piccadilly circus london
Trump threatens 100% tariff on the BRIC bloc of nations if they act to undermine US dollar
Why Nordstrom (JWN) Shares Are Trading Lower Today
Geo Fact Check looks into claims of PTI supporters deaths during Islamabad protestZURICH (AP) — Saudi Arabia scored a major win in its campaign to attract major sports events to the kingdom when it was formally appointed as the 2034 World Cup host on Wednesday. Still, many questions remain about the tournament as well as the 2030 World Cup, which will be co-hosted by Spain, Portugal and Morocco, with three games in South America. Here are some of the key issues that need to be answered over the next decade: Saudi Arabia proposes 15 stadiums — eight still on paper — in five cities: Eight in the capital Riyadh, four in the Red Sea port city Jeddah, and one each in Abha, Al Khobar and Neom, the planned futuristic mega-project. Each would have at least 40,000 seats for World Cup games. The opening game and final are set for a 92,000-seat venue planned in Riyadh. Some designs are vivid . In Neom, the stadium is planned 350 meters (yards) above street level and one near Riyadh is designed to be atop a 200-meter cliff with a retractable wall of LED screens. Saudi Arabia aims to host all 104 games, though there has been speculation that some games could be played in neighboring or nearby countries. Surely not in the traditional World Cup period of June-July, when temperatures in Saudi Arabia routinely exceed 40 Celsius (104 degrees). FIFA moved the Qatar-hosted World Cup to November-December 2022, though those dates were not loved by most European clubs and leagues whose seasons were interrupted. Also, that slot is complicated in 2034 by the holy month of Ramadan through mid-December and Riyadh hosting the multi-sport Asian Games. January 2034 could be a possibility even though that would be just before the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. The International Olympic Committee has signaled it won’t be opposed to back-to-back major events. In an interview with The Associated Press on Wednesday, Saudi World Cup bid official Hammad Albalawi said the precise dates of the tournament are up the world soccer body. “That’s a decision by FIFA. We stand ready to be part of this conversation. But ultimately it’s a FIFA decision together with the confederations,” Albalawi said. Giving more rights and freedoms to women in a traditionally conservative society is fundamental to Saudi messaging around the modernization program known as Vision 2030. The kingdom decided in 2017 to let women attend sports events, initially in major cities and in family zones separate from men-only sections. By 2034, at the promised pace of social reforms, female fans should not be restricted. Saudi Arabia launched a women’s professional soccer league in 2022 with players joining from clubs in Europe. They face no restrictions playing in shorts and with hair uncovered. The Saudi prohibition of alcohol is clear and understood before FIFA signs any sponsor deals for 2034. But will there be any exceptions? The alcohol issue was problematic for the World Cup in Qatar because the expectation was created that beer sales would be allowed at stadiums even before Qatar won its bid in 2010. One year later, FIFA extended a long-time deal to have Budweiser as the official World Cup beer through 2022. Qatar then backtracked on that promise three days before the first game, causing confusion and the sense of a promise broken. In Qatar, alcohol was served only at luxury suites at the stadiums. Visitors could also have a drink in some hotel bars. But Saudi Arabia has even stricter rules on alcohol — and there is no indication that will change. Albalawi noted that Saudi Arabia has successfully hosted dozens of sports events where alcohol wasn't served. “We’re creating a safe and secure family environment for fans to bring their families into our stadiums,” he said. Saudi promises to reform and enforce labor laws, and fully respect migrant workers, have been accepted by FIFA but face broad skepticism from rights groups and trade unions. A formal complaint is being investigated by the U.N.-backed International Labor Organization. Protecting the migrant workers needed to build stadiums and other tournament projects — a decade after it was a defining issue for Qatar — looms as a signature challenge for Saudi Arabia. Saudi-Israeli relations had been improving when FIFA all but gave the 2034 World Cup to the kingdom on Oct. 4 last year. Three days later Hamas attacked Israel and diplomacy got more complicated. Any soccer federation bidding to host a FIFA tournament accepts a basic principle that whichever team qualifies is welcome. That did not stop Indonesia putting up barriers last year to Israel coming for the men’s Under-20 World Cup. Indonesia does not have formal diplomatic relations with Israel which had qualified through a European tournament nine months before the issue flared. FIFA moved the entire tournament to Argentina and the Israeli team reached the semifinals. Israel played at the 1970 World Cup but has never advanced through qualifying in Europe, where it has been a member of UEFA for 30 years. Europe should have 16 places in the 48-team World Cup in Saudi Arabia. Most of the attention at the FIFA Congress on Wednesday was on the Saudi decision, but the soccer body and its members also formally approved the hosts of the 2030 World Cup — the most spread out and longest ever. One game each in Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay, the original host in 1930, will be played from June 8-9. The tournament resumes four days later for the other 101 games shared between Spain, Portugal and Morocco. Six countries, three continents, multiple languages and currencies. Fans traveling on planes, trains, automobiles and boats across about 14 kilometers (10 miles) of water between Spain and Morocco. The final is due on July 21, 2030 and a decision on where it will be played could cause some tension between the host countries. Morocco wants it in the world’s biggest soccer venue — the planned 115,000-seat King Hassan II Stadium in Casablanca. Spain, meanwhile, has proposed to host the final in either of the remodeled home stadiums of club giants Real Madrid or Barcelona. Associated Press writer Baraa Anwer in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, contributed to this report.
I definitely know I’ve got it – Lewis Hamilton insists he can still competeIreland has bucked the European trend of elections going against incumbent governments, with two of the parties in its ruling coalition in pole position to lead the next parliament. An exit poll showed an appetite for change, with 60% backing opposition parties. But the prospect of an alternative left-leaning government still looks unlikely to materialise. The poll showed leftwing, nationalist Sinn Féin slightly ahead, with 21.1% of first-preference votes, followed by the two main parties in the outgoing coalition, centre-right Fine Gael at 21% and centre-right Fianna Fáil at 19.5%. But with both those parties ruling out a partnership with Sinn Féin , they remain favourites to form the next government. They are expected to get between 30 and 40 seats each, which, with a third party, could make the 87 seats needed for a majority. The deputy leader of the Social Democrats, Cian O’Callaghan, said early tallies suggested it would emerge as the fourth biggest party, with more than eight seats. Making an early pitch for a role in a coalition, he said: “This is our best election in our nine years. After the results are all in, we will talk to all parties. We talked to Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael last time, and we will again this time round.” Arriving at the main count centre in Dublin, Sinn Féin’s leader, Mary Lou McDonald, was met with a chaotic media scrum. Flanked by the party’s leader in Northern Ireland, Michelle O’Neill, she declared her intention to try to create a government, saying the result had given Sinn Féin the same legitimacy as the two established parties. “Two-party politics is now gone,” she said. “It’s been consigned to the dustbin of history. That, in itself, is very significant. The question now arises for us: what do we do with that? And we are clear that we want to change people’s lives. I believe another five years of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael is bad news for society.” The biggest upset is expected to be the wipeout of the Green party, which, with 12 seats, had been the third partner in the outgoing coalition. By Saturday evening, they looked to have lost nearly all their seats, with leader Roderic O’Gorman also in danger. Migration, an inflammatory issue in many recent elections in Europe , failed to fire up the electorate, with an exit poll showing it was the top priority for just 6% of voters, despite violent clashes over asylum seekers in the last year. Housing and homelessness was the the top issue, followed by the cost of living, health and the economy. Counting of votes in the 43 constituencies began at 9am on Saturday but with Ireland’s proportional representation system final results may not be known until Sunday night or Monday. The Green party’s former leader, Eamon Ryan, said he had been “sharing commiserations” with colleagues but “holding heads high”. He told RTÉ: “Change is difficult. Sometimes, when you’re driving change, it upsets things. ... I think in a general election people were voting for government and maybe we were caught in that squeeze. People who wanted to retain the current government have voted Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael and not us.” The tallies suggest potential trouble for Fianna Fáil in Wicklow, where the party’s only candidate in the constituency – the health minister, Stephen Donnelly – is in danger of losing his seat. Sign up to Observed Analysis and opinion on the week's news and culture brought to you by the best Observer writers after newsletter promotion Jack Chambers, the departing Fianna Fáil finance minister, said the national result was “too close to call” but said the exit poll showed the public did not want the “volatility” that had spread in other countries on the back of the rise of the far right. Gary Murphy, a professor of politics at Dublin City University, told RTÉ:“I think there is a problem that Irish politics has faced since the fragmentation and the economic crash in 2011 – that now we’re not sure who’s going to be in government.” Fine Gael’s director of elections, Olwyn Enright, said the exit poll had been a “positive” prediction for the party, but that she had been “surprised” with survey results that put Sinn Féin’s McDonald as the preferred taoiseach against the incumbent, Simon Harris, who had a difficult final campaign week. In the poll, 34% said they would like McDonald to be taoiseach against 27% for Harris. The inconclusive results mean that all eyes will now turn to the search for coalition partners. Government formation talks could take weeks – with, possibly, no new government until January. Elsewhere, the election threw up surprises. In Dublin Central, Gerry Hutch, a gangland figure released from bail recently in Spain to run for election, looked to be in contention for the last of four seats. Social Democrat Gary Gannon, a certainty for the third seat behind Fine Gael’s Paschal Donohoe and McDonald, said “austerity from the financial crash” had destroyed some communities, which felt a “real sense of loss and pain over housing and poverty” that the current government had failed to fix in the last five years. As the postmortem into the election began, Bríd Smith of the socialist party People Before Profit–Solidarity blamed Sinn Féin for not setting out a narrative of change stronger and earlier. Another small party, the conservative republican party Aontú, said the country needed alternatives. Its leader, Peadar Tóibín, told RTÉ that Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, two parties that emerged from the ashes of the civil war in the 1920s, were “becoming one party in many ways” and impossible to distinguish from each other.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — The St. Petersburg City Council voted Thursday to spend more than $23 million to repair the hurricane-shredded roof of Tropicana Field , with the goal of having the home of the Tampa Bay Rays ready for the 2026 season. The vote followed a decision earlier this week by the Pinellas County Commission to delay until December a vote on revenue bonds needed to finance a new, $1.3 billion Rays ballpark, a project that is in serious jeopardy according to Rays executives. “I can't say I'm confident about anything,” Rays co-president Brian Auld told the council members, who were scheduled later Thursday to vote on their own bonds to pay their share of the new stadium. The Trop's translucent fiberglass roof was ripped to pieces on Oct. 9 when Hurricane Milton swept ashore just south of Tampa Bay. There was also significant water damage inside the ballpark, with a city estimate of the total repair costs pegged at $55.7 million. The extensive repairs cannot be finished before the 2026 season, city documents show. The Rays made a deal with the Yankees to play next season at 11,000-seat Steinbrenner Field, New York's spring training home across the bay in Tampa. Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred said MLB wants to give the Rays and Tampa-area politicians time to figure out a path forward given the disruption caused by the hurricane. Assuming Tropicana Field is repaired, the Rays are obligated to play there for three more seasons. “We’re committed to the fans in Tampa Bay,” Manfred said at an owners meeting. “Given all that’s happened in that market, we’re focused on our franchise in Tampa Bay right now.” The vote Thursday was to get moving on the roof portion of the repair. Once that's done, crews could begin working on laying down a new baseball field, fixing damaged seating and office areas and a variety of electronic systems — which would require another vote to approve money for the remaining restoration. The city previously voted to spend $6.5 million to prevent further damage to the unroofed Trop. Several council members said before the vote on the $23.7 million to fix the roof that the city is contractually obligated to do so. “I don’t see a way out of it. We have a contract that’s in place,” council member Gina Driscoll said. “We’re obligated to do it. We are going to fix the roof.” The council voted 4-3 to approve the roof repair. Members who opposed it said there wasn't enough clarify on numerous issues, including how much would be covered by the ballpark's insurance and what amount might be provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. They also noted that city residents who are struggling to repair their homes and businesses damaged by hurricanes Helene and Milton are dismayed when they see so many taxpayer dollars going to baseball. “Why are we looking to expend so much money right away when there is so much uncertainty?” council member Richie Floyd said. The new Rays ballpark — now likely to open in 2029, if at all — is part of a larger urban renovation project known as the Historic Gas Plant District, which refers to a predominantly Black neighborhood that was forced out to make way for construction of Tropicana Field and an interstate highway spur. The broader $6.5 billion project would transform an 86-acre (34-hectare) tract in the city’s downtown, with plans in the coming years for a Black history museum, affordable housing, a hotel, green space, entertainment venues, and office and retail space. There’s the promise of thousands of jobs as well. St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch, a prime mover behind the overall project, said it's not time to give up. “We believe there is a path forward to success,” the mayor said. AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
Luxurious gifts and artsy optionsIt has been years since Tristan Warmsley was a student in San Francisco’s Visitacion Valley, but she says the challenges her current counterparts face are similar. Warmsley said there has “always been community struggles, like food insecurity, housing insecurity, and gun violence” in the southeastern neighborhood. “When I was younger, gun violence was very prevalent, and so I just had to learn early on to be hyper aware of my surroundings,” she said. “I still hear about these things [from students], and it’s hard, and it can be heavy sometimes.” Now, Warmsley is “coming full circle” while helping students through those heavy feelings, having stood in their shoes before. The Lowell High School graduate works as a site coordinator for Real Options for City Kids , a nonprofit seeking to provide children with the presence of a trusted adult when they might not otherwise have one in their home or school lives. Warmsley participated in the nonprofit’s programs as a student. Although Warmsley once stood in her students’ shoes, she said they face unique challenges today. Understaffing in special education has elevated the nonprofit’s importance, she said, as have the threat of public-school closures in The City . “Consistency is key, and when SFUSD doesn’t have the resources to remain consistent, it impacts our kids,” she said. “Whatever resources are lacking [at the district], like a classroom teacher or [paraeductor], directly affects our students and then impacts the way they show up in after-school programs, for example.” Research from the National Alliance on Mental Illness demonstrates the impact of one-on-one, consistent adult support on students struggling with trauma, social anxiety and feelings of isolation: Children who meet regularly with a trusted adult display less risk-taking behavior, higher self-esteem and improved physical and mental health. Today, R.O.C.K. serves over 900 San Francisco Unified School District and operates mainly in The City’s southeast neighborhoods, concentrating on Visitacion Valley and El Dorado Elementary schools, as well as Visitacion Valley Middle School. Its programs provide students with activities such as after-school sports and weekend field trips, as well as tutoring and individualized academic and emotional support. The program has expanded in size and scope over the years, but its mission remains the same: provide students with meaningful activities and one-on-one academic and emotional support, depending on what the individual student needs, to help them thrive in the classroom and at home. “Since our inception, our model has been to go where our kids are — their schools,” R.O.C.K. Executive Director Curt Yagi told The Examiner. The nonprofit works with school principals to fill gaps in programming, offering services during the school day, after it, and on the weekends. Yagi said the focus is on early-intervention methods that keep children healthy, motivated and busy. R.O.C.K. recently launched a literacy program at El Dorado, for instance, but Yagi said nonprofit staff assess the “whole child to meet them where they are.” “Academic success is always going to be a high-priority need among our students,” Yagi said. “However, it is not as simple as providing additional academic resources for students and teachers.” One-on-one support for students remains R.O.C.K.’s “sweet spot,” Warmsley said. An alumnus of Visitacion Valley Elementary and Middle schools herself, Warmsley said the challenges her students face can manifest differently. “These kids are so smart, and there’s some 6-year-olds that would be able to voice it for you,” she said. “And then there’s some where you see it come out as physical behaviors, but we never assume that the student is trying to be intentionally [disruptive].” Researchers have found a parallel between adverse childhood experiences and disruptive behavior in school that, if left unchecked and unsupported, can present mental and physical issues well into adulthood. A UCSF study released last year found that childhood trauma has lifelong consequences . Children who experienced or witnessed traumatic events, particularly violence, were more likely to have both physical and cognitive issues in adulthood, and display less-matured cognitive abilities than their peers. A lack of familial resources or community support — coupled with financial burdens like housing and food insecurity — could lead young people grappling with childhood trauma into the throes of addiction or homelessness , UCSF Psychiatrist Nicki Bush previously told The Examiner. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control underscores the importance of youth-serving organizations like R.O.C.K. as early intervention programs for students experiencing trauma. According to the agency, community organizations can provide services like crisis intervention, therapy, and family-centered treatment to reduce harm and break the cycle of adversity. R.O.C.K. staff like Warmsley often act as a liaison between parents and educators, Yagi said, which helps students feel more secure and supported throughout the school day. “In order for students to succeed, it’s important to create a healthy environment by removing any and all barriers to learning,” Yagi said. “We try to engage our families as much as possible, if parents are bought into what we are trying to accomplish, our students have a greater chance of succeeding.” R.O.C.K.’s approach to lowering barriers for students who are more disadvantaged than their peers is a simple one, and the model is now being explored by state-level politicians. California Gov. Gavin Newsom directed $4.1 billion over 10 years toward the California Community Schools Partnership Program , which funds mental wellness initiatives, tutoring and nutrition programs at select public schools. But school districts across the state grapple with budget deficits that shrink resources for students, and youth-serving nonprofits have felt the pinch, too. While Gov. Newsom’s investment in community schools has buoyed R.O.C.K. and similar programs, Yagi said the nonprofit will have to increase private fundraising efforts — which amount to roughly 30% of R.O.C.K. ‘s revenue — to match its “always-increasing expenses.” Yagi said he’d like to see the program expand to high schools in The City, and while he “used to have visions of expanding programs outside of Visitacion Valley,” he said he wants the program to remain serving The City’s southeastern neighborhoods. “The positive impact we have had by digging our heels deeper into our community are difficult to ignore,” he said. Yagi said he enjoys seeing alumni like Warmsley come back to serve students through R.O.C.K. Three other managers are also alumni of the program, he said, and Yagi himself started as a volunteer 26 years ago. “Hearing our alumni speak to how their experiences in our programs shaped their lives is fulfilling to me, and demonstrates our long-term impact on our kids,” he said.
SailGP Season 5: AI Cameras to Get Viewers Closer to the Action
After an incredible inaugural season, the Professional Women’s Hockey League, the PWHL, is back. Fans were ready on Saturday evening for the Montreal Victoire to hit the ice against the Ottawa Charge at Place Bell in Laval for their home opener.