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The umps are at it again.

Marketa Vondrousova became the first unseeded woman to win Wimbledon in the Open era as the Czech swept to a shock 6-4, 6-4 victory over...

Less than a month after leaving the Kremlin quaking as his Wagner mercenaries marched on Moscow, leaked photographs of Yevgeny Prigozhin in his underwear in a tent have been leaked online amid an ongoing campaign to discredit the exiled mutineer. As Vladimir Putin – whose grip on power is perceived by many to have been severely weakened by the popular mercenary boss’s armed rebellion – sought to insist that Wagner had never actually existed, images showing a dishevelled-looking Mr Prigozhin in a state of semi-nudity appeared on Telegram. In the latest bizarre twist of the saga, the president insisted to the Kommersant newspaper on Friday that the private military company “simply doesn't exist” as a legal entity under Russian law – while his emboldened ally Alexander Lukashenko claimed that some of the exiled mercenaries were now training Belarus’s military. While the latter’s remarks indicated the enactment of at least part of the deal struck by Mr Lukashenko and Mr Prigozhin for him and his fighters to relocate to Belarus, halting their armed progress less than 125 miles from Moscow last month, efforts to undermine the mercenary leader appeared to continue. Just days after a pro-Kremlin media outlet published photographs supposedly seized in a raid at Mr Prigozhin’s St Petersburg mansion showing him donning various bizarre disguises such as lengthy wigs and stick-on beards, a new image began circulating on Russian social media spaces on Friday. The picture appears to show Mr Prigozhin sitting in a tent wearing Y-fronts and a T-shirt, sparking futher speculation over his whereabouts after weeks of uncertainty. In claims appearing to chime with Minsk’s assertion that Wagner fighters are instructing the Belarusian military at a camp near Osipovichi – some 50 miles from the capital – the pro-Russian Telegram account which first posted the image claimed its metadata showed it was taken on 12 July, according to monitoring group Belarusian Gayun, which noted similarities with other photos from the camp. The floorboards in the tent appear to match those shown in photographs taken last week during an official tour of the formerly disused Osipovichi camp, at which satellite images reported by Radio Free Europe and the BBC appeared to show scores of newly erected tents and other structures. Despite the activity at the camp, and potential presence of Mr Prigozhin, Nato secretary general Jens Stoltenberg had told reporters as recently as Tuesday that the alliance had not witnessed “any deployment or movement of any Wagner forces into Belarus”. Despite it being a long-favoured foreign policy tool of his own creation, Mr Putin appears to have urgently sought to defang the private military company since its fighters seized the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don last month and threatened Moscow. In remarks denouncing the aborted mutiny as “high treason”, the Russian president toed a cautious line in a televised address last month in which he claimed the mercenaries – whose prestige on the battlefield in Ukraine has boosted their domestic popularity – had been “tricked into a criminal adventure”, without specifically referring to those under Mr Prigozhin. Criticising what he called “a stab in the back of the troops and the people of Russia”, Mr Putin insisted however that Wagner troops were free to join the Russian military, return to their families, or leave Russia for Belarus. The extraordinary mutiny came after Wagner withdrew from Bakhmut, which it seized from Ukraine after months of bloody attrition in the frontline Donetsk city, with Mr Prigozhin having frequently voiced his anger at an alleged lack of ammunition and coordination by Russian military leaders. The 62-year-old’s vitriolic criticisms drew surprise from many observers given their apparent disregard for the Kremlin’s typically rigid grip on the narrative of its war in Ukraine, and were widely interpreted as a sign of the former convict’s growing political stature within Russia. A former hot dog vendor, Mr Prigozhin rose to prominence as he garnered the attention and favour of the Russian president while working as a restauranteur, with both men having grown up in St Petersburg. He benefitted from large state loans while expanding his business under Mr Putin’s gaze, winning millions of pounds in contracts to provide meals to public schools, the Kremlin and Russian military – also drawing the attention of jailed opposition figure Alexei Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation. Claiming to have served 10 years in jail during the final throes of the Soviet Union, reportedly after the violent robbery of a woman whom he choked unconscious, Mr Prigozhin was permitted by Mr Putin to create Wagner in 2014, despite Russia’s constitution outlawing such groups. Following exploits in the Donbas and Syria, while also fighting for national leaders and warlords in Africa in return for lucrative sums and assets, Wagner has become a household name during the Ukraine war as a result of its relative prestige in comparison with the faltering Russian military – and its apparent brutality. While Mr Prigozhin’s recruitment drive in prisons fuelling “human wave” attacks deemed largely responsible for Wagner’s gains in Bakhmut, footage has also circulated of its fighters bludgeoning an alleged deserter to death with a sledgehammer, symbolism since adopted by Mr Prigozhin himself. Having long sought plausible deniability on the subject of Wagner, in seeking to discredit Mr Prigozhin following his shortlived mutiny, Mr Putin reversed his position by seeking to claim ultimate responsibility for the group, as he insisted the fighters’ wages had come out of state coffers. Read More Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin ‘dead or in prison’ after Putin meeting, former US commander claims Wagner mercenaries are in Belarus and training the country’s soldiers Putin wants to attend an August summit. Host country South Africa doesn't want to have to arrest him Russian general says he has been fired for telling truth about dire situation on Ukraine frontlines

Why Alex Anthopoulos should not make these trades for the Atlanta Braves at the deadline.Although some people think he could be pressured into it, Atlanta Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos may not make a trade deadline deal after all, as he always operates in silence.The Braves have be...

Over 100 people were trapped for several hours in Greenway, the former home of famed British mystery writer Agatha Christie, in the English countryside on Friday.

Inter have walked away from negotiations with Chelsea over striker Romelu Lukaku.

Last week would have been an ideal week to go on vacation if you're an economist or, ahem, an economics reporter. That's because a boatload of new data was released.

The Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu arrived "a short time ago" at the Sheba Medical Center Saturday, according to his office.

The Green Bay Packers have been working out in California, including Jordan Love, Aaron Jones and a number of key offensive contributors.As tired as Green Bay Packers fans might be of hearing about Aaron Rodgers, the success or failure of this season will ultimately fall on the shoulders of Jord...

Police continue to search for a woman who went missing after telling her family she spotted a child walking alone on a stretch of Alabama highway earlier this week. Rewards totaling $25,000 have been offered up for the return of 25-year-old Carlethia Nichole “Carlee” Russell, who called 911 to report that she saw a toddler on the side of Interstate 459 in Hoover on 13 July. She then called a family member, who lost contact with her while the phone line remained open, according to police. Officers who arrived at the scene found Ms Russell’s car and some of her belongings but did not locate her or the child. “We currently are investigating every possibility,’’ Hoover Police Department public information officer Lt Daniel Lowe said during a press briefing on 14 July. “We’re certainly leaving nothing off the table.” Her mother Talitha Russell said her daughter left The Woodhouse Day Spa before stopping at Taziki’s at 9pm on Thursday to pick up food for her and her mother, according to AL.com. She called 911 when she had pulled over after spotting what she said was a three- or four-year-old child, her mother said. At 9:36pm, Talitha Russell said her daughter was then on the phone with her brother’s girlfriend. “My son’s girlfriend heard her asking the child, ‘Are you OK?’ She never heard the child say anything but then she heard our daughter scream,’’ Talitha Russell said. “From there all you hear on her phone is background noise from the interstate.” An officer was dispatched to the scene within three minutes. One witness reported possibly seeing a gray vehicle and a male standing outside of Ms Russell’s car at the time of the incident, according to Hoover police. Family members have questioned why authorities did not alert an Ashanti Alert, relying on a similar Amber Alert emergency messaging system for missing children. Ashanti alerts, named after 19-year-old Ashanti Billie, who was abducted and killed in 2017, are used in critical missing adult cases for those too old for Amber alerts and too young for Silver alerts. Ms Russell – who is described as Black, 5’4” and 150 to 160 lbs – was last seen wearing a black shirt, black pants and white Nike shoes, according to Hoover police. Members of the public who believe they have seen her are directed to call Hoover Detective Brad Fountain at 205-444-7562, Sgt Drew Mims at 205-739-7274, or Crimestoppers of Metro Alabama at 205-254-7777.

Arsenal have completed the signing of Declan Rice from West Ham United for a club and British player record transfer fee. The Gunners will pay £100m for the England international, plus an additional £5m to come in bonuses. It also marks the biggest fee received by the Hammers for a single deal. Enzo Fernandez cost Chelsea £105.6m earlier this year in what will remain the most expensive signing for a British club, but Rice’s fee eclipses that of Jack Grealish last summer to make him the most expensive British player ever. Rice, aged 24, becomes the second major midfield arrival of the summer for Mikel Arteta’s side after the capture of Kai Havertz from Chelsea late in June and will wear No 41. It is expected that the new pair, along with captain Martin Odegaard, will form a regular midfield trio for Arsenal, as they attempt to go one better than last season when they finished Premier League runners-up behind Manchester City. Rice was briefly linked with the champions, though they fell out of the running once the north London club raised their bid to record levels. He will now carry the burden of expectation at the Emirates Stadium heading into the new campaign, both due to the size of the fee to sign him and because he’ll be operating at the base of a midfield which appears decidedly attack-heavy. The role could therefore also be a departure from the one in which he operated at West Ham, where he had more licence to roam forward as a ball carrier. Having won 43 caps for England, Rice was already a key player under Gareth Southgate at international level and will now hope to elevate his game even further with a step up on the club stage His final match for the Hammers saw him lift the Europa Conference League trophy after defeating Fiorentina in the final. Rice had earlier penned an open letter to Hammers fans confirming his departure from the club for which he made 245 appearances. He said: “I want you to know how tough a decision it has been for me to leave an environment that I have loved and cherished so much. This club and its supporters will always be in my heart, and forever a part of who I am. “Ultimately, though, it has only ever been about my ambition to play at the very highest level of the game. “Playing on the opposite team to West Ham for the first time will be an unusual experience. I’m not sure yet exactly how I will feel, but I also know you will all understand and respect that my professional loyalties have to now lie with my new club.” Arsenal manager Arteta stated his excitement at the signing, saying: “We’re really happy that Declan is joining us. He is a player with tremendous ability, who has been performing at a high level in the Premier League and for England for a number of seasons now. Declan is bringing undoubted quality to the club and he is an exceptional talent who has the potential to be very successful here. “Declan has great experience in the Premier League at only 24 years old. He has captained a very good West Ham team and as we all saw, he recently lifted a European trophy. The responsibility and role he has taken on has been very impressive and we are really excited that he is joining us.” Read More How Declan Rice’s move to Arsenal compares with other big-money transfers Declan Rice confirms ‘tough’ West Ham departure with Arsenal move imminent Declan Rice leaves West Ham for record fee with Arsenal move imminent The eye-watering sums behind Declan Rice’s record transfer to Arsenal Arsenal complete signing of Ajax defender Jurrien Timber Frank Lampard reveals he wanted to sign Declan Rice when he was Chelsea boss

MLB Rumors: Is Justin Verlander on the outs with the Mets?There isn't much indication right now that the New York Mets will trade away Justin Verlander. If anything, Steve Cohen would like to retool around this core -- which includes JV and Max Scherzer -- with an eye towards 2024. However, s...