By Fedja Grulovic and Nicolas Economou RHODES, Greece (Reuters) -Three people became the first known fatalities on Tuesday of wildfires

With the New York Yankees in free-fall mode, the fanbase has received yet another positive update regarding the status of injured star outfielder Aaron Judge.The New York Yankees have looked lifeless since Aaron Judge crashed through the right field fence at Dodger Stadium and smashed his right ...

Country Garden Holdings Co.’s shares and bonds jumped as news that the distressed Chinese builder will make a

A fire on a freight ship carrying nearly 3,000 cars is burning out of control in the North Sea

Australia and China have started their first high-level dialogue in three years in a sign of a slight thaw to relations between countries that have clashed on human rights, COVID-19 and trade

Farewell, then, Neymar. He is only 31, but his choice to leave Paris Saint-Germain and join Saudi “giants” (his word) Al-Hilal – eight months after what was likely his last shot at winning the World Cup – feels like the beginning of the end for Neymar at the top of the game. It has, for the most part, been a joy. “He makes football a pleasure,” once said Pep Guardiola. Neymar would choose to dribble into a maze of defenders rather than play a simple pass, but invariably he would come out with the ball at his feet. His highlights reel is full of jinking runs and cheeky nutmegs, most of which lead to little, and often his skills seem pointless, like controlling a high ball wth a Cruyff-turn. But then what is pleasure if not acting without necessity, just for the fun of it? He has won almost everything – multiple league and cup titles, the Champions League, the Club World Cup and the Olympic Games – and yet looks set to end his career without the World Cup his nation expected or the Ballon d’Or his talent merited (he twice finished third). It would be easy to conclude that Neymar lacked application, particularly at PSG. His appearance record – never playing more than 22 games in a single season for the club – hints at a deeper malaise beyond the recurring injuries that dogged his time in Paris. PSG fans grew weary of Neymar, while his support for Brazilian far-right president Jair Bolsonaro made him even easier to dislike. But no one can ever say he didn’t care about football. Neymar wept in the dressing room before his final game for Santos. He wept when PSG lost the 2020 Champions League final to Bayern Munich in Lisbon. He wept on Lionel Messi’s shoulder after losing the 2021 Copa America final to Argentina. He wept when Croatia came back to win on penalties in Qatar. Expectation was the constant background noise to Neymar’s career, and the pain of defeat was visceral. His decade in Europe was played mostly in his friend Messi’s shadow. The only player on the planet better than Neymar in every facet of the game was on the pitch for most of his 359 matches for Barcelona and PSG. It must have been frustrating at times that his greatest accomplice was also a source of shade, even if they formed one of the greatest teams of all time – Barcelona’s treble-winning 2014-15 side – with that fantasy front three with Luis Suarez. They played with joy, and Neymar was the epitome of that. Like his club career, Neymar’s international legacy is framed by Messi. The 2021 Copa America final between Argentina and Brazil was billed as a fight between the countries’ two talismen, each with a chance to finally unload the burden they had carried for so long. Neither played particularly well that night in the Maracana, but it was Messi who celebrated and Neymar who needed consoling. Qatar 2022 was Neymar’s best chance to win the World Cup. He had sat in the stands injured watching Brazil lose 7-1 to Germany in the Maracana in 2014; he was powerless to stop a brilliant Belgium win in the quarter-finals at Russia in 2018. But Brazil arrived in Qatar as the pre-tournament favourites, ready to finally deliver on his destiny. So when he scored that mesmerising goal against Croatia in extra time of the quarter-final, weaving through an entire defence from a standing start to finally break the deadlock, if felt like that would be the goal to define his career, the one shown on repeat when future generations looked back at Brazil’s 2022 World Cup triumph. Instead Croatia came back and it was Messi’s goal a few days later that provided the tournament’s iconic moment, and Messi’s destiny which was fulfilled. That felt like Neymar’s last shot at the Ballon d’Or, which usually requires a Champions League or World Cup to convince its audience. And perhaps his move to Saudi is a tacit submission of sorts, a white flag in his long battle to transcend the Messi effect. The Independent has reported how Neymar tried to force a move to a Champions League club this summer, but couldn’t find a suitor. The footballing world stopped believing he could transform the most important games and the offers dried up. Instead he has accepted eye-watering paycheque along with his personal demands for three supercars, a 25-bedroom mansion, a very specifically sized swimming pool and a fridge permanently full of acai juice – the man loves his acai. And there is something ironic in Neymar leaving behind the giant profiles of Messi and Kylian Mbappe only to join Al-Hilal, a team with Cristiano Ronaldo. Perhaps he will be back in Europe before long. Perhaps the 2026 World Cup is still a realistic target – one last shot at winning the trophy he most craves, because really what can anyone possibly say once you’ve won that? But more realistic is that his move to Saudi Arabia erodes his already blunt edges, that other players overtake him in Brazil’s pecking order, that the European game moves on. His most famous goal remains one he scored aged 19 for Santos, which came after a dribble of unfathomable balance and control that requires rewinding like a magic trick. And perhaps, looking back, he could never have met the expectations he unknowingly set in that moment. Perhaps he did everything he possibly could have in the era of Messi. Read More Watch as PSG manager Luis Enrique holds press conference after Neymar departure Neymar departs PSG to become latest star signing for Saudi Pro League side Shots fired from Australia batter David Warner – Tuesday’s sporting social Neymar agrees Saudi move after only one European club showed interest Football rumours: Manchester United weighing up approach for Amadou Onana Kylian Mbappe set to return to PSG squad after ‘positive discussions’ – reports

Aleix Espargaro, returning to the scene of his greatest racing embarrassment, dominated practice for the...

Sophie Turner has been inundated with Instagram followers following the announcement of her divorce from Joe Jonas after four years of marriage. Earlier this month, news broke that Jonas filed for divorce in Florida's Miami-Dad County Court citing their marriage being "irretrievably broken," according to papers obtained by the Associated Press. Now, research from Amazon Slots has revealed that the Game of Thrones star has gained a staggering 156,266 followers since 3rd September. Meanwhile, Jonas experienced significantly less with 54,243 new Instagram followers, with the couple later posting a joint statement on their mutual decision. "After four years of wonderful marriage we have mutually decided to amicably end our marriage," the pair wrote. "There are many speculative narratives as to why but, truly this is a united decision and we sincerely hope that everyone can respect our wishes for privacy for us and our children." Fans have since rushed to support Turner after some claims online suggest there's a "smear campaign" against the actress by framing her as a bad, inattentive mother and wife. One fan wrote, "I love Joe Jonas as much as the next girlie [...] this is just a bad attempt at framing Sophie to be some careless mother and that's not it for me!!" Speaking about the social media findings, a spokesperson for Amazon Slots said: "News of celebrity divorces is always disheartening, and the separation of Jonas and Turner, two beloved pop culture fixtures, is no less so. "In such situations, the public often tends to take sides, but it is fascinating to note that public opinion remains relatively split between these two adored stars, as evident from the fluctuations in their followers." 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.

In a historic decision, Ecuadorians voted on Sunday against the oil drilling of a protected area in the Amazon, which is home to two uncontacted tribes and serves as a biodiversity hotspot

The Philadelphia Phillies have not had the start to their 2023 season that they would have expected after winning the National League Pennant in 2022.Nonetheless, they'll be able to find some momentum this weekend if they can have any level of success against the NL East leading Atlanta Bra...

Erik ten Hag will serve a one-match touchline ban after getting his third booking of the season in Manchester United’s 1-0 win over Luton. The Dutchman, who also got yellow cards in the defeats to Arsenal and Tottenham, will be forced to watch United’s game against Everton on 26 November from the stands. Ten Hag was cautioned for dissent in injury time at Old Trafford against Luton for disputing the award of a throw-in. He said: “So that was about a moment so clear, a throw-in, but it was the second time. I was on top of it and it was so clear and obvious our ball, it was my remark therefore I got booked.” But he accepted he may have been wrong to argue, adding: “There is a certain point you have to accept decisions, what I should do as well.” Ten Hag believes his assistants, including former England manager Steve McClaren, will cope in his absence at Goodison Park. He added: “We have a very competent coaching staff and they will take over.” United face an anxious wait to see if Rasmus Hojlund and Christian Eriksen have joined their lengthy injury list after coming off against Luton. Striker Hojlund seemed to have a hamstring problem and Ten Hag said: “We do an assessment but have to wait for 24 hours to see what is the conclusion. Give them, the medical [team], 24 hours to see what is the problem, if there is a problem.” Ten Hag claimed United are in a fine position in the Premier League, considering the injury problems that have interrupted their season, and feels they can make up ground on rivals when they lose players. “Now we won our last four games of five games in the Premier League, which is good. We are in quite a good position if you see all the trouble we had, we are in a very good position,” he explained. “That is a reason to be optimistic. Even after all the setbacks we dealt with, we are still in a position near the top four and when we start to play well and when we get it done a team is set for a couple of weeks and months [and] also other teams will get their setbacks and drop points.” Read More Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag urges team to become more clinical Man United produce the bare minimum to avoid embarrassment against Luton Man United v Luton LIVE: Result and reaction from crucial Premier League clash

(Reuters) -Jamie Dimon, the chief executive of U.S. bank JPMorgan Chase & Co, is visiting Taiwan on Friday, a source