Mets slugger Pete Alonso left Wednesday night’s game against the Braves in the first inning after getting hit on his left wrist by a pitch from Atlanta’s Charlie Morton

By Alexander Tanas CHISINAU (Reuters) -Moldova said on Wednesday it was sharply reducing the number of diplomats Russia can have

Deadly wildfires erupted on Greece’s mainland, killing two as it scorched the land and left a path of destruction in its wake. The coastal area of Magnesia and city of Volos were gripped by engulfing flames on Wednesday evening, forcing the evacuation of several local communities fleeing to safety. It comes as the Greek fire brigade warned the risk of fire remained “extreme” for several areas of the country on Thursday, with climate crisis minister, Vassilis Kikilias, echoing: “Nothing is over, the battle will continue throughout the summer.” High temperatures and winds have created a “perfect storm” to allow the fires to spread this week in Europe and north Africa including Greece, Portugal, Turkey, Italy, France, Croatia, Spain, Algeria and Tunisia. As the threat lingers in Rhodes, TUI has said customers booked “on a package holiday to a hotel in the south of the island” have the option to “rebook or amend their holiday, or cancel with a full refund” upto and including 11 August. Read More Where are the wildfires? The nine affected countries mapped More than 40 people killed as wildfires rage in nine Mediterranean countries in record heatwave UK’s 40C summer of 2022 ‘will seem cool’ as extreme weather events become frequent, Met Office warns When will heatwave in Europe end? New forecast shows relief in sight

Adin Ross wanted to show love and appreciation for his bodyguard, Ant, who has had his back through all the controversies

The neighbors were left devastated and fondly recalled the children, even making a memorial for them outside the house

Max Verstappen has clinched his third world championship. The most one-sided Formula One campaign of recent memory was dominated by the Dutch driver. Here, the PA news agency looks back at six races which fired Verstappen on the road to glory. Bahrain Verstappen opened his championship defence with an ominous performance under the floodlights in Sakhir. He finished 11.9 seconds clear of team-mate Sergio Perez and nearly 40 sec ahead of third-placed Fernando Alonso. George Russell, 55 sec back in his under-performing Mercedes, summed up the mood in the paddock when he chillingly predicted Verstappen’s Red Bull team would win all 22 races this year. Canada Verstappen’s sixth victory from the season’s opening eight fixtures saw him match Ayrton Senna’s tally of 41 victories. A day after taking pole position in the wet, Verstappen reigned supreme in the dry at Montreal’s Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. Even an early collision with a bird could not stop the flying Dutchman as he drew level with Senna to leave only Lewis Hamilton (103), Michael Schumacher (91), Sebastian Vettel (53) and Alain Prost (51) ahead of him in the record books. “To tie with Ayrton is incredible and I am proud of that but I hope it doesn’t stop here,” he said. “I hope we keep on winning more races.” Belgium Verstappen’s invincible streak continued in the final round before the summer break at Spa-Francorchamps. The triple world champion started sixth following an engine penalty but he took the lead on lap 17 of 44 before crossing the line 22.3 sec clear of his forlorn Red Bull team-mate Perez. Hamilton, who finished fourth, 49 sec back, described his rival’s dominance as like “he is having a smoke and a pancake”. Netherlands Red Bull team principal Christian Horner hailed “untouchable” Verstappen as the best driver in the world after he overcame a chaotic rain-hit race to equal Sebastian Vettel’s record of nine wins in a row. Despite two separate downpours wreaking havoc at the beginning – which left him in 13th place – and conclusion of the 72-lap race in Zandvoort, Verstappen delivered in front of 105,000 expectant fans. At one stage, Verstappen was lapping his home track four seconds faster than Perez and two seconds quicker than anybody else. “Max is in a period of his career where he is just simply untouchable,” said Horner. “I don’t think there is any driver on the grid that would be able to achieve what he is doing in that car.” Italy Verstappen drove his way into the history books by taking his 10th-consecutive victory. He sat behind Carlos Sainz for 14 of the 51 laps at Monza’s Temple of Speed before fighting his way past the Ferrari pole-sitter at the second chicane. From there, the commanding Dutchman never looked back to better the mark he shared with Vettel and become the first driver in F1 to reach double figures for straight victories. However, there were sour grapes over at Mercedes with team principal Toto Wolff calling Verstappen’s remarkable streak “completely irrelevant” and “for Wikipedia” Japan Verstappen’s historic winning run, and Red Bull’s unbeaten season, came to an end in Singapore. But at the next round in Japan, he hit back in emphatic style. He topped every practice session in Suzuka, secured pole, and then won at a canter as Red Bull became the first team ever to win the constructors’ championship with six races to spare. Read More Max Verstappen seals 2023 F1 world title during Qatar sprint race Max Verstappen breaks unique 40-year F1 streak after title win in Qatar Max Verstappen’s season and overall record in numbers following world title win Piastri takes first F1 pole for Qatar sprint as Verstappen starts third Sprint qualifying delayed at Qatar GP due to tyre safety fears

Expectations and intrigue surround the WNBA as the league tips off its 27th season this weekend

Referee Carl Paganelli Jr. spit up blood after getting hit in the face by Micheal Clemons.

Match report & player ratings from Newcastle 4-1 Chelsea in the Premier League.

Manchester United and Adidas are extending its their apparel-sponsorship contract in a colossal $1.2 billion deal that lasts for another decade.

General Brice Nguema, who toppled long-time leader Ali Bongo, officially becomes Gabon's interim leader.

Tafari is survived by his wife Sherise Campbell and their twin boys, Xavier and Savin