NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jun 21, 2023--

England seamer Stuart Broad dismissed top-ranked test batter Marnus Labuschagne for a golden duck after David Warner had self-destructed as England reduced Australia to 78-3 at lunch on the second day of the Ashes opener

Philippe Diallo was elected the new president of the French Football...

Sudanese activists and medical workers say at least 23 people were killed in a drone attack on an open market south of the capital, Khartoum

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sep 28, 2023--

By Valerie Volcovici WASHINGTON Emerging U.S. businesses in the energy transition supply chain such as hydrogen and wind

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The Lakers just handed Anthony Davis a massive contract. Gambling big on his health.

You may have seen the video of Jordan Henderson promoting Saudi Arabia’s bid to host the 2034 World Cup. It is a moving watch. There’s his giant face plastered across the screen, while wearing the famous green and black colours of Al Ettifaq FC. “Very excited about the announcement,” Henderson says in his excited voice. “Go Saudi Arabia 2034.” It is important to note that his World Cup promotional work is voluntary. We know this because he said so in an interview with The Athletic. So when we see raw emotion like this on social media, we know we are getting real Henderson, authentic Henderson, out there backing the bid. Not a paid ambassador, just a boy who fell in love with a gulf state. Henderson is having one of his all-time great seasons: four assists in eight games as captain of Steven Gerrard’s Ettifaq outfit; still in the England squad despite no discernible superior attributes to James Ward-Prowse; all while getting the chance to grow the Saudi Pro League, one of his big motivations for moving there. He is not the only one excited. Gerrard described the prospect of a Saudi World Cup as “potentially one of the best shows the world’s seen”. Al-Ittihad striker Karim Benzema was stunned, tweeting: “Wow! Amazing news.” Al-Ahli winger Riyadh Mahrez was relieved the world will finally get to see the country’s “passion and love of the game”. If it sounds like they think the bid is already won, that’s because it might be. To catch up on a whirlwind week at Fifa HQ, it was announced on Wednesday that six countries across three continents would host the 2030 World Cup. That satisfied the confederations of Europe, Africa and South America. And barely an hour later, Saudi Arabia publicly launched its bid for 2034. Things have fallen into place quite nicely. Fifa’s rules on rotating the World Cup around the globe mean there are only two possible federations left to stage the 2034 World Cup: Oceania and Asia. That doesn’t leave a lot of competition. What’s more, Fifa gave any rivals to the Saudi bid a 25-day deadline for submission. Australia has hinted at joining the race, but a cynic might conclude it would be the tortoise chasing a wealthy and well-prepared hare that’s already crossed the finish line. The World Cup is a logical endpoint to something much bigger. Sport is a mirror to the world order, and Saudi’s emergence in football is both a consequence and a signal of a gravitational shift. As Rory McIlroy put it recently, upon accepting the increasing influence of Saudi Arabia on the game of golf: “You see everything else happening in the world, you see big private equity companies in America taking their money, the biggest companies in the world … if this is what’s happening, then the way I’ve framed it is that the world has decided for me.” There is an inevitability to all this. Even so, given the rapid emergence of an oppressive dictatorship in the world of football, it might have been nice for even just one press conference with Fifa’s dear leader, Gianni Infantino, to scrutinise this flurry of announcements that appear to pave the way for Saudi 2034. This, remember, is an organisation whose “corruption” section on Wikipedia is longer than this article. Infantino has himself taken on the distinct air of a dictator in recent years. He was sworn in for another term as Fifa president in March after winning an election unopposed, annointed to obedient applause at a ceremony in Rwanda. Fifa presidents are supposed to serve a maximum of three terms, but Infantino recently “clarified” that his first three years in the job didn’t count as he was only filling in for the deposed Sepp Blatter. It seems likely he will serve until the bitter end in 2031, capping a 15-year stint as the most powerful man in football. Infantino and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman have a friendship of sorts and have been pictured at various matches together, most notably in Qatar last year. The 2034 World Cup might be the first tournament after his reign ends, a parting gift to Bin Salman, like a prime minister handing out one last peerage to an old ally. The road to 2034 will no doubt be smoothed by Saudi’s many levers of soft power. It will host the Fifa Club World Cup in December, and will continue to invest heavily in the Saudi Pro League. Lionel Messi remains an ambassador and Cristiano Ronaldo is its marquee player. The league is set to go after more big, bright stars closer to their prime, with Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah a high priority. All that will lay the groundwork for the ultimate goal, hosting the World Cup, a platform like no other to project Saudi Arabia’s global standing. So as Henderson put his enthusiastic support behind the message, emitting slight hostage energy, perhaps one day he might reflect that he was just a tool. 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Asian shares are mixed despite a rally on Wall Street driven by optimism over reports suggesting the American economy is in better shape than feared

By Takahiko Wada and Leika Kihara TOKYO Core inflation in Japan's capital slowed in August but remained well

Here are the AP’s latest coverage plans, top stories and promotable content. All times EDT. For up-to-the minute information on AP’s coverage, visit Coverage Plan. ———————- ONLY ON AP ———————- PANDEMIC AID-GREAT GRIFT — An Associated Press analysis found that fraudsters potentially stole more than $280 billion in COVID-19 relief funding; another $123 billion was wasted or misspent. Combined, the loss represents 10% of the $4.2 trillion the U.S. government has disbursed in COVID relief aid. All of it led to the greatest grift in U.S. history. By Richard Lardner, Jennifer McDermott and Aaron Kessler. SENT: 2,200 words, photos. With PANDEMIC AID-GREAT GRIFT-TAKEAWAYS. ——————————— TOP STORIES ———————————- TRUMP-CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS — Donald Trump and his allies are escalating efforts to undermine the criminal case against him and drum up protests as the former president braces for a history-making federal court appearance this week on dozens of felony charges accusing him of illegally hoarding classified information. Trump’s Tuesday afternoon appearance in Miami will mark his second time in as many months facing a judge on criminal charges. By Eric Tucker and Jill Colvin. SENT: 960 words, photos, videos. With TRUMP-CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS — Big differences between Trump charges and Clinton email probe. RUSSIA-AMENDING TACTICS — Analysts say Moscow has learned from earlier blunders in its war with Ukraine and improved its weapons and skills. Russia has built heavily fortified defenses along the 600-mile front line, honed its electronic weapons to reduce Ukraine’s edge in combat drones, and turned heavy bombs from its massive Cold-War-era arsenal into precision-guided gliding munitions capable of striking targets without putting its warplanes at risk. SENT: 1,310 words, photos. EUROPE-HIGH FOOD PRICES — High food prices are pinching households across Europe, where food inflation is outpacing other major economies like the U.S., Japan and Canada. Some governments have responded with price controls or loose agreements with supermarkets to keep costs down. In Italy, a consumer group is taking matters into its own hands, calling for a pasta strike to force down prices by bottoming out demand. By Business Writer Colleen Barry. SENT: 960 words, photos. This is the Tuesday Spotlight. TED-KACZYNSKI-SUICIDE — Ted Kaczynski, known as the “Unabomber,” who carried out a 17-year bombing campaign that killed three people and injured 23 others, died by suicide, four people familiar with the matter told The Associated Press. Kaczynski, who was 81 and suffering from late-stage cancer, was found unresponsive in his North Carolina cell. By Michael R. Sisak, Mike Balsamo and Jake Offenhartz. SENT: 640 words, photos. I-95-COLLAPSE — An elevated section of Interstate 95 collapsed in Philadelphia after a tanker truck carrying flammable cargo caught fire, closing a heavily traveled segment of the East Coast’s main north-south highway indefinitely, authorities said. Transportation officials warned of extensive delays and street closures and urged drivers to avoid the area in the city’s northeast corner. By Ron Todt. SENT: 990 words, photos, video. TONY AWARDS — The intimate, funny-sad musical “Kimberly Akimbo” nudged aside splashier rivals to win the musical crown at the Tony Awards on a night when Broadway flexed its creative muscle amid the Hollywood writers’ strike and made history with laurels for nonbinary actors J. Harrison Ghee and Alex Newell. By Entertainment Writer Mark Kennedy. SENT: 1,250 words, photos, videos. With TONY AWARDS-LIST. ——————————————— SPOTLIGHTING VOICES ——————————————— ARGENTINA-TRANSGENDER — A bill under discussion in Argentina’s congressional committee would provide a lifetime pension for transgender people over 40 as a form of “historic reparations.” SENT: 930 words, photos. ———————————————————————— MORE ON RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR ———————————————————————— RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR — Ukraine’s military on Sunday reported recapturing a southeastern village as Russian forces claimed to repel multiple attacks in the area, while a regional official said three people were killed when Moscow’s troops opened fire at a boat evacuating people from Russian-occupied areas to Ukrainian-held territory along a flooded front line far to the south. SENT: 880 words, photos, video. EUROPE-AIR DEFENSE EXERCISE — An air deployment exercise billed as the biggest in NATO’s history and hosted by Germany is getting underway. SENT: 350 words. NEW ZEALAND-UKRAINE REPORTING — The head of New Zealand’s public radio station apologized for publishing “pro-Kremlin garbage” on its website after more than a dozen wire stories on the Ukraine war were found to have been altered. SENT: 430 words, photo. —————————— MORE NEWS —————————— HEAT MASCOT-MCGREGOR — Conor McGregor knocks out Heat mascot in bizarre promotion at NBA Finals. SENT: 200 words, photos. GEORGE SOROS SUCCESSOR — Report: Billionaire investor, philanthropist George Soros cedes control of empire. SENT: 410 words, photo. HUNGARY-POLICE-DOG — German shepherd wounded in Ukraine gets new start as police dog. SENT: 520 words, photos. MARYLAND-FATAL SHOOTING — Police: Three dead, three wounded in shooting at Maryland home. SENT: 210 words, photos. FIREFIGHTER DROWNS — Firefighter drowns while trying to rescue daughter at Jersey Shore beach. SENT: 150 words. ——————————————————— WASHINGTON/POLITICS —————-—————————————- ELECTION 2024-MOMS FOR LIBERTY — At least four Republican presidential candidates are scheduled to travel to Philadelphia later this month to speak at the annual gathering of Moms for Liberty, a Florida-based nonprofit that didn’t exist in 2020 but that has become a power player in conservative politics ahead of the 2024 elections. SENT: 1,220 words, photos. ELECTION 2024-JILL BIDEN — Though the 2024 election in which President Joe Biden is seeking reelection is more than a year away, helping him win a second term is a top priority for first lady Jill Biden now that school’s out for the summer. SENT: 980 words, photos. BIDEN-NATO — President Joe Biden is welcoming outgoing NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg to the White House for talks as the competition to find his successor to lead the military alliance heats up. SENT: 470 words, photos. ———————— NATIONAL ———————— WIFE CHARGED-CHILDREN’S GRIEF BOOK — A Utah woman who wrote a children’s book about coping with grief after her husband’s death, and was later accused of fatally poisoning him, is scheduled to appear in court to determine whether she should remain detained or have an opportunity to post bail. SENT: 680 words, photo. CIVIL RIGHTS-MEDGAR EVERS — At 90, Myrlie Evers-Williams still speaks in a clear, strong voice as she says she terribly misses her first love, civil rights icon Medgar Evers, as she reflects on his work to push the U.S. toward a promise of equality and justice for all. SENT: 930 words, photos. OREGON-EDUCATION-GOP WALKOUT — Funding for schools, literacy programs and special education teachers in Oregon — a state where 60% of third graders can’t read at grade level — could be jeopardized by a Republican walkout that has stalled hundreds of bills and derailed the Legislature for nearly six weeks. SENT: 800 words, photos. YOUTH CLIMATE LAWSUIT-MONTANA — A group of Montana youth who say their lives are already being affected by climate change and that state government is failing to protect them are the first of dozens of such efforts to get their lawsuit to trial. SENT: 450 words, photo. —————————————- INTERNATIONAL ————————————— COLOMBIA-PLANE-CRASH-CHILDREN — The four Indigenous children who survived 40 days in the Amazon jungle after their plane crashed have shared limited but harrowing details of their ordeal with their family, including that their mother survived the crash for days before she died. SENT: 980 words, photos. AUSTRALIA-BUS CRASH — A bus carrying wedding guests rolled over on a foggy night in Australia’s wine country, killing 10 people and injuring 25, police said. By Rod McGuirk and Nick Perry. SENT: 550 words, photos. PHILIPPINES-VOLCANO — The Philippines’ most active volcano was gently spewing lava down its slopes, alerting tens of thousands of people they may have to quickly flee a violent and life-threatening explosion. SENT: 620 words, photos. IRAQ-BUDGET — Iraq’s parliament belatedly approved a record $152 billion budget for 2023, after months of wrangling over the sharing of oil revenue between the central government in Baghdad and the semi-autonomous Iraqi Kurdish region in the north. SENT: 760 words, photo. —————————- HEALTH/SCIENCE —————————- CLIMATE-UGANDA CHARCOAL — The burning of charcoal, an age-old practice in many African societies, is now restricted business across northern Uganda amid a wave of resentment by locals who have warned of the threat of climate change stemming from the uncontrolled felling of trees by outsiders. SENT: 1,190 words, photos. CLIMATE-NET ZERO CLAIMS — A growing number of companies are pledging to cut their greenhouse gas emissions to “net zero” as part of global efforts to tackle climate change, but that goal is rarely supported by a credible plan, according to a report. SENT: 640 words, photos. ——————————————— BUSINESS/ECONOMY ——————————————— CHINA-FEEBLE RECOVERY — China’s manufacturing and consumer spending are weakening after a strong start to 2023 after anti-virus controls ended. SENT: 550 words, photos. FINANCIAL MARKETS — Shares were mixed in Asia after the S&P 500 logged its fourth winning week in a row, while investors await another decision by the Federal Reserve on interest rates. By Business Writer Elaine Kurtenbach. SENT: 500 words, photos. ———————— SPORTS ———————— FRENCH OPEN — Novak Djokovic has won his men’s-record 23rd Grand Slam title with a 7-6 (1), 6-3, 7-5 victory over Casper Ruud in the French Open final, breaking a tie with Rafael Nadal for the most major singles trophies in the history of men’s tennis. By Tennis Writer Howard Fendrich. SENT: 1,510 words, photos. ———————————————— ARTS/ENTERTAINMENT ———————————————— CYNTHIA WEIL-MEMORIAL SONGWRITER — Cynthia Weil was honored during a music-filled memorial service in Beverly Hills. SENT: 780 words, photos. ————————- HOW TO REACH US ———————— At the Nerve Center, Jerome Minerva can be reached at 800-845-8450 (ext. 1600). For photos, Shuji Kajiyama (ext. 1900). For graphics and interactives, ext. 7636. Expanded AP content can be obtained from AP Newsroom. For access to AP Newsroom and other technical issues, contact apcustomersupport@ap.org or call 844-777-2006. Read More Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide AP News Digest 3:30 am Three villages ‘liberated’ in Ukraine’s first gains of counteroffensive British girl, 11, shot dead as she played on swings in family home in France