Sports
Injured Musetti withdraws from Wimbledon

Injured Musetti withdraws from Wimbledon

Italian tennis player Lorenzo Musetti has pulled out of Wimbledon, it was announced on ‌Wednesday. Italian Lorenzo Musetti pulled out of Wimbledon on ‌Wednesday as he ​continued to ‌recover from the thigh ‌injury ⁠that ‌meant the ‌former world number five ⁠also missed the French Open.Musetti, who reached the Wimbledon semi-finals in 2024, has not played since he fell to ​Casper Ruud in the fourth round of the Italian ‌Open in Rome ⁠in ​mid-May."I want to update ​you on my recovery from the injury I sustained in Rome: rehabilitation is going very well and the medical results are encouraging," the 24-year-old Musetti ‌wrote on ‌Instagram."Unfortunately, as ⁠I have not yet ⁠been ⁠able to begin a full athletic training program, and after careful evaluation, we have come to the ​difficult conclusion that I will not be able to participate in Wimbledon this year.""It is not an easy decision, but it is the right ‌one." Related Story

Sports
Laver Cup to be played in Los Angeles in 2027

Laver Cup to be played in Los Angeles in 2027

The Laver Cup, an annual showdown of men's tennis stars pitting Team Europe against Team World, will be played next year in Los Angeles, organizers announced on Wednesday. The Intuit Dome in suburban Inglewood, home to the NBA's Los Angeles Clippers, will host the competition on September 24-26, 2027. Team Europe owns a 5-3 lead in the all-time rivalry but Team World has won three of the past four meetings entering this year's event in London in September, part of the ATP Tour calendar. Intuit Dome hosted February's NBA All-Star Game and will be the venue for basketball at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. "Los Angeles is one of the world's leading destinations for major sporting events," Laver Cup chief executive officer Steve Zacks said. "We can think of no better city and venue to host the 10th edition of the Laver Cup." Opened in August 2024 in Inglewood, California, Intuit Dome is the state-of-the-art home arena that was built with a privately funded $2 billion investment by owner Steve Ballmer. The 18,000-seat venue is engineered for an intense, "fan-first" basketball experience, experts say. The arena's design brings spectators exceptionally close to the action. Its defining structural feature is the Halo Board, a massive, double-sided 4K LED scoreboard stretching almost a full acre. For a passionate home-court advantage, the venue features "The Wall," an uninterrupted 51-row cheering section reserved exclusively for Clippers fans. Focused on convenience, the facility utilizes biometric and facial recognition technology for a completely cashless, ticketless, and frictionless experience. It also boasts three times the NBA average for restrooms to eliminate wait times. Operating with high sustainability standards, the all-electric, LEED Platinum-certified venue features an iconic gridshell exterior.  Related Story

News
UAE Floating Hospital receives five new patients from Gaza Strip

UAE Floating Hospital receives five new patients from Gaza Strip

The UAE Floating Hospital at Al Arish Port in the Arab Republic of Egypt has received five patients and injured Palestinians from the Gaza Strip for medical care and treatment, as part of the UAE's

Sports
Messi says his tears after first goal were caused by pers…

Messi says his tears after first goal were caused by pers…

An emotional Lionel Messi was wiping his tears with his shirt after scoring Argentina's ‌first goal against Algeria in the World Cup, ​a strike ⁠that marked the beginning of ‌a memorable performance where ‌he scored

News
Trump and Pezeshkian could sign peace deal, says Iranian …

Trump and Pezeshkian could sign peace deal, says Iranian …

The Iranian Foreign Ministry suggested late on Wednesday that the deal with the United States could be signed by Presidents Donald Trump and Masoud Pezeshkian.Such an signing ceremony would represent a major step for the

Entertainment
Lil Nas X Shares Health Update After Rehab Stint, Arrest

Lil Nas X Shares Health Update After Rehab Stint, Arrest

Lil Nas X I'm Back On Track After Rehab!!! Published June 17, 2026 11:19 AM PDT Play video content Lil Nas X is giving fans a rare health update ... and by the sounds of

Entertainment
‘Matlock’ Staffer Sues Creator and Writers for Hostile Work Environment

‘Matlock’ Staffer Sues Creator and Writers for Hostile Work Environment

'Matlock' Creator & Writers Sued for Hostile Work Environment ... Allegedly Made Racist, Sexually Explicit Remarks Published June 17, 2026 10:36 AM PDT More legal drama on the set of “Matlock” ... this time, a

Sports
USADA rips WADA over plan for test changes at big events

USADA rips WADA over plan for test changes at big events

US Anti-Doping Agency chief executive officer Travis T. Tygart criticized World Anti-Doping Agency officials on Tuesday over plans to change testing at major events, allowing sport federations a greater role.WADA unveiled ideas for change among 19 recommendations in a report by its Working Group on National Anti-Doping Organizations Operational Independence (WGOI).'It has been reported that some stakeholders, including athletes, perceive that there's a potential conflict of interest where a NADO (national anti-doping organization) is solely responsible for doping control for its country's international-level athletes,' the report said.'It's therefore important to consider whether this perception may be overcome by putting in place mechanisms that mitigate the perceived risk, with a view to strengthening the overall anti-doping system and stakeholder trust, particularly amongst athletes.'Among the ideas would be having international sport federations play a larger role in anti-doping measures, which drew Tygart's ire.'WADA leaders' intent to push aside truly independent national anti-doping organizations and hand control back to sport and sport service providers at major events is a dangerous step backwards and risks compromising the fairness of major events and athletes' right to fair competition,' Tygart said in a statement.'Dressing this up as progress is an attempt to pull the wool over the eyes of clean athletes, fans, and the public who deserve real independence, real accountability, and a system that protects them -- not one that protects sport from scrutiny and the global anti-doping watchdog from accountability.'Tygart also noted a Monday letter by Sara Carter, director of the US Office of National Drug Control Policy, that worried WADA would diminish NADOs and undercut confidence in doping tests before the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.Carter urged WADA to reject any use of the WGOI Report as a springboard to major changes in the global anti-doping program.Tygart called the plans 'another slap in the face by WADA leadership to all athletes who commit to competing clean and nations that enforce the rules consistently and fairly.'The report's 19th recommendation was to deal with anti-doping groups from a host nation deal with their own nation's athletes.It would define roles for sport federations and event organizers in the doping control program, with the national anti-doping program not involved or contract to develop or monitor testing plans or selection of athletes for testing, test administration and results.'Rather, these functions will be carried out by an independent, non-partisan body, removing the possibility of an actual or perceived conflict of interest or bias,' the report said.js/dmc

News
US would help India against any attack, Trump assures Modi

US would help India against any attack, Trump assures Modi

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday said the United States would help India if it came under attack, offering one of his strongest public statements on defence ties with New Delhi during a meeting with

Sports
‘Believer’ Marquez out to chase MotoGP leader Bezzecchi at Brno

‘Believer’ Marquez out to chase MotoGP leader Bezzecchi at Brno

Seven-time MotoGP champion Marc Marquez will seek to narrow the gap on championship leader Marco Bezzecchi at Brno this weekend with a boost from a mighty comeback to racing.The 33-year-old Spaniard on a Ducati sat out two Grand Prix in May with a broken foot, but he returned in style with a race-spint double at the Balaton Park circuit in Hungary in early June.He capitalised on an early crash as championship runner-up Jorge Martin on an Aprilia had taken out his teammate Bezzecchi and three other riders in the first corner.Both Martin and Bezzecchi withdrew and Martin will serve a double long-lap penalty at Brno as a result - a penalty Aprilia Racing head Massimo Rivola said could have been even 'stronger and harsher'.Ahead of the Czech MotoGP, Bezzecchi sits atop the overall rankings with 180 points from eight of the season's 22 races of which he has won four, while Martin in second has managed 160.Third-placed Fabio Di Giannantonio with 138 points was also involved in the crash, but he rejoined the race and finished 12th.Marquez in fifth overall has collected 108 points after his 100th MotoGP win in Hungary, which was also the 100th top-class win for Ducati.'I'm a believer, I try to do my 100 percent and I need to try. I feel I'm still far from my performance, the way I want to ride, but I'm still fast,' Marquez told MotoGP after his first win of the season.But he admitted the latest injury - on the heels of recurrent problems with a broken arm that plagued him for years - did not allow him to race the way he wants.'The comeback is still not finished,' Marquez said.'It depends a lot (on) Brno and Assen and then on the summer break. I still need to reach my new 100 percent... but of course, you know me: if I'm here, it's to fight -- every race, every practice.' 'Close the chapter'Bezzecchi made it clear his motivation had grown following the Balaton Park crash from which he emerged with bruises.'What a shame,' the 27-year-old Italian wrote in his blog 'Simply the Bez'.'I watched the race about ten times - I didn't remember much of it because of the adrenaline, so I had to go back and watch everything from the start. Nice to do, but then you close the chapter and move on.''Fortunately nobody was seriously hurt, just a few bruises. We'll make up for it at Brno,' Bezzecchi added.Last year, Marquez took a double at Brno, the Czech Republic's second largest city after Prague, beating Bezzecchi in the race for his fourth MotoGP victory there.Marquez's younger brother Alex, ninth overall, is planning a return at Brno after missing two Grand Prix with a broken collarbone and a 'marginal' vertebra fracture following a crash in the Catalan GP in May.Brno returned to the MotoGP calendar last year after a five-year break due to financial woes and following a revamp of the track that made it much faster.The MotoGP circus has three races to go before the summer break.