Editor's Picks
Opinion
Travel & Tourism
Despite sport’s ability to promote diversity and inclusion, the report noted that those from racial and ethnic minorities lack representation at many levels of global sport, with governance and access disparities reflecting broader structural inequalities.Ashwini…
Most Read
Share It!
Soccer
World News
Despite sport’s ability to promote diversity and inclusion, the report noted that those from racial…
Key takewaysHantavirus officially overEbola virus spreads in DR CongoTonnes of supplies delivered in quake-hit VenezuelaAir…
Features
Featured
Health & Fitness
Trending Now
To understand the new politics stance and other pro nationals of recent times, we should look to Silicon Valley and…
Latest Articles
A brutal heatwave hit peak temperatures across the eastern United States yesterday, straining power grids, threatening World Cup matches and playing havoc with celebrations for America’s 250th independence anniversary. With the heat index threatening to top 46C, records could be broken in New York City, as extreme heat warnings blanketed the northeast and mid-Atlantic regions. Combined with very humid air, the “feels like” temperature could reach 40C in Boston, 44C in Philadelphia, and 45C in Washington. “Numerous daily temperature records are expected today and Independence Day, with some consecutive-day, monthly, and all-time records possible,” the National Weather Service said. Hang Dang, a 76-year-old retiree, was not letting extreme temperatures deter her from attending celebrations in Washington for the 250th July Fourth anniversary. “I came to the US in 1975 from Vietnam and… I was here for the bicentennial,” Dang told AFP, noting she drove 12 hours from Florida to attend festivities. “I said I’ve got to get back for the 250th because I don’t think I’ll make it to the 300th!” she joked as a Marine Corps Osprey aircraft hovered nearby. In New York, the most populous US city, Mayor Zohran Mamdani urged residents to “stay cool, stay vigilant and check in on your neighbors.”The city has transformed hundreds of public buildings into cooling centers, dispatched volunteers to check on vulnerable citizens, and extended the hours of swimming pools across the city. Three World Cup matches were slated for yesterday in the US, including in Miami where Argentina and Cape Verde face off. The stadium has no air conditioning and the heat index at kickoff was expected to hit 37C. On Saturday, France and Paraguay will clash in Philadelphia where the heat index could reach 40C. In response to concerns over heat, FIFA has introduced a mandatory “hydration break” in each half of every game at this World Cup, although it was not clear whether that would be adequate for matches taking place outdoors during the heat wave. Although many buildings in the United States are air-conditioned, heat waves cause more deaths in the country than hurricanes and floods.This particular heat wave is worrying because of its duration and intensity, but also because high nighttime temperatures could threaten vulnerable people and strain energy infrastructure. On Thursday, Chicago utility company ComEd said its power grid was under “critical strain,” and urged residents to “raise your thermostat as high as is comfortably safe.” The current extreme heat and humidity would have been “virtually impossible” without climate change, a study from the World Weather Attribution group of leading climate researchers said Friday. In Washington yesterday morning, hundreds of people braved sizzling heat to visit the Great American State Fair taking place on the National Mall.Many visitors said they had altered their plans so they could avoid the afternoon sun. “The problem here is that the heat builds,” said Kevin Ashley of Alexandria, Virginia. “In the afternoon it becomes really intolerable, because this is reclaimed swamp,” he said. Nearby, crowds huddled in thin strips of shade outside pavilions, gulping free bottles of water that workers were distributing throughout the event. Paramedics meanwhile carted away a young woman suffering from apparent heat exhaustion. “It’s like the 30th person,” said an event staffer. A short time later, organisers closed the fair until 5 pm. “The safety and well-being of our guests, volunteers, performers, vendors, and staff is our highest priority,” a spokesperson told AFP.“Conditions are expected to improve later this afternoon.” Related Story Source link
World Athletics President Sebastian Coe. (AFP) World Athletics (WA) confirmed on Friday that their ban on Russian and Belarusian competitors would remain in place four years after the invasion of Ukraine.WA president Sebastian Coe said the body’s two-day Council Meeting had “been consequential and methodical in reviewing the sanctions imposed on Russia and Belarus and in identifying a conditional pathway back into international competition”.”We presented options for the Council to consider on this matter, however, the original decision remains on the sanctions that protect the integrity and fairness of our competitions, with no tangible movement towards peace negotiations having materialised,” Coe said.The International Olympic Committee (IOC) in May urged sports federations to allow Belarus to return to international competition, while keeping restrictions on Russia in place.World Gymnastics have lifted restrictions on both countries while the International Skating Union this week said it would allow Russians and Belarusians to return as neutrals for the 2026-2027 season.Athletics global governing body examined the impact of the conflict on athletics in Ukraine.”The dedicated fund that World Athletics established in 2022 to support Ukraine is helping ameliorate some of that impact, but there is no doubt the ability of Ukraine and its athletes to train and compete remains severely compromised,” WA said.Coe has said if a peace agreement is reached then it is not for sport to stand in the way of the Russians’ return.The conflict, though, has left its mark on Coe after a visit he paid to Ukraine.”When you get to Kyiv (train station), there’s probably 50 or 60 ambulances and hearses waiting on the platform,” he told AFP in an interview last year.”Families waiting for the news. They have two carriages, mobile operating theatres and intensive care units, where amputations are taking place as the train’s coming back.”So, sorry, it’s not something I could ever really be neutral about.” Related Story Source link
Auckland FC goalkeeper Michael Woud got engaged a year ago when he had little inkling he would be…
Graham Arnold was appointed as Iraq’s coach in May last year to succeed Spaniard Jesus Casas. (AFP) Iraq’s veteran Australian coach Graham Arnold is hoping his team can pull off a shock on their return to the World Cup stage after a remarkable and gruelling journey to this year’s tournament in North America. “The year I’ve been in charge has been crazy and very, very stressful for the players,” Arnold told by phone from Baghdad, shortly before heading to Spain for a pre-tournament training camp. “Every game basically since I’ve been here has been a game of life and death.” That might sound extreme, but Iraq were not just left battling to secure qualification right up until the latest possible moment – their prospects of reaching the finals were also seriously compromised by the war in neighbouring Iran. Arnold, 62, was appointed in May last year to succeed Spaniard Jesus Casas. At that point, the Lions of Mesopotamia were pushing for direct qualification in Asian Group B behind South Korea and Jordan. But on Arnold’s debut, 10-man Iraq lost to the Koreans. They eventually had to win a two-legged play-off against the United Arab Emirates – courtesy of a decisive Amir al-Ammari penalty in the 17th minute of injury time – to progress to an intercontinental play-off in Mexico in March. However, at that time, the US and Israeli airstrikes on Iran left many Iraqi players and staff stranded and scrambling to make the long trip. Changing mentalities “The airspace was shut down in Iraq. I couldn’t get back into Iraq to get my coaching equipment. The players couldn’t get out of Iraq,” Arnold recalls, detailing the 26-hour bus trip they took from Baghdad to Amman in Jordan. “And they got stuck in Jordan for 28 hours because of bombs going off around them and they shut down the airspace. When the boys actually got there, it took 68 hours. One of the first meetings and discussions I had with the players was, OK, with everything that’s going on in the Middle East, are you going to use that as an excuse or motivation?” Iraq defeated Bolivia 2-1 in Monterrey, securing a first World Cup appearance since 1986 after an interminable 21-match qualifying campaign. “The players went through a hell of a lot of stress and a lot of pressure on their shoulders from 46 million people in Iraq to qualify for a World Cup for the first time in 40 years,” said Arnold. “Every one of those games was heartbreak or we survived.” Arnold, who has been splitting his time between Australia and Iraq, insists his team does not lack ability but that his biggest job has been changing mentalities. “What I’ve felt in my time here, is that Iraq is a very negative country, because of all the shit that’s gone on with the wars over the last 30 years – there’s a bit of a negative mentality here, no one likes us, everyone hates us,” he says, referring to the Gulf Wars of 1991 and 2003. ‘Shock the world’ This may only be Iraq’s second World Cup, but the country has a footballing pedigree – they won the Asian Cup in 2007 and were semi-finalists in 2015. “I’ve never seen a country so obsessed with football. They have public holidays when Barcelona play Real Madrid,” says the coach. Arnold took his native Australia to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, leading them to the last 16 where they pushed eventual winners Argentina close. Despite the adulation he has received from Iraqis, he says he felt far greater pressure as coach of the Socceroos. “I have the greatest respect for people like Didier Deschamps that has stayed and coached his nation for so long. The pressure of coaching your own nation is crazy because you don’t want to let them down. I feel like I’m more of a football coach now with Iraq than with Australia.” Iraq are in a daunting group at this World Cup, starting against Norway in Boston on June 16 before also playing France and Senegal. So what can they realistically achieve? “We qualified last. If you went through every individual player and every team, and the transfer price of all the players, we would probably be the lowest-ranked at the World Cup,” says Arnold, whose contract expires on July 31. “But it’s a World Cup. Anything can happen. And our boys have a great fighting mentality. It’s 11 versus 11. And if we win our one-versus-one battles, we can shock the world.” …
Anthony Gordon will sign for “the next five seasons, until June 30, 2031,” Barcelona said in a brief…
US President Donald Trump said yesterday he would soon decide on a proposed deal to extend the ceasefire with Iran, though the two countries still appeared to differ on significant issues that have been central to the conflict. Trump said last morning that he would meet in a secure White House room to make a “final determination” on the proposal, which would extend an early-April truce for another 60 days, giving negotiators time to forge a permanent end to the war. Several hours later, the White House said the meeting had concluded but did not provide any more information. The New York Times reported the decision had been postponed after a tow-hour meeting.A senior Iranian source likewise told Reuters an agreement was close but had not yet been approved. However Trump also said Iran would have to end its chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz and dismantle its capacity to make a nuclear weapon – two conditions that Tehran has not agreed to. “Iran must agree that they will never have a Nuclear Weapon or Bomb. The Hormuz Strait must be immediately open, no tolls, for unrestricted shipping traffic, in both directions,” Trump said, adding that nuclear material would be “unearthed” by the US Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency, citing sources, said Trump’s comments were an “attempt to portray a fabricated victory.” To Page 23 The senior Iranian source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the potential deal does not include any nuclear-related issues, while Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said on state TV that the management of the strait must be decided by Iran and Oman. The semi-official Fars news agency, citing sources, said the strait would be reopened under Tehran’s conditions after the US lifts its blockade on Iranian ships.Fars said there was agreement to release $12bn of Iran’s frozen assets. Trump said no money would be exchanged “until further notice” — a possible reference to Iran’s demands for toll payments in the strait, war damage reparations or a release of frozen Iranian assets.Oil prices fell and stocks rose yesterday on news of the potential deal. Trump is under pressure to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and get US gasoline prices down ahead of the November congressional elections, as voters show increasing frustration over rising prices. At the same time, he faces a potential backlash from Iran hawks in his own party over any concessions to Tehran. The war launched by the US and Israel on February 28 has killed thousands of people, mainly in Iran and Lebanon, and caused global economic pain by pushing up energy prices due to Iran’s effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz. In his post on Truth Social, Trump said mines would be removed from the strait and ships trapped there may start to go home: “Say HELLO to your wives, husbands, parents, and families from me, your favorite President!” Source link
Top Rated
