also quick to criticize habits and behaviors they deem inappropriate. The work bag, for instance, lives in constant fear of falling into the hands “of some rude slatternly girl, who will toss me up and down to my great detriment.” Although the it-narrative as a genre was predicated on an object’s extensive circulation, authors guided their young readers, who were largely white and middle-class, to act in ways that shored up social hierarchies and related ideas of proper comportment. Just as Toy Story asks audiences to take seriously the world of childhood play, stories like “What the Playthings Said” envision a world in which children and their things make an impact. Nineteenth-century children themselves, however, had their own take on such tales. Much as the wealth of island stories written by children of this period indexes the widespread popularity of Robinson Crusoe, the presence of it-narratives in archives of children’s writing suggests that the genre appealed to young readers despite its adult use for moralizing purposes. One such collection of it-narratives survives in the form of the tiny manuscript books authored by children associated with the prominent New England Hale family. Developed by children, for children, these handmade books—which measure less than 10 centimeters in height—were created for circulation via amateur libraries organized by several generations of the Hales, their cousins, and various friends from 1839-69. In stories centered on objects ranging from a button to a tin soldier, young authors recognize the it-narrative’s potential not only for amusement but for showcasing the power of the small and marginal. Tales including “The Adventures of a Rod” (1844) mark a return to the genre’s anarchic origins: the story chronicles the travails of a roadside shrub, which suffers violent attacks by schoolboys, but later enacts revenge upon becoming a disciplinary switch in the boys’ classroom. Others emphasize the role of objects in networks of human relations. In “What the Playthings Said to Each Other on Midsummer Night,” a rubber soldier gifted by a young boy to his Civil War-bound brother deflects a deadly bullet and saves the older sibling’s life. Just as Toy Story asks audiences to take seriously the world of childhood play, stories like “What the Playthings Said” envision a world in which children and their things make an impact. Toys, of course, are not the only small things that children carry these days. The antagonist of the new Toy Story film is a tablet, whose addictive presence distracts the toys’ young owner from unstructured, creative play. Yet while screens and smartphones may seem worlds apart from the Hales and their handmade books, we in some ways inhabit a technological present inherited from the it-narrative, a genre whose watchful object narrators look ahead to the media imagination that gave us virtual assistants such as Alexa and Siri. As it-narratives of the past remind us, seemingly inanimate objects may have more power to shape us than we like.

Robin Wigglesworth of Financial Times explains everything you need to know about the Trump administration’s meddling with the bond market.

A playbook to curb the growing power of Big Tech.

Brighton manager Dario Vidosic announces departureBrighton & Hove Albion manager Dario Vidosic has left the club shortly before the start of the 2026/27 season.The Australian took over Brighton at the start of the 2024/25 season and helped improve the team, culminating in the Seagulls' first ever FA Cup final appearance.However, Vidosic has now stepped down with journalist Emma Sanders of BBC Sport suggesting that he could make the switch to NWSL side Angel City."I have loved my time at the Albion and am proud of what we have achieved together," Vidosic said about his departure. "Leaving has been a difficult decision, but I believe it is the right time for me and my family to begin a new chapter."I would like to thank the players, staff and supporters for their support throughout my time at the club and wish everyone associated with Albion every success in the future."Brighton are believed to have lined up former Real Sociedad head coach Arturo Ruiz as his replacement.

Jamie Vardy is set to host live German top-flight football coverage on YouTube this season.The former Leicester and England forward, 39, will lead broadcasts for seven Bundesliga fixtures on his YouTube channel, "Jamie Vardy’s Having a Party".The deal with Bundesliga Media encompasses seven Friday evening matches, kicking off this weekend with the campaign opener between Bayern Munich and Stuttgart."Fans don’t just want to watch football anymore, they want to experience it with the people they already know and trust," said Rick Murray, chief executive of Workerbee, which is part of the media and entertainment group producing the live show."Jamie has built an incredible community around the podcast, and thanks to our Bundesliga partnership, we can bring that audience closer to some seriously big games."Harry Kane's Bayern Munich will be involved in the first match shown on Vardy's YouTube channel (AP)This new arrangement runs alongside Bundesliga Media’s renewed agreement with the YouTube channel, That’s Football.Host Mark Goldbridge said: "The reaction from our community last year was incredible – the fans couldn’t get enough of the atmosphere, the top-tier football, and live watch-alongs."Vardy is currently without a club after leaving Italian side Cremonese when his contract expired at the end of last season.He spent one season in Italy after calling time on his 13-year stay at Leicester in 2025, and scored seven goals in 29 appearances in Serie A, but was unable to keep Cremonese in the top flight.Vardy remains a major name in English football following his incredibly successful spell at Leicester. After helping the Foxes win promotion to the Premier League, Vardy famously played a huge role in the club winning the title in 2016.Leicester went on to win the FA Cup five years later, beating Chelsea in the final at Wembley. However, they were relegated from the Premier League in 2023 after a dramatic fall from grace.Vardy played his part in them gaining immediate promotion back to the top flight, but the club has since suffered successive relegations and are now playing in League One under new manager Russell Martin.Vardy also won 26 caps for England, and represented the Three Lions at Euro 2016 and the World Cup two years later.

Barcelona already working on a striker signing for January – reportThe summer transfer window is entering its final stretch and closes next Tuesday, with FC Barcelona still having several incoming and outgoing operations to resolve. However, the club’s sporting executives are already looking ahead.Unless there are major departures or an unexpected breakthrough in the Julian Alvarez situation, Barça are not expected to make any major addition before the summer window closes. Instead, the La Liga champions want to preserve financial fair play capacity and money for the January transfer window, should an attractive opportunity arise to strengthen the attack and improve the team’s goalscoring options, reports MARCA.Change of plansHansi Flick is delighted with his team’s start to La Liga. Barcelona have won their first two matches, against Elche and Athletic Club, scoring seven goals without conceding.The attacking numbers are particularly impressive given that the club has not replaced Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres, despite the coaching staff and sporting department considering reinforcement up front a priority.Alvarez remains the topmost priority. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)The main, and effectively only, target has been Alvarez. Atletico Madrid’s refusal to negotiate has therefore blocked Barcelona’s plans.While Atletico maintain their position, Barça’s existing attackers performing so well. Raphinha has been operating as a false nine and has scored three goals, the same number as Fermin Lopez. As a result, Barça have decided not to pursue another striker this summer: either Alvarez arrives or there will be no new forward.That does not mean the club has abandoned the idea entirely. A new No. 9 could still be pursued in January depending on how the team develops over the next few months, including its goalscoring output, injuries and the players available on the market.Casado and Fort departures could create roomThis is why Barcelona are not currently expected to complete a major signing during the final days of the summer window. The priority is to preserve enough financial fair play room to make a top-level striker signing in January if necessary.The club’s finances could improve further through departures. Barça hope to receive €25-30 million for Marc Casado and around €15 million for Hector Fort.Striker signing to wait until January if Alvarez doesn’t arrive. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)If either or both deals are completed, the club has not completely ruled out another signing before the window closes if Flick requests one.A centre-back remains a possibilityThe position that could still be reinforced is centre-back.Barcelona have lost Ronald Araujo, while Álvaro Cortés is also set to leave. However, Flick still has plenty of options in the position, including Pau Cubarsi, Gerard Martin, Jules Kounde, Andreas Christensen and Eric García.The coach and Deco are assessing the situation before deciding whether another defender is necessary.Any potential signing, however, would have to be weighed against the club’s bigger objective: maintaining enough financial fair play capacity to bring in a centre-forward in January.The Barcelona sporting department is already planning with that scenario in mind.

Chelsea confirm latest departure but close in on signingChelsea defender Mamadou Sarr has joined Real Sociedad on a season-long loan as the Blues continue to reshape their squad before the transfer deadline.Sarr, who joined Chelsea from Strasbourg last summer, has made seven appearances for the club.The 20-year-old will now spend the season in La Liga with Real Sociedad as Chelsea monitor his progress in the Basque Country.Chelsea are also continuing their transfer business at the other end of the pitch, having agreed a £7.5million deal to sign Aston Villa goalkeeper Emi Martinez.The Argentina international is set to add further competition to Chelsea’s goalkeeping options.Stay up to date with all the latest Chelsea news by joining our Chelsea WhatsApp channel. But more departures are also expected before the window shuts.Enzo Fernandez was left out of the Chelsea squad for the Carabao Cup win over Luton and it is expected that Manchester City will make an offer for him in the coming days.Tosin could also depart having fallen out of favour under Xabi Alonso, while Dario Essugo is expected to leave on loan.Nicolas Jackson is closing in on a move to Aston Villa, meanwhile, while Marc Guiu is also expected to leave either on loan or permanently.Mykhailo Mudryk is being lined up for a loan move with several clubs keen.If you enjoy our articles, help us out by making Hayters.com one of your preferred sources on Google by clicking here.

Which Champions League sides got the toughest draw?RC Lens have not been dealt a very favorable hand. According to Opta’s calculations, based on the quality of their opponents, Les Sang et Or have been given the toughest draw in the Champions League.Sabah, Lens, Slavia Prague, Atlético de Madrid, Club Brugge and Manchester City are the teams most disadvantaged by Thursday evening’s draw.Paris Saint-Germain, who have the 5th most favorable draw, can consider themselves lucky.LOSC, in 11th place, sit meanwhile in the middle of this ranking, while awaiting, of course, the truth on the pitch.This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇫🇷 here.

Nature, Published online: 28 August 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-01913-xFor applicants whose knowledge of AI stops at the name ChatGPT, Nature spoke to academics, employers and early-career researchers to find out what you need to expand your understanding.

Nature, Published online: 28 August 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-02725-9Andrew Robinson reviews five of the best science picks.

Camp East Montana, an immigration detention facility inside the Fort Bliss Army base in El Paso, Texas Omar Ornelas for ProPublica The first emergency call about a detainee trying to harm himself came about a month after Camp East Montana — an immigration detention center in El Paso, Texas — started to house immigrants. It was 2:50 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 12. “We have a patient currently in holding who is saying he’s got suicidal ideations, swallowed some foreign object, has refused our basic medical care here,” a nurse told the operator. In the audio, you can hear that someone is moaning and yelling in the background. “At this point he is unable to speak and rolling on the floor in agonizing pain, holding his stomach,” the nurse continued. “A preliminary X-ray was done and a foreign object was found. We just need to take him to the hospital that’s closest so that they can verify if the object is currently in his system and possibly to excavate the object.” I’ve been reporting on Camp East Montana for months. It sits on barren military land and was supposed to be a model for how the Trump administration would carry out mass deportations. Instead, it became an example of what could go wrong. It remains in operation despite claims of inhumane conditions and abuse, which Department of Homeland Security officials have said are “categorically false.” ICE plans to keep the facility running at least through Sept. 30, 2027, The Associated Press reported. In the span of six weeks between December 2025 and January 2026, three men died at Camp East Montana, making it one of the country’s deadliest detention centers at the time. In July, ProPublica and The Texas Tribune published my investigation into the Jan. 3 death of one of those men, Geraldo Lunas Campos, a 55-year-old Cuban national with a history of mental illness. He died after an altercation with guards over his medication, and a medical examiner ruled Lunas Campos’ death a homicide. (The Trump administration initially claimed that he had experienced medical distress, but Department of Homeland Security officials later said guards had used force to keep him from killing himself.) If you or someone you know needs help, here are a few resources: Call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 988 Text the Crisis Text Line from anywhere in the U.S. to reach a crisis counselor: 741741 We found that Lunas Campos had repeatedly raised concerns about his mental health while detained at Camp East Montana. Records show staff didn’t transfer him to a facility that could better care for him, despite repeatedly saying they were working to do so. I wanted to understand more about how the facility was responding to such incidents. I obtained, via public records requests, recordings of more than 160 emergency calls, and I spoke with staff, government officials familiar with the facility, detainees, lawyers and advocates who had spent time inside the detention center. I asked DHS about my reporting and some of the 911 calls. A spokesperson did not comment on the specific issues identified in the calls, but said the facility provides “comprehensive medical services, including mental health services.” If the detainee requires a higher level of medical care, they are referred to local emergency services as needed, the spokesperson said. The official also said that for many immigrant detainees, the healthcare they get while in custody is the best they’ve gotten in their lives. Now I want to share some of those 911 calls with you. While they may be difficult to listen to or read about, they offer a glimpse into what’s happening in a place reporters don’t have access to. The calls and my investigation show failures in responding to mental health and medical emergencies that extend beyond those experienced by one man. (Note: In some cases, recordings were edited to remove long stretches where no one was talking.) Oct. 12, 2025: “They will not give them medical treatment.” Two months after Camp East Montana began holding detainees, some were growing so desperate that they were having friends and relatives call 911 to seek medical help on their behalf. A man from North Texas called three times on Oct. 12, trying to get a detainee, whom he identified as his partner, emergency care for his kidney stones. “Why isn’t the facility calling?” the operator asked. “Because they don’t care. They don’t care about any of the detainees. They will not give them medical treatment; they don’t care. … He does not like to go to the hospital. So when he is saying he is in emergent pain at a level of 10 out of 10 and he needs to go to the emergency room, it is no joke; it has got to be very, very serious.” In a declaration to lawyers, a 32-year-old Venezuelan man identified by a pseudonym, Xavier, who fits the profile of the man with kidney stones, said he had gone on a hunger strike because he was not getting any information about his case or about a court date. “Being here feels like torture,” he said. “I feel like this experience is finishing me emotionally and physically. I don’t feel like I can survive for another month at this place. They treat us like animals.” Nov. 2, 2025: “We don’t have any oxygen for her.” In some of the emergency calls, the medical providers themselves lamented how little they could do for their patients. A nurse at the facility dialed 911. She said she had a 46-year-old woman with COVID-19 who was short of breath and whose oxygen saturation was dropping. “But the issue is we don’t have any oxygen for her, especially if she does start desaturating even more,” she tells the operator. “She just doesn’t look good.” “OK. Let me request assistance, OK? Just bear with me,” the operator tells her. “Apparently she’s been sick for the last couple of days and she’s asked to be brought into the clinic and they hadn’t brought her in,” the nurse explains later in the call. “She was just brought in today, bless her heart, so I’m just worried about her.” Feb. 28, 2026: “Was this accidental or intentional?” By late February, three people had died at Camp East Montana. The first one was Francisco Gaspar-Andres, a 48-year-old Guatemalan man who died on Dec. 3, 2025, of liver and kidney failure. Then came Lunas Campos’ death on Jan. 3. Less than two weeks later, ICE reported that Victor Manuel Díaz, a 36-year-old Nicaraguan who had been detained during Operation Metro Surge in Minneapolis, was found unresponsive and with a piece of fabric around his neck. His autopsy has not been made public. Still, the 911 calls kept coming. “OK, we have a guy who’s overdosed. He’s a detainee,” a nurse told an emergency operator on Feb. 28. They didn’t know much about the 60-year-old man who had just arrived at Camp East Montana or about what he had taken about an hour ago, she said. Someone had seen him “popping pills” and stumbling around. “Was this accidental or intentional?” the operator asked. “Intentional,” she said. The post Listen to 911 Calls From Inside an Immigration Detention Center: “We Just Need to Take Him to the Hospital” appeared first on ProPublica.

The New York Giants conclude their 2026 preseason slate on Friday night when they "visit" the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET in the third game of the John Harbaugh era.Here’s everything you need to know about how to watch, stream, and listen to the matchup.What TV channel is Giants vs. Jets on today?TV channel: NBC 4 NYStreaming: NFL+ | Fubo | Giants App / Giants.com (in-market)The Giants and Jets play Friday night in Week 3 of the 2026 NFL preseason, concluding their three-week slate. How many starters suit up remains to be seen.Streaming options for the game include the Giants App and Giants.com, NFL+, and Fubo, which offers a free trial.The broadcast crew will consist of Bob Papa (play-by-play), Carl Banks (analyst), Phil Simms (analyst), and Howard Cross (sideline).Listen to Giants-JetsFlagship: WFAN 101.9 FM / 660 AMSpanish broadcast: Que Buena 1280 AM (streaming)Alternate options: Audacy, Giants.com, Giants App.SiriusXM: Channels 229 (Jets) and 382 (Giants)SiriusXM Internet: Channels 823 (Giants) and 824 (Jets)The WFAN broadcast team will be Paul Dottino (play-by-play), Shaun O’Hara (analyst), and John Schmeelk (sideline).The Spanish broadcast will air on Que Buena 1280AM with Nestor Rosario (play-by-play) and Francis Adames (analysis) providing coverage.Pre- (Giants Gameday) and postgame (Giants Extra Point) coverage will be handled by John Schmeelk and Tiki Barber.Out-of-market fans can listen to the game on the following affiliate stations:WPYX 106.5 FM – Albany, New York96.3 FM ("The Buzzer") – Cortland and Ithaca, New YorkWYXL-FM 97.3 HD3 – Cortland and Ithaca, New YorkWPOP 1410 AM / 100.9 FM – Hartford, ConnecticutWEEX 1230 AM / 94.7 FM – Easton, PennsylvaniaWTLA 1200 AM / 97.7-100.1 FM – Syracuse, New YorkWTLB 1310 AM / 96.5 FM – Utica, New YorkWRNY 1350 AM – Rome, New YorkWSGO 1440 AM / 100.1 FM – Oswego, New YorkWLAD 800 AM – Danbury, ConnecticutWENE 1430 AM – Binghamton, New YorkGiants vs. Jets start timeDate: Friday, August 28Time: 7:30 p.m. ETGiants preseason scheduleBelow is the New York Giants' preseason schedule.Week 1: Saturday, August 15 — vs. Minnesota Vikings (1:00 p.m. ET, MetLife Stadium)Week 2: Saturday, August 22 — at Miami Dolphins (4:00 p.m. ET, Hard Rock Stadium)Week 3: Friday, August 28 — at New York Jets (7:30 p.m. ET, MetLife Stadium)This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: What channel is Giants vs. Jets on today? Time, TV schedule to watch preseason game

Amid 48 hours when the Julian Alvarez saga brought a media storm in Spain, Arsenal are continuing to work away in the background. The hope is that a big calculation may yet pay off.Mikel Arteta has long been aware that Alvarez’s first choice was Barcelona, and respects that, but his club were also aware that their Catalan rivals would struggle to do the deal. Even as far back as May, it was known that Barca had a lot to do to make the finances work, and that was before a deteriorating relationship with Atletico Madrid reached this dismal nadir.On Thursday, it was finally communicated that Atletico’s official position is that they will “never , ever” sell Alvarez to Barcelona. This was as key representatives of both clubs - as well as Arsenal - were at the Champions League draw in Monaco. That naturally fostered a lot of intrigue, as well as some mirth, for those present.Atletico are refusing to negotiate with Barcelona, opening the door to Arsenal to make a late move (Getty)There was also some seriousness, as Atletico’s Gil Marin spoke about how Alvarez was enduring “a difficult situation on both a personal and professional level”, from “people who have taken it upon themselves to deceive him, to confuse him”.The 26-year-old has certainly had a lot to consider, which complicates any decision-making this weekend, but multiple sources say he was already giving more and more thought to joining Arsenal.Intermediaries have impressed upon him how Arteta is going to play him in his best position in Arsenal’s attack, which will allow both the player and the team to go onto the next level; that they can win the Champions League together.It’s persuasive, but suddenly a lot to decide in a short space of time. Atletico want some kind of clarity as soon as Friday evening. And yet if that does mean Alvarez is ultimately open to joining Arsenal, it will prove a case of the club really holding their nerve over the long term.Arteta identified the former Manchester City forward as one of his ideal targets way back into last season, and maintained his interest even on learning that Barcelona was his dream destination. The calculation was that the Catalan club would ultimately struggle to do the deal, potentially allowing Arsenal to move in.And duly, the English champions have been given increasing encouragement - even if it has been incremental - over the last two weeks.Mikel Arteta wants a marquee attacking signing to strengthen his attack (Reuters)There is still a huge amount to do, including agreeing a fee with Atletico if it does get that far. That’s where it could get tricky, too. Even there, Atletico’s stance is hardline, and they want a total package that amounts to €150m. Arsenal sporting director Andrea Berta did come from Atletico, of course, and there is the possibility that smoothes negotiations. In another advantage that Barcelona didn’t have, though, Arsenal can send attackers the other way. Viktor Gyokeres is currently seen as the most attractive option.Should Arsenal ultimately conclude a deal, it would also be a very rare case this summer of a Premier League club actually completing their business.That is all the more pronounced in a window - and especially an end to the window - where so many of the wealthiest clubs, and those long considered the best at squad-planning, are casting around for big signings. Some are getting frantic.Viktor Gyokeres could yet be involved in Arsenal’s bid for Julian Alvarez (Getty)Arsenal may also be working late with one signing, but it’s part of a longer strategy where Alvarez was one of a few targets who fit exactly what they wanted. Only Brentford, Brighton and a handful of other clubs can say similar. It’s impossible not to link it to the fact that Arteta is by far the longest-serving manager in the Premier League, who has been gradually building to this point.Hence, if Arsenal don’t get him, they are relatively relaxed.There is some internal surprise they let Gabriel Martinelli go before securing an alternative in that area, although some sources believe it could see Arsenal move for Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford on a temporary deal. It’s just as possible they keep the money and wait.Because, on the whole, the squad is in good shape. It’s almost exactly where Arteta wants it, bar that one piece. And Alvarez isn’t just a piece, but the attacker seen as taking this squad from one the manager is very happy with to his ideal. He’s the player Arteta feels can take his attack to another level; “the x-factor”.That is one reason why there are so many layers to this transfer.

[Getty Images]Crystal Palace supporter group Holmesdale Fanatics say they will "stop all organised activity" at Selhurst Park citing the sanitisation of football as key in their decision.The group - founded in 2005 - play a significant part in generating the atmosphere and visual impacts such as flags and Tifos for Eagles fixtures.In a lengthy statement explaining the move, the group said "genuine" fans are no longer prioritised by clubs.They said: "Increasingly driven out by sky high ticket prices, needless restrictions that are designed to strip away the dignity of supporters, and relentless harassment and legal action, many young people are choosing to opt out of a game that seems determined to push them away."Holmesdale Fanatics said it was "proud" for all that has been achieved but warned the "current setup is unsustainable" at Selhurst Park."We have repeatedly warned the club that likeminded fans cannot congregate at Palace in the numbers required to sustain a growing active supporter culture," they added."The conditions are simply not there. While we have seen some of the best atmospheres at Selhurst since the group's formation during our time in block E, it has been a mixed picture in the stands as expectation has grown after more than a decade playing at the highest level."There needs to be a drastic shift at Palace towards younger fans and a move away from a culture in which people attend the ground expecting to be entertained, towards a culture of supporters turning up to play an active role in influencing the result."The story away from home is even more dire. In domestic away fixtures, supporters are banned from bringing materials into stadiums, coaches are regularly stopped, and fans are arrested. Away ends across the country are increasingly dominated by older fans, with the next generation failing to come through in significant numbers."Given these conditions, we have immense pride in all the group has achieved over the past 20 years. From being at the heart of the protests that rescued the club in 2010, to securing the away ticket price cap that has saved working class people millions and supporting the club through a record breaking period, the Holmesdale Fanatics has helped write a chapter in the club's history that many did not believe was possible."But now is the time for us to recognise we have taken the Holmesdale Fanatics as far as it can go in the current climate. We are therefore choosing to stop all organised activity as the Holmesdale Fanatics inside the stadium. We do not take this decision lightly."

The Professional Referee Group services the Premier League and the Championship [Getty Images]Referees know every decision will be scrutinised. Fans, pundits and players will pour over their calls, creating never-ending debates. It is why they are prepared.Many of the Professional Referee Group, the top officials in the country, have met in Loughborough this week.They meet every few weeks to work and train together, with the officials spread across the country.Lunch is a choice of chicken, teriyaki beef or tofu with vegetables and salad, with protein bars and rice cakes alongside the fruit, granola and Greek yogurts. It is a reminder of the environment. Since becoming professional in 2001 top flight officials have had to adapt. "I never thought referees did as much as what we do now," says Sam Allison, who played for Chippenham Town and Frome Town during his playing career, which started at Swindon. "We are training full-time, sometimes two, three sessions a day, making sure that we are ready on a Saturday afternoon."Some of it (not understanding referees' workload) is probably ignorance, lack of awareness, lack of communication being disseminated to people out there. "I think of my ignorance of just thinking referees just turned up, refereed the game and then went home."We have all the preparation, all the training, all the sacrifices, all the commitment, all the desire, all the support networks, people investing in you to make sure that you are ready in the best position to deliver a game."Allison, a former firefighter, is the fourth official for Manchester City's trip to Crystal Palace on Friday while colleague Sam Barrott has been given Saturday's early match between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest.Barrott took charge of Arsenal's Community Shield win over Manchester City this month and was in the Faroe Islands on 20 August to referee Ki Klaksvik's 0-0 draw with Riga in the Europa Conference League.Different teams and different tactics means a different approach to each game, with officials prepping with Pro Ref's analysis team who provide key information to understand the way a team is going to play, to support the flow of the game.It comes after a summer of work to ensure the officials can match - and better - the demands of the Premier League. "At the moment we've got five substitutions and we see all the time fresh legs for teams can change the momentum in a game," said Barrott. "If three new attacking players are on that are all very pacey after 70 minutes you know they're going to change the way they play, they're going to try and push."That normally means an increase in output for us and when that happens, there's not a point in us where we go, we can't handle this'."We've been trying to push the demands of where we are, everybody's trying to get better. Football has the 1% gains, every game or every training session we're very similar in the mindset, we want to be better."Francis Bunce has been with Pro Ref - rebranded from the Professional Game Match Officials Limited - for 10 years and is now the physical performance manager.He was with the group in Spain last month for their pre-season training camp, putting them through what is viewed as the infamous Maximal Aerobic Speed (MAS) test - an all out six-minute run. "When you look at refereeing in the Premier League and Championship people very rarely talk about their physical qualities or physical capabilities," he tells BBC Sport."They've all done so well to keep developing and they look like athletes on the pitch - they are athletes."We're in a very different space with match officials, they are naturally some years older than the players and you can't get away from that because having a 21-year-old referee would be very difficult in the Premier League with everything you need to learn and experience."They should be definitely considered as athletes and if you then compare them to Joe Public who might want to shout some views from the sidelines, they wouldn't be able to keep up for a minute with what some of our guys can do."With officials training remotely for part of the week, they need to be monitored with heart rate and GPS technology.All the officials are on tailored plans and work in a group of around five once or twice a week at local hubs where strength and conditioning sessions are delivered.Those at the World Cup - referees Michael Oliver and Anthony Taylor, along with assistants Gary Beswick, Adam Nunn, Stuart Burt and James Mainwaring - also had special training this summer, running and cycling in chambers of around 40 degrees to prepare them for the intense heat at the tournament.Last season referees ran a total of 3.6m metres, with their overall sprint distance 12,136m.At the weekend, Stuart Attwell covered the fourth highest distance of anyone on the pitch while taking charge of Newcastle's 2-2 draw with Liverpool, awarding the Reds a stoppage time penalty.He was also fifth for highest high-speed running, therefore beating all but four players."A lot of people could go and run around the pitch but they wouldn't be able to pick up those key positions to make those defining decisions," says Bunce. "That's something that's really important we build into our training, in terms of how we improve speed, how we improve being able to physically exert that kind of acceleration or high-speed running into a game. "Then make a decision and to do it in a cool, calm manner and potentially have to make a VAR announcement and sound completely like they haven't been running around for 90 minutes."'We are where we need to be'Sam Barrott also refereed the Under-19 European Championship final between Spain and Germany in Wales this summer [Getty Images]The work pays off with Barrott recalling an incident in a match between Brighton and Fulham which underlined why it is worth it.It came in March 2025 when he awarded a late penalty after Harrison Reed fouled Joao Pedro and the striker scored the injury-time penalty to earn the Seagulls a 2-1 win."I'm stood at the edge of the box, everyone turns and you're pointing at the penalty spot. There wasn't anything in me that thought 'you've got that wrong'," says Barrott."It was complete confidence, all because I'm stood in the right spot and to do that. It involves a little bit of football knowledge, anticipating what could happen and what we would call a danger area. "But then also knowing what you've done for weeks and weeks - and potentially years and years - has allowed you to move into that position without having to think. "It's just subconscious, it just happens and you're not stood there thinking: 'I'm tired, do I need to make that run?'"That never comes into the thought process anymore, and the fatigue aspect of it never crosses your mind because we are where we need to be."

[BBC]Birmingham City have made an offer for Ipswich Town forward Anis Mehmeti. Blues' Championship rivals Wrexham are also understood to be interested in the 25-year-old. (Pete O'Rourke)Find more of Friday's EFL gossip here.

Dolly Parton, left, and Miley Cyrus perform "Jolene" at the 61st annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles on Feb. 10, 2019. (Photo by Matt Sayles/Invision/AP, File)2026-08-28T09:00:00Z It was a busy week in the news cycle. Test your knowledge of the biggest stories and see what you might have missed in The Associated Press’ weekly news quiz.

Plus, the Friday news quiz.

Crown Prince Haakon, the only son of King Harald V, will become monarch, a largely ceremonial and symbolic role.

In order to reach a verdict, jurors must agree on whether Ms. Clancy should be held criminally responsible for killing her three children.

Governor Mark Gordon, a Republican, said he was concerned by the behavior of election observers who visited a polling station in Cheyenne.

Representative Nancy Pelosi, the former House speaker, has been working hard on behalf of Connie Chan, a San Francisco supervisor with a relatively low profile in California.

The Cincinnati Bengals and Philadelphia Eagles won't be straying from the league's conventional wisdom on who plays in a preseason finale.In most recent years, the final game of the preseason is more often about players on the roster bubble than each team's stars. The NFL's deadline to cut rosters down from 90 to 53 players is mere days after the final games on the preseason exhibition schedule. In the final matchups before the regular season, players on the bubble have one last shot to make their cases for why they deserve a spot, while starters usually get more time to rest before the regular season grind begins – if they don't take a handful of snaps.Cincinnati head coach Zac Taylor has already announced that Bengals starters won't play. The Eagles haven't played starters in either of their first two preseason games.Both teams still have some positional battles to figure out further down on the depth chart, and they'll use the preseason finale to help make those decisions easier.Here's how to watch the Bengals face the Eagles:What time is Bengals vs Eagles? Kickoff between Cincinnati and Philadelphia is scheduled for 8 p.m. (ET) on Friday, Aug. 28. Where to watch Bengals vs Eagles on Friday: TV channel All times Eastern Date: Aug. 28 Time: 8 p.m. Venue: Lincoln Financial Field Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania TV: CBS Where to watch Bengals vs Eagles on Friday: Live stream Streaming: Paramount+; Fubo (free trial) Watch the NFL all season on Fubo This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Where to watch Bengals vs Eagles preseason game on Aug. 28: TV channel, start time and streamingInformation in this article was imported automatically into a template written and reviewed by a USA TODAY Sports editor. You can send feedback using this form.Our 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.

Photo by Mike Carlson/Getty ImagesThere have been a number of questions surrounding Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce during the latest offseason. Kelce enjoyed a busy summer, which saw him get married to Taylor Swift in a blockbuster ceremony held at Madison Square Garden.However, it is now time for business, with Kelce eyeing his first 1,000 yard season since 2022.More will be required of the 36-year-old this season if the Chiefs are to return to their absolute best after a truly disappointing 2025.The signs are positive, though, as Jay Glazer has now shared his assessment of the future Hall of Fame right end from Chiefs camp.Photo by Mike Carlson/Getty ImagesJay Glazer shares his verdict on Travis Kelce’s fitness in Chiefs campFans have been impressed with footage of Kelce in practice, with the veteran tight end looking like he could be in store for a big season.The proof will ultimately be in the pudding, when the 36-year-old takes to the field in just over two weeks’ time against the Denver Broncos.After watching him during Thursday’s practice, Glazer was left mightily impressed with what he saw from Kelce.‘Also @tkelce definitely the best shape I’ve seen him start a season in in a while. Looked fantastic out there,’ he said on X.It was not just Kelce who had impressed Glazer, though, with Patrick Mahomes leading an exciting Chiefs team chasing another ring.‘Personally, I don’t think it’s wise to jump off the bandwagon, @PatrickMahomes will be a full go because the dude attacks rehab unlike anyone else,’ Glazer added.The Chiefs face the Seattle Seahawks on Friday evening at Arrowhead, which will not see Kelce take to the field.It will provide him with an opportunity to catch up with his friend Cooper Kupp, who attended his wedding back in July.Read more:New Seattle Seahawks owner makes unexpected Pittsburgh Steelers admissionTom Brady’s new CardVault store rocked by $12,000 burglary just one week after grand openingJonnu Smith finds a fresh NFL lifeline as Packers swoop in after Steelers release

Could the most recent addition at Manchester City start against Crystal Palace tonight?Enzo Maresca told the media yesterday that Ayyoub Bouaddi is ready to step straight into the Manchester City squad for tonight’s Premier League fixture against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park. The Moroccan international was announced as a City player on Wednesday and has quickly got to work with his new teammates. Bouaddi had completed a significant period of preseason training with Lille before signing for Maresca’s side. So he is fit enough to feature in tonight’s match. However, you do wonder if Bouaddi could start tonight against Crystal Palace.Did Enzo Maresca provide a clue as to how his team will lineup tonight?Against Bournemouth last Sunday, Enzo Maresca started Marc Guehi in midfield. With City short of midfield options, Maresca turned to Guehi, rather than Mateo Kovacic, to partner Elliot Anderson in midfield. The move paid dividends. Guehi was superb in midfield and he kept the game simple in possession and his ability to win duels and his overall physicality in midfield was an important factor in City’s win. Also, Guehi scored Manchester City’s 84th minute equalizer and he did offer a threat going forward on occasions.Enzo Maresca was asked yesterday if Marc Guehi would start in midfield against Crystal Palace tonight. The Manchester City didn’t provide a definitive answer on where Marc Guehi would play tonight. He said: “We’ll see, he’s an option. For sure, the good thing about Marc is that in this moment, he gives us another option in the middle in case we need. And for tomorrow, we’ll see. We have a session in a few hours (yesterday) and then we’ll decide the first XI for tomorrow.”It would seem unlikely that Mateo Kovacic would start tonight. Although that is an option. Enzo Maresca does have another option to start with Elliot Anderson in midfield tonight. That is Ayyoub Bouaddi. But is it a realistic possibility?Perhaps the safe option is to start Bouaddi on the bench, but maybe throwing him straight into the Premier League is an option.With Ayyoub Bouaddi having only trained with his new teammates for two days ahead of tonight’s match, the safe option would be to start the Moroccan midfield sensation on the bench. Bouaddi is only 18 and maybe, easing him into life at Manchester City and the Premier League is the way that Enzo Maresca will go tonight.However, Ayyoub Bouaddi is no ordinary 18-year-old. He has been signed by Manchester City for £85 million and he is one of, if not, the most highly regarded young midfielder in world football. Simply put, Bouaddi is no ordinary footballer. He is an exceptional talent. The Moroccan midfielder has been playing first team football with Lille since he was 16. He dictated the entire flow of a match against Real Madrid for Lille in a UEFA Champions League fixture as a 17-year-old. Ayyoub Bouaddi has shone at the World Cup as an 18-year-old. Starting in Manchester City’s midfield against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park after only being at the club for two days is an occasion he could well be made for.Ayyoub Bouaddi could be a bonafide contender to start in the Manchester City midfield tonight against Crystal Palace. If Enzo Maresca opts to play Guehi in defence, then Bouaddi could be thrown straight into the deep end tonight. That may suit Bouaddi and the sooner he begins to play with Elliot Anderson and his Manchester City teammates the better. Perhaps, starting Bouaddi tonight is the way to go.

Fabrizio Romano makes late-window ‘guarantee’ over Man Utd signing after call with Jorge MendesFabrizio Romano has assured Manchester United fans that the club are still actively doing their utmost to bring in a left-back before the transfer deadline.Having completed the much-needed midfield rebuild, INEOS have now turned their attention to bolstering Michael Carrick’s backline.United’s left-back pursuit: The state of play(Photo via MUFCMpb)However, after shelling out £148 million upfront for the arrivals of Andrey Santos (£48m), Carlos Baleba (£65m) and Youri Tielemans (£35m), the budget is limited in these final days.The Reds have accepted that a deal for first-choice target Lewis Hall is not feasible this summer, partly due to the fee he would command, but primarily because of Newcastle United deeming him off-limits.Alternative targets such as Jorge Salinas of Racing de Santander and RB Leipzig captain David Raum have been mooted, though United have perhaps left it too late, given the clubs would need to find their own replacements for the full-backs.Alas, Romano has suggested that INEOS chiefs will look to bring in a stop-gap signing who can provide coverage for Luke Shaw, as they did with Sergio Reguilón back in 2023.What did Romano have to say?(Photo via BarcaUniversal on Twitter/X)Speaking on the situation on YouTube, the transfer reporter said: “I can guarantee to you that United are still looking for a solution for left-back.“I will not be surprised if they end up with a solution for a player who can be almost a guarantee, so maybe not a superstar name like [Alejandro] Balde, because they considered Balde.“United had a call with Jorge Mendes one week ago, but the deal is too expensive; the transfer fee and salary are too expensive. United are not going to do that, at least now. Then, if they change it, I will let you know.“But just as a comparison, you remember when United signed Sergio Reguilón? [It will be] something similar. That kind of player, an experienced left back who can provide competition and also an international profile. So United are exploring these kinds of options.”Leave a ReplyCancel replyYour email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *Comment *Name *Email *Notify me of follow-up comments by email.Notify me of new posts by email.

Como Poised to Acquire Fiorentina and Milan StarsComo will add two high-profile Italian players late in the window, as they have completed their chase of Moise Kean and also struck a deal with Milan for Samuele Ricci. The Lariani and the Viola went back and forth throughout the summer. The transfer has finally come together, Fabrizio Romano reports (via SOSFanta).The striker did what he could to accelerate the talks, showing up late and skipping one practice to make his intentions known. He’s transferring on a €10M loan with a €25M obligation to buy and €5M add-ons. The Gigliati will get the €40M package they were looking for. The 26-year-old had two mixed seasons in Tuscany, registering 25 goals in his maiden one but just 9 in 2025/2026 amid a few injuries.Como didn’t stop at Kean, as they also reached an agreement for Ricci. He’s joining on a temporary basis and with a simple €22.5M acquisition clause. They will cover his entire salary for this campaign and pay a €1.5M fee. The midfielder is leaving San Siro after just one season, where he was mostly a deputy and amassed 34 appearances, one goal, and 4 assists.The Viola are trying to acquire Joshua Zirkzee from Manchester United to fill the void.Our Take on Como Signing Kean and RicciThey needed more depth due to the busier schedule, and they didn’t mess around with the level of their acquisitions. Money isn’t infinite even for them, as they had to get creative with the formulas. Fabregas has made a lot of players thrive. They’ll be a threat for the very apical positions if the former returns to his old glory, as they are already brimming with offensive talent.

Congo’s Health Minister Roger Kamba administers an Ebola vaccine to a health care worker in Kisangani, Congo, Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Samy Kamanga)2026-08-28T10:11:32Z BUNIA, Congo (AP) — The fastest-growing Ebola outbreak in history has spread to two new health zones in eastern Congo, with a total of 60 now affected, according to the latest government figures published on Friday.The two new zones affected are Biena and Manguredjipa in Congo’s North Kivu province, where the case fatality rate is much higher than the overall rate of 48%, due in part to delayed response efforts, according to Congo’s Ministry of Health data.It said the outbreak has recorded 5,794 confirmed cases, including 2,786 deaths, as it is spreading at an unprecedented speed, faster than efforts to track and slow it. 获取更多RSS：https://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Emily Wilson, professor of classical studies at the University of Pennsylvania, poses for a photo in Philadelphia on Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)2026-08-28T10:00:50Z NEW YORK (AP) — If you’re among the many readers who learned to love “The Odyssey” through Emily Wilson’s 2017 translation, you might be surprised that she’s going to translate it again.“It’s a complete retranslation. It’s not a revision of the old version,” Wilson told The Associated Press during a recent Zoom interview from her home in Philadelphia, where she is a professor of classical studies at the University of Pennsylvania. “I’m about halfway through.”Regarded as the first major English-language translation of Homer’s epic by a woman, her book was already a bestseller and a culture-wars flashpoint before the release of Christopher Nolan’s blockbuster adaptation. But she says her translation methods have become more sophisticated and that enough time has passed for her to see some flaws in her work — as an example, she overused the word “slave” when ancient Greek had different terms for different categories of enslaved people. The new edition will be longer, she says, and will better reflect the differing social worlds of Homer’s poem. Fiction writers and poets, from Henry James to Walt Whitman, have revised and reissued early works. But translators rarely start over on a full-length text — especially not within a decade of the original work’s completion, and not when the translation has had the success of Wilson’s “Odyssey.”“I can’t really come up with a previous example of this situation,” says Kate Deimling, who oversees the literary division of the American Translators Association. “It’s not unheard of for translators to go back and make some corrections or edits in subsequent editions, but that’s not the same as a retranslation.” Asked how her publisher responded, Wilson says her decision was “very controversial.” She says she’s “very much aware” that having two recent editions by the same translator would be a challenge for teachers, and hopes they won’t “curse” her name. Her editor at Liveright Publishing, Peter Simon, said in a statement that since she “has poured so much of her life and scholarship into ‘The Odyssey’ ... her new approach is bound to be thrilling.” Read More Fame was of prime importance to the ancient Greeks, and Wilson is the rare classical scholar who has firsthand knowledge of a public life. Wilson’s 2017 translation was praised by many critics for making “The Odyssey” feel more modern and accessible, but also faced criticism online for making the story “woke.” Her “Odyssey” has now sold more than a million copies, and Wilson has again become a reason to argue. Nolan had cited her translation and its opening sentence, “Tell me about a complicated man,” as inspiration for his epic film. Wilson, who says she will “probably” leave the line unchanged in the next edition, did not return his admiration. In interviews with the AP and other media outlets, and in an assessment for the London Review of Books, she called the movie grandiose and superficial, and at times incoherent.Her reaction to the film has been extensively — even obsessively — defended and denounced, including by Joyce Carol Oates, who faulted her “haughty superiority.” Nolan has yet to respond directly, although, while being interviewed by podcaster Zhong Shu, he did speak out against “amateur criticism” for lacking the cinematic background essential for understanding the language of movies.Wilson’s current prominence aligns with the release of her new collection of essays, conceived well before Nolan’s movie came out: “Crossing the Wine-Dark Sea,” a book that arrives Tuesday with blurbs from Salman Rushdie and “Song of Achilles” novelist Madeline Miller. It features a long section on translating “The Odyssey,” with tough assessments of modern editions by Daniel Mendelsohn and the late Robert Fagles. Other chapters take on the “slut-shaming” of Helen of Troy, offer tribute to the Roman poet Catullus and point to how some of the most famous words ever spoken by Robert F. Kennedy — his quoting Aeschylus in the aftermath of the Rev. Martin Luther King’s assassination — echoed author Edith Hamilton’s mistranslation. During her interview, Wilson also discussed her feelings about celebrity, her disdain for Rick Riordan’s “Percy Jackson” books (Riordan, through a spokesperson at Penguin Random House, declined to comment) and her renewed appreciation for Stoic philosophy. This conversation has been edited for brevity and clarity. AP: In your essay on translating “The Odyssey” you write that Robert Fagles’ translation is “very loud, lively and chatty, so it’s not surprising that it has remained a bestseller in the U.S.” As you are also a bestseller, what qualities do you think you were able to bring to your book?WILSON: I was going for the ancient idea of “enargeia,” vividness, that sort of emotional impact, emotional directness, the narrative pacing, the sense you can fully understand how does this character feel every time she or he is speaking.AP: One theme of your essays is how wrong we can be about the Greeks, like Robert Kennedy misquoting Aeschylus because he had been reading Edith Hamilton’s popular writings, which themselves have many inaccuracies.WILSON: Part of the theme of the book is not just that we make mistakes — maybe we can fix them — but that the particular kinds of mistakes those scholars and translators and popularizers or teachers like Hamilton make are very much determined by their own time. Obviously, I make mistakes, too. I’m obviously going to come to Homer and to the whole of antiquity with particular preoccupations which are going to be different from the preoccupations of a Homerist or a translator some 50 or 100 years ago. AP: In a lot of these essays, you’re very conscious of bringing the ancient world into the present. In your essay on Stoicism (“Chill Out with the Stoics”), you start out by writing, “Stoicism is having a moment.” Are you more of a Stoic now than you were a month ago?WILSON: I’m quite suspicious that through philosophy you can have security. The last few weeks have been a clear illustration of how I’m not in control of the reception of my work. I can write an essay; people will do whatever they want. They will have their own opinions of me. I have zero control. I actually think in some ways there’s a useful reminder about the powerlessness that comes with the awareness that “I’m going to be misunderstood. I’m going to be misread. People are going to hate me.” I’ve got to accept that.AP: What is it about ancient Greece that made you study it, as opposed to Elizabethan England or 18th century France?WILSON: I see it as a kind of intellectual greed. Through studying ancient Greece and Rome, I’m also interested in studying how did these cultures get reinvented, reimagined in each of these later periods.AP: In your book, you criticize Rick Riordan’s “Percy Jackson” books. You find an ideology that puts you off.WILSON: Many of my students love them so much. I think if I had read them as a child, I might have been a fan. They’re not designed for an adult literary reader. I think especially in the first Percy Jackson book, “The Lightning Thief,” there’s very much an ideology of: “Here’s this white boy in America who’s going to gather the whole of Western civilization, and there’ll be a hero’s journey, which will really be the heroism of American exceptionalism.” And I just think that is ideologically and historically quite questionable.AP: In your chapter on comedy in ancient Greece, you begin with a reference to Cardi B’s (and Megan Thee Stallion’s) “WAP.” Does this happen to you a lot, where things pop up in the culture and it just resonates and you’re thinking, “Oh, that reminds me of something from classical times”?WILSON: It happens to me all the time. Yes. This is not necessarily an explicit trope in the book, but I very much want to be constantly doing that, suggesting that we can find echoes of antiquity in places we might not expect. I use the discussion of “WAP” and of hip-hop as a way of talking about ancient comic poetry. My main point is not just that there’s lots of obscenity in both, but also lots of poetics in both. And if we somehow turn around our expectations about antiquity, we can turn around our expectations about modernity. HILLEL ITALIE Italie has covered the publishing industry since 1998. He writes about notable books, industry trends and ongoing issues such as book bans, AI, consolidation and copyright. twitter instagram mailto

TODAY: In 1749, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe is born. “He wrote sad songs but didn’t want to make anyone sad. He had the kind of shy, exaggerated empathy of someone who’s always afraid of hurting people but never afraid of hurting himself.” On loving Elliott Smith. | Lit Hub Music Wallis Wilde-Menozzi reflects on translating Antonella Anedda, a poet who “creates space for other ways of telling.” | Lit Hub On Translation How object narrators, from the 18th century to now, help humans see the world in different ways. | Lit Hub Criticism Chang-Rae Lee’s A Tender Age, Jill Lepore’s The Rise and Fall of the Artificial State, Téa Obreht’s Sunrise, and Dave Zirin’s The People’s Historian all feature among August’s best reviewed books. | Book Marks How to situate your historical fiction in its time and place: “There’s no excuse for wheeling in some talkative NPC just to explain why the townsfolk are acting skittish. As with most technical problems, find a solution that’s natural and unobtrusive.” | Lit Hub Craft “It was twilight. A horse approached, and from its speed it was clear that it intended to cross me.” Read from Jiyar Jahin Fard’s novel The Shadeless Border, translated by Chiya Parvizpur. | Lit Hub Fiction Jeremy Varon examines what’s happening at The New School (and across higher education). | Dissent “But while Like Swimmers borrows the machinery of detective fiction, one of its primary concerns is the divide between fine art and popular art.” Marc Sobel on Dash Shaw’s newest graphic novel. | The Comics Journal Elizabeth Metzger looks at Franz Wright’s final poetry collection, “written from the realms of mental illness, addiction, religious conversion, and a weighty poetic lineage.” | Los Angeles Review of Books “What mattered, I learned from Ms. Parton, was that I led with the soul. What mattered, she modeled, were the stories I could tell. Everything else was mere packaging.” Xochitl Gonzalez on Dolly Parton’s unabashed femininity. | The Cut It turns out those ghost researchers haunting academic publishing were produced by AI. | 404 Media Charlotte Wyatt explores the possibilities of human-wild animal connection. | Orion

Illustration by Lisa Larson-Walker/ProPublica and Vanessa Saba for ProPublica. Photo by Ted Shaffrey/AP Photo. When ProPublica recently investigated a rape crisis that surged through Syracuse University in the 1980s, we found evidence that the school had taken steps to suppress news coverage of the assaults. The university responded by portraying itself as a changed institution today, “committed to supporting the students who come forward and being there for them at every step of the process,” as a school spokesperson put it. But the university’s recent actions in a lawsuit filed by a former student who was attacked on campus during that period appear at odds with that commitment. After the Syracuse Police Department agreed to provide old records to the victim, lawyers for Syracuse University intervened, seeking to block the victim’s access to many of the records. The school argued in legal papers that the subpoena sent to the police department was “overbroad” and suffered “from fatal geographic overreach” that rendered “it unreasonably burdensome and irrelevant.” New York state court Judge Joseph Lamendola ruled in the university’s favor in February, dramatically limiting the records the victim could obtain to make her case that the school should have beefed up security in response to escalating crime in the area. In June, her attorneys appealed that decision, sending the matter to a state appellate court. “It smacks of the 1980s when SU quashed media coverage of sexual assault. It’s that all over again,” said Andrew Stengel, a former Manhattan prosecutor representing the victim. He accused the university of “retraumatizing” his client “by pretending sexual assault wasn’t a problem on campus and in the surrounding area.” Stengel and his client, referred to as Jane Doe in legal filings, are suing the university under the Adult Survivors Act, a New York law that opened a one-year exemption from the statute of limitations for survivors of long-ago sexual assaults to pursue legal claims against alleged abusers and negligent institutions. Sarah Scalese, Syracuse University’s vice president of communications, said in an emailed statement that “we do not comment on active litigation.” In response to ProPublica’s earlier story, Scalese said the university “has a robust structure in place to support those affected by sexual and relationship violence,” including “confidential counseling, advocacy and investigation and resolution services to students.” Doe was attacked by a man with a knife inside a bathroom on the third floor of the university’s music building at about 6:30 p.m. on Feb. 27, 1987. Her assailant had entered the building through an unlocked door, according to her lawsuit, which contends that the university administration offered her “zero support” after the assault. The music program director, the complaint alleges, told her, “Men get raped, too,” and advised her to get “back on the horse.” (The director is deceased.) Hers was one episode in a brutal saga of sexual violence that unfolded in and around the Syracuse campus throughout the decade. The scourge of assaults became so pervasive that it eventually inspired student protests, drew national press attention and contributed to the passage of federal legislation that now requires universities to publicly report crime statistics. Read More “That Guy Is Still Out There” ProPublica’s earlier examination — rooted in the wrongful conviction of Anthony Broadwater for the rape of Alice Sebold, an author who wrote a bestselling memoir about being attacked on the last night of her freshman year at Syracuse University in 1981 — found that more than a dozen women, many of them students, reported being raped or attacked by strangers in a half-square-mile area near the campus over four years. Sebold’s was the third such attack in Thornden Park, which runs alongside the campus, in about seven months. Some of the police reports from this time period were marked “NO PRESS,” which, according to the testimony of a former Syracuse detective, meant that the university had used its influence in the police department to “put their foot down and said no press for any kind of rape, robbery, burglary that’s anywhere in the area of Syracuse University.” Last year, Stengel asked the police department for all police calls and reports tied to a variety of crimes from 1982 to 1987 within the ZIP code that contains the university, Thornden Park, various businesses, and a mix of student and nonstudent housing. Emails filed as an exhibit in Doe’s case show that a lawyer representing the Syracuse Police Department suggested that Stengel focus his search on that ZIP code. The two of them agreed on the terms in August 2025, and the police department began gathering the records shortly thereafter. A month later, the university filed a motion to “partially quash” the subpoena. Relying on case law that applies only to central and western New York state, university lawyers argued that it had standing to limit the request, even though it was not the recipient of Stengel’s subpoena. The university asserted that the subpoena would create unnecessary work for the police department, unearth irrelevant documents and waste the time of everyone involved. The police department then reversed its earlier position and joined in the motion, estimating in a February brief that it would take 845 hours and $50,000 in staff time to provide the documents Stengel had asked for and the police department lawyer had initially approved. (A spokesperson said that “the City of Syracuse does not comment on ongoing litigation.”) At a hearing, John Powers, an attorney hired by the university, seemed to play to Lamendola’s previous role as a lawyer for the city of Syracuse, reminding the judge that the city is “inundated with [Freedom of Information Law] responses and subpoenas, and it’s incredibly burdensome on the city, I think, as you know in your experience as well.” The records were too old to be digitized, Powers told the judge, adding that, just as the judge once did, Powers represents the city in other matters. City employees, he said, would have to find them “the old way, Judge, the way we used to do it, crawling around in the dusty storeroom … trying to determine what ZIP code’s involved, looking at the crime. A lot of boxes, a lot of files. Very burdensome, very expensive for the city.” (Powers declined to comment, citing the litigation.) Lamendola was persuaded. Under his ruling, none of the rapes that took place in Thornden Park or in the student apartments near it will have to be disclosed. The police will have to disclose only reports of crimes that took place on the campus itself, and not reports concerning burglary, larceny and other offenses, which the judge deemed irrelevant. He also directed Syracuse University, the defendant in the case, to assist the Police Department in identifying cases that occurred on its campus. Doe’s team filed a 37-page appellate brief in late June that argues that the court’s decision to limit the disclosure to university buildings is “hard to justify” given that the campus is interwoven with the city. The brief, authored by appellate attorney Michael Steinberg, also takes issue with the decision to allow university personnel to act as “gatekeepers,” authorizing them to review the police files and decide for themselves which meet the judge’s criteria and which don’t. That, the appeal contends, presents a conflict of interest that would “give the defendant the power to control the evidence it will have to contest at trial.” The university has until Sept. 23 to respond to the appeal. Legal filings also show that university lawyers have sought to reduce its liability by raising the name of a onetime suspect in the case, Michael McKinney. At the time of Doe’s rape, McKinney was on parole after attacking a woman in a downtown parking lot. According to police reports, two witnesses saw a man matching his description running out of the Syracuse music building the night of the attack. Doe later picked him out of a photo array. Days later, police went to his home. Officers learned from his wife that he owned a Miller beer hat identical to the one the suspect was said to have been wearing at the time of the crime. She also said he had left abruptly, for another state. Police put the case in the “inactive file,” a common occurrence for rape cases in Syracuse at the time. Months later, McKinney turned up in New York City. By then he had come under scrutiny for the violent robbery of another Syracuse woman. According to a newspaper article from December 1987, he was eventually found guilty of that robbery and given an unusually lengthy sentence of 20 years to life, with the judge noting his repeated crimes against women. McKinney was never prosecuted in the Jane Doe case. McKinney served 30 years in prison on the 1987 robbery charge, records show. Then, in March 2025, he was arrested for the rape of a 46-year-old woman earlier that year. A grand jury indicted him in June 2026. He has pleaded not guilty. While McKinney was in jail, Syracuse University lawyers filed a civil complaint against him, arguing that if the university is held liable in Doe’s case, McKinney should “contribute to any award in an amount equal to his equitable share” because of “his own culpable conduct.” Because McKinney did not respond to the suit, the university lawyers have asked the judge to find him in default. This could eventually affect a jury’s decision on the financial responsibility owed to Doe by the university. Reached by phone, Donald Kelly, McKinney’s court-appointed lawyer in the new rape case, said, “It’s concerning that the university would serve a third-party complaint upon a prisoner to try to avoid liability,” noting that McKinney has “empty pockets.” Reiterating that McKinney was never charged in the 1987 rape of Doe, Kelly added, “Either the university was negligent or it wasn’t.” (Kelly declined to make his client available for an interview.) Jonathan Cardi, a Wake Forest University law professor who specializes in civil litigation and has researched negligence claims for rape, said it was not especially unusual for a defendant to try to quash subpoenas of third parties or to shift liability to others. “These are litigation tactics,” he said. “But, at the end of the day, the university is the client, and very frequently a client’s business interests or morals dictate what they say their attorneys can and can’t do. If a university is trying to turn over a new leaf, they can tell their attorney that even though this might be the best litigation practice, this is not who we want to be.” The post Syracuse University Seeks to Prevent Campus Rape Victim From Obtaining Police Records appeared first on ProPublica.

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In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, cars burn as firefighters try to put out a fire following a Russian drone attack in Kyiv region, Ukraine, Friday, Aug. 28, 2026. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)2026-08-28T10:50:52Z KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian forces on Friday resumed their drone barrage of Ukraine’s Kyiv region, hitting more than a dozen apartment buildings and storage depots in a second straight day of aerial attacks, officials said.Prolonged air raids in Kyiv on Thursday essentially locked down the Ukrainian capital for 15 hours, the Foreign Ministry said, choking the economy and severely disrupting civilian life more than four years after Russia’s full-scale invasion of its neighbor. Even longer alerts are a daily reality in regions closer to the front line, the ministry said.Russian drone and missile attacks are also taking aim at the power grid in what Ukrainian officials say is an annual campaign to “weaponize winter.” In Ukraine’s southern Kherson region on the Black Sea, where glide bombs a day earlier forced a combined heat and power plant to shut down, officials predicted a winter of extended outages and told people to move elsewhere if they could. Russian attacks aim to paralyze Kyiv, Ukraine saysRussian strikes in the Kyiv region damaged 14 warehouses, 16 private houses, three apartment buildings and 16 vehicles, Tymur Tkachenko, head of the Kyiv regional military administration, said Friday.A second drone hit one location after emergency crews were deployed, the State Emergency Service said, in what is termed by the military as a “double tap” that targets first responders. The attacks killed one person and wounded two others, according to officials. Read More The Russian Defense Ministry said its forces overnight struck a warehouse in the Kyiv region that stores Ukraine’s Flamingo cruise missiles and fuel for rocket boosters.Ukrainian officials did not immediately confirm the Russian claim, and The Associated Press could not verify it. Recent strikes have damaged numerous warehouses across Kyiv and the wider region, including facilities storing books, food and other consumer goods.The attacks stretched into daylight hours, and Tkachenko urged residents to stay in safe locations and heed air raid alerts. Russia is launching small numbers of fast-moving jet-powered drones in waves in an attempt to paralyze the capital, according to Andrii Kovalenko, head of Ukraine’s Center for Countering Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council.“The goal is to exhaust air defenses and the population,” he said on social media Friday.Kyiv region authorities said that air quality worsened due to the attacks and warned people in some areas to keep their windows closed and limit their time outdoors. 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. Kherson officials advise residents to move away from the regionIn the southern Kherson region, which is about 70% under Russian control, officials urged tens of thousands of residents to move to safer regions due to the possibility of prolonged power and heating outages this winter.“Kherson may be without electricity and heat not for hours or days, but for a long time. And we need to prepare for this now,” said Oleksandr Prokudin, head of the Kherson regional military administration, in a social media post late Thursday.Russia has intensified attacks on critical infrastructure in the region, with 170 glide bombs dropped on the Kherson region since July 1 — more than in the first six months of the year, Prokudin said.Russia has also launched more than 1,700 attack drones over the past two months, increasingly using jet-powered Shahed and Gerbera drones against critical infrastructure, he said, and attacks by smaller drones rose to 6,500 in the past week alone.Authorities will offer help with evacuation, transportation, resettlement and social support for those who decide to leave, he said. Russian attacks curb the growth of Ukraine’s economyUkraine’s Ministry of Economy is revising downward its GDP growth forecast in 2026 due to the impact of Russian attacks, which have restricted exports, especially grain through Black Sea ports.The expectation was for growth around 1.3% this year but the attacks are expected to lower that to 0.8%, Economy Minister Oleksandr Kravchenko said, according to local news agency Interfax-Ukraine.Ukraine’s growth was 0.6% in the first quarter, but recovered to post modest growth by the end of June, Kravchenko said this week.However, further growth is being limited by damage to energy and logistics infrastructure and port blockades, he said. Russia and Ukraine keep up their dueling aerial attacksRussia fired 164 drones at Ukraine overnight, Ukraine’s air force said. It didn’t mention missiles, which usually are part of Russia’s aerial attacks.A 61-year-old man was killed and seven other people were wounded Friday in a Russian glide bomb attack on the northern Sumy region, said Oleh Hryhorov, head of the Sumy regional military administration.The Russian Defense Ministry said that its air defenses overnight shot down 512 Ukrainian drones over 18 Russian regions, as well as over illegally annexed Crimea and the waters of the Black Sea.Ukrainian forces struck the Slavneft-YANOS refinery in Russia’s Yaroslavl region overnight, causing a fire, Ukraine’s General Staff said, as Ukraine continued its campaign against the Russian oil sector.A fire broke out at the site, which is around 1,000 kilometers (600 miles) from the border with Ukraine, the General Staff said. The plant produces gasoline, diesel and aviation fuel, fuel oil, lubricants and other petroleum products, it added. A Ukrainian drone attack on Friday morning in the Yaroslavl region killed one person and wounded 27 others, Gov. Mikhail Yevrayev said. Ten of those were wounded when drone debris fell on a bus, he said.He said that unspecified “industrial infrastructure,” residential areas and unidentified retail facilities were hit.In the Moscow region that surrounds but does not include the Russian capital, a drone hit a supermarket, damaging it and shattering windows in a nearby outpatient clinic, Gov. Andrei Vorobyov said on Telegram.In the port city of Sevastopol in Crimea, a five-story residential building suffered significant damage from a drone, according to the Russian-installed governor of Sevastopol Mikhail Razvozhayev. Four people were wounded, he said. He posted images of a charred building with windows and balconies knocked out.___Hatton reported from Lisbon, Portugal.___Follow the AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine HANNA ARHIROVA Arhirova is an Associated Press reporter covering Ukraine. She is based in Kyiv. twitter instagram mailto

The skulls and bones of some of those who were slaughtered as they sought refuge inside the church are laid out as a memorial to the thousands who were killed in and around the Catholic church during the 1994 genocide in Ntarama, Rwanda on April 4, 2014. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis, File)2026-08-28T10:49:37Z THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — A Dutch court on Friday convicted a Rwandan man of participation in his home country’s 1994 genocide and sentenced him to life imprisonment.The 66-year-old defendant, whose name was not released, took part in attacks in which homes were looted and torched in two predominantly Tutsi communities and threw a grenade into a crowd of Tutsis sheltering in a soccer stadium, The Hague District Court said in a written statement after his conviction.“The conduct of the defendant establishes a significant lack of respect for human dignity and for human life,” the court said, adding that “only a lifelong prison sentence does justice to the immense suffering that has been inflicted on the victims and the bereaved families.”During the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, more than 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus were killed in a campaign of mass murder orchestrated by Hutu extremists. Many leaders of the slaughter were tried and convicted by a United Nations war crimes tribunal that has now closed down. The defendant left Rwanda after the genocide and settled in the Netherlands, where he was arrested and prosecuted.The trial was the culmination of a yearslong investigation that involved police and an investigating judge interviewing more than 30 witnesses, most of them in Rwanda. Nine victims or their next of kin attended the trial earlier this year.

India captain Shubman Gill admitted there were plenty of lessons for his side despite the disappointment of missing out on a series clean sweep against Sri Lanka, while backing the team to respond strongly when they travel to New Zealand later this year.India had to settle for a draw in the second Test at Colombo after Sri Lanka's lower order produced a determined fightback, led by Sonal Dinusha's unbeaten 133. India still won the two-match series 1-0, but the dropped opportunity to secure another victory affected their World Test Championship points percentage, leaving them fifth in the standings ahead of the New Zealand series beginning on November 19.Speaking in a video by BCCI, Gill said the way Sri Lanka battled over the final three days deserved recognition and felt India could take lessons from their opponents as well."A lot of learnings in this series. I think we played decently well. Obviously not the result that we wanted in this match. After day two, we hoped that it was going to be a win for us, and then Sri Lanka batting the way that they did for these three days. Sometimes you have got to learn from the opposition as well and give credit to them for the way that they played, and hopefully we have a good series in New Zealand."Gill praises Padikkal's impactOne of the biggest positives for India was the form of Devdutt Padikkal, who was named Player of the Series after producing two centuries.With Sai Sudharsan unavailable because of injury, Padikkal made the most of his opportunity and strengthened his case for the No. 3 position in India's Test batting order.Gill was particularly impressed by Padikkal's ability to convert good starts into substantial scores."We speak about once a batsman is set, he should make the most of it, and Devdutt showed that. Very positive signs for us, and the way he batted in the series was a treat to watch, you know, truly tells the mindset of a player, and that is a great positive sign for us," said Gill about Paddikal.Padikkal ended the series as India's leading run-scorer, making 328 runs in three innings at an average of 109.33. His tally included two centuries and a highest score of 167.Across his four Tests and six innings so far, Padikkal has accumulated 418 runs at an average of 69.66, with two centuries and one fifty.Gill identifies Suthar as future spin leaderGill also singled out Manav Suthar for praise after the left-arm spinner emerged as India's leading wicket-taker in the series.Suthar's standout moment came in the first Test at Galle, where he claimed 10 wickets to register the first ten-wicket haul of his career. Gill believes the spinner has the qualities to become a long-term leader of India's spin attack."He has been magnificent for us, and I think he is going to be someone who is going to be leading the spin attack for India for a very long time. And the way he bowled in this match and even in the first match was a treat to watch. Every time he comes on to bowl, it feels like he is going to create those chances and going to get us wickets, and hopefully he keeps doing that," said the skipper.Suthar finished the two-Test series with 16 wickets at an average of 21.06. His haul included a four-wicket spell and a six-wicket haul in the first Test, while his best innings figures were 6/55.Dinusha leads Sri Lanka's fightbackIndia's first-innings total of 503/9 was built around three-figure knocks from Padikkal and Dhruv Jurel.Padikkal made 117 from 193 balls, hitting 12 fours, while Jurel remained unbeaten on 115 from 177 deliveries, with nine fours and two sixes. Rishabh Pant contributed 63 from 89 balls, including six fours and two sixes, while Gill scored 50 from 108 balls with six fours.Asitha Fernando was Sri Lanka's most successful bowler, finishing with four wickets.Sri Lanka responded with 290 in their first innings. Dinusha again played a central role, scoring 103 from 162 balls with eight fours and three sixes. Pasindu Sooriyabandara added a valuable 80 from 133 balls, striking nine fours.Prasidh Krishna and Suthar claimed three wickets apiece for India.Asked to follow on, Sri Lanka were reduced to 218/6 before Dinusha and Keshara Nuwantha launched a stubborn recovery. The pair added 112 runs, with Nuwantha making 46 from 150 balls, including four boundaries.Dinusha completed another century, remaining unbeaten on 133 from 264 deliveries with eight fours and two sixes. His resistance, combined with a lower-order effort that repeatedly frustrated India's bowlers, carried Sri Lanka to 429/9.The draw ended India's hopes of a 2-0 series victory, but Gill believes the experience can prove valuable when India return to Test action in New Zealand in November.

Japan will host the Asian Games in Nagoya and the wider Aichi area from September 19 to October 4 (JIJI PRESS)Japanese organisers have told late additions to next month's Asian Games to find their own accommodation, saying they don't have the money or space to deal with ballooning participant numbers.About 15,000 athletes and officials were initially expected at the Games, which are being held in Nagoya and the wider Aichi area from September 19 to October 4.That was already more than the Olympics, but the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) last week put the number at 17,000 -- 11,000 athletes and 6,000 officials.The Games' organising committee said on Friday that the number "fluctuates daily" and has not yet been finalised.They also acknowledged that "it is now anticipated that the number of delegation members will exceed 15,000".There is no dedicated athletes' village, organisers instead relying on a cruise ship, temporary wooden containers and hotels.In March, the OCA added teqball and padel to the sporting programme.Organising committee president Hideaki Omura told reporters that they had "neither the manpower nor the budget to make the necessary arrangements" for extra participants."The host city agreement specifies a delegation of 15,000 people," Omura, who also serves as the governor of Aichi Prefecture, said this week."We have not set aside a budget for any more than that. There is simply nowhere for them to stay."Organisers have opted for temporary athlete accommodation to cut costs, hiring the Italian cruise ship Costa Serena for the event.Between 4,000 and 5,000 athletes will stay on the ship, while a further 2,000 athletes and officials will stay in the shipping container-style huts.The rest will be in hotels, including in Tokyo, where swimming, diving and equestrian events will take place.The local organising committee said reports that they were looking to reduce the number of participants were not true.Instead, they said, "certain team officials would arrange their own accommodation"."If they still wish to come, they will have to make their own arrangements," said Omura.AFP has repeatedly contacted the OCA for comment.Nagoya mayor Ichiro Hirosawa, who serves as acting chairman of the organising committee, said on Wednesday that it was "difficult to accommodate this number, both in terms of time and physical capacity"."From a cost perspective, we are operating on a tight budget and it is difficult," he said.amk//pbt

It's the third and final week of the NFL preseason. This weekend features more than a dozen games including a matchup between Super Bowl champions the Seattle Seahawks and the Kansas City Chiefs on Saturday night at 8 p.m. ET. The game will be available on local NBC affiliates and out-of-market on NFL+ (mobile devices only).The 18-week regular 2026 NFL season officially starts on September 9 when the Seattle Seahawks play the New England Patriots, but in the meantime, here's a look at how to watch the Seahawks when they visit the Chiefs this weekend, and take a look at the rest of the preseason schedule.How to watch the Kansas City Chiefs vs. Seattle Seahawks NFL preseason game: Date: Friday, August 28, 2026Time: 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PTTV channel: KING 5 (Seattle), KSHB 41 (Kansas City)Streaming: YouTube TV, Fubo, DirecTV, NFL+ and moreWhen is the Kansas City Chiefs vs. Seattle Seahawks preseason game?The Chiefs play the Seahawks on Friday, August 28 at 8:00 p.m. ET.What channel is the Chiefs vs. Seahawks preseason game on?The Chiefs vs. Seahawks NFL preseason game will air in local markets on NBC affiliates KING 5 (Seattle), KSHB 41 (Kansas City). If you’re out-of-market, you can catch it on mobile with NFL+.Where to watch the Kansas City Chiefs vs. Seattle Seahawks without cable:NFL 2026 preseason schedule:All times EasternThursday, August 27Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Buffalo Bills: 7:00 p.m. (NFL Network)New England Patriots vs. Cleveland Browns: 8:00 p.m. (Prime Video)San Francisco 49ers vs. Las Vegas Raiders: 8:00 p.m. (Local markets)Los Angeles Rams vs. Los Angeles Chargers: 10:00 p.m. (NFL Network)Friday, August 28Washington Commanders vs. Baltimore Ravens: 6:00 p.m. (NFL Network)Houston Texans vs. Carolina Panthers: 7:00 p.m. (Local markets)Atlanta Falcons vs. Miami Dolphins: 7:00 p.m. (Local markets)Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Jacksonville Jaguars: 7:30 p.m. (Local markets)New York Giants vs. New York Jets: 7:30 p.m. (Local markets)New Orleans Saints vs. Dallas Cowboys: 8:00 p.m. (Local markets)Arizona Cardinals vs. Green Bay Packers: 8:00 p.m. (Local markets)Seattle Seahawks vs. Kansas City Chiefs: 8:00 p.m. (Local markets)Cincinnati Bengals vs. Philadelphia Eagles: 8:00 p.m. (CBS)Minnesota Vikings vs. Denver Broncos: 9:00 p.m. (NFL Network)Saturday, August 29Detroit Lions vs. Indianapolis Colts: 1:00 p.m. (NFL Network)Chicago Bears vs. Tennessee Titans: 6:00 p.m. (NFL Network)How to watch the 2026 NFL preseason:When does football season start?This year's NFL season kicks off on Wednesday, September 9, 2026 with a match hosted by the 2026 Super Bowl winning-Seattle Seahawks.Immediately following the 2026 NFL kickoff game, on Thursday, Sept. 10, the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers will face off in Australia. Netflix will be the exclusive streaming home for the first NFL international game of the season.How to watch NFL games in personTickets for the 2026 NFL season are on sale now. Find ticketsEvery way to watch NFL games this seasonTo recap, here are all the ways you can watch NFL games in 2026.

Your lasting memory of him is likely watching from a television angle behind his back and seeing his smooth pitching motion produce a fastball that ESPN registered at 82 mph.Lin Chin-Tse was the pitching and hitting hero for Chinese Taipei during the 2025 Little League World Series. His country would go 5-0 in the tournament, wiping out a team from Las Vegas in the championship game.One year later, at 13 and about 5-9 and 160 pounds (and with size 13 shoes), he says he has delivered a pitch as hard as 87."He wants to go at least 100," says his interpreter, Kenny Yen.Lin and Yen were speaking to USA TODAY Sports on a video call last week from the San Francisco Bay Area, where Lin’s middle school team was practicing and playing this month."It’s like spring training for their team because their school’s starting soon," Yen says. "And also tournaments that they arranged. They are playing in the high school tournament but they’re the only middle school. And it’s all wooden bats."Lin, who lives in New Taipei City, is entering the eighth grade a world away from South Williamsport, Pennsylvania, where he struck out 20 in 11 innings overall during the team's run that included four shutouts.It was the first Little League title for the nation also known as Taiwan and over which China claims sovereignty."When they returned to the airport, there was a lot of people actually waiting for them," says Yen, interpreting Lin’s response. "So they were almost treated with like a hero's welcome home."He feels that it's very, very important that they were able to win the championship for that one."Lin has followed this year’s Little League World Series, including the scintillating performance of Alabama’s Kinley Rasmus – intently."He noticed that this year’s pitcher is very good," Yen says. "They’re pitching very well this year. From the first couple game(s), he noticed that the speed, the velocity this year is very, very high. It's a lot faster. So his advice to the kids is don't swing too hard, don't take a big swing, don't take a big cut because you're never gonna catch up to it. You’re gonna be very slow. You have to make the adjustment."It’s what Lin has been doing back home in New Taipei City, where he has played on the full-sized field, a big jump from the smaller dimensions of Little League.The basepaths are 90 feet instead of 60 feet in distance, and the pitcher’s rubber is up from 46 feet to 60 feet, 6 inches from home plate."He has to hit the reset button because it’s a different mindset," Yen says. "Now he's going to the next level. He feels that his first step has to be a little bit bigger, so he needs to make a big stride on the first step."It’s a step all serious baseball players have to make from Little League. While you have more time as hitters to react to the ball from farther away, as a pitcher, suddenly everyone is on your fastball.The pitching, he says, is much harder than the hitting right now. He faces older middle school kids than him back home. Yen says middle school lasts until ninth grade there: "He’s playing with kids almost 15. So he's one level up."Playing in a high school tournament in the Bay Area last weekend, he didn’t quite hit 85 mph, Yen says, but he used a splitter, which dives down from the hitting zone. He also has a slider."His new weapon is the splitter," Yen says.Remember Lin Chin-Tse, hero for Chinese Taipei (Taiwan) in last year’s Little League World Series? He’s in eighth grade now and last weekend he competed in a high school tournament in the Bay Area. Here’s video of his new weapon, a splitter, from Kenny Yen, his interpreter. #LLWSpic.twitter.com/GFmoigd1y7— Stephen Borelli (@StephenBorelli) August 27, 2026"When I mentioned who he is to the other team … they were like, ‘Wow,’ how fortunate they were able to face him at this tournament."He’s also playing outfield and hitting and admits, through Yen, "He still a little bit nervous. He's afraid to strike out."Since Lin is mixing up his pitches and speeds, I asked him if batters are hitting his fastball that was nearly untouchable in Williamsport. "Yes," he said with a smile.After he led his team to the Little League World Series championship, we caught up with his father and family, seeking to understand why he was so overpowering. His father, Lin Shih-Hua, revealed he put his son through rigorous boxing training.Lin Shih-Hua once coached the national boxing team for their self-governing island. While his father is advising the team now, Lin says he’s his main physical coach."He does the stuff that his middle school coaches ask him to do as well," Yen says. "And then on top of it, he does what his dad tell him to do."Lin says he’s using the same regimen as a boxer, relying heavily on running and work to strengthen his core.He’s doing very little weight training. He and his dad have their own special motions that tie boxing to baseball, such as jabbing and swinging.He doesn’t get in the ring and face other fighters, just trains around it. He doesn’t like boxing."It hurts a lot when he get hit," Yen says.Lin also relies on rest to fuel his arm. He primarily played in the outfield for his middle school team last season, Yen says, and was called upon several times as a pinch-hitter.He says he was shut down from pitching from the Little League World Series until June. He did some bullpen sessions, but never competed in a game or threw batting practice."He continued to build up his strength," Yen says. "He did throw off the mound a little bit, just throwing catch. He (wasn’t) throwing full strength."He feels really good."His goals include reaching 90 mph in the next year and, with his teammates, qualifying for next year’s Junior League World Series in Taylor, Michigan."It’s very simple for him," he says through Yen. "He set a goal up (and) he wants to reach that goal. So he trains really hard for it. He (listens) to everybody's advice and then he trains hard and then it happens. He's very happy that he can actually achieve this goal, right? Because not everybody can achieve all their goals all the time. But he's very happy that he's able to achieve it."He left Williamsport last year wanting to learn English when he returned home, and he says he has."He’s better at listening compared to speaking right now," Yen says. "He can understand a little bit of what you’re saying."This weekend, he thinks somebody from the international side, where he feels teams have a bit more depth, will win it all.He remembers, though, how close his team was with players from both sides, particularly (Las Vegas) Nevada and Puerto Rico. He hasn’t left those days completely behind."He want to thank everybody for remembering him from Williamsport," Yen says, "and he wants to return one day to visit again."Steve Borelli, aka Coach Steve, has been an editor and writer with USA TODAY since 1999. He played baseball in high school, rowed in college and spent 10 years coaching his two sons’ baseball and basketball teams. He and his wife, Colleen, are now sports parents to a college and high school baseball player. His Coach Steve column is posted weekly. For his past columns, click here.This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'He wants to go at least 100': Catching up with 2025 LLWS star pitcher

The Philadelphia 76ers will be looking to build chemistry within their new star quartet as they head into the 2026-27 season. With the additions of Jaylen Brown and LeBron James, things will be distorted a bit as they look to integrate two high-usage stars in an effort to find cohesion on the floor.The two have gotten in the gym with Tyrese Maxey in an effort to build chemistry and get everybody on the same page. It shouldn't be the hardest thing to do when considering how talented and smart all three players are, but it doesn't hurt to get a jump start on that process.Trainer Chris Johnson posted a photo on his Instagram account of Maxey, James, and Brown at a workout in the gym as they look to prepare for the challenges they will face.View this post on Instagram

Whether they signify spiritual connection or creative license, the bright, bold hues of the subcontinent often mean more than meets the eye