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Gaza ceasefire hopes fade as Israel insists on letting military troops stay, blames Hamas instead for ‘refusing compromise'
Gaza ceasefire hopes fade as Israel insists on letting military troops stay, blames Hamas instead for ‘refusing compromise'

Malay Mail

timean hour ago

  • General
  • Malay Mail

Gaza ceasefire hopes fade as Israel insists on letting military troops stay, blames Hamas instead for ‘refusing compromise'

GAZA CITY, July 13 — Gaza ceasefire talks hung in the balance as Hamas and Israel on Saturday accused the other of blocking attempts to strike a deal, nearly a week into an attempt to halt 21 months of bitter fighting in the Palestinian territory. A Palestinian source with knowledge of the indirect talks in Qatar told AFP that Israel's proposals to keep its troops in the war-torn territory were holding up a deal for a 60-day pause. But on the Israeli side, a senior political official, also speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivities of the talks, accused the militants of inflexibility and deliberately trying to scuttle an accord. On the ground, Gaza's civil defence agency said at least 38 people were killed across the territory on Saturday, including in an overnight air strike on an area sheltering the displaced. 'While we were sleeping, there was an explosion... where two boys, a girl and their mother were staying,' Bassam Hamdan told AFP after the attack in an area of Gaza City. 'We found them torn to pieces, their remains scattered,' he added. In southern Gaza, bodies covered in white plastic sheets were brought to the Nasser hospital in Khan Yunis while wounded in Rafah were taken for treatment by donkey cart, on stretchers or carried. In Tel Aviv, thousands took to the streets urging the government to seal a hostage release deal. 'The window of opportunity... is open now and it won't be for long,' said Eli Sharabi, who was freed in February. Both Hamas and Israel have said that 10 hostages held since the militants' October 7, 2023 attack that sparked the war would be released — if an agreement is reached. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was prepared then to enter talks for a more permanent end to hostilities. Enclave plans? But one Palestinian source said Israel's refusal to accept Hamas's demand for a complete withdrawal of troops from Gaza was holding back progress in the talks. A second source said mediators had asked both sides to postpone discussions until US President Donald Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, arrives in the Qatari capital. The first source said Israel was proposing to maintain its military in more than 40 percent of the Palestinian territory, forcing hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians into a small area near the city of Rafah, on the border with Egypt. 'Hamas's delegation will not accept the Israeli maps... as they essentially legitimise the reoccupation of approximately half of the Gaza Strip and turn Gaza into isolated zones with no crossings or freedom of movement,' they said. Israeli media reported that new maps would be presented on Sunday, quoting an unnamed foreign official with knowledge of the details. A senior Israeli political official countered later that it was Hamas that rejected what was on the table, accusing the group of 'creating obstacles' and 'refusing to compromise' with the aim of 'sabotaging the negotiations'. 'Israel has demonstrated a willingness to show flexibility in the negotiations, while Hamas remains intransigent, clinging to positions that prevent the mediators from advancing an agreement,' the official added in a statement sent to AFP. The Hamas attacks on Israel in 2023 resulted in the deaths of at least 1,219 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures. Of the 251 hostages seized, 49 are still being held, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead. At least 57,882 Palestinians, also mostly civilians, have been killed since the start of the war, according to the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza. Military operations The Israeli military said on Saturday it had attacked 'approximately 250 terrorist targets throughout the Gaza Strip' in the previous 48 hours. It said fighter jets hit 'over 35 Hamas terror targets' around Beit Hanoun in northern Gaza. Two previous ceasefires — a week-long truce beginning in late November 2023 and a two-month one from mid-January this year — saw 105 hostages released in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. The second Palestinian source said 'some progress' had been made in the latest talks on plans for releasing Palestinian prisoners held by Israel and getting more aid to Gaza. Netanyahu, who is under domestic and international pressure to end the war, said this week that neutralising Hamas as a security threat was a prerequisite for any long-term ceasefire talks. That included disarmament, he said, warning that failure to do so would mean Israel would have to do so by force. — AFP

Netanyahu explains how his partnership with Trump is ‘different' than past presidents
Netanyahu explains how his partnership with Trump is ‘different' than past presidents

Fox News

timean hour ago

  • Business
  • Fox News

Netanyahu explains how his partnership with Trump is ‘different' than past presidents

President Donald Trump's administration has been a staunch supporter of Israel, but the support reached historic levels after the United States launched strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities in June. Seeming to bolster the United States' and Israel's friendship is what Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the "partnership" of "mutual respect" and "open discussion" between leaders. Netanyahu explained how his partnership with Trump is "different" than prior relations during an appearance that aired Saturday on "Life, Liberty & Levin." "It's not an equal partnership, because America is the leader of the free world, and Israel is the bastion of the free world in the Middle East, but it is one of mutual respect [and] open discussion," Netanyahu told Fox News host Mark Levin, noting there is a "very clear unity of purpose" between Trump and him that has enabled them "to achieve things that were not achievable before that." "Remember, I've been around many presidents. I've appreciated them. I respected them a lot, but this is different." Netanyahu praised Trump's "refreshing view" on the current tensions and future outlook for the Middle East as well as the administration's support for Israel. The Israeli leader also defended his nomination of Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize, pointing to his leadership in the Middle East and his efforts to broker peace in "every single corner of the earth." While "deeply appreciative" of the federal government's support, Netanyahu outlined his concerns with America's mainstream media "disinformation campaign." "We had a seven-front war, and we won on all fronts, and winning on all fronts, but this is the eighth front. The disinformation campaign is among us," he explained. "It takes a second for a lie to circulate the world, and then you have to battle it with the only weapon you have, which is the truth." Since the war with Hamas broke out following the attacks on Oct. 7, 2023, Israel has faced growing scrutiny throughout the globe regarding its handling of the situation in Gaza and escalating strikes from mainstream outlets and social media users. Netanyahu pushed back on many of the "lies" spread, saying that "in the electronic age — boy, that lie can encircle the earth 1,000 times." "Shame on you. You should be ashamed of yourself. That's not journalism. That's not ethical. That's succumbing to the worst propaganda," the Israeli prime minister said. Although the media's coverage is a "handicap," Netanyahu vowed to "fight the information war, too," with the "weapon of truth."

Losing time and again isn't a free pass to party-hop, Zambry warns Kelantan Umno members
Losing time and again isn't a free pass to party-hop, Zambry warns Kelantan Umno members

Malay Mail

time35 minutes ago

  • Politics
  • Malay Mail

Losing time and again isn't a free pass to party-hop, Zambry warns Kelantan Umno members

KOTA BARU, July 13 — Barisan Nasional (BN) secretary-general Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir said Umno members in Kelantan need to discard a defeatist mindset and remain loyal to the party's struggle even though they have been in the opposition seat for a long time. He said that the actions of certain parties who easily give up and jump parties after defeat are a big mistake that undermines the strength of the party. 'There are those who, after losing, immediately admit defeat and jump to another party in the hope of being accepted. That is a mistake, and if they can do that to their own party, what guarantee do we have that they won't do the same thing again?' he said to reporters after officiating the Umno Division Delegates' Meeting in Pengkalan Chepa here yesterday. Zambry, who is also the Minister of Higher Education, praised the success of the 102 Umno branches in Pengkalan Chepa that managed to hold meetings, even though Umno in that state has been in opposition for more than five decades, thus reflecting the party's grassroots strength. At the same time, he reminded party members to continue cooperating at all levels, including the Women's, Youth and Puteri wings, to strengthen the party's efforts. — Bernama

Sabah CM: No state polls yet as GRS leaders must first decide on assembly dissolution
Sabah CM: No state polls yet as GRS leaders must first decide on assembly dissolution

Malay Mail

timean hour ago

  • Politics
  • Malay Mail

Sabah CM: No state polls yet as GRS leaders must first decide on assembly dissolution

PENAMPANG, July 13 — The decision to advise the Yang Dipertua Negeri Sabah, Tun Musa Aman, to dissolve the State Legislative Assembly will only be made after a consensus is reached among Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) component parties, said its chairman, Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor. Hajiji, who is also the Chief Minister, said that while he holds the prerogative to advise Tun Musa on the matter, he prefers for the decision to be made collectively, in line with GRS' commitment to joint decision-making. 'We are in GRS, and any decision must go through the Supreme Council. I will discuss and inform the party presidents when the time comes to dissolve the assembly,' he told reporters after closing the Parti Bersatu Sabah-Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku (PBS-STAR) Convention here yesterday. However, he did not indicate when the discussion with the Supreme Council would be held. When asked whether he would allow the assembly to dissolve automatically this November, Hajiji said the matter would be considered carefully. On July 6, Bernama reported that the 16th Sabah State Assembly would automatically dissolve on Nov 11 if not dissolved earlier, according to speaker Datuk Seri Kadzim M Yahya. GRS comprises Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah, PBS, STAR, Parti Maju Sabah, United Sabah National Organisation (USNO), Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), Parti Harapan Rakyat Sabah and Parti Cinta Sabah. Commenting on speculation that GRS may contest the 17th Sabah state election independently, Hajiji said the matter would also be discussed at the Supreme Council level. Meanwhile, Hajiji described the PBS-STAR Convention as a historic milestone that strengthens local political cooperation and signals GRS' readiness to face the state election with a strong, united, and credible leadership lineup. He said the close collaboration between the two local parties reflects political maturity, prioritising the interests of the people and the state over political differences. 'This convention not only reflects the spirit of unity among local parties with their own histories and principles, but also demonstrates that GRS is ready to move forward as a coalition that truly represents the aspirations of the people of Sabah,' he said. — Bernama

Mexico slams Trump's 30pc tariff threat as ‘unfair deal', vows to seek alternative before August 1
Mexico slams Trump's 30pc tariff threat as ‘unfair deal', vows to seek alternative before August 1

Malay Mail

time35 minutes ago

  • Business
  • Malay Mail

Mexico slams Trump's 30pc tariff threat as ‘unfair deal', vows to seek alternative before August 1

MEXICO CITY, July 13 — Mexico slammed US President Donald Trump's latest threat of 30 percent tariffs yesterday as an 'unfair deal,' according to a government statement. Mexico was informed of the new duties — which Trump said would come into effect by August 1 — during talks in the United States on Friday. 'We mentioned at the table that it was an unfair deal and that we did not agree,' the Mexican economy and foreign ministries said in a joint statement. Mexico is already in negotiations seeking an alternative to tariffs that would protect businesses and jobs on both sides of the border, the ministries added, saying they hope to avoid the duties. President Claudia Sheinbaum, whom Trump often refers to favourably, expressed confidence Saturday that a deal would be reached. 'We are going to reach an agreement with the US government,' Sheinbaum said during a public event hours after Trump's social media post announcing the elevated tariffs. She said the talks in Washington would allow Mexico to be in a 'better position' by August 1. Mexico is one of the countries most vulnerable to the US leader's tariffs, with 80 percent of its exports destined for its northern neighbour, which is also its largest trading partner. Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has reproached Mexico for not doing what he says is enough to prevent illegal migration and drug trafficking across the border, and has wielded tariffs as retaliation. — AFP

Kash Patel torches ‘conspiracy theories' about Bondi feud amid MAGA furor over Epstein files
Kash Patel torches ‘conspiracy theories' about Bondi feud amid MAGA furor over Epstein files

Fox News

timean hour ago

  • Business
  • Fox News

Kash Patel torches ‘conspiracy theories' about Bondi feud amid MAGA furor over Epstein files

FBI Director Kash Patel on Saturday squashed rumors of a rift inside the Trump administration's law-and-order team, just hours before the president himself defended Attorney General Pam Bondi amid Jeffrey Epstein probe backlash. The criticism came after the FBI and Department of Justice on Sunday released a memo shutting down theories about an alleged Epstein client list, finding a tell-all document exposing his associates did not exist. Fueling the fire was a one-minute gap in a surveillance video from Epstein's cell, which was part of the evidence the DOJ released. The review found the disgraced financier died by suicide in jail in 2019. Fox News reported Friday that Patel's No. 2, Deputy Director Dan Bongino, was considering resigning if Bondi stayed on as head of the Department of Justice, which oversees the FBI. There were unconfirmed reports that Patel might step down as well, but he shot that down with a social media post Saturday, saying "conspiracy theories" about a potential resignation over Bondi's handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files "just aren't true." "The conspiracy theories just aren't true, never have been," Patel wrote. "It's an honor to serve the President of the United States @realDonaldTrump — and I'll continue to do so for as long as he calls on me." Hours after Patel's post, President Donald Trump took to Truth Social to express unhappiness with his follower's reaction. Trump supporters posted videos to social media Saturday afternoon charring MAGA hats in protest. "What's going on with my 'boys' and, in some cases, 'gals?' They're all going after Attorney General Pam Bondi, who is doing a FANTASTIC JOB," Trump wrote. "We're on one Team, MAGA, and I don't like what's happening." He went on to describe Epstein as a "guy who never dies" and shifted blame to former President Barack Obama, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former FBI Director James Comey, former CIA director John Brennan, and the Biden administration. "They created the Epstein Files, just like they created the FAKE Hillary Clinton/Christopher Steele Dossier that they used on me, and now my so-called 'friends' are playing right into their hands," Trump wrote. "Why didn't these Radical Left Lunatics release the Epstein Files? If there was ANYTHING in there that could have hurt the MAGA Movement, why didn't they use it?" The president claimed that one year ago, the country was "DEAD," but is now "the 'HOTTEST' Country anywhere in the World. "Let's keep it that way, and not waste Time and Energy on Jeffrey Epstein, somebody that nobody cares about," Trump wrote. Rumors about a change in leadership were triggered by Patel's apparent X biography change, where his title as FBI Director was removed to only read, "Fmr Chief of Staff @DeptofDefense." Multiple sources told Fox News Digital Bongino and Bondi butted heads at a White House meeting Wednesday, with Bongino accusing Bondi of a "lack of transparency from the start" in the Epstein files probe. The former Secret Service agent-turned FBI official allegedly raised his voice at Trump's White House chief of staff before storming out, and has since been weighing resignation over the episode, insiders said. Bondi and Patel, however, have presented a united front. Sources close to Bondi claim she has "no intention of stepping down" and the pair are in constant communication. "Any attempt to sow division within this team is baseless and distracts from the real progress being made," White House Deputy Press Secretary Harrison Fields told Fox News Digital, emphasizing that Trump's law-and-order lineup is working "seamlessly and with unity." "President Trump has assembled a highly qualified and experienced law and order team dedicated to protecting Americans, holding criminals accountable, and delivering justice to victims," Fields added. "This work is being carried out seamlessly and with unity. Any attempt to sow division within this team is baseless and distracts from the real progress being made in restoring public safety and pursuing justice for all." The FBI did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.

Trump news at a glance: Trump shocks EU and Mexico with tariffs as he gives Ice agents ‘total authorization' to protect themselves
Trump news at a glance: Trump shocks EU and Mexico with tariffs as he gives Ice agents ‘total authorization' to protect themselves

The Guardian

time31 minutes ago

  • Business
  • The Guardian

Trump news at a glance: Trump shocks EU and Mexico with tariffs as he gives Ice agents ‘total authorization' to protect themselves

Donald Trump has said he will impose tariffs of 30% on the European Union and Mexico from 1 August, threatening Europe that it would pay a price if it retaliated and telling Mexico it had not done enough to stop North America from turning into a 'Narco-Trafficking Playground'. 'If for any reason you decide to raise your Tariffs and retaliate, then, whatever the number you choose to raise them by, will be added onto the 30% that we charge,' he wrote in a letter to the EU. EU trade ministers will meet on Monday for a pre-arranged summit and will be under pressure from some countries to show a tough reaction by implementing €21bn ($24.6bn) in retaliatory measures, which they had paused until midnight the same day. Here are the key US politics stories at a glance: Donald Trump announced on Saturday that goods imported from both the European Union and Mexico will face a 30% US tariff rate starting 1 August, in letters posted on his social media platform, Truth Social. The tariff assault on the EU came as a shock to European capitals as the European Commission and the US trade representative Jamieson Greer had spent months hammering out a deal they believed was acceptable to both sides. Read the full story Donald Trump has given 'total authorization' to federal immigration agents to protect themselves after a series of clashes with protesters, including during enforcement raids on two California cannabis farms. 'I am giving Total Authorization for Ice to protect itself, just like they protect the Public,' Trump posted on Truth Social on Friday, adding that he was directing the homeland security secretary, Kristi Noem, and border czar, Tom Homan, to arrest anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) protesters who impede immigration enforcement operations. Read the full story Recently departed officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema) say the organization is dangerously underresourced and overstretched in the event of further natural catastrophes, as the cleanup continues from this month's torrential rain storms and flooding in Texas that left more than 120 dead. Read the full story FBI director Kash Patel has denied swirling resignation rumors over reported unhappiness at a justice department decision to close the book on Jeffrey Epstein after administration officials teased a big reveal earlier in the year. In a Saturday social media post, the agency director said: 'the conspiracy theories just aren't true, never have been. It's an honor to serve the President of the United States – and I'll continue to do so for as long as he calls on me.' Read the full story David Gergen, a veteran of Washington politics and an adviser to four presidents, Republican and Democrat, has died aged 83. As US regulators restrict Covid mRNA vaccines and as independent vaccine advisers re-examine the shots, scientists fear that an unlikely target could be next: cancer research. Catching up? Here's what happened on Friday 11 July.

Pro-Gaza activists detained across five cities as UK enforces terror ban on protest group Palestine Action
Pro-Gaza activists detained across five cities as UK enforces terror ban on protest group Palestine Action

Malay Mail

timean hour ago

  • General
  • Malay Mail

Pro-Gaza activists detained across five cities as UK enforces terror ban on protest group Palestine Action

LONDON, July 13 — Police in several British cities yesterday arrested scores of people for supporting Palestine Action, following a second consecutive weekend of protests over the government's decision to ban the activist group using anti-terror laws. Campaign group Defend Our Juries, which had announced the rallies 'to defy' the ban, said 86 people had been arrested across five different cities. They included four vicars, a lawyer, a civil servant, a social worker, a mechanical engineer and the daughter of a Polish resistance fighter, as well as veterans of the 1960s civil rights movement, the group added. 'We will not be deterred from opposing genocide, nor from defending those who refuse to be bystanders,' the group said in a statement, referring to accusations levelled against Israel over its war in Gaza. The protesters were also taking a stand 'against the corruption of democracy and the rule of law', it added. In London, the Metropolitan Police said its officers had made 41 arrests for 'showing support for a proscribed organisation'. Another person was arrested for common assault, the force added. Footage showed police moving in on a small group of protesters displaying signs supporting Palestine Action. They had gathered at lunchtime at the steps of the Mahatma Gandhi statue in Parliament Square. Greater Manchester Police arrested 16 people, while officers in the Welsh capital Cardiff detained 13, all for the same offence under the 2000 Terrorism Act, both forces confirmed. 'South Wales Police supports the right for people to make their voices heard through protest providing it is done lawfully,' said a police statement. Police have warned that expressing support for Palestine Action would be a criminal offence after the ban kicked in last weekend. — AFP pic Support now a crime The other arrests occurred in the Northern Irish city Londonderry — also known as Derry — and Leeds, in northern England, according to Defend Our Juries. They come a week after 29 similar arrests at protests staged last Saturday, mainly in London. Since the Palestine Action ban kicked in on July 5, police have warned that expressing support for the group was now a crime, after a last-ditch High Court challenge failed to stop its proscription becoming law. The government announced plans for the ban under the 2000 Terrorism Act days after the group's activists claimed to be behind a break-in at an air force base in southern England. Two aircraft there were sprayed with red paint, causing an estimated £7 million (RM40.6 million) in damage. Four people charged in relation to the incident remain in custody. Palestine Action has condemned its outlawing — which makes it a criminal offence to belong to or support the group, punishable by up to 14 years in prison — as an attack on free speech. — AFP

LeMan magazine editor held in Turkey after Erdogan brands cartoon a ‘despicable provocation' insulting the Prophet
LeMan magazine editor held in Turkey after Erdogan brands cartoon a ‘despicable provocation' insulting the Prophet

Malay Mail

timean hour ago

  • Entertainment
  • Malay Mail

LeMan magazine editor held in Turkey after Erdogan brands cartoon a ‘despicable provocation' insulting the Prophet

ISTANBUL, July 13 — The top editor of Turkey's satirical magazine LeMan has been arrested, media and lawyers said yesterday, the latest detention over accusations that the magazine had published a caricature of the Prophet Mohammed. Four magazine staffers were detained in early July over a cartoon that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has labelled a 'despicable provocation' and a 'hate crime,' warning its authors will have to answer for 'disrespecting the prophet.' The magazine and its staff have vigorously denied any link between an illustration published in the magazine, which features a person named Muhammed, and Islam's Prophet Mohammed. The name Muhammed, which has various spellings, is among the most popular names the Muslim faithful give their children. On Saturday the magazine's editor-in-chief, Aslan Ozdemir, was arrested as he flew back to Turkey from France, the MSLA human rights organisation wrote on X. Several media outlets, including the DHA agency and the T24 website, released images showing Ozdemir leaving the plane, handcuffed. The drawing in question shows two characters meeting in the sky above a city devastated by bombs. One is named Muhammed and the other Musa. Cartoonist Dogan Pehlevan said the drawing was meant 'to talk about peace' and condemned 'provocateurs.' 'I have been drawing in Turkey for many years. The first rule you learn is not to address religious issues and not to mock religion,' he told police in his deposition, according to the T24 news site. 'I have always adhered to this principle. I reject the accusations levelled against me,' he added. LeMan's editorial manager Tuncay Akgun told AFP that the drawing in question 'has nothing to do with the Prophet Mohammed. We would never take such a risk.' 'The character is a Muslim killed in Gaza. He was called Mohammed (like) over 200 million people in the Muslim world,' he said. — AFP

Malaysian royals shine at Fuji GT race as Tunku Abu Bakar claims third; Queen Raja Zarith Sofiah lends support (VIDEO)
Malaysian royals shine at Fuji GT race as Tunku Abu Bakar claims third; Queen Raja Zarith Sofiah lends support (VIDEO)

Malay Mail

timean hour ago

  • Entertainment
  • Malay Mail

Malaysian royals shine at Fuji GT race as Tunku Abu Bakar claims third; Queen Raja Zarith Sofiah lends support (VIDEO)

KUALA LUMPUR, July 13 — Her Majesty Raja Zarith Sofiah, Queen of Malaysia, graciously attended the Fuji Speedway Circuit in Japan today to witness the GT World Challenge Asia series race. According to a post on Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar's official Facebook page, Her Majesty's presence was to support her sons, Tunku Panglima Johor Tunku Abdul Rahman Sultan Ibrahim and Tunku Putera Johor Tunku Abu Bakar Sultan Ibrahim. In the first race in Fuji, Tunku Abu Bakar Al-Haj and his teammate Jordan Love (car #66) achieved their first podium finish of the season by securing third place. Meanwhile, Tunku Abdul Rahman Al-Haj (car #99) continued to display consistent driving with teammate Ben Green, finishing in eighth place. His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia, who followed the race from the capital, expressed gratitude over his youngest son's podium finish. 'I am grateful that Tunku Putera achieved a good result this time and hope that he and his brother (Tunku Panglima) will continue to give strong competition in tomorrow's second race,' the post read. Also in attendance at yesterday's race were Raja DiHilir Perak Raja Iskandar Dzurkarnain Sultan Idris Shah, as well as Tunku Tun Aminah Sultan Ibrahim and her husband, Datuk Dennis Muhammad Abdullah. Both Johor Motorsports Racing (JMR) Corvette Z06 GT3.R cars will start tomorrow's second race from the front row after claiming first (car #99) and second (car #66) positions in this morning's qualifying round. The race can be watched live on GT World's YouTube channel via the link beginning 10.15 am Malaysian time. — Bernama

Yankees slugger Aaron Judge hits milestone home run at blistering fast pace
Yankees slugger Aaron Judge hits milestone home run at blistering fast pace

Fox News

time42 minutes ago

  • Entertainment
  • Fox News

Yankees slugger Aaron Judge hits milestone home run at blistering fast pace

It didn't take long for Aaron Judge to hit the 350th home run of his MLB career. On Saturday, the New York Yankees slugger knocked a ball over the outfield wall to reach the milestone. While hitting 350 homers is a feat in itself, Judge reached the mark more quickly than former slugger Mark McGwire. Judge reached 350 in his 1,088th game, while McGwire hit No. 350 in his 1,280th game against Detroit Tigers pitcher Brian Moehler June 2, 1997, surpassing Harmon Killebrew, who hit his 350th in his 1,319th game. "Big Mac did a lot of great things in this game, and he's definitely a legend," Judge said. "I just think he's playing in a different league," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said after Judge's ninth-inning drive to right center field against the Cubs. Chicago won 5-2. Judge, who turned 33 in April, debuted with the Yankees at age 24 in 2016. The two-time AL MVP also doubled twice and is hitting a major league-leading .358 with 35 homers and 81 RBIs. "Would have been great if we got a win today," Judge said. "I've been surrounded by a lot of great teammates, been on some good teams, so they really put me in the best position to go out there and perform at my best." McGwire finished his career in 2001 at age 38 with 583 homers, still good for 11th on the career list. He admitted in 2010 he used performance-enhancing drugs and has been denied entry to baseball's Hall of Fame. The Yankees captain said he has maintained a relationship with McGwire since their first conversation. "I think it started with when I broke my first rib," Judge said. "I think his son was kind of going through the same thing, so he was first asking me how did I heal? What do we do? So, I kind of gave him some tips on that. And then we just kind of chit-chatted a little bit and kept in contact." Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

BREAKING NEWS NFL rookie Quinshon Judkins arrested in Florida for battery and domestic violence... months after being drafted
BREAKING NEWS NFL rookie Quinshon Judkins arrested in Florida for battery and domestic violence... months after being drafted

Daily Mail​

timean hour ago

  • Business
  • Daily Mail​

BREAKING NEWS NFL rookie Quinshon Judkins arrested in Florida for battery and domestic violence... months after being drafted

Cleveland Browns rookie Quinshon Judkins has been arrested in Florida over battery charges, according to reports. Judkins, who was a second round pick in April's NFL Draft, was detained by the Broward County Sheriff's Office on battery and domestic violence charges, The Athletic's Zac Jackson reported on Saturday. The former college football star is believed to remain in custody. It is currently unclear if bail has been set. Judkins, a former star at Ohio State and Mississippi, was selected by the Browns with the 36th overall pick in April. However, the running back remains one of 30 unsigned second-round picks from this year's draft. Although Judkins has yet to put pen to paper on his deal with Cleveland, he is still susceptible to the NFL's Personal Conduct Policy, which could see him face discipline from the league. More to follow.

The six shocking questions that remain about the Trump assassination attempt in Butler one year later
The six shocking questions that remain about the Trump assassination attempt in Butler one year later

Daily Mail​

timean hour ago

  • General
  • Daily Mail​

The six shocking questions that remain about the Trump assassination attempt in Butler one year later

A year after a historic assassination attempt on Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, there are still scores of questions left unanswered, including why Thomas Matthew Crooks shot the president-to-be. In the immediate aftermath of the tragedy, which left Trump with a bloody ear, two men with life-altering injuries and the death of father and firefighter Corey Comperatore, investigations began into how such a deadly lapse could've occurred. The House of Representatives launched a task force to probe the shooting, but their report published late last year did not focus at all on Crooks or his motive, instead it highlighted the failures of the Secret Service which led to the disaster. The FBI similarly began a probe, but the agency has yet to deliver a public update on the case. The last press FBI press release on the matter came last August, nearly 11 months ago. On year on, America is still in the dark and left to wonder how such a brazen attack was so nearly able to kill the most identifiable U.S. politician. Here the Daily Mail breaks down the top questions that remain about Trump's Butler shooting. What was Thomas Matthew Crooks' motive? The FBI has still to determine why 20-year-old Crooks, a young man from the Pittsburgh suburbs decided to shoot the Republican. 'The FBI has not identified a motive for the shooter's actions, but we are working to determine the sequence of events and the shooter's movements prior to the shooting, collecting and reviewing evidence, conducting interviews, and following up on all leads,' the agency wrote in a press release on July 14, 2024. Since then, there has been no public update about Crooks' motive. When pressed on how little is known about the shooter during a May interview with Fox News' Bret Baier, FBI Director Kash Patel poured cold water on the host's question. 'I don't know that there's more to know, but you're going to know everything we know,' he responded, downplaying the existence of additional information on Crooks and his motivation. 'We take assassination attempts, especially of the president of the United States, extremely seriously,' Patel said in the interview. 'And we don't feel that the American people have been given the information they need on that. And we're digging through the files, and we're getting them a more robust picture of what happened and whether or not there were any connections.' Lawmakers have been irked by the lack of new information, too. 'I'm mostly unsatisfied,' Pennsylvania Republican Sen. Dave McCormick told the Daily Mail in an exclusive interview. 'Motive is just one part of the many questions I think that we still have.' Crooks did not leave behind notes or social media posts explaining his decision to shoot at the president and rally attendees. Did Crooks have a handler or accomplice? Authorities have yet to state publicly whether they have determined if Crooks had any co-conspirators. 'While the investigation to date indicates the shooter acted alone, the FBI continues to conduct logical investigative activity to determine if there were any co-conspirators associated with this attack,' the FBI's July 14 release stated. Florida Republican Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, who oversees the House's Task Force on Declassification of Government Secrets, wrote this week she still wonders who Crooks was talking to at the time of the shooting. 'Our president was nearly assassinated. We still don't know what happened to the shooter's burner phones. Who was he corresponding with? Did he have a handler?' she posted on X. 'After investigating the corrupt handling of the JFK assassination with my Task Force, there are far too many questions that still need answers about Trump's assassination attempt.' What was Crooks's mental condition at the time? Reports indicate that the 20-year-old's parents, Matthew and Mary Crooks, are licensed professional counselors. Just before the shooting occurred on July 13, the parents reportedly called authorities worrying about the whereabouts of their son. In their call they expressed concern about their son's wellbeing, a source familiar with the matter told Fox News in the days after the assassination attempt. In the year before Crooks shot Trump, his father noticed his son exhibiting strange behaviors, like talking to himself while waving his arms and dancing late into the evening, the New York Times reported. His father noted that mental health issues run in the family, and before the shooting Crooks had searched 'major depressive disorder' and 'depression crisis' online. Matthew and Mary Crooks have not spoken publicly about their son and what led to his decision to open fire. What was found on Crooks's phones? The FBI discovered the gunman had two phones at the time of the shooting, but exactly what is on those devices remains a mystery. In the days following the Butler shooting FBI agents briefed members of Congress on some of the contents of the devices. Federal agents found searches of President Donald Trump, former President Joe Biden and more on the shooter's devices. Reports indicate Crooks also looked up former FBI Director Chritopher Wray, information on the Republican and Democratic national conventions and the Oxford High School shooting, including a photograph of the shooter Ethan Crumbley on his phone. What happened to Crooks's body? A member of the House task force to investigate the Butler shooting, Rep. Clay Higgins, R-La., a former sheriff, expressed dismay at how quickly the shooter's body was cremated. Some of his biggest concerns have centered on Crooks' autopsy and the swift release of his body to the family for cremation - just 10 days after he was shot dead by snipers. Kelly's report noted that the postmortem came up negative in tests for alcohol, illegal drugs and other controlled substances. But Higgins says he still wants to know why tests weren't carried out to test for prescription drugs in Crooks's system. 'It's reasonable to suspect some kind of psychotic break. There are many longstanding studies worldwide that connect the dots between antidepressants and anti-psychotic drugs and bizarre behaviors that develop after someone has started ingesting these drugs,' he told the Daily Mail earlier this year. 'My effort to examine Crooks' body on Monday, August 5, caused quite a stir and revealed a disturbing fact… the FBI released the body for cremation 10 days after J13,' Higgins's independent report reveals. 'On J23, Crooks was gone. Nobody knew this until Monday, August 5, including the County Coroner, law enforcement, Sheriff, etc.' Why are federal agencies stonewalling? The last update from the FBI on the investigation into Crooks was on August, 28, 2024, according to records on their website's press release portal. The FBI did not respond to the Daily Mail's request for an update on the case. Speaking to Fox News earlier this year in a joint interview FBI Director Patel and FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino shared that there are four cases related to the Butler attack, noting that two of them are closed due to the individuals being deceased. 'Two of the investigations are obviously closed because the individuals are dead, but there's two live prosecutions,' Patel said. 'And so the we can't get ahead of the federal court case.' 'A lot of that information will come out in the federal court cases, but we have personally invested our time in making sure that we have looked at all the any possible international connections to terrorism and adversaries alike.' 'And we've both been down to Quantico. We've both done the laboratory testing, we've both seen the explosives analysis, we've both seen the firearm physically held, and we are all in on these investigations,' the FBI director shared. In the interview Bongino also doused hopes for an explosive development in the cases. 'I'm not going to tell people what they want to hear. I'm going to tell you the truth. And whether you, whether you like it or not, is up to you. If there was a big explosive there, there, right? Given my history as a secret service agent and my personal friendship as a director does with the President, give me one logical, sensible reason we would not have,' he disclosed. 'If you can think of one there, isn't there, isn't there in some of these cases, that there you're looking for is not there.'

Drake gives shocking response to 'F*** Kendrick' Lamar chant at London festival after brutal feud
Drake gives shocking response to 'F*** Kendrick' Lamar chant at London festival after brutal feud

Daily Mail​

timean hour ago

  • Entertainment
  • Daily Mail​

Drake gives shocking response to 'F*** Kendrick' Lamar chant at London festival after brutal feud

Drake had a surprise reaction when his concert in London was interrupted by fans to bash his nemesis Kendrick Lamar on Saturday. The 38-year-old hitmaker (real name: Aubrey Drake Graham) was headlining Rockstar Energy's Wireless Festival with an unusual arrangement in which he headlined all three nights of the festival. And on night two, audience members interrupted one of his monologues to chant 'F*** Kendrick,' referring to Lamar. Even though the feud had seemed to recede from the spotlight in recent months, Drake — whose massive gambling losses were recently revealed — seemed happy to encourage the chant from the stage. has reached out to representatives for Drake and Lamar for comment but hasn't yet received a response. As the audience's chants grew more frenzied, Drake turned toward the backstage area and called to his head of security Chubbs, who was called out by name by Kendrick in Not Like Us. Drake's response to the crowd chanting "F*CK KENDRICK" at Wireless 👀 "Chubbs, grab me a shot, I'll drink to that." — NFR Podcast (@nfr_podcast) July 12, 2025 'Chubbs, grab me a shot. I'll drink to that,' Drake said, which was met with a wave of cheers from his fans, though he appeared to move on with the show from there. The hitmaker may have anticipated some anti-Lamar sentiment from the audience, as his intro seemed to leave an opening for his fans. Before the chant started, he bragged about how he was performing 'three different sets' with 'three different vibes' at the festival in London. 'You name another artist that can do that then bring them up here. We can clash right now. Anybody,' he said, though Lamar would have been the first thought for anyone family with their beef when he suggested a 'clash.' Drake also appeared to signal a falling out with Los Angeles Lakers player LeBron James in the wake of the NBA icon's apparent support of Lamar in their feud. Drake previously had a photo of LaBron on his left arm, but it was revealed to have been covered up with a new design of Oklahoma City Thunder player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on Saturday. Earlier this year, Drake changed the lyrics to his song Nonstop from 'How I go from 6 to 23 like I'm LeBron' to 'How I go from 6 to 23 but not LeBron,' which fans interpreted as a jab at the basketball player, and he repeated the revised lyrics on Saturday. In January, fans speculated that Drake's Fighting Irish Freestyle was intended to take aim at LeBron when it surfaced on social media. Drake DISSES LeBron James at Wireless Festival 🚨 "6 to 23 but not LeBron" — NFR Podcast (@nfr_podcast) July 12, 2025 Drake also included a LeBron James diss after he appeared to support Lamar earlier this year. His LeBron tattoo was notably covered up with a new design of Oklahoma City Thunder player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Drake and Lamar feuded with a rapid-fire barrage of diss tracks last year, culminating with Kendrick's Grammy-winning Super Bowl centerpiece Not Like Us, in which he provocatively called the In My Feelings rapper a 'pedophile.' He also took aim at several of Drake's regular collaborators and business associates in the song as well. Although the Canadian actor-turned-rapper had traded diss tracks with Lamar, and followed up Not Like Us the following day with The Heart Part 6 — a parody of a series of song titles his nemesis had previously released — he appeared to step back from the feud after Not Like Us became a chart-topping hit. The song's reception suggested that many music industry figures had turned against Drake when much of the audience at the 2025 Grammy Awards joined in to sing Not Like Us when it played as Kendrick's walk-up music as he was awarded the prestigious honors Record of the Year and Song of the Year. The song ultimately won five Grammys, giving it a tie for the most-awarded song of all time at the ceremony. Just days later, Lamar got to share his side of the feud when he hosted the Super Bowl LIX halftime show, which culminated in a performance of Not Like Us that included Drake's ex-girlfriend Serena Williams crip walking. Notably, the rapper censored himself when he got to his infamous line, 'Certified Lover Boy? Certified pedophiles.' However, it's unclear if that was done to avoid potential legal complications, or if it was a request by the broadcaster or the NFL. Drake had already filed a lawsuit against Universal Music Group, the parent company of both of their labels, due to what he said were the .

Struck down by malnutrition, pregnant Gazan woman can only pray for a healthy baby
Struck down by malnutrition, pregnant Gazan woman can only pray for a healthy baby

Reuters

timean hour ago

  • General
  • Reuters

Struck down by malnutrition, pregnant Gazan woman can only pray for a healthy baby

GAZA, July 11 (Reuters) - At six months pregnant, displaced Palestinian woman Fatima Arfa wishes she could be buying cute clothes and toys for the special day when she delivers a healthy, safe child. Instead she spends much of her time seeking medical help in war-ravaged Gaza, weak and fearful that malnutrition will sabotage her pregnancy as Israel presses on with a military campaign that has led to widespread hunger among children and adults and reduced the enclave to rubble. She longs for simple foods like milk, eggs and red meat that could improve her health and increase the chances of delivering a healthy baby. But just trying to deal with deficiencies is exhausting and highly risky under steady bombardment. "I'm coming from a faraway place, and on foot too, because I need to have a blood transfusion because of a very big deficiency, malnutrition," said Arfa, 34, staring at medical imaging of her unborn baby. In June, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warned an estimated 55,000 pregnant women in Gaza face growing health risks such as miscarriage, stillbirth and undernourished newborns. Tackling those grim realities is challenging for doctors who face severe shortages of medicine and fuel to keep overwhelmed hospitals running as the nearly two-year war between Israel and Hamas rages. During a consultation with Arfa, Fathi al-Dahdouh, director of external clinics at Al-Helou Hospital, examines documents about her health. She has anaemia and hopefully she can receive two units of blood and needs admission to hospital because she can't live a normal life with low energy levels, or walk, he said. "We hope that God will stop this war and open the crossings so that green food supplies, fruits, and vitamins can enter, along with these things," said al-Dahdouh. Thousands of starving Gazans who frantically wave pots around at food collection points risk violence merely walking to those areas. Israeli air strikes can hit at any minute and most Gaza residents have been displaced. Arfa is getting weaker by the day and generating enough energy on a meagre diet is a huge challenge. "It is very difficult, and in the middle of the heat. I leave small children at my house, and until now they may not have had breakfast, and neither have I," she said, sitting in a makeshift tent near her children, wondering how she will be able to support them, and husband Zahi. Her daughter serves food from a cooking pot into a bowl for the whole family of 7. Zahi, 40, complains that much of Gaza's population relies on mostly lentils. Sometimes he wanders around flattened neighbourhoods desperate for flour, anything that could give his wife the strength to produce life in a strip where Israeli strikes have killed over 57,000 people, according to Gaza authorities. "More than once, I was exposed to death. I failed every time I tried to even get a can of tuna or a can of peas for the children. I couldn't," said Zahi. The Hamas attack on southern Israel that triggered the war in 2023 killed around 1,200 people and the militant group seized 251 hostages, according to Israeli tallies. At least 20 are believed to still be alive.

Questions about Quadeville attack remain after police town hall, residents say
Questions about Quadeville attack remain after police town hall, residents say

CBC

timean hour ago

  • General
  • CBC

Questions about Quadeville attack remain after police town hall, residents say

Dozens of community members in Quadeville, Ont., attended a town hall hosted by Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) Saturday evening, following a vicious attack on an eight-year-old girl that has shaken the small village. Police said they aimed to address concerns from residents at the meeting, which nearly filled the Quadeville Community Centre. While some people who showed up praised the police approach, others felt they left with questions unanswered. "We all really want to know exactly what happened," Tom Bekiaris said after the meeting. Residents of the village, located about 70 kilometres west of Renfrew, have lived under a cloud of uncertainty for nearly three weeks since the young girl was found in the woods with life-threatening injuries. OPP initially said they suspected an animal attack, but revealed in a news release Wednesday night they'd charged a 17-year-old male from eastern Ontario with attempted murder and sexual assault with a weapon. Both the accused and the girl cannot be named as their identities are protected under the Youth Criminal Justice Act. At the town hall, people asked about when the accused became a suspect and why police didn't raise the possibility of human involvement in the attack sooner. Police warned they were limited in what they could answer due to a publication ban on the youth's identity and their ongoing investigation. "There's going to be a lot of things specific to an investigation that we won't [answer]," said Derek Needham, acting chief superintendent with OPP. "Hopefully we can answer some questions that are out there." 'Tight-knit' community At the outset of the meeting, Needham addressed the impact the attack had on the community. "It's pretty easy to see that Quadeville, like a lot of small communities, is a community where people know each other, people rely on each other," he said. Bekiaris, who lives in the village, said he was surprised about the events that happened in the "tight-knit" community. "Everybody's related to each other somehow or around," Bekiaris said. "It's almost like how could family do something like that?" Questions unanswered Residents also raised questions about safety. For more than two weeks after the girl was found, police told residents to keep their children indoors or under close supervision. Like Bekiaris, Ron Boudry left the meeting with more questions. "To me, it's just, stuff was being held too tight," he said. OPP spokesperson Bill Dickson said that sentiment was expected. "We knew there might be some questions that we might not be able to answer going in," he said. "But we were hoping that we would be able to at least put aside some misinformation that might be in the community and just let everyone know that we were here, and what was going on, and try to ease some of the concerns." During the meeting, Needham said investigators had to keep an "open mind" and could not rule out that an animal attack had caused the girl's injuries. When forensic testing revealed no traces of animal DNA in samples of the victim's wounds, Needham said residents were informed within hours. 'Healing has to be as a community' Some residents were pleased with the effort police made to keep the community informed. Jovette Haynes, who's lived in Quadeville for eight years, said she was satisfied with police's approach. "It's going to take time, right?" Haynes said. "Like they're saying — they can't say too much." In the absence of more information, Haynes said she thinks about the young girl every day and prays for her every night. "I'm sure I'm not the only one," she said. Toward the end of the meeting, one person asked how police recommend residents interact with the families of both the victim and the accused moving forward. Needham recommended reaching out and keeping communication open.

Lyles dominates in Monaco 200m showdown despite fan buzz around Tebogo
Lyles dominates in Monaco 200m showdown despite fan buzz around Tebogo

Independent Singapore

timean hour ago

  • Entertainment
  • Independent Singapore

Lyles dominates in Monaco 200m showdown despite fan buzz around Tebogo

Photo: Instagram/tebogo_letsile_ At the Monaco Diamond League, a highly anticipated 200-m race is long-awaited between sprinting sensations Noah Lyles and Letsile Tebogo. Fans all over the world are excited for this moment, and it is expected to be filled with speed, skills, and making history. At last year's Paris Olympics, 22-year-old Letsile Tebogo claimed her first-ever Olympic gold medal with an impressive time of 19.46 seconds. He narrowly defeated the current Olympic 100-m champion, Noah Lyles, with a margin of only 0.01 seconds–Lyles finished with a time of 19.47 seconds. The rivalry between Tebogo and Lyles has intensified ever since this event, and it has built the anticipation for their rematch at the Monaco Diamond League. Tebogo has won his last two races this year, and it shows that he is the most favoured runner right now between the two. Fans are expressing their support towards their desired athlete. On social media, one fan said: 'Will be watching. My money's on Tebogo.' Another fan remarked that Letsile is seen to be the winner: 'I don't see Noah ever beating Letsile ever again in the 200m. 9-race streak? We will be there when Letsile Tebogo breaks hearts.' See also Singapore Under-22 men's soccer team finalised More fans commented in a post shared by Diamond League Monaco, more fans commented: 'Noah in trouble', 'He [Tebogo] jogged to under 20s that's unbelievable, this guy will end up as one of the greatest 200m runners alongside Johnson and Bolt,' and 'Noah's in some major tea, sis! 😬' In another social media post by World Athletics, fans continued to hype up the rising sprinter. One wrote, 'Tebogo wearing that look that says, 'I'm the best in the world, deal with it!' I can't wait to see him race Noah Lyles and Kenny Bednarek again.' Another called him the 'Young boss of the 200m 🔥🔥🔥🔥' while someone else added, 'I like the Guy – humble and hard working 💪🏽 always rooting for him!' Despite fans rooting for his win, Lyles finished strong at the race with a time of 19.88 seconds, with Tebogo finishing second in 19.97 seconds. Lyles posted this success on his social media with the caption: ' Meeting Herculis. Diamond League Monaco. 200m | 19.88' View this post on Instagram A post shared by Noah Lyles (@nojo18) Netizens chimed in with praise, writing, 'Y'all really forgot that Noah only lost the 200 in the Olympic finals. He COOKED everyone in the 200 for literally 4 years straight. He owns the 200,' and 'This is how you make a comeback!🐐.' One fan joked, 'They named him Noah, because everyone else is on his ark,' while another added, 'He looks so relaxed and confident. Body motion is great, technique is good. Love what I am seeing.' () => { const trigger = if ('IntersectionObserver' in window && trigger) { const observer = new IntersectionObserver((entries, observer) => { => { if ( { lazyLoader(); // You should define lazyLoader() elsewhere or inline here // Run once } }); }, { rootMargin: '800px', threshold: 0.1 }); } else { // Fallback setTimeout(lazyLoader, 3000); } });

COE problem solved: Singaporeans can now own their dream car and park it in Johor Bahru, and even keep the car forever!
COE problem solved: Singaporeans can now own their dream car and park it in Johor Bahru, and even keep the car forever!

Independent Singapore

timean hour ago

  • Automotive
  • Independent Singapore

COE problem solved: Singaporeans can now own their dream car and park it in Johor Bahru, and even keep the car forever!

MALAYSIA: Ever fantasised about owning a Porsche or a Lamborghini, but your bank account keeps waking you up? Well, Singaporeans rejoice! You can now turn that dream into a four-wheeled reality — in Johor Bahru (JB). Thanks to a clever new venture, as reported by the Malay Mail , Carlogy Malaysia, a one-stop automotive lifestyle hub in Skudai that's rewriting the rules of car ownership for Singaporeans, car enthusiasts from across the Causeway can now buy, park, and pamper their prized vehicles, minus the dreaded Certificate of Entitlement (COE) price tag. Yes, you read that right: You can now own a car in Malaysia as a Singaporean and actually keep it for good. Dream cars without the dream-crushing COE In Singapore, owning a car isn't just a purchase — it's a privilege wrapped in bureaucracy and priced like a landed property. No thanks to the COE system, every car on the road comes with a 10-year expiry date, and the right to own that vehicle can cost well over S$100,000! That's more than the downpayment for a build-to-order (BTO) flat — and you don't even get to keep the car forever, but in Malaysia, the keys, the papers, the engine purr — it's all yours, permanently! Enter Carlogy: The pit stop for luxury and lifestyle At the heart of this smart motoring revolution are co-founders Heeraj Sharma and Regis Tia, who've turned their shared love of performance cars into a thriving cross-border business. Photo: TT/@carlogyy Located in Skudai — the sweet midpoint between Woodlands Checkpoint and Tuas Second Link — Carlogy Malaysia is like a five-star resort for cars. Think of it as your car's private man cave, complete with 24/7 security, air-conditioned storage, detailing services, and even a café for when you drop by for a weekend joyride. And you can even livestream your car via real-time CCTV from anywhere. Because what's the point of owning a Porsche or a Lamborghini if you can't lovingly stare at it during Zoom meetings, right? RM1,000 (S$290) for peace of mind? Sign us up! Storage isn't free, but it's far from the prices in Singapore. For RM700 (S$200) a month, you get standard storage. For RM1,000 (S$290), your vehicle rests in cool, air-conditioned luxury. That's still pocket change compared to what you'd pay in Singapore for just the parking lot. Photo: TT/@carlogyy And that doesn't even include the joy of not having your car ownership expire like an unlucky Tinder match after 10 years. Foreigners welcome (just don't bring your toys home) Now for the fine print: Yes, Singaporeans can own Malaysian-registered cars. The only catch is that you can't drive them back into Singapore. Singapore's Land Transport Authority strictly prohibits citizens, permanent residents, and long-term pass holders from using foreign-registered vehicles in the city-state, but for weekend drives, road trips, or track days up north, Johor and beyond are your personal playground. See also You can buy 4 Toyotas in the US for the price of a COE in SG Heeraj says that recreational driving in Malaysia is exciting — there's so much to explore, and we can't agree more, having experienced the Malaysian roads ourselves, from winding highlands to coastal highways. From paint jobs to paint protection film, they've got you covered Carlogy isn't just a parking lot with a fancy roof. It's a full-on auto spa and lifestyle centre. Need a wax? A full body wrap? Custom tint? Spray paint? Performance tuning? Or a full concierge service to send your car to your hotel in JB? Done, done, and done! Photo: TT/@carlogyy Regis Tia, who also hails from Singapore, said the business grew organically from Instagram, where fellow enthusiasts quickly caught wind of the idea. 'We provide such a service to avoid our customers, who are mainly Singaporeans, from being ripped off. Basically, Carlogy Malaysia provides car enthusiasts with a seamless experience from selection to purchase and driving,' the Malay Mail quoted him as saying. Community of car lovers, not just customers Carlogy's clientele is growing fast, with over 80 customers, mostly from Singapore, and they're not just buying Hondas — we're talking about BMWs, Porsches, and serious horsepower here. More than a service, Carlogy is becoming a lifestyle brand for a new generation of cross-border gearheads. 'Being car enthusiasts ourselves, we want to make it possible to ensure that our customers thoroughly enjoy the driving experience and leave the hassle of maintenance to us,' Tia added. Timing is everything — and Johor is heating up With the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone in the works and the Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link set to supercharge cross-border travel, Carlogy's timing is impeccable. As development on both sides of the Causeway ramps up, Heeraj and Tia are betting that more Singaporeans will see car ownership in Malaysia not just as a lifestyle choice, but a smart, financially sound one. So, who's this for? If you're a Singaporean who's ever groaned at the cost of car ownership or fantasised about a weekend ride without the fear of depreciation or COE renewal, Carlogy might just be your new favourite escape route. Photo: TT/@carlogyy And if you're thinking, 'But I don't need a Porsche or a Lambo,' don't worry — this isn't just about flexing. It's about passion, freedom, and finally being able to say, 'Yes, I own that car — and I get to keep it!' To find out more, head over to Carlogy's Instagram page @ or TikTok @carlogyy and prepare to be tempted by some very shiny things.

How to Watch the Wimbledon Men's Singles Final for Free: Carlos Alcaraz vs. Jannik Sinner
How to Watch the Wimbledon Men's Singles Final for Free: Carlos Alcaraz vs. Jannik Sinner

CNET

timean hour ago

  • Entertainment
  • CNET

How to Watch the Wimbledon Men's Singles Final for Free: Carlos Alcaraz vs. Jannik Sinner

Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner will play in the Wimbledon men's singles final on Sunday at 4 p.m. BST (11 a.m. ET or 8 a.m.) in London. Alcaraz is in the Wimbledon men's singles final for the third straight year after defeating American Taylor Fritz in four sets in the semifinals. His opponent, Sinner, will be making his first appearance in this Grand Slam final after crushing Novak Djokovic in straight sets, 6-3, 6-3, 6-4. The two finalists are building a high-calibre rivalry in Grand Slam finals. Alcaraz recently defeated Sinner in the French Open final at Roland Garros. However, Sinner -- a three-time Grand Slam champion himself -- is the last player to defeat Alcaraz at Wimbledon back in 2022 in the round of 16. But who will win Wimbledon 2025? Here's how you can watch the match with a VPN free trial or via a live TV streaming subscription. Read more: Wimbledon 2025: How to Watch a Free Tennis Livestream How to watch the Alcaraz-Sinner Wimbledon final for free If you're traveling or the match isn't available in your area, you can connect to a virtual private network, or VPN, to watch Alcaraz and Sinner in the Wimbledon men's singles final. A VPN routes your internet location to another country, which gives you access to sports and shows available there. Most paid VPNs have this capability, but when it comes to streaming sports, we recommend ExpressVPN. James Martin/CNET ExpressVPN Price $13 per month, $100 for the first 15 months (then $117 per year) or $140 for the first 28 months (then $150 per year) Latest Tests No DNS leaks detected, 18% speed loss in 2025 tests Network 3,000 plus servers in 105 countries Jurisdiction British Virgin Islands We recommend ExpressVPN as the best VPN for the Alcaraz-Sinner match, and any other sports games. It's reliable, safe and works on most personal devices. It costs $13 a month, but you may be able to sign up for a free trial to watch this match. If you like ExpressVPN and want to sign up for an annual subscription, you'll get three months free and save 49%. ExpressVPN also offers a 30-day money-back guarantee. 61% off with 2yr plan (+4 free months) See at ExpressVPN How to stream the Alcaraz vs. Sinner Wimbledon final for free with a VPN Sign up for a VPN or a free trial. We recommend ExpressVPN. Install the VPN on your phone or computer. Connect to a location server in the UK. Watch the game via BBC iPlayer (see below). Other ways to stream the Alcaraz vs. Sinner match in the US You can watch the Wimbledon men's singles final match on ESPN, ESPN 2 and ABC. If you don't have cable, these live TV streaming services also offer coverage of the tournament. How to watch the Wimbledon men's final match in the UK, Australia and Canada for free If you're not based in the US, here's how you can catch all the tournament action.

Mexico's O'Ward wins at Iowa in 100th career IndyCar start
Mexico's O'Ward wins at Iowa in 100th career IndyCar start

France 24

time39 minutes ago

  • Entertainment
  • France 24

Mexico's O'Ward wins at Iowa in 100th career IndyCar start

O'Ward took his first victory of the season by edging six-time Iowa winner Newgarden after 275 laps over the 0.894-mile (1.43km) Iowa Speedway oval in the first of two weekend races at Newton, Iowa. "This is great. We've been waiting for this one all year," O'Ward said. "It's crazy. My 50th race was also a win here in Iowa (in 2022) and that's the only other win I have here so it's a cool story." O'Ward overtook pole-sitter Newgarden on the last pit stop exchange and held him off after a restart with 10 laps remaining. "Josef is the master at these races. He rules around here so I knew we had to be spot on," O'Ward said. Newgarden led 232 laps but settled for second, followed by Penske Racing teammates Will Power of Australia and New Zealand's Scott McLaughlin, who started 27th and last after a qualifying crash but nearly made the podium. "We lost track position there and it was game over," Newgarden said. On lap 153, Newgarden surpassed 2,000 laps led at Iowa, the first time any driver has led that many laps at any IndyCar track. O'Ward had not won since last year at the Milwaukee oval. "This is awesome and we have another chance tomorrow," O'Ward said. "It would be really cool to double up." Spain's Alex Palou, who won the pole for Sunday's race, is the campaign points leader with six wins including the Indianapolis 500 but saw his lead shrink from 114 to 105 points, 461-356 over O'Ward. Pole-sitter Newgarden grabbed the lead at the start and O'Ward charged into second after the first set of pit stops. They stayed that way until Newgarden's last pit stop with 43 laps remaining. He returned to the track just behind O'Ward and the Mexican refueled and stayed ahead of Newgarden until US racer Nolan Siegel crashed, halting the race for outer wall repairs. That set up a restart with 15 laps remaining, but Britain's Callum brushed the outer wall to force another restart with 10 laps remaining, O'Ward speeding away and staying ahead to the finish.

Houston's VanVleet elected president of NBA players union
Houston's VanVleet elected president of NBA players union

France 24

time39 minutes ago

  • Business
  • France 24

Houston's VanVleet elected president of NBA players union

The 31-year-old undrafted American, who helped the Toronto Raptors win the NBA crown in 2019, signed with the Rockets in 2023 and averaged 14.1 points, 5.7 assists, 3.4 rebounds and 1.4 steals over 60 appearances with Houston last season. "It's truly an honor to be elected as president of the NBPA by my peers and I look forward to continuing to advocate for the best interest of all the members," VanVleet said. "With a deep appreciation for the complexities and challenges players face on all levels of their NBA journeys, I am committed to approaching this role with the passion, dignity, and dedication every player deserves." Nine-year NBA veteran VanVleet signed a two-year deal worth $50 million in June to stay with the Rockets. Van Vleet's four-year term as president began immediately, replacing Washington's C.J. McCollum after his four-year term was completed. McCollum will continue to serve on the executive committee in an advisory capacity. He served on the board as a vice president for three years from 2018-2021 and as president since then, helping the league return from the Covid pandemic in 2020 and completing a new collective bargaining agreement with the NBA in 2023. "It has been a privilege to serve on the NBPA executive committee for the past seven years and uniquely shape the business of our game," McCollum said. "I am encouraged by the future of the PA under Fred's leadership, as he has earned the basketball community's respect and has proven he's ready for this next step." NBPA executive committee members include Charlotte's Grant Williams and Mason Plumlee, Boston's Jaylen Brown, Memphis' Jaren Jackson, Cleveland's Donovan Mitchell, Toronto's Garrett Temple, New York's Karl Anthony Towns and Gabe Vincent of the Los Angeles Lakers.

Hongkongers use driving schools over border to get cheap licences illegally
Hongkongers use driving schools over border to get cheap licences illegally

South China Morning Post

timean hour ago

  • Automotive
  • South China Morning Post

Hongkongers use driving schools over border to get cheap licences illegally

Mainland Chinese middlemen are offering Hongkongers driving lessons and tests at nearly half the price of city rates and showing them how to convert permits into local licences, a practice that authorities have deemed illegal. Checks by the Post on popular mainland social media platform RedNote have found that a driving school in Shenzhen is offering tailor-made packages for Hong Kong residents, including ways to circumvent legal requirements. It charges 6,800 yuan (HK$7,422) for a driving course to obtain a licence in Shenzhen, including five test retakes within three years. In Hong Kong, it costs learner drivers at least HK$15,000 for lessons and other fees before taking the test. The process is also much faster in Shenzhen, where a licence can be attained within three months, compared with at least a year in Hong Kong, assuming a learner passes written and road tests. 'We will lend you our employees' addresses. They are real and reliable,' an agent with the driving school told a Post reporter pretending to be a potential customer. 'More than 1,000 Hongkongers have successfully used our service to obtain mainland driving licences and get them converted in Hong Kong in the past two years.

NZ's new AI strategy is long on 'economic opportunity' but short on managing ethical and social risk
NZ's new AI strategy is long on 'economic opportunity' but short on managing ethical and social risk

RNZ News

timean hour ago

  • Business
  • RNZ News

NZ's new AI strategy is long on 'economic opportunity' but short on managing ethical and social risk

By By Andrew Lensen* of Photo: Supplied/Callaghan Innovation The government's newly unveiled National AI Strategy is all about what its title said: "Investing with Confidence". It tells businesses that Aotearoa New Zealand is open for AI use, and that our "light touch" approach won't get in their way. The question now is whether the claims made for AI by Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology Shane Reti - that it will help boost productivity and enable the economy to grow by billions of dollars - can be justified. Generative AI - the kind powering ChatGPT, CoPilot, and Google's video generator Veo 3 - is certainly earning money. In its latest funding round in April, OpenAI was valued at US$300 billion . Nvidia, which makes the hardware that powers AI technology, just became the first publicly traded company to surpass a $4 trillion market valuation . It'd be great if New Zealand could get a slice of that pie. New Zealand doesn't have the capacity to build new generative AI systems, however. That takes tens of thousands of NVIDIA's chips, costing many millions of dollars that only big tech companies or large nation states can afford. What New Zealand can do is build new systems and services around these models, either by fine-tuning them or using them as part of a bigger software system or service. The government isn't offering any new money to help companies do this. Its AI strategy is about reducing barriers, providing regulatory guidance, building capacity, and ensuring adaptation happens responsibly. But there aren't many barriers to begin with. The regulatory guidance contained in the strategy essentially said "we won't regulate". Existing laws are said to be "technology-neutral" and therefore sufficient. As for building capacity, the country's tertiary sector is more under-funded than ever, with universities cutting courses and staff. Humanities research into AI ethics is also ineligible for government funding as it doesn't contribute to economic growth. The issue of responsible adoption is perhaps of most concern. The 42-page " Responsible AI Guidance for Businesses " document, released alongside the strategy, contains useful material on issues such as detecting bias, measuring model accuracy, and human oversight. But it is just that - guidance - and entirely voluntary. This puts New Zealand among the most relaxed nations when it comes to AI regulation, along with Japan and Singapore . At the other end is the European Union, which enacted its comprehensive AI Act in 2024, and has stood fast against lobbying to delay legislative rollout. The relaxed approach is interesting in light of New Zealand being ranked third-to-last out of 47 countries in a recent survey of trust in AI . In another survey from last year, 66 percent of New Zealanders reported being nervous about the impacts of AI . Some of the nervousness can be explained by AI being a new technology with well documented examples of inappropriate use, intentional or not. Deepfakes as a form of cyberbullying have become a major concern. Even the ACT Party, not generally in favour of more regulation, wants to criminalise the creation and sharing of non-consensual, sexually explicit deepfakes. Generative image, video, and music creation is reducing the demand for creative workers, even though it is their very work that was used to train the AI models. But there are other, more subtle issues, too. AI systems learn from data. If that data is biased, then those systems will learn to be biased, too. New Zealanders are right to be anxious about the prospect of private sector companies denying them jobs, entry to supermarkets , or a bank loan because of something in their pasts. Because modern deep learning models are so complex and impenetrable, it can be impossible to determine how an AI system made a decision. And what of the potential for AI to be used online to mislead voters and discredit the democratic process, as the New York Times has reported, may have occurred already in at least 50 cases. The strategy is essentially silent on all of these issues. It also doesn't mention Te Tiriti o Waitangi/Treaty of Waitangi. Even Google's AI summary tells me this is the nation's founding document, laying the groundwork for Māori and the Crown to coexist. AI, like any data-driven system, has the potential to disproportionately disadvantage Māori if it involves systems from overseas designed (and trained) for other populations. Allowing these systems to be imported and deployed in Aotearoa New Zealand in sensitive applications - healthcare or justice, for example - without any regulation or oversight risks worsening inequalities even further. What's the alternative? The EU offers some useful answers. It has taken the approach of categorising AI uses based on risk : This feels like a mature approach New Zealand might emulate. It wouldn't stymie productivity much - unless companies were doing something risky. In which case, the 66 percent of New Zealanders who are nervous about AI might well agree it's worth slowing down and getting it right. Andrew Lensen is a Senior Lecturer in Artificial Intelligence at Te Herenga Waka - Victoria University of Wellington -This story was originally published on The Conversation.

Reddit asks: 'Will we see an American man win the Wimbledon title anytime soon?'
Reddit asks: 'Will we see an American man win the Wimbledon title anytime soon?'

Independent Singapore

timean hour ago

  • Entertainment
  • Independent Singapore

Reddit asks: 'Will we see an American man win the Wimbledon title anytime soon?'

This year's Wimbledon is now coming to an end, and it surely brought intense matches and unexpected results in the past few weeks, both from men's and women's tennis. With this, fans around the world are watching and waiting to see who will be this season's title holders for both. It has been a while since an American athlete has successfully clinched a Wimbledon title. Knowing this, a Redditor curiously asked: 'Will we see an American man win the Wimbledon title anytime soon?' This question sparked an interesting discussion between fellow tennis enthusiasts. One redditor answered Taylor Fritz might have a shot, explaining: 'Fritz can win Wimbledon. It may take a fortunate draw or someone knocking off Sinner/Alcaraz before him, but he certainly can. Odds are that he won't, but that's true of almost everyone else, too.' This drew more responses from Redditors, with one saying, 'Yeah, going forward on grass I'd favour Fritz over everyone but Alcaraz/Sinner (assuming Novak is done in a year or two).' Another wrote, 'Let's see with Fritz, he's obviously been winning Eastbourne for years, but this is his first time in the semi-finals here, last US Open was his first time going past the quarters at any slam. He turns 28 later this year, no guarantee he has any kind of sustained period as a big threat at the top of the game.' Another redditor thinks that an American might win in the next five years and remarked: 'I actually do think an American man will win a major in the next five years, but I'm not gonna count on it happening at one slam in particular. Wimbledon is probably only the third most likely anyway.' However, there was a contradicting comment from one more redditor that shared: ' I don't think so. Tennis is too far down the list of popular sports in America, and the lifestyle and pay are relatively crap compared to the big 4 sports. Tennis does not get near America's best male athletes IMO. 'For women, it's different since it's the most financially lucrative sport.' A few more Redditors agreed with this take, commenting: 'Definitely not soon,' and 'Agree, it'll be at least until Alcaraz and Sinner are well past their prime. I see a new duopoly and don't see any of them being able to push through. It would have to take the circumstances like what allowed the Fed to win the French.' With young Alcaraz dominating the tournament, there were comments saying that this might only happen when the Spaniard changed his citizenship: 'Maybe if Alcaraz becomes an American citizen,' and 'Only if Sincaraz will become American 🤷🏻‍♂️.' Another Redditor offered a more analytical angle, suggesting a rephrased question: 'Maybe rephrase like this: How can any of those listed American players beat either Alcaraz or Sinner? What needs to change?' As expected, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner will battle against each other in the 2025 Wimbledon men's singles final. Their match is scheduled to happen on Jul 13, on Centre Court.

Money issues? The financial psychotherapist will see you now
Money issues? The financial psychotherapist will see you now

The Guardian

timean hour ago

  • Business
  • The Guardian

Money issues? The financial psychotherapist will see you now

I am surprised that Vicky Reynal, a financial psychotherapist, is soft and reaffirming when I meet her. Perhaps I shouldn't be – she is a therapist, after all. But something about her line of work, helping people untangle their issues with money, had primed me to expect someone more brisk, more clinical. I think of how many business executives she meets with, how prohibitively expensive her time must be, and how strong her boundaries probably are. I even panic at the thought of logging into our Zoom meeting one minute late, because time, after all, is money. Reynal, I'm sure, would find this compelling. She believes that we often have thoughts and feelings about money that actually have nothing to do with cold, hard cash, and everything to do with our earliest emotional experiences, deepest yearnings or misgivings. It can be frustrating, then, that Reynal won't talk much about herself. I'm genuinely curious – especially when I ask about her fascination with Warren Buffett, whom she has read extensively about and once met in person. She admits she was drawn to him growing up, but offers only vague hints as to why: references to formative financial experiences and the symbolic weight he held within her family, though she declines to elaborate. As a psychotherapist, she tries to obscure her own life from her clients, to prevent it obstructing their process. Anonymity, it turns out, is a very good therapeutic tool. 'People try to guess where I'm from, and their guesses tell me so much about their internal world. Some people who have very strict and ungiving parents guess that maybe I'm eastern European, because of how cold they perceive me to be. Others guess I am Mediterranean or South American – from a warm country – because of how loving and giving [they think] I am.' When Reynal was younger and went through therapy herself, she had a transformative experience working through some of the feelings about money. This, she thought, must be an area ripe for psychotherapeutic practice. But after nearly a decade studying psychology and psychotherapy, she was surprised to find that only a handful of research papers and textbooks directly focus on it. 'I thought, 'Wait a minute, we are talking about our relationship with food, with sex, with people, why aren't we talking about people's relationship with money?' It comes in the therapy room anyway, because it's part of leading a life and people get into all sorts of messes because of it – and as therapists we have the lens to understand that.' When Reynal began to explicitly market herself as a financial psychotherapist, she was suddenly overwhelmed by patients queueing up to talk to her. Her inbox was full of emails from would-be clients, telling her how relieved they were to find her. 'They were saying: 'I didn't know a money psychotherapist existed, and I need your help,'' she says. She sees some clients on a concession fee or a reduced rate, as they may be unemployed or struggling with debt. But others don't need it. These are patients who know what they need to do when it comes to money on a rational level, but they just can't bring themselves to do it: the client who obsessively buys shoes, or the one that can't bring himself to buy basic things like a coat in the winter, because he feels a deep and bewildering desire to deny himself nice things – despite having more than ample means to buy them. Others have more than enough cash, but can't find contentment. They come to her thinking: 'Maybe you won't judge me, for being wealthy and yet unhappy.' Finances are central to how we relate to the world. The way we deal with our income affects our families, shapes our conversations with partners, and can cast long shadows over our relationship to our parents. But as with so much in therapy, when people think they are coming to talk about money, it is actually not about the money at all. And beneath all that, it often reflects the lessons we absorbed growing up. 'It's just a language that we use, because I think it's easier to say: 'You are being stingy,' than to say: 'I wish you were more affectionate with me,' or 'I don't feel you love me enough,' or 'I love you more than you love me,'' says Reynal. She also meets clients who are struggling to make ends meet, who have the sense that they are being childish and impulsive with money – they feel belittled by the way that they spend. When Reynal raises this, I can't help but wonder whether her clients attach those negative descriptions to themselves because in the US and the UK, poverty is often described as being about bad choices rather than broader economic conditions. Most of us can point to relationships in our lives – certainly with ourselves – where the way in which we spend serves as a proxy for something deeper. The colleague who is a constant under-tipper, who feels hard done by despite always contributing least to the bill; the sibling who works like a dog but can never, ever ask for a raise; the friend who constantly feels on the edge of financial ruin, despite having more than enough. So what are the subconscious motivators beneath these interactions? Reynal will often see clients who come in to talk to her about one thing: for example, a recurring frustration that they are always too generous and give far beyond their means, even to the point that it leaves them feeling resentful and angry; which in turn leads to a conversation about people pleasing and where the urge to put others' needs first came from in their life. Those behaviours, it turns out – just like infidelity or drug use, or any of the more obvious topics that we associate with therapy – may originate from a time in our lives when we felt unsatisfied. An incredibly generous person might have struggled to fit in during their teenage years, while another's hunger for wealth might be due to an unmet need to be loved by their caregiver as a baby or feeling constantly rejected or dismissed as a child. 'They are non-obvious links on the surface … but they help us get to the real longing underneath, the real unmet desire.' Her practice has helped her understand broader shifts, too. She remains shocked at how social media use has led to an unprecedented level of lifestyle inflation. People are no longer comparing their lives with their neighbours, but to totally unattainable lifestyles displayed by people paid to look rich. 'There's this manic level of social comparison,' she says. 'People begin to believe that everyone has more money than they do. A lot of clients of mine are men who come under an enormous amount of pressure because they have taken on mortgages bigger than they could afford or cars that they couldn't afford. They have to accept that they have failed against their own standards, or the shame of not being able to provide what their family wanted or was hoping for.' In some ways, it's no surprise that many of her clients feel a sense of relief after finding her. These kinds of struggles aren't often met with much sympathy – especially in an economy where so many are simply trying to make ends meet. 'There's this idea that is quite common that money will fix everything. And of course, if you are struggling to pay your bills, money would make that better. But to make the leap that if people have money they must be happy, or they have no right to be unhappy – that's a big leap,' she says. She lists many of the ways that people struggle with wealth. Some clients have more than their families did, and self-sabotage as a result, perhaps believing they don't deserve it. They don't invoice clients properly for work, or feel guilty when there's a lot of money in their account. Others spend money extravagantly, almost to rid themselves of it. And in the therapy room she often learns about how the stories clients have heard growing up affect them: if their families thought of wealth as immoral or greedy, for example, what does that say about them if they become wealthy? But Reynal also stresses the many stabilizing and positive relationships people have with money – like feeling empowered after years of struggle, or wanting to be financially independent because it is freeing. 'It's not about stripping emotions out of financial decisions,' she says. 'It's about becoming aware of them.' In that sense, she invites readers to be inquisitive about their own attitudes towards money, how they spend it, and where their own beliefs about financial security come from. 'We can't all afford therapy. But opening up that curiosity can be enough: why am I buying this thing? Or why am I feeling guilty about spending money on that thing, if I have enough for it? What's the longing behind that?' she says. Some may think there are just a number of different ways to split the bill. But for those who look deeper, they may just find out something new about themselves.

Detroit's Skubal faces Pirates' Skenes in MLB All-Star Game
Detroit's Skubal faces Pirates' Skenes in MLB All-Star Game

France 24

timean hour ago

  • Entertainment
  • France 24

Detroit's Skubal faces Pirates' Skenes in MLB All-Star Game

Skubal, a 28-year-old American left-hander, ranks second in MLB with 153 strikeouts and shares second in the American League with a 2.23 earned-run average (ERA) as the Tigers own the best record in MLB at 59-37. Skubal, 10-3 this season, was last year's AL Cy Young Award winner as best pitcher after capturing the Triple Crown by leading the AL with 18 wins 228 strikeouts and a 2.39 ERA. He will become the first Tigers pitcher to start the MLB All-Star Game since Max Scherzer in 2013. Skenes, last year's National League Rookie of the Year, was the starter for the NL in the 2024 All-Star Game, pitching a scoreless inning in the AL's 5-3 victory. The 23-year-old US right-hander has the best ERA in MLB at 2.01 with a 4-8 record and 131 strikeouts in 121 innings for a Pirates' squad that stands 38-58, MLB's third-worst record overall.

Celebrity Xcel's Bora will cater to brunch and date nights
Celebrity Xcel's Bora will cater to brunch and date nights

Travel Weekly

timean hour ago

  • Entertainment
  • Travel Weekly

Celebrity Xcel's Bora will cater to brunch and date nights

Bora, an alfresco rooftop venue, will serve brunch onboard the Celebrity Xcel. It's a first for the line, as it looks to erase the boundaries between ship and shore. And in true brunch style, Bora will feature an over-the-top bloody mary bar, handcrafted cocktails and a selection of classic brunch favorites with a Mediterranean flair. In the evening, Bora will transition to a romantic rooftop restaurant designed for guests who want to dress up for a date night and dine under the stars. Bora is the second of seven culinary spaces the line has announced for the Celebrity Xcel. It is a specialty restaurant, and pricing is not yet available. Wild mushroom toast, feta, figs, Manuka honey and pickled onions served for brunch. Photo Credit: Gwen Pratesi Alfresco dining with Med in mind Bora will take the place of the Rooftop Garden Grill adjacent to the Rooftop Garden on the Edge-class ships. During a preview of Bora on the Celebrity Beyond, guests were mentally (unfortunately not physically) whisked away to the Greek Isles. Surrounded by vibrant pink bougainvillea and Santorini-inspired blue-and-white decor, Bora came to life with roaming musicians, street artists and lively music. Before we sat down for brunch, we were treated to a selection of Mediterranean-style appetizers, featuring an olive oil tasting with varietals from Italy, Greece and Spain. These were paired with a choice of several cocktails, including a classic Aperol spritz. The bloody mary bar, which Celebrity is touting as "the best at sea," offered an impressive selection of garnishes, with creative toppings like bacon doughnuts, cheese and charcuterie skewers, crispy bacon with Tajin spice, snow crab legs, mini grilled cheese sandwiches and barbecue-glazed meatballs. For bloody mary purists, there were mild and spicy versions (with or without Clamato) and traditional garnishes such as fresh and pickled vegetables and cocktail olives. At the end of brunch, there was a rousing moment when crew members danced and paraded through the restaurant, waving their napkins in the air to the popular Italian song "Bella Ciao." Guests joined in on the fun. Celebrity Cruises president Laura Hodges Bethge at the line's Bora event on the Celebrity Beyond. Photo Credit: Gwen Pratesi Dishes creative and familiar The menu, which is still evolving, was developed over the last 10 months by Sidney Semedo, Celebrity's senior director of culinary operations, and his team. Semedo said Bora was designed to evoke a feeling of being in the Med (and it does) with its food, presentation, staff, decor and entertainment. The restaurant will be "elegant, yet approachable and sophisticated, yet familiar," he said. Bora's menu also features opportunities for culinary exploration. Shakshuka, a dish with origins in North Africa, is a perfect example, with eggs poached in a cumin-seasoned tomato sauce served with avocado and sourdough toast. Two shareable plates on the brunch menu included lamb kofta with tabbouleh and wild mushroom toast. The croissant Benedict elevates a traditional breakfast sandwich with lemon-scented gravlax, ricotta spread and beetroot powder. But guests will still find familiar breakfast favorites, such as decadent French toast and eggs and biscuits -- again, with a Mediterranean twist. As for timing, the brunch concept neatly fills the gap between traditional breakfast hours and the traditional lunch selections that you'd find at the buffet or at the poolside Mast Grill. Couples can sleep in late (after all, it is a vacation), linger longer in their cabins or enjoy coffee on the balcony before heading up to the rooftop for brunch. On the menu at night In the evenings, Bora will become an intimate dinner setting with chef-led, tableside presentations. While Bora's brunch offerings are mostly individual and Instagrammable dishes, there's an emphasis on communal dining at night, where guests can order individual plates or a selection of shareable dishes. Specialties at Bora will include lamb tagine with saffron couscous and a selection of seafood dishes, such as seared branzino with garlic aioli, razor clams and carabinero prawns. Guests can also expect to be serenaded with Italian love songs and Greek ballads during the meal.

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