The Chicago Cubs are about to get long-awaited reinforcements on the mound.At 22-26, it would be difficult to categorize the Chicago Cubs' season up to this point as anything other than a disappointment. There have been rumors of potential roster shake-ups and there is a palpable angst plag...

Rappers Blueface and Chrisean Rock welcomed a baby together in September 2023

In the first Asian Games since the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan, two teams of athletes are arriving in the Chinese city of Hangzhou, looking very different

Playing its first home game with a section of Mestalla Stadium closed as punishment for the racist abuse against Vinícius Júnior, Valencia moved closer to avoiding relegation from the Spanish league thanks to a stoppage-time equalizer in a 2-2 draw against Espanyol. Valencia had the first of three matches with a small section of Mestalla closed behind one of the goals where the abuse targeting Vinícius took place in a match against Real Madrid a week ago. Valencia was initially ordered to close the section for five matches but the punishment was reduced on appeal. The club’s initial fine of 45,000 euros ($48,200) was also reduced to 27,000 euros ($28,900). The draw was enough to relegate Espanyol for the second time in three seasons. Espanyol was set to take its fight against relegation to the final round but Samuel Lino scored Valencia's equalizer with a shot from inside the area three minutes into stoppage time. Valencia dropped to 15th place but stayed two points from the relegation zone ahead of its match at sixth-place Real Betis next Sunday. Valencia had called the punishment “unfair and disproportionate" because it claimed it acted quickly to cooperate with authorities, which eventually arrested three people. Valencia immediately banned the three fans for life. "Respect for our fans," read a large banner at the closed section. “Together against racism,” were the words on a smaller banner in the same section. Second-to-last-place Espanyol had been relegated in 2020 for the first time in nearly three decades. It returned to the top flight in its first attempt as second-division champion. RELEGATION FIGHT Six teams will enter the final round hoping to avoid the final relegation spot. Last-place Elche has already been relegated. Cadiz, Getafe, Valencia, Almeria, Celta Vigo and Valladolid are the teams still in danger. Valladolid is the first team currently inside the relegation zone, sitting one point behind both 17th-place Celta and 16th-place Almeria. Valencia, 14th-place Getafe and 13th-place Cadiz are two points ahead of Valladolid, which drew 0-0 at Almeria. Getafe boosted its chances with Jaime Mata scoring a 90th-minute winner to lead a 2-1 comeback victory over Osasuna at home. Cadiz needed a 53rd-minute winner in its 1-0 home victory against Celta, which has won only one of its last 11 matches. Celta hosts champion Barcelona in the final round, while Getafe visits Valladolid, Cadiz is at Elche and Espanyol hosts Almeria. BARCELONA WINS AGAIN Barcelona beat 10-man Mallorca 3-0 for its first win after clinching the league title. Ansu Fati scored a pair of first-half goals and Gavi added another after halftime to lead the champions to victory after two consecutive losses. Mallorca, sitting in 12th place, played a man down from the 14th after Amath Ndiaye was sent off for a hard foul on Barcelona left back Alejandro Balde, who was not able to continue. It was Barcelona's last league game at Camp Nou before it moves to the smaller Lluís Companys Olympic Stadium in Montjuic with renovation work at the Camp Nou starting next season. It was also the last game at Camp Nou for veterans Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets, who will not remain with the Catalan club next season. They both received a standing ovation from the home crowd while being substituted late, with Alba leaving the field in tears. ATLETICO THIRD Atletico Madrid clinched a top-three finish for the 11th straight time after a 2-1 home win over fourth-place Real Sociedad. Antoine Griezmann and Nahuel Molina scored a goal in each half for Atletico, which will enter the final round one point behind city rival Madrid. EUROPEAN PLACES Sociedad secured the final Champions League place despite the loss as fifth-place Villarreal stayed five points back after a 2-1 defeat at Rayo Vallecano. Villarreal and Real Betis, which won 2-1 at Girona, secured the Europa League places. Five teams will contend for the lone Conference League spot, which is currently held by seventh-place Osasuna. Eighth-place Athletic Bilbao lost 1-0 to Elche at home thanks to a stoppage-time goal by Lucas Boyé. Read More Disgusted by racism targeting soccer's Vinícius, his Brazilian hometown rallies to defend him Pep Guardiola fears Vinicius Junior racism row won’t make a difference in Spain

Friday's football transfer rumours include Tottenham considering Romelu Lukaku, Carlo Ancelotti's stance on Real Madrid chasing David de Gea, Yassine Bono, Marco Verratti, Neymar, Joao Felix & more.

Authorities are investigating after letters filled with fentanyl or other substances appear to have been sent to local election offices in at least two states, the latest instance of threats faced by election workers around the country

Hong Kong’s leader said he hasn’t yet received an invite to a major economic summit in the US

Senator John Fetterman (D-PA) delivered an emotional speech about his disability to commemorate the 33rd anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Mr Fetterman spoke via video message in his signature Carhartt shirt at the American Association of People with Disabilities’ celebration of the landmark law that passed in 1990 with overwhelming bipartisan support. During his campaign for Senate last year, Mr Fetterman suffered a stroke which affected his auditory processing. As a result, he now uses speech-to-text technology. “The reality is that all Americans should be able to get access to the support that they need,” he said. “The Americans with Disabilities Act makes this possible.” In February, Mr Fetterman checked into Walter Reed Medical Center to undergo treatment for depression. He checked out at the end of March and has since returned to the United States Senate. “I want to thank your community for the work that you have done to make sure people with disabilities can run for and win office,” he said. Mr Fetterman appeared at the celebration with other elected officials including Sen Tammy Duckworth (D-IL); Steny Hoyer (D-MD), the former House majority whip; and Rep Debbie Dingell (D-MI). Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg also attended. “Now that I’m a senator, I’m going to continue to fight for disability rights in DC,” Mr Fetterman said. But many of the people at the event also highlighted the work that needed to be done to make places more accessible. Ms Duckworth, who lost both of her legs serving in the Iraq War, talked about how she took her two daughters to see the Barbie movie but could not go because the elevator did not work. “And so my two girls watched a movie with their nanny with me sitting outside for two and a half hours waiting for them to be done,” Ms Duckworth said, noting how nobody had informed her that the elevator was broken until after she bought a ticket. “It is 2023 folks we can and will and should do better.” She also pointed out how it is still legal to pay people with disabilities below the minimum wage and that medical equipment continues to get broken when people with disabilities travel by air. As a result, she said she is pushing for wheelchairs to be considered complex medical devices so they could not be destroyed. Similarly, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg appeared over the video to discuss how the Transportation Department had begun preliminary work to stay in their wheelchairs as they fly. “And today we’re pleased to officially announce the rule that will increase the size of accessibility of airplane bathrooms to better accommodate access on board,” he said. The anniversary comes after many people who helped pass the ADA such as disability rights Judith Heumann and the late Sen Lowell Weicker, a Republican from Connecticut, and C Boyden Gray, an adviser to former president George HW Bush, passed away earlier this year. Ms Duckworth spoke about how eventually, plenty of people will need to use the accommodations that the ADA guarantees. “I hope one day you develop one because that will mean that you've lived a long life and maybe that you'll care about disabled access,” she said. Read More Back in hoodies and gym shorts, Fetterman tackles Senate life after depression treatment Hunter Biden’s plea deal appears at risk of falling apart. What happens next? Trump wants to see Biden impeached, and other Republicans are quick to pile on House UFO hearing probes claims of physics defying technology

Skipper Millie Bright said her team were embracing an "incredible opportunity" to do something an English side has not managed since 1966...

Chelsea boss Emma Hayes refused to step on England manager Sarina Wiegman’s toes when asked if Lauren James should return to the Lionesses’ starting line-up for Sunday’s World Cup final against Spain. The 21-year-old Blues forward scored three goals and picked up the same number of assists before she was sent off in the Lionesses’ last-16 victory over Nigeria and given a two-match ban for stepping on the back of defender Michelle Alozie. Having served her punishment during the quarter- and semi-finals, James is now available to reclaim her spot in Wiegman’s starting XI – but she remains in competition with replacement Ella Toone, who netted the Lionesses’ opener in their 3-1 last-four victory to eliminate co-hosts Australia. James’ club boss Hayes said: “I think you know, I’m a manager but picking someone else’s team is not my job. It’s Sarina’s. My job is to enjoy it. Those players are prepared for whatever happens and for whatever team Sarina picks. I’m sure Lauren would be ready. “Lauren is just very excited to be in a World Cup final as all of the England players are. They are all excited. “It’s about England as a team and England as a whole and they have all stepped up and filled in, whether that’s Katie Zelem who filled in for Keira Walsh or Ella Toone at least filling in for Lauren James after that quarter-final. “Lauren is an outstanding player and will go on to contribute many more moments for both club and country. As always she will be reflective and will move forward with that.” James, who apologised for the red-card incident on social media, came off the bench in England’s 1-0 Haiti opener to kick-start their undefeated path to the final, then scored the winner against Denmark in her first World Cup start. She bagged a brace in the Lionesses’ thumping 6-1 win over China to conclude the group stage, also assisting three goals in that rout. James’ stock has risen under the watchful eye of Hayes, who has won the Women’s Super League (WSL) manager of the year award six times, including the past four seasons, and predicted her Chelsea charge would be vital to the European champions’ hopes of lifting a first World Cup. Hayes was named FIFA’s best manager in the women’s game in 2021, succeeding Wiegman, who has now won the award three times after also receiving the honour following England’s Euro 2022 triumph. It is no surprise, then, that both women’s names have been floated as potential candidates to take over the US women’s team, a role made vacant on Thursday after US Soccer announced the federation and Vlatko Andonovski had agreed to part ways. The decision came after the FIFA world number one-ranked Americans not only failed to defend their back-to-back titles, but were knocked out by Sweden in a last-16 penalty shootout for their worst-ever finish. Hayes, who has managed Chelsea since 2012, said: “I suspected that question would come up. “I’m very happy at Chelsea, I’ve made that clear. I’ve been there for 11 years, it’s my home. I think the US has wonderful players and perhaps the tournament didn’t go the way they wanted but my focus is on getting home and preparing the team for the start of the season.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Football rumours: Chelsea turn attention to Nottingham Forest’s Brennan Johnson Carlos Alcaraz gets his revenge against Tommy Paul in Cincinnati On this day in 2018: Tyson Fury defeats Francesco Pianeta on points in Belfast

By Hyonhee Shin SEOUL South Korea might be making "wrong bets" in the Sino-U.S. rivalry, the Chinese ambassador

McLaren's Lando Norris upstaged home hero Max Verstappen on Friday in a red-flagged second practice at the Dutch Grand Prix o which...