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In a statement marking the anniversary, António Guterres paid tribute to victims, survivors and first responders who rushed to ground zero – the World Trade Center’s twin towers…
Alpine’s Franco Colapinto, Haas’ Esteban Ocon and Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso during a press conference in Madrid on Thursday. (Reuters) Formula One drivers are expecting a weekend of crashes and chaos at the new Circuito de Madring as it hosts the Spanish Grand Prix for the first time.”I’ll put my money on a red flag,” said Alpine’s Pierre Gasly, who won his maiden pole position at last weekend’s Italian Grand Prix at Monza. “That’s for sure.”Like most drivers, the Frenchman took a considered stroll on Thursday around the 5.416-km hybrid track built at a cost of more than 83mn euros ($96mn).His team-mate Franco Colapinto said he was looking forward to trying it in his car in Friday’s practice, but warned that “this track is going to be extremely difficult for all the drivers – in the simulator, putting together one complete lap could take me hours”.He added: “It has a bit of everything. If you took all you find at the 24 races on the calendar and mixed it up, you’d probably get something like this.”Cadillac’s Sergio Perez, a 36-year-old veteran of 294 Grands Prix, said: “It’s scary!”It reminds me of Jeddah – a good, fast and proper track. I’m really happy to be here, and I think the atmosphere here is going to be one of the best.”The Mexican said he expected it to be an unforgiving circuit with low grip offering no room for error. The circuit hosted a filming day with Ferrari in action on a very hot day in July, before the building work was completed, and held a Formula Three event in August that saw three cars wrecked and 19 red flag interruptions. Related Story Source link
The Asian Games began in Japan on Thursday with Qatar beating Iran in men’s basketball, the first action in the continental multi-sport showpiece that has more participants than the Olympics.Over 17,000 athletes and officials are expected to take part in 43 sports at the Nagoya-Aichi Games – which do not officially start until the opening ceremony on September 19 and will run until October 4.Several events such as basketball, football, cricket, hockey and modern pentathlon will get under way before the opening ceremony.Qatar held off a comeback from Iran to win their Group B encounter 59-35 at the Aichi International Arena in Nagoya in the first match of a men’s basketball competition that will hold medal finals on September 20, the day after the opening ceremony. Qatar will plays its second match tomorrow against Jordan, before concluding the preliminary round next Sunday by facing Chinese Taipei. Knockout matches will follow the conclusion of the group stage, leading up to the final on September 20.Qatar is participating in the 20th Asian Games with a delegation of 243 athletes, 184 male and 59 female competitors representing 18 sports.”We know we need to win at least one game so we can qualify for the next round,” said Qatar’s Michael Lewis, the United States-born player who scored a game-high 21 points. “Feels good to get some team camaraderie back, and now we have got to keep going.”Later in Group B, Taiwan beat Jordan 83-80. Los Angeles 2028 Olympics qualifying spots are up for grabs in several sports at the Asian Games, which are returning to Japan for the first time since 1994. Organisers hope the athletes will have a “unique experience” staying in accommodation ranging from a cruise liner and wooden containers to standard hotel rooms.Officials are confident that the plan will not be affected by Japan’s typhoon season, which is usually in full swing in September-October.Weather has already caused disruptions, with record rainfall on Tuesday forcing hundreds of athletes briefly to evacuate their accommodation.Rainwater also leaked into some competition venues, with more wet weather forecast for the coming days.Among those in action at the Games will be Philippine tennis sensation Alexandra Eala and a pair of world-class teenage talents in 15-year-old Indian cricketer Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and 13-year-old Chinese swimmer Yu Zidi. Related Story Source link
A chilling new documentary about Israel’s AI-powered mass killing of civilians in Gaza from two Oscar-winning Israeli filmmakers received a 25-minute ovation at its premiere at the Venice Film Festival on Thursday.The audience clapped continuously for Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor after the screening, an AFP reporter witnessed, setting what is thought to be a new record in Venice after a 23-minute ovation for another film about Gaza last year.In their film “NAZA”, Abraham and Szor used conversations with 24 different Israeli military or intelligence whistleblowers who spoke on condition that their identities be protected. Directors Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor attend a photocall for the documentary “Naza” in Competition, at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival, in Venice, Italy,…
The Qatar men’s basketball team secured a 59-53 victory over Iran on Thursday, launching its campaign in the 20th Asian Games (Aichi-Nagoya 2026), which officially opens in Japan on September 19 and runs until October 4. Qatar claimed its first win in Group B, which also features Iran, Jordan, and Chinese Taipei. The Qatari squad plays its second match of the tournament this coming Saturday against Jordan, before concluding the preliminary round next Sunday by facing Chinese Taipei. Men’s basketball competition in the Games features 12 teams distributed across three groups: Group A includes Japan, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, and Indonesia; Group B comprises Qatar, Iran, Jordan, and Chinese Taipei; while Group C features China, the Philippines, Bahrain, and Kazakhstan. Knockout matches will follow the conclusion of the group stage, leading up to the final on September 20, to determine the men’s basketball tournament champion. Qatar is participating in the 20th Asian Games with a delegation of 243 athletes, 184 male and 59 female competitors representing 18 sports federations, amid aspirations for stellar results that bolster Qatari sports prominence on the Asian stage. Related Story Source link
Algerian foreign ministry summons UAE ambassador Ministry says means of preserving relations ‘exhausted’ UAE foreign ministry offers no immediate comment Algeria abruptly severed diplomatic relations with the United Arab Emirates on Thursday, citing what it described as a series of “provocative or hostile” actions by Abu Dhabi but giving no specific reason for the move. Shortly after Algeria’s announcement, Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to the UAE president, said on X that diplomatic relations should be based on “rationality, communication and clarity of interests”, rather than “riddles and signals that require decoding”. Relations between the two countries have come under growing strain in recent years, with Algerian media outlets sharply criticising the UAE and accusing it of seeking to sow regional discord.The Algerian foreign ministry said the UAE’s actions had reached a point where they could no longer be considered acceptable or tolerable and that it had “exhausted all means of preserving bilateral relations.” Gargash, who did not explicitly mention Algeria or link his comments to its decision, said successful diplomacy depended on clear positions and the effective management of interests and disagreements.The UAE ambassador was summoned to the ministry, informed of the decision and given 48 hours to comply, the foreign ministry said. Algeria and the UAE have taken differing positions on several regional issues. Algeria opposes normalisation with Israel, while the UAE and Algeria’s regional rival Morocco established diplomatic ties with Israel under the US -brokered Abraham Accords in 2020. The two countries’ interests have increasingly intersected in the Sahel, where the UAE has expanded ties with several governments in recent years, while Algeria’s relations with some of its southern neighbours have become strained following a series of military coups. Algerian President Abdelmadjid said last year his country’s relations with all Gulf states were warm except for one – a thinly veiled reference to the UAE.He described ties with Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman and Qatar as “brotherly”, while accusing the unnamed country of meddling in Algeria’s internal affairs and seeking to destabilise it. In February, Algeria began the process of cancelling an air services agreement with the UAE that was signed in Abu Dhabi in May 2013. Source link
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah and his Omani counterpart Badr bin Hamad Al Busaidi, held a telephone call on Thursday to discuss the latest regional developments.During the call, the two sides discussed the importance of ensuring the security and freedom of maritime navigation, as well as support for diplomatic solutions aimed at de-escalation and enhancing regional security and stability. Related Story Source link
Ousmane Dembele celebrates after scoring his team first goal during the UEFA Champions League, league phase, matchday 1, football match between Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and Slovan…
This handout photo taken on September 9, 2026 and received from Shizuoka prefecture on September 10, 2026 shows vehicles buried by mud and debris after a…
Argentina icon Lionel Messi has agreed to take over Spanish club Eldense, the second division side confirmed on Thursday. Eldense, based just in-land from Alicante, will become the former Barcelona attacker’s second venture into Spanish football ownership having bought fourth-tier Cornella in April. The 39-year-old plays for Inter Miami and retired from international duty after Argentina’s loss to Spain in the World Cup final this summer. “CD Eldense can confirm that Lionel Messi has reached an agreement in principle with the club’s current owners to acquire the shares currently held by Grupo TH Soluciones, which would make him the majority shareholder of CD Eldense,” they told AFP. “At this time, the transaction is pending completion of the final legal and contractual procedures, including the due diligence process, as well as the required authorisation from the Spanish Sports Council (CSD).”For now, the club is unable to provide details on the financial terms of the transaction or set a definitive date for its completion, as the process has not yet been finalised. “Once the relevant procedures have been completed and the necessary authorizations obtained, CD Eldense will officially report any developments in this regard,” the club founded in 1921 added.bur-iwd/bsp Related Story Source link