Pitbull's height is reportedly 'not too short' or 'not too tall' in comparison to the average American height

An attorney for the sole suspect in Andrea Vazquez’s kidnapping and murder has said that his client is “scared” after being hit with multiple felony charges. Gabriel Sean Esparza, 20, is facing charges of murder, kidnapping and attempted rape in the death of 19-year-old Andrea Vazquez, according to a criminal complaint submitted in Los Angeles Superior Court. Mr Esparza is accused of randomly kidnapping Vazquez last week while she was on a date with her boyfriend at Penn Park in Whittier, California. Vaquez was shot and yanked out of a parked car as her boyfriend rushed for help but she was nowhere to be found when he returned to the scene. Her body was found days later by Whittier Police detectives in Moreno Valley. Mr Esparza’s attorney Ambrosio Rodriguez told FOX11 that his client was “scared” and “just beginning to understand what is going on.” “Everyone in this case is in shock, and everyone who knows him can’t believe that he has been charged with this crime,” Mr Rodriguez said. Mr Esparza, the son of an LA fire captain, has pleaded not guilty to the charges against him and is being held without bond. Read More Ambushed at an LA park, kidnapped and her body dumped in a field: What happened to Andrea Vazquez? Andrea Vasquez: California woman shot and kidnapped from boyfriend’s car found dead Son of LA County fire captain pleads not guilty to Andrea Vazquez murder

An Oklahoma school board has approved the creation of a publicly funded online Catholic school, teeing up a constitutional legal battle over whether taxpayers should foot the bill for religious schools. The nation’s first-ever religious charter school was approved by the Oklahoma Statewide Virtual Charter School Board on 5 June, authorising the St Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School to be run by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Oklahoma City and the Diocese of Tulsa – and supported by taxpayer dollars. Republican Governor Kevin Stitt, who has presided over a sweeping agenda against abortion access and transgender healthcare in the state, called the vote “a win for religious liberty and education freedom in our great state.” “Oklahomans support religious liberty for all and support an increasingly innovative educational system that expands choice,” he said in a statement. “Today, with the nation watching, our state showed that we will not stand for religious discrimination.” Americans United for Separation of Church and State, which led opposition in a recent US Supreme Court case involving whether a high school football coach can effectively force his student athletes to pray with him on the field, is preparing to take legal action in Oklahoma. “It’s hard to think of a clearer violation of the religious freedom of Oklahoma taxpayers and public-school families than the state establishing the nation’s first religious public charter school,” president and CEO Rachel Laser said in a statement. “This is a sea change for American democracy,” she added. The group and other civil rights organisations are expected “to take all possible legal action to fight this decision and defend the separation of church and state that’s promised in both the Oklahoma and US Constitutions,” Ms Laser said. Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond also warned the board a vote to support a publicly funded religious school would clearly violate the state’s Constitution and expose the state to costly litigation. “The approval of any publicly funded religious school is contrary to Oklahoma law and not in the best interest of taxpayers,” he said in a statement. “It’s extremely disappointing that board members violated their oath in order to fund religious schools with our tax dollars. In doing so, these members have exposed themselves and the state to potential legal action that could be costly.” The move from the Republican-appointed board on 5 June comes as GOP officials and right-wing institutions across the country push for taxpayer dollars to support religious schools, with a Supreme Court signalling a willingness to direct public funds towards such schools despite explicit First Amendment protections. “State and federal law are clear: Charter schools are public schools that must be secular and open to all students,” Ms Laser added. “ In a country built on the principle of separation of church and state, public schools must never be allowed to become Sunday schools.” This is a developing story Read More Tennessee drag ban is struck down by federal judge: ‘Unconstitutionally vague and substantially overbroad’ Bible banned from Utah school district for ‘vulgarity and violence’ in revenge for conservative attacks on literature Oklahoma’s Supreme Court struck down two abortion bans. But a 113-year-old law is severely restricting access

Ukrainian soldiers fought off fierce Russian attacks on the battlefield on Wednesday as the invading troops continued to recapture lost territory in eastern Ukraine, military officials said. Some progress was also seen in southern Ukraine – another pocket of heavy territorial battle in Russia’s 20-month-old invasion. "We continue to repel intense enemy attacks near Klishchiivka and Andriivka. The enemy is still storming these positions with the hope of recapturing lost positions, but without success," Ilia Yevlash, a spokesperson for Ukraine‘s eastern group of forces, told national television. The two villages – Klishchiivka and Andriivka – near Bakhmut were retaken from Russian control in mid-September in a span of three days, marking a significant territorial feat in the Ukrainian counteroffensive. There had been 544 Russian shelling incidents in the past 24 hours in the area, seven combat clashes and four air attacks, the military spokesperson said. Officials, including president Volodymyr Zelensky, also confirmed advances in the fighting. “True Ukrainian fury against the occupiers in our Donetsk region! The Bakhmut direction, including fierce battles for Klishchiivka,” he said and mentioned “our advance in the Donetsk sector” in the east but did not share more details. Air strikes were also reported on four localities in the area by Ukraine’s General Staff who said 15 towns and villages had come under artillery and mortar attack in the past day. The heavy fighting in the region was also corroborated by Russia’s defence ministry who mentioned heavy fighting and said its forces had beaten back 10 attacks by Ukrainian troops near Klishchiivka and further south, near the village of Nevelske. In its next target on the battlefield, Ukrainian forces are eyeing several other villages as they progress through Zaporizhzhia region towards the major town of Tokmak. Military analyst Roman Svitan said there have been “three or four days of painstaking hard work by our assault group and commanders in the area which have led to very serious problems for the Russians”. "I would not speak of a breakthrough until we reach Tokmak." Tokmak, a Ukrainian city in south-central point in Zaporizhzhia oblast and just 12 miles from the frontline, is considered to be a critical mark in territorial fight which will give Kyiv’s forces a leverage to advance further and repel more Russian attacks. Ukraine fired its counteroffensive salvo in June to recoup ground in the east. Its forces are also trying to advance southward to the Sea of Azov to sever a land bridge established by Russia between the annexed Crimean Peninsula and positions it holds in the east. Read More Ukraine-Russia war – live: Fresh offensive by Putin’s troops ‘unlikely’ as frontline ‘over-stretched’ Russia airs ‘new interview’ of Black Sea admiral who Ukraine claimed was killed in strike New video of ‘dead’ Russian Black Sea fleet commander raises doubts over Ukraine’s claim Ukrainian forces ‘enjoy success’ near Bakhmut as Putin deploys reserves

Calvin Ridley caught a touchdown pass against his old team and Darious Williams returned an interception for a 61-yard score and the Jacksonville Jaguars beat the Atlanta Falcons 23-7 at Wembley Stadium

TL;DR: As of July 29, get a MagStack Foldable 3-in-1 Wireless Charging Station with Floating

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Fans will expect fireworks when Leigh Wood and Josh Warrington meet in a featherweight title fight this weekend. The British pair will clash in a main-event contest in Sheffield, where Wood puts his WBA belt on the line. The fight marks the first defence of the Nottingham boxer’s second title reign, after he lost then regained the title in back-to-back duels with Mauricio Lara this spring. Wood, 35, was stopped by the Mexican in February but outpointed Lara three months later. Warrington also has recent history with Lara, having suffered a TKO loss to him in 2021 before the pair drew their rematch later that year, when a clash of heads derailed the bout. Warrington, 32, bounced back from those results by stopping old rival Kiko Martinez last March, but he was beaten by Luis Alberto Lopez in December. Those fights marked the start and end of the Leeds boxer’s second reign as IBF featherweight champion. Here’s all you need to know about Saturday’s main event. We may earn commission from some of the links in this article, but we never allow this to influence our content. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent. When is the fight? The fight is set to take place on Saturday 7 October, at the Utilita Arena in Sheffield. The main card is due to begin at 7pm BST (11am PT, 1pm CT, 2pm ET). Ring walks for the main event are expected at approximately 10pm BST (2pm PT, 4pm CT, 5pm ET). How can I watch it? The event will air live on Dazn. A subscription to the streaming service is available to purchase here. If you’re travelling abroad and want to watch the event, you might need a VPN to unblock your streaming app. Our VPN round-up is here to help and includes deals on VPNs in the market. Viewers using a VPN need to make sure that they comply with any local regulations where they are and also with the terms of their service provider. Odds Wood – 2/5 Warrington – 21/10 Draw – 14/1 Full odds via Betway. • Get all the latest boxing betting sites’ offers Full card (subject to change) Leigh Wood (C) vs Josh Warrington (WBA featherweight title) Terri Harper vs Cecilia Braekhus (for Harper’s WBA super-welterweight title; vacant WBO title) Hopey Price vs Connor Coghill (featherweight) Kieron Conway vs Linus Udofia (middleweight) Junaid Bostan vs Corey McCulloch (super-welterweight) Cameron Vuong vs Engel Gomez (super-featherweight) Koby McNamara vs Francisco Rodriguez (bantamweight) Nico Leivars vs Ryan Walker (super-bantamweight) Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos. Read More Anthony Joshua training with former Tyson Fury coach ahead of potential Deontay Wilder clash Tyson Fury contacts cruiserweight champion for help before Oleksandr Usyk showdown ‘Nobody can beat this Canelo’: Alvarez dominates Jermell Charlo for statement win in undisputed clash Who is fighting on the Wood vs Warrington undercard this weekend? How to watch Wood vs Warrington online and on TV this weekend Francis Ngannou coach explains ‘creative’ ways MMA star can beat Tyson Fury