Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell appeared to briefly freeze up and was unable to answer a question from a reporter at an event in Kentucky on Wednesday

SHANGHAI/SINGAPORE China's central bank rolled over maturing medium-term policy loans while keeping the interest rate unchanged on Friday,

Erling Haaland grabbed a second-half hat-trick as Champions Manchester City maintained their 100 per cent Premier League start with a stormy but ultimately comfortable 5-1 win over Fulham. The prolific Norwegian came to the fore to wrap up victory after Fulham had left the field at the Etihad Stadium fuming at half-time over a highly-contentious goal from Nathan Ake. Ake had put City back ahead after Tim Ream had quickly cancelled out Julian Alvarez’s opener. Fulham complained vociferously that Ake’s goal was allowed to stand as Manuel Akanji, stood in an offside position, had appeared to play at the ball. City, and notably Haaland, put those issues aside with a confident display after the break, securing another win for absent manager Pep Guardiola, who continues to recuperate following back surgery. The game began in sedate fashion, with not a hint of the controversy that was to flare up later. City, missing Jack Grealish due to a thigh injury, were unusually sloppy in possession and Fulham were without the drive of Joao Palhinha following the collapse of his deadline day move to Bayern Munich. The visitors suffered a further blow as captain Tom Cairney was forced off injured with just 16 minutes gone. City came to life when Phil Foden, who started in Grealish’s berth on the left, switched flanks with debutant Jeremy Doku. Foden opened up the defence by playing a one-two with Akanji and weaving his way into the area but his ball across goal was cleared by Issa Diop. They claimed the lead just after the half-hour mark as Haaland raced onto a Mateo Kovacic pass and swiped the ball across the area for Alvarez to stab home. The advantage lasted just two minutes as Fulham grabbed a quick equaliser. Raul Jimenez lashed a shot at goal from a corner and, after a touch by Bobby De Cordova-Reid, Ederson could only parry. Ream pounced for a tap-in at the far post. City regained the advantage in controversial circumstances in first-half injury time. The hosts won a corner when Diop just managed to get a head to a delicate cross from Foden that seemed destined for Haaland. The goal came from the resulting set-piece as Ake, stationed near the penalty spot, planted a firm header into the bottom corner. Fulham argued that Akanji’s movements had impacted goalkeeper Bernd Leno and their protests were long and hard, even continuing after a VAR review had concluded the goal should stand. Manager Marco Silva was furious on the touchline and the players were still disputing the decision after the ball had been placed in the centre circle for the restart. Referee Michael Oliver did not back down and, not for the first time this season, Silva was shown the yellow card. The stormy end to the first half appeared to take its toll on Fulham as City moved through the gears in the second period. Haaland made it 3-1 just before the hour with a clinical low finish after Alvarez put him through on goal with a quick flick from a long Rodri pass. The striker was then given the chance to add another when City were awarded a penalty soon after for a clumsy challenge on Alvarez by Diop. Haaland struck the post with his last spot-kick against Sheffield United last week but this time he made no mistake. He completed his treble injury time as he turned home following good work by substitute Sergio Gomez. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Erling Haaland on fire again for Man City and Tottenham continue fine start Dagenham stroll to third straight victory with win over Fylde Sean Dyche pleased to see Jordan Pickford prove his credentials

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Chloe Kelly added another memorable moment to her Lionesses career as her spot-kick secured 10-woman England a place in the World Cup quarter-finals after a dramatic shoot-out with Nigeria in Brisbane. It was not all elation for England, however, after Lauren James was shown a straight red card for a stamp on Michelle Alozie following a VAR review late in the second half which could see her banned for the remainder of this tournament. Midfielder Keira Walsh returned for the first time since she was carried off the pitch on a stretcher in England’s 1-0 group-stage victory against Denmark and played 120 minutes of a dramatic contest. England were far from their best and were lucky not to exit the tournament in 90 minutes, but dug deep to ensure the match finished goalless after extra time, with Euro 2022 hero Kelly firing in the decisive penalty. The European champions largely remained camped inside Nigeria’s half for the first 10 minutes, before the Super Falcons began to build momentum. Georgia Stanway’s stumble led to their first real chance as Uchenna Kanu directed a header at the England goal but was blocked at the last by Millie Bright’s clearance. Randy Waldrum’s side threatened again as former England youth international Ashleigh Plumptre came within inches of an opener when her attempt clipped the underside of the crossbar and it took a brilliant save by Earps to stop the ex-Leicester defender soon after. The Lionesses were then initially awarded a penalty when Rasheedat Ajibade initially appeared to shove Daly inside the area, Stanway convinced enough she started stepping up to the spot, but the decision was reversed after Honduran referee Melissa Borjas was sent to check the pitchside monitor. James, largely subdued after her two-goal, three-assist performance against China, then saw an effort sail over. It was the Super Falcons who attacked first in the second half, Kanu’s nodded effort catching the woodwork, while England struggled to find the same fluidity they displayed in their 6-1 rout of China – a side ranked 26 places above Nigeria. Waldman brought on his most fearsome weapon in Bronze and Walsh’s Barcelona team-mate Asisat Oshoala, the five-time African women’s footballer of the year with whom they lifted the Champions League trophy in June. Stanway was next to try to get a misfiring England going with a delivery from the right to find Daly, who volleyed wide. England were lucky when Kanu spun a header past the right post as they searched for a solution to Nigeria’s relentless physicality before a fine stop from Chiamaka Nnadozie firstly prevented Daly nodding in from six yards and then Russo from the left. It was the Nigerian fans whose voices echoed loudest as they earned another free kick and continued to pile the pressure on England. Things went from bad to worse for Wiegman’s side when another call to the monitor ruled James had deliberately stamped on the back of Nigeria defender Alozie and she was sent off with three minutes of normal time remaining. “Eye of the Tiger” blasted over the speakers as the Lionesses willed themselves to fight through extra time a player light and again breathed a sigh of relief when Alozie should have given Nigeria the lead but missed a big chance at the near post. England doggedly defended their way through as Wiegman made just her second substitution, swapping Lauren Hemp for Bethany England at the 106-minute mark after replacing Russo with Kelly after 88 minutes. Earps kept the Lionesses in it when she calmly caught Oshoala’s effort from inside the penalty area as Walsh’s comeback finally came to a close and the Lionesses calmly closed out extra time to ensure their World Cup destiny would be decided by spot kicks. Stanway, whose penalty was the only goal in England’s 1-0 opening victory against Haiti, stepped up first but this time fired wide of the left post, reprieved when Desire Oparanozie sent hers to the exact same spot. Beth England, who did not play a single minute of England’s Euro 2022 triumph last summer, pumped her fist in the air when she fired past Nnadozie and Alozie skied her effort as the Lionesses turned to Rachel Daly. The Women’s Super League Golden Boot winner gave the Nigerian keeper no chance with a perfectly-placed penalty to the top corner before Ajibade beat Earps. Greenwood and Christy Ucheibe both converted and so it was up to Kelly, who, with another significant contribution on the global stage, fired England through. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Dejan Kulusevski vows to ‘do everything’ to keep Harry Kane at Tottenham Raphael Varane says players’ opinions ignored over ‘damaging’ new guidelines Mohamed Salah ‘remains committed’ to Liverpool amid Saudi Arabia links

After the New Orleans City Council voted to allow the use of facial recognition software to identify criminals more readily and accurately, reports indicate that the technology was ineffective and erroneous. This system went into effect in the summer of 2022, and Politico obtained records of the year’s worth of results. The outlet found that not only was the facial recognition tool vastly incapable of identifying suspects, but it was also disproportionately used on Black people. And from October 2022 to August 2023, almost every facial recognition request regarded a Black suspect. Politico reported that in total, the department made 19 requests. However, two of them were thrown out because police had identified the suspect before the system’s results came back, while two others were rejected because the program’s application didn’t extend to those crimes. So, of the 15 requests made by the New Orleans Police Department, 14 concerned Black suspects, the outlet wrote. On top of this, only six of these requests turned up with matches — and half of those were erroneous — while the remaining nine did not pull up a match. Facial recognition technology has long been controversial. The city of New Orleans previously had banned the use of facial recognition software, which went into effect in 2020 following the death of George Floyd. Then, in 2022, the city reversed course, allowing it to be used. In the wake of the reversal, the ACLU of Louisiana Advocacy Director Chris Kaiser called the new ordinance “deeply flawed.” He not only pointed out research that indicated that “racial and gender bias” affected the program’s accuracy but also highlighted privacy concerns around the data that the program relies on when identifying potential suspects. A previous investigation by The Independent revealed that at least six people around the US have been falsely arrested using facial ID technology; all of them are Black. One such arrest occurred in Louisiana, where the use of facial recognition technology led to the wrongful arrest of a Georgia man for a string of purse thefts. Regardless of the false arrests, at least half of federal law enforcement agencies with officers and a quarter of state and local agencies are using it. At least one council member acknowledged the shortcomings of this technology. “This department hung their hat on this,” New Orleans Councilmember At-Large JP Morrell told Politico. Mr Morrell voted against using facial recognition last year. After seeing the police department’s data and usage, he said the tool is “wholly ineffective and pretty obviously racist.” “The data has pretty much proven that advocates were mostly correct,” Mr Morell continued. “It’s primarily targeted towards African Americans and it doesn’t actually lead to many, if any, arrests.” City councillor Eugene Green, who introduced the measure to lift the ban, holds a different view. He told Politico that he still supports the agency’s use of facial recognition. “If we have it for 10 years and it only solves one crime, but there’s no abuse, then that’s a victory for the citizens of New Orleans.” It is important to note that despite hiccups with the system’s results, the agency’s use has led to any known false arrests. “We needed to have significant accountability on this controversial technology,” council member Helena Moreno, who co-authored the initial ban, told the outlet. New Orleans has a system in place in which the police department is required to provide details of how the tool was used to the City Council on a monthly basis; although Politico disclosed that the department agreed with the council that it could share the data quarterly. When asking about the potential flaws with the facial recognition tool, as outlined by Politico’s reporting, a New Orleans Police Department spokesperson told The Independent that “race and ethnicity are not a determining factor for which images and crimes are suitable for Facial Recognition review. However, a description of the perpetrator, including race, is a logical part of any search for a suspect and is always a criterion in any investigation.” The department spokesperson also emphasised that its investigators do not rely solely on facial recognition, “but it is one of multiple tools that can be used to aid in investigations,” like evidence and/or forensics, adding that officers are trained to conduct “bias-free investigations.” “The lack of arrests in which Facial Recognition Technology was used as a tool, is evidence that NOPD investigators are being thorough in their investigations,” the statement concluded. Read More Cousins may have Achilles tendon injury; Stafford, Pickett, Taylor also hurt on rough day for QBs Four tracts of federal waters in the Gulf of Mexico are designated for wind power development A salty problem for people near the mouth of the Mississippi is a wakeup call for New Orleans Gulf oil lease sale postponed by court amid litigation over endangered whale protections What is super fog? The mix of smoke and dense fog caused a deadly pileup in Louisiana What is super fog? Weather phenomenon causes fatal Louisiana pile-up

Cosmic beings, we’ve made it through the first part of eclipse season. We’ll still be feeling the vibes of the recent Solar Eclipse in Libra all week long (and for the next six months). Now that Mars is in Scorpio for the next six weeks, we’ll experience a strong surge of determination when it comes to bringing passion projects to life. But we may also be moodier and less patient during this transit, so tread carefully when driving and when trying to get your point across.

Romita contributed to creating the tragic story of ‘The Night Gwen Stacy Died,’ which to date is considered to be one of the best ‘Spider-Man stories

California becomes the first state to ban four chemicals from food and drinks