Chelsea celebrated their fourth successive Women’s Super League title by getting the win they needed after beating Reading 3-0 at the Select Car Leasing Stadium. Having seen off Manchester United in the FA Cup final earlier this month, Chelsea wrapped up the double in style as they breezed past relegated Reading courtesy of Guro Reiten and a Sam Kerr double. The Blues’ recent dominance shone through as their hosts failed to deal with the attacking talent of Emma Hayes’ side, who finished the 2022-23 season victorious and on a seven-game winning run in the league. Chelsea knocked on the door early and were unlucky to not take the lead through Kerr’s missed opportunity before a fantastic save by goalkeeper Grace Moloney, who tipped Erin Cuthbert’s effort onto the crossbar. But the breakthrough came in the 18th minute through Kerr, who did not have to be asked twice when she picked up a neat pocket of space inside the box before heading Reiten’s cross past Moloney to make it 1-0. Reiten turned scorer after 42 minutes when she pounced on a loose ball in the Reading backline to go one-on-one with Moloney before holding her nerve to produce a composed finish and put Chelsea 2-0 up. The shackles were off for Chelsea, who played the start of the second half with the comfort of a two-goal lead as they enjoyed long periods of possession which further piled the misery on Reading’s forgettable season. And the Champions began to ramp up the pressure through Kerr, Reiten and Lauren James, who drove at the Reading defence in a persistent hunt to grab another but were left disappointed through their opponent’s stubborn low block to keep the score at 2-0. But Kerr’s efforts paid off in the 88th minute. The Australia captain was slipped through on goal and her first effort came back off the post but she was first to react to claim a simple tap-in and round off a well-deserved Chelsea victory. For their part, Manchester United put the pressure on as substitute Lucia Garcia was again the hero, with the winning goal in a 1-0 triumph over Liverpool. Garcia came off the bench to score a late winner against Manchester City last weekend and ensure the title race went to the last day of the season. She stepped up again as her 72nd-minute strike secured a 1-0 win for United at Prenton Park, but Chelsea preserved the two-point gap between the sides. Up until Garcia struck three minutes after being introduced it had been a frustrating afternoon for United, who nevertheless have achieved their highest finish in the WSL in being runners-up to Chelsea. Arsenal held on for third and Champions League football next season despite a 2-0 defeat at home to Aston Villa, where Rachel Daly equalled the record for most goals in a WSL season. Daly struck in first-half stoppage time for her 22nd league goal of the campaign – securing the Golden Boot and emulating Vivianne Miedema’s haul for Arsenal in 2018-19. Alisha Lehmann then made sure of Villa’s first WSL win over Arsenal in the 49th minute, but the Gunners secured third place due to a superior goal difference over Manchester City, who finished fourth after holding on to beat Everton 3-2 in Izzy Christiansen’s final match before retirement. Khadija Shaw struck either side of Lauren Hemp’s fine effort to put City three goals to the good before Lucy Hope and substitute Leonie Maier scored consolations for the Toffees. Bethany England scored twice for Tottenham at West Ham, who claimed a 2-2 draw following Emma Snerle’s curling strike and Kit Graham’s own goal.

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A Southern California man was convicted Wednesday of blowing up his ex-girlfriend’s spa business with a package bomb in 2018, killing her and seriously injuring two clients. A federal jury in Los Angeles convicted Stephen Beal of four felonies including use of a weapon of mass destruction resulting in death, according to a statement from the U.S. attorney's office. Beal could face at least 30 years and up to life in prison when he's sentenced in November. He was retried after a mistrial was declared last year when the jury deadlocked. Beal, 64, of Long Beach, was charged with killing Ildiko Krajnyak on May 15, 2018, with a homemade package bomb he slipped into her Aliso Viejo spa, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Los Angeles. Krajnyak, 48, was killed in the fiery blast when she opened the box. Two clients — a mother and daughter — she had just treated were knocked off their feet. The blast destroyed the business and tore a large hunk from the building. Body parts were found in the parking lot. Beal, a partner in the salon business, was jealous Krajnyak had been dating someone else after their 18-month relationship ended, and he developed a “plan to destroy her,” U.S. Attorney Annamartine Salick said in an opening statement at Beal's first trial. While Krajnyak was in Hungary visiting family, Beal left the bomb at the spa for her to open when she returned, according to the U.S. attorney's statement. A day after the explosion, investigators searched Beal's home and found more than 130 pounds (59 kilograms) of explosive mixtures and precursor chemicals, the statement said. “Beal had years of experience building high-powered model rockets and homemade pyrotechnics," according to the statement. “Laboratory testing determined that the explosive mixture Beal used in the bomb came from the same chemicals he had at his home.” Beal also was found guilty of malicious destruction of a building resulting in death, use of a destructive device during and in relation to a crime of violence, and possession of an unregistered destructive device. Read More Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide

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Christmas is almost upon us so that can mean only one thing… It’s time for some doomsday predictions, courtesy of Baba Vanga. The legendary blind Bulgarian mystic is credited with foreseeing many of the biggest events in history, including the Chernobyl disaster, 9/11, the Covid pandemic and the death of Princess Diana. And even though she’s been dead for 27 years, people still follow her prophesies with great dedication. Her loyal disciples claim that many of her forecasts came true long after her death, and there are still plenty more to come. So now, it’s time to look ahead to what’s on the cards for 2024. Assassination attempt on Vladimir Putin The Russian president is hardly the world’s most popular man, so he has to watch his own back. A lot. And, apparently next year he’ll face an assassination attempt, not by an international agent but by someone from his own country. Still, according to Astrofame, Vanga only predicted an “attempt” on Putin’s life. Perhaps the whole reason he manages to survive is the late clairvoyant’s warning… Terrorist attacks on Europe Russia’s leader isn’t alone in facing an existential threat. Next year, Europe is supposedly set for a terrorist attack by Islamic extremists and a “big country” will carry out biological weapons tests or assaults next year. Vanga, the so-called “Nostradamus of the Balkans,” didn’t say where exactly in Europe these strikes would take place so, if you believe her word, we’ll all need to be on guard. Major economic crisis Many of us have become inured to dire financial forecasts but it’s still unsettling to learn that Vanga predicted a massive global economic crisis. According to Astrofame, she envisaged a number of different factors converging, including rising debt levels, increasing geopolitical tensions, and economic power shifting from the West to the East. Tech revolution General artificial intelligence is the hot topic when it comes to tech, but next year will be all about quantum computing, according to the Bulgarian oracle. Vanga foresaw a major breakthrough in the realm, which harnesses the laws of quantum mechanics to solve problems that are too complex for classical computers. This will bring about an unprecedented technological revolution, which will touch all areas of life: from healthcare to cybersecurity. And hey, maybe it will help sort out all those economic issues. A surge in cyber attacks If biological and terrorist attacks weren’t enough to contend with, 2024 will also see a spike in cyber strikes, according to Vanga. And these won’t be under-the-radar hacks, these will be fully-blown onslaughts on critical infrastructure, including power grids and water treatment facilities. The question is, will those quantum computers cause the crises or help solve them? Medical breakthroughs Sure, disaster after disaster is on the horizon, but it’s not all bad. According to Sky History, the blind soothsayer predicted that humanity would shackle cancer “with iron chains”, and 2024 might be the year this happens. She apparently also foresaw a significant breakthrough in treatment for Alzheimer’s patients. But let’s be clear, Vanga was far from infallible. This year, we were supposed to see the explosion of a major nuclear power plant – causing toxic clouds to settle over Asia – and a new religion based on artificial intelligence was due to emerge. Still, 2023 isn’t over yet, and she was alarmingly close to the truth with some of her other prophecies. The mystic claimed that the Earth would be hit by a devastating solar storm and suffer a potentially apocalyptic shift in its orbit around the sun. And whilst, we’ve managed to evade the apocalypse so far, back in August, NASA detected a massive sunspot with the power to bring forth solar flares and “coronal mass ejections” of solar plasma and potentially wreak havoc on power grids and other infrastructure. Last week, it also emerged that the Earth’s axis is shifting. Nevertheless, it’s important to note that Vanga’s predictions are cryptic and impossible to verify. She was unable to write, so everything she said was documented by those around her, meaning there are no first-hand accounts of her visions on paper. Countless Bulgarian and Soviet scientists studied and tested Vanga throughout her life, ultimately concluding that she had an 85 per cent success rate with her predictions, Sky History reports. She even allegedly foresaw her own death on 11 August 1996 at the age of 85. All we can do now is hope that her doomsday visions for the rest of this year, and next, fall into that 15 per cent margin of error... Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings

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Spanish FA president Luis Rubiales is set to step down on Friday after heavy criticism of his behaviour at the World Cup final in Sydney on Sunday, according to reports in Spain. Rubiales’ expected resignation will come one day after FIFA opened disciplinary proceedings against the 46-year-old, who grabbed his crotch in celebration of Spain’s victory over England, then kissed Spain midfielder Jenni Hermoso on the lips during the trophy celebration. FIFA said in a statement issued on Thursday afternoon: “The FIFA disciplinary committee informed Luis Rubiales, president of the Spanish Football Association, today that it is opening disciplinary proceedings against him based on the events that occurred during the final of the FIFA Women’s World Cup™ on August 20, 2023.” FIFA’s statement added: “The events may constitute violations of article 13 paragraphs 1 and 2 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code. “The FIFA disciplinary committee will only provide further information on these disciplinary proceedings once it has issued a final decision on the matter. “FIFA reiterates its unwavering commitment to respecting the integrity of all individuals and strongly condemns any behaviour to the contrary.” The sections of the disciplinary code referenced in the FIFA statement cover “offensive behaviour and violations of the principles of fair play”. The code cites examples of behaviour which could lead to disciplinary measures being taken, including “insulting a natural or legal person in any way, especially by using offensive gestures, signs or language” and “behaving in a way that brings the sport of football and/or FIFA into disrepute”. Rubiales issued an apology via video on Monday for the Hermoso kiss, but Spanish prime minister Pedro Sanchez described the apology as “insufficient”. The Spanish FA has called an extraordinary general assembly on Friday in response to the matter, while confirming it has opened internal proceedings. Rubiales is a UEFA vice-president and a member of its ruling executive committee, and the PA news agency understands if the Spanish federation was to dismiss Rubiales it could ask UEFA for the right to nominate a replacement. If FIFA suspended him, Rubiales’ seat on the ExCo would remain vacant until the next UEFA Congress, when a replacement would be elected. The FIFA proceedings could also hamper Spain’s bid to co-host the 2030 men’s World Cup finals, which Rubiales is helping to lead. Spain is bidding alongside Portugal, Ukraine and Morocco for the centenary finals, with a decision on who will host due to be taken at an extraordinary FIFA Congress in the final quarter of next year. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Shock Daniel Dubois win is only chance of possible undisputed fight – David Haye Brave Matt Hudson-Smith struggles to hide frustration despite silver in Budapest Matt Hudson-Smith claims silver medal for Great Britain in Budapest

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United States women's national team general manager Kate Markgraf has resigned, US Soccer said Saturday, following head coach Vlatko Andonovski to the exit after a...