China’s factories look to have stabilized for now, though the recovery has been far from swift and the

The cup specialists have so far struggled with the new league. After winning the Euros and reaching the World Cup final, the Lionesses face the prospect of a rare failure in the inaugural Women’s Nations League. England must beat Netherlands at Wembley on Friday and then Scotland at Hampden on Tuesday to have any chance of topping their group. But given Sarina Wiegman also won the Euros and reached the World Cup final with her native Netherlands, allowing the Dutchwoman to claim the title of the ultimate tournament manager, perhaps the return to must-win, knockout football will suit the Lionesses ahead of a decisive week. Qualification for the Olympics is on the line, after all. But that has also been the case throughout England’s Nations League campaign and after hitting great heights in each of the last two summers, Wiegman’s side have suffered their first real dip in form. Now they must shake off their World Cup hangover, after they were beaten by the Netherlands in September and following last month’s damaging defeat in Belgium. Wiegman’s side have been unusually flat and their performances have featured too many errors: now hit by further injuries to the defence and without captain Millie Bright, England’s backs are against the wall. Though there is also an argument that such a mindset can benefit them, making their task clearer. It was at the World Cup where the Lionesses used their resilience in overcoming injuries and unforeseen hurdles, to adapt their plans and reach the final. They face a similar situation now with elimination from the Olympics qualification process on the line – even if they also require Belgium to drop points against either Scotland or the Netherlands. “I think it suits us; we’ve got the character to do that,” said midfielder Keira Walsh. “I think the team is ready,” Wiegman said. “We’re very clear on how we want to play and what we want to do.” There remains a question over the centre of defence, however. Bright has started England’s last 11 games since the start of the World Cup but has been ruled out of the matches against the Netherlands and Scotland because of a recurrence of the knee injury that threatened her place in Wiegman’s World Cup squad before the summer. In her absence, Alex Greenwood and Jess Carter will form a new centre-back pair. But behind those two in the pecking order, there is a lack of experience: Lotte Wubben-Moy, Esme Morgan and Maya Le Tissier have 12 caps between them. Millie Turner, called up to replace Bright, has yet to play for her country. Even with Bright in the side, England’s defensive record since the World Cup has been poor and what was a strength in Australia can no longer be relied upon in the same way. The Lionesses conceded twice in Utrecht, three times in Louven. England still continued to control the ball and create chances but they failed to take them – and paid the price. “I think it was maybe just a slight lack of concentration at times,” Walsh said. “I think it happens and most of the time you don’t get punished. I think it was just one of those games where we did. But let’s not catastrophise it.” There were still positives to be taken, Walsh continued, and to add to that there is now the welcome return of Beth Mead. The Euros Golden Boot winner and player of the tournament is back with the Lionesses for the first time in over a year, after returning from her ACL injury. Mead feels she is sharp after scoring twice for Arsenal at the weekend, playing with freedom after withstanding the hardest year of her life. Wiegman, who was patient in bringing the forward back, says she is training like she “hasn’t been away”. Her return adds to England’s remarkable depth in the forward positions, and the international window arrives with those options hitting form in the Women’s Nations League as well. On Sunday, Mead hit her first goals since her injury return; Lauren James has five in her last two WSL starts for Chelsea; Rachel Daly has scored in two games in a row for Aston Villa; as has Lauren Hemp with Manchester City. Alessia Russo and Chloe Kelly are competing for places among the forward line as well. “This time of the season, everybody has already played a lot of games and they feel more settled within their environments,” Walsh said earlier this week. “I think you can see that with our forward players creating and scoring. Training today was the first session that everyone was on the grass and it was really competitive. It was a really good intensity. So for me, playing behind those players is really exciting.” Mead offers something fresh as well, to add to the true No 9s of Russo and Daly, the touchline-hugging wingers of Hemp and Kelly, and the all-round, dynamic threat of James. “She’s a little bit different to the rest,” Walsh said. “She has much more of a striker’s mindset in terms of the way she wants to finish and get on the end of things. I think Hempo [Lauren Hemp] and Chloe [Kelly] are very direct. They like the balls to go one v one, whereas I think Beth comes inside a little bit more, I think it’s good to have such a variety.” Under Wiegman, the Lionesses haven’t got much wrong, but now Walsh says England “want to put things right”. It starts at Wembley. Read More Is England vs Netherlands on TV? Channel, time and how to watch Lionesses What do the Lionesses need to do for Team GB to qualify for the Olympics? Sarina Wiegman dismisses concerns over inexperienced England defence

The United Nations Libya mission "will assess the implementability" of electoral laws issued by Parliament Speaker Aguila Saleh,

Pep Guardiola has a contract at Manchester City until 2025 but has signed numerous extensions in the past

Atlanta Braves manager Brian Snitker was ejected from Wednesday's game against the Chicago Cubs after an inexcusable missed call.

Despite an obvious connection, this potential Jimbo Fisher replacement is not coming to Texas A&M, man. Now, who could it have been, man? You don't even know, man!

Tensions continue to rise in the Kardashian family in the latest episode of their famed reality show, The Kardashians. The conflict started last season when Kim Kardashian partnered with Dolce & Gabbana after Kourtney Kardashian collaborated with the brand for her Italian wedding in 2022. She even hosted the big day with Travis Barker at the designers' Portofino house. Kim claimed the pair "were over it," until Kourtney saw last season's edits of Kim talking about her. The show then cut to a scene showing Kim saying Kourtney had no friends. Fast forward to the latest episode, and the family are planning a trip to Cabo. Three days before the scheduled trip, Kim and Kourtney shared a heated phone call that has since divided social media. "You’re talking about the bulls**t details because it’s all your egotistical, selfish mind can think about," Kourtney said. "You cannot stand someone else being the centre of attention. You came to my wedding, you couldn’t be happy, you complained from the second you got there until the second you left." "Forget about you couldn’t be happy, you couldn’t be happy for me." The SKIMS founder then jumped in and asked Kourtney why she thinks "so low of [her]," to which she hit back: "It’s about you! You are a narcissist. It is all about you. "Anything you do, it is about you and about how it looks to the world. So you just want to clear up your facts. Take out my whole f**king side of the episode I don’t give a f**k what anyone thinks about me." Kim then claimed that Kourtney's four kids had come to her with "problems that they had" with her, prompting Kourtney to get emotional. @kardashvideoo Kourtney calls Kim a narcissist and says she hates her #kourtneykardashian #kimkardashian #kardashians #kardashianshulu #thekardashians #fypシ #foryou A snippet from the show was later shared to TikTok, with many criticising Kim for bringing Kourtney's children into the mix. "The kid thing was a low blow," one person wrote, while another added: "When she noticed Kourtney didn’t care much about the friends she brought up her kids to hurt her intentionally." "Nah, Kim was soooo wrong bringing in the kids," a third commented. Another suggested: "Most of us in the comments at one point of our lives has been un Kourtney's situation ... and I'm sure most of us have left toxic family members behind." Meanwhile, one said: "If Kourtney's saying everyone is against her clearly there’s an issue with her attitude." 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.

Armored trucks descended on a Philadelphia neighbourhood on Friday, releasing a flood of FBI agents who stormed and raided a house in search of a suspected aspiring terrorist. There were no adults home when agents arrived; they found three minors in the home. But one of them was their suspect, a 17-year-old with alleged ties to a Syrian extremist group. Reporters outside captured the scene as agents marched a cuffed teenager, wearing only his undergarments, out into the street and into federal custody. Days later, the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office made clear what had happened; they had arrested someone they claim was engaged in "the most serious alleged terrorist activity prosecuted in Philadelphia County court in recent history”. The suspect The suspect is a minor, and his name has not been released to the public. Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner called the teenager an "aspiring terrorist" during a press conference after his arrest. "The young man who is under arrest is – was, an aspiring terrorist who was not merely thinking, but was doing things that are deeply disturbing and presented a grave danger to everyone," he said. FBI Special Agent in Charge Jacqueline Maguire also spoke at the conference, and revealed the suspect allegedly took steps to build a weapon of mass destruction. "Among the items he purchased were tactical equipment, wiring, chemicals and devices often used as remote detonators," she said. "He had not only taken steps in acquiring those items and materials that are commonly used in improvised explosive devices, but that he had also taken steps to start putting potential devices together," She also noted that the suspect allegedly had access to a "significant number of firearms." "He is currently charged with the following offenses: weapons of mass destruction, criminal conspiracy, arson, causing or risking catastrophe, attempt to commit criminal mischief, possession of an instrument of crime, and reckless endangerment of another person," she said. He is being tried as a juvenile, according to Mr Krasner. The investigation The 17-year-old landed on the FBI's radar after the agency learned of his alleged communication with members of Katibat al Tawhid wal Jihad, a Syria- based extremist group that the US classifies as a global terror organisation. The group has ties to al-Qaeda, the organisation formerly led by Osama Bin Laden that carried out the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York, Washington DC and Pennsylvania. The FBI believes the organisation was responsible for the bombing of metro station in St Petersburg, Russia, in 2017, which killed 15 people. The agency also believes the group carried out a suicide car bombing in 2016 that injured three members of the Chinese Embassy in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. Federal officials believe the teenager was communicating with the terror organisation between March and April of this year. The FBI also discovered a WhatsApp account allegedly linked to his phone number that used a banner of the Riyad-us-Saliheen Brigade of Martyrs, a terror group based in Chechnya. On 6 August, the banner was reportedly changed to that of Isis. The agency eventually began surveilling the teenager, and allegedly witnessed him purchasing bomb-making materials on 7 August. The following day the US Customs and Border Protection agency said the suspect had 14 international shipments of military and tactical gear delivered to their home. Mr Krasner said that the FBI "potentially thwarted a catastrophic terrorist attack in the name of a perverted ideology that in no way, shape, or form represents the beliefs of the overwhelming majority of peace-seeking people of faith, including Muslims.” The suspect's family While the suspect's name has not been released as he is a minor, his father has commented on the shocking raid that ended with his child in FBI custody. Qawi Abdul-Rahman, a prominent criminal defence attorney in Philadelphia, told The Daily Beast that he was "shocked and devastated" to learn on Monday that his 17-year-old child was facing terror allegations. He recalled receiving a phone call at work from his children as the raid was ongoing. They told him the FBI had swarmed the home. At the time, only his three children — the 17-year-old included — were home, as both Mr Abdul-Rahman and his wife were at work. The attorney rushed home to find his child in FBI custody. He said he was "shocked" and "devastated" to learn about his child's alleged involvement with terror organisations. In the aftermath of the arrest, Mr Abdul-Rahman said he was struggling to discuss the incident and its implications with his two younger children. He said he doesn't know "how to even address it," asking how one could even explain such a concept to a child. "Your job as a father is to protect," he told The Daily Beast. "But I couldn't do a thing." Read More Philadelphia defense attorney ‘devastated’ to learn his son is FBI terror suspect Teen accused of plotting potentially ‘catastrophic terrorist attack’ Man held on suspicion of having information likely to be useful to terrorists after police data breach

Garda has been defended by an Irish government minister in the wake of violent riots as the country’s Justice Minister warned further “thuggery” on the streets of Dublin “will not be tolerated”. Pascal Donohoe said Ireland’s police faced an unprecedented situation when chaotic scenes broke out across the capital following a knife attack on three children and their care assistant outside Gaelscoil Cholaiste Mhuire primary school on Thursday. Speaking on BBC News NI’s Sunday Politics programme, he acknowledged that law and order were not maintained “in our city centre as we would want and the country would expect” but praised the force’s “exceptional work” in “tough and demanding circumstances”. It came as Minister for Justice Helen McEntee said that “those responsible will be brought to justice” after she and the head of Ireland’s police force, Commissioner Drew Harris, faced criticism over Garda’s preparation for the violence. Some 32 people have so far been charged over the riots. Meanwhile, Garda told The Independent on Saturday afternoon that the five-year-old girl who was stabbed remains in critical condition at CHI Temple Street. The children’s care assistant, a woman aged in her 30s, is in a serious but stable condition in The Mater Hospital. Meanwhile, a man, aged in his late 40s, is in a serious but stable condition in a hospital in the Dublin Region. Garda said he remains a “person of interest” in its inquiries as the force continues to investigate the knife attack. Read More Over £280,000 raised for Deliveroo hero who stopped Dublin child knife attack Elon Musk weighs in on Dublin riots claiming country’s PM ‘hates the Irish people’ How the Dublin riots began: From flares and fireworks at a crime scene to hundreds-strong mob Heroic Katie Taylor earns redemption and unites Dublin with special win over Chantelle Cameron

Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou insists only one transfer deadline counts as he aimed a thinly-veiled dig at Bayern Munich’s public pursuit of Harry Kane after the forward scored four goals against Shakhtar Donetsk. Kane put the uncertainty over his future to one side to produce a classic display of predatory finishing in what could prove to be his final appearance in Spurs’ colours. Bayern are reported to have lodged their latest offer for Kane on Friday and an apparent self-imposed deadline of midnight was set by the German club, but there has been no further news on the outcome of that bid and Kane grabbed a hat-trick in 55 minutes of a 5-1 friendly win over Shakhtar. Kane added another goal in the 79th-minute before he left the pitch a minute later to a standing ovation following more chants of ‘he’s one of our own’ and at the conclusion of the clash the club’s record goal-scorer walked around the pitch to clap all four corners of the ground in what felt a significant moment. “We know there’s one deadline and that’s the end of the transfer window,” Postecoglou pointed out. “Beyond that, I’m in open dialogue with Harry and with the club on a regular basis. I’ve said to them that if the status quo changes then inform me. “I don’t need to know about the comings and goings in between. I just want to deal with what’s in front of me because, irrespective of the outcome of that, I’m building a team here. I can’t wait (around) for a decision either way to get going. “We don’t have the time or the luxury to do that. I’m working with what’s in front of me. You saw today that Harry certainly is invested in what we’re doing and we’ll keep on doing that unless something changes.” Bayern have been public about their desire to sign Kane all summer, with their honorary president Uli Hoeness and president Herbert Hainer talking openly in the media last month about trying to sign the England captain. We know there's one deadline and that's the end of the transfer window Ange Postecoglou Postecoglou added: “That’s up to Bayern to decide. If that’s the way they want to conduct things, it’s not up to me to judge that. “It doesn’t affect me. I don’t sit there on a daily basis and worry about what other clubs are doing. “I think what is factual right now is that he is a contracted player of our football club. “I certainly wouldn’t talk about contracted players at other football clubs but I’m not at Bayern mate so they can go the way they want.” While a lot of the focus on Sunday was on Kane, amongst the spectators at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium was Wolfsburg centre-back Micky van de Ven. Netherlands defender Van de Ven is scheduled to have a medical at Spurs’ training ground on Monday. But asked about Van de Ven, Postecoglou replied: “It hasn’t been done yet, so it’s not right for me to talk about but there’s no doubt we need some bolstering in that central defensive area. “Hopefully we’ll get one or two done in the next couple of days to bolster us in that area.” While Van de Ven’s future looks certain to be at Tottenham, Kane’s club for this campaign remains up in the air. Postecoglou refused to be drawn into the significance of Kane walking alone to applaud all four corners of the stadium at full-time. “You are reading something into it, aren’t you,” he added. “I don’t even know what’s in Harry’s mind, let alone anyone else’s. I think all these things will obviously play out over the next period, we’ll deal with what happens from there. “From my perspective, I’ve got a team to build here. Today showed me that we’ve made some progress but there’s still a lot of work to do. “There were areas today I wasn’t delighted with, so we need to make sure we focus on getting this team right. We’ll see what happens after that. “He’s a fantastic striker, one of the world’s best. I think the way the team plays will help him as well. He loves scoring goals and you saw today we created a load of chances and he was the beneficiary of that.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live 5 things we learned from the opening round of Scottish Premiership action Harry Kane puts speculation to one side with four goals in Tottenham friendly Leicestershire-born Ashleigh Plumptre out to beat England at Women’s World Cup

SANTA MONICA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug 30, 2023--

ExxonMobil is buying Pioneer Natural Resources, a major shale oil producer in the deal that will more than double Exxon's footprint in the Permian Basin in the Southwest United States.