LAFC was eliminated from the FIFA Club World Cup after Denis Bouanga had a penalty saved deep into stoppage time of a 1-0 loss to Esperance Sportive de Tunis in Nashville on Friday.
The victory takes Esperance level with Chelsea in Group D, after the Premier League side lost 3-1 to Brazil‘s Flamengo earlier on Friday.
Youcef Belaïli put the Tunisian side in front in the 70th minute but LAFC looked set to level and keep its hopes alive going into the final round of games when referee Espen Eskas awarded a late spot kick following a video review, ruling Khalil Guenichi had felled Marlon in the area.
But Bouanga drove his ensuing penalty kick into the dive of Ben Said, to confirm the exit of LAFC, which gained its place after winning a playoff with Club América just three weeks ago.
The winner of Esperance’s meeting with Chelsea on Tuesday in Philadelphia will move on to the knockout phase, with Chelsea advancing on a draw based on superior goal differential. Esperance’s victory on Friday confirmed Flamengo’s place in the round of 16.
Information from Field Level Media was used in this report.
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum gave fans a glimpse at her romance with her new boyfriend—whom she has not named publicly—describing how she knew she’d met her perfect match.
“He is really sweet and kind,” the 43-year-old said during the June 20 episode of her and Erika Jayne’s Diamonds in the Rough podcast. “He came and picked us up this week from the show, and he could tell that I was down. He sat and watched one million hours of horse show rounds. He’s just a good guy.”
The reality star, who is battling stage 4 cancer, further explained that she gave her boyfriend the option to tap out of the relationship if her hectic schedule became too much for him, though he has yet to take her up on the offer.
“If for some reason you realize you need somebody that doesn’t have three kids, one million activities to do, 87 podcasts, you want more time than I’m able to give? I would not be mad at you for not even a second,” she continued. “He’s like, ‘I am willing to do anything to be able to spend time with you.’”
King Charles has recorded a warm personal message to researchers in Antarctica celebrating a frozen Midwinter’s Day, with the King praising their work in understanding climate change.
This marks the 70th anniversary of the BBC’s Antarctic Midwinter Broadcast, which sends a morale-raising message to remote research stations in the depths of their winter.
“Each observation, measurement and calculation you undertake adds to the world’s understanding of the Earth’s fragile systems,” says the King’s message.
Alex Rootes, who leads the UK’s Rothera research base, says it’s an honour to have recognition for their work “at the cutting edge of science in a really difficult part of the world to operate”.
While much of the UK swelters in the summer heat, Antarctica is celebrating an icy Midwinter’s Day without any sun and with driving snow.
“With the sun shying away from your horizon today, I particularly wanted to send my warmest good wishes,” says the King, who praises the researchers’ “critically important work”.
The King, a longstanding environmental campaigner, speaks of his appreciation for the scientists’ “resilience and commitment” as they track changes in the ice in Antarctica, examining the “role humanity plays, as we struggle to live in harmony with nature”.
The broadcast from the BBC World Service is part of the traditional Midwinter celebrations for scientists at these isolated bases.
King Charles becomes the first monarch to be part of this annual broadcast – with a message praising the British Antarctic Survey, which he says is “more vital than ever, telling us stories of the past, the present and possible futures”.
The British Antarctic Survey has described Antarctica as a “barometer of environmental change”, as its researchers extract and analyse the ice core to see changes in climate over hundreds of thousands of years.
Alex Rootes is one of 41 researchers at Rothera who will be listening to the broadcast in Antarctica, a location so remote that it’s a thousand miles to the nearest hospital. Also in this very bespoke audience have been researchers at bases in Bird Island and South Georgia.
Mr Rootes told the BBC it was currently warmer than usual in Antarctica, at -2c, but it can be tough to cope without any daylight, which makes it even more important to have a community celebration for Midwinter.
“At this time of year when the darkness has really closed in, it’s very easy psychologically for people to withdraw into themselves. It’s a really vital part of our mental health provision that people have something like this, which people really look forward to,” he says.
The traditions for Midwinter Day are something similar to having Christmas in June, including giving presents, a big dinner and watching the same film each year.
The seasonal favourite is The Thing, a 1980s sci-fi horror film about a group of scientists in Antarctica under threat from an unknown presence. Mr Rootes says it’s now part of the ritual of the day.
This is the southern winter solstice, the shortest day in their location, more than 1,000 miles south of the southern tip of South America.
This year at the Rothera base there are plans for a 10km (6.2 miles) fun run, if the conditions allow. It’s one way of chilling out.
The annual BBC broadcast becomes a connection with home, with messages sent by the researchers’ families and selections of their favourite music.
But Mr Rootes says the King’s message will be an important endorsement of their work, as they check on marine life and measure changes in the ice, linked to climate change.
“It’s lovely to feel like we have the King talking to us and recognising us in this remote community,” he said.
Neighbors are concerned after a Southern California man said his two gardeners were reportedly taken by federal immigration agents as they were working outside his home.
On Thursday morning, Christopher Ames said his gardeners were mowing the lawn outside his house in Ontario, Calif. His neighbors, who had witnessed the men being taken into custody, quickly alerted him to the incident.
“They left the lawnmower running right here on the front lawn,” Ames said. “They threw my gardeners’ phones in their [work truck], along with the car keys, left everything open and just took off.”
Neighbors who learned of the arrests said they were a bit stunned.
“I just think that’s wrong,” Ames told Nexstar’s KTLA. “This is not the way we treat people, and this is not the way this country should be acting.”
The reported incident comes amid mass Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids across the region as protests have roiled Los Angeles this month.
Around 200 Marines have been deployed to the city and over 2,000 California National Guard troops are also on the ground amid the unrest. At least 330 immigrants have been arrested since the raids began, according to the White House.
Late Thursday night, one of the gardeners’ family members, a man named Luis, arrived at the Ontario house to drive the work truck back home.
Luis said the two men were reportedly taken by agents with ICE, and they have not been able to contact them.
“They were my family, and we’re living in fear,” he said.
A neighbor named Rose said she watched the arrests from her home across the street.
“I understand people are just doing their jobs and people are here illegally,” she said. “I get the entire picture. But to be scooped up in such a way, I just hope that they had the opportunity to reach out to their families.”
With the men’s cellphones left behind, Rose said she is concerned they would have no way to contact loved ones to let them know of their detainment, leaving them in distress.
“As a mom and a wife, if I’m expecting someone to come home and they don’t come home and I have no way of reaching them or finding them, that’s the scary part,” she said.
Family members said they have no idea where the two men might be held and are hoping to contact them soon.
Although authorities did not comment on the gardeners’ specific case, the Ontario Police Department confirmed to KTLA that ICE agents had conducted operations in Ontario Thursday morning.
A look at the day ahead in European and global markets from Stella Qiu
So, President Donald Trump said we may need to wait two more weeks until he decides whether to launch a U.S. attack on Iran. In the meantime, markets are mostly breathing a sigh of relief but remain cautious over conflict in the Middle East.
Brent crude oil prices fell 2.5% on Friday, erasing some of their recent gains but still on track for a 3.7% weekly rise, up for a third straight week.
Falling oil prices appear to have given European stocks a reason to cheer, with EUROSTOXX 50 futures rising 0.7% and FTSE futures up 0.3%. Nasdaq futures and S&P 500 futures were both 0.2% lower.
Some analysts have pointed to Trump’s two-week deadlines for other key decisions, including in letters to U.S. trade partners on tariff negotiations, and the hope is that Tehran in the interim will be pressured to come to the negotiating table.
Stocks were mixed in Asia on Friday, with Japan and Australia falling while China was higher. South Korea’s share benchmark outperformed with a jump of 1.1%, topping the 3,000 level for the first time since early 2022, after newly elected President Lee Jae Myung announced a stimulus spending plan.
The U.S. dollar was also on the back foot, although it is set for a weekly gain of 0.5% on safe-haven flows spurred by the Middle East conflict. Still, one week of gains would not reverse the recent declining trend and many analysts expect the dollar’s losses have further to run.
China kept its benchmark lending rates unchanged on Friday as widely expected while data from Japan showed core inflation at a two-year high, keeping pressure on the Bank of Japan to hike rates again. Investors, however, doubt that such a move would come before December.
Overnight, a number of central banks in Europe sent out dovish signals, including Norway’s central bank which delivered its first rate cut since 2020. The Swiss National Bank cut rates to zero and did not rule out going negative, while the Bank of England held policy steady but saw a need for further easing.
Key developments that could influence markets on Friday:
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Waymo might be the largest commercial robotaxi operator — offering 250,000 paid rides per week — but it is hardly smooth.
The past seven days in Waymo’s world illustrates just how dynamic the burgeoning robotaxi business can be. The company limited service nationwide on June 13 ahead of scheduled “No Kings” protests against President Donald Trump and his policies.
Days later, Waymo announced it was expanding its robotaxi service area by another 80 square miles in Los Angeles, the San Francisco Bay Area, and Silicon Valley.
And now Waymo is eyeing the biggest city in the United States: New York City. One note on NYC: This will be a marathon for Waymo. The company is applying for a permit to test its autonomous vehicles in the city, but even if it gets approved, it won’t mean driverless testing. A truly driverless (no human behind the wheel) vehicle will require a change in state law. Expect lobbying activity to ramp up in the state.
Applied Intuition keeps attracting investors, and it has an eye-popping valuation to show for it.
The buzzy startup, which makes software that helps companies and government agencies develop autonomous vehicle solutions such as simulation software and managing data, closed a $600 million Series F and tender offer. That round, which was co-led by BlackRock-managed funds and Kleiner Perkins, pushed its valuation up to $15 billion. Yes, $15 billion.
Other investors included Qatar Investment Authority, Abu Dhabi Investment Council, Greycroft, and more. Existing investors General Catalyst, Lux, Elad Gil, and Mary Meeker’s growth fund Bond also participated.
Reminder: The round comes just one year after it completed a $250 million Series E, which put the company at a $6 billion valuation.
Other deals worth noting …
Archer Aviation raised an additional $850 million through a registered direct offering of 85 million shares at $10 per share. The company noted in its announcement that this followed President Trump’s executive order to implement an eVTOL Integration Pilot Program in the United States.
Senra Systems, a Southern California-based startup developing wire harnesses for aerospace, raised $25 million in a round co-led by Dylan Field, the co-founder and CEO of design software company Figma; VC firm CIV; General Catalyst; Peter Thiel’s Founders Fund; Sequoia Capital; Joe Lonsdale’s 8VC; and Andreessen Horowitz.
This newsletter used to have a dedicated section for micromobility, a reflection of its popularity at the time. Micromobility went through a period of consolidation and tightening capital, which forced the industry to grow up. But it hasn’t disappeared, and that’s why I’m bringing it back this week (and occasionally in the future).
Reporter Rebecca Bellan hosted a roundtable with Voi CEO Fredrik Hjelm, Bird co-CEO Michael Washinushi, and Dott/Tier CEO Henri Moissinac at the Micromobility Europe event in Brussels. Here are some of her insights from the panel and from the broader event:
Shared micromobility has evolved from a public nuisance to a viable form of public transportation. Cities like Paris are now handing out four-year contracts, which will help operators set down roots.
Europe has had an easier time of it than the U.S. Washinushi reckons North America is 18 to 24 months behind Europe in accepting micromobility as public transportation.
The companies that have survived the last few years are better and stronger, and are now working toward profitability and deepening growth in core markets. Bird, for example, is estimating it is 12 to 18 months away from free cash flow positivity.
Operators are doing that in a number of ways. Voi, for example, is tapping LLMs to turn user feedback into real-time, actionable insights. Voi also said it would be interested in acquiring companies, like Bolt’s micromobility business, to deepen its foothold.
All of the companies said they plan to add more e-bikes to the mix. Washinushi also noted that Bird is prioritizing using data to deploy vehicles at the right place and time.
The CEOs also said that they want to see more from cities in terms of enforcing scooter caps, policing rider behavior, and creating dedicated infrastructure like protected bike lanes.
Other micromobility news …
Honda launched an all-electric last-mile delivery vehicle called the Fastport eQuad.
The eQuad comes in two sizes built on the same basic platform, small and large. Both are smaller than the smallest Mini Cooper but can carry between 320 and 650 pounds. They have pedals, and their top speed is limited to 12 mph (20 kph), both requirements to keep them bike-lane legal.
VanMoof is back and has launched its first e-bike since bankruptcy. Reporter Rebecca Bellan digs into what is the same and what has changed at VanMoof.
Bellan also provided a list of startups rolling out of Europe’s early-stage micromobility scene.
Tesla has partnered with Electrify Expo to launch full-weekend EV test drives. This is an interesting move by Tesla, which has historically used other methods besides third-party events like auto shows or expos to attract new customers. It also could make Electrify Expo a target of protestors who are behind the Tesla Takedown movement.
Car-sharing and ride-hailing
Zoomcar, the Indian car-sharing marketplace, said a hacker accessed the personal data of at least 8.4 million customers, including their names, phone numbers, and car registration numbers. The company became aware of the incident after some of its employees received external communications from a threat actor who claimed to have gained access to the company’s data.
Future of flight
The Paris Air Show included lots of news under the ever-evolving category I call “Future of flight.” Too much to cover everything here, but there were a few highlights: an announcement from U.S. DOT Secretary Sean Duffy that the Federal Aviation Administration and four other regulators will collaborate on an advanced air mobility (AAM) roadmap; Archer Aviation showcased its Midnight aircraft and hosted delegations from more than 20 countries; and Beta Technologies’ Alia became the first electric aircraft to fly at the show.
Andreas Hale is a combat sports reporter at ESPN. Andreas covers MMA, boxing and pro wrestling. In Andreas’ free time, he plays video games, obsesses over music and is a White Sox and 49ers fan. He is also a host for Sirius XM’s Fight Nation. Before joining ESPN, Andreas was a senior writer at DAZN and Sporting News. He started his career as a music journalist for outlets including HipHopDX, The Grammys and Jay-Z’s Life+Times. He is also an NAACP Image Award-nominated filmmaker as a producer for the animated short film “Bridges” in 2024.
There will already be a lot on the line when Canelo Alvarez puts his undisputed super middleweight championship on the line against Terence Crawford on Sept. 13 in Las Vegas, live on Netflix. But to add additional incentive, Turki Alalshikh, chairman of the General Entertainment Authority and president of the Saudi Boxing Federation, announced that there will be a bonus for a knockout.
The announcement came during the kickoff presser for Canelo-Crawford in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Friday. Alalshikh has been steadfast in putting an end to “Tom & Jerry fights,” where one fighter is “running around the ring and another fighter is chasing him.” To counter this, he has installed a KO bonus that will be implemented in future fights he promotes, starting with Canelo-Crawford.
“We will not have [Tom & Jerry fights] anymore,” Alalshikh said. “We will have in this fight and our next fights a bonus for a KO.”
Alalshikh did not specify how much the bonus would be or whether it would be installed for the undercard. The implementation mirrors what his promoting partner, UFC CEO Dana White, uses in the UFC with Performance Bonuses.
As for the fighters, Canelo and Crawford were cordial, yet stern in their confidence for the upcoming fight.
“However I got to fight, I’m going to win,” said Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs). “I’m not going to let someone else tell me how to fight when I’ve been doing that my whole life. I won’t be running. I can tell you that. But I will be doing a lot of touching.”
Canelo (62-2-2, 39 KOs) suggested that there was “nothing different” about Crawford in comparison to his previous opponents and made it clear that he would prevent the former two-division undisputed world champion from leaving Las Vegas as boxing’s only male fighter to be undisputed in three different weight classes.
“He’s not going to beat me,” Canelo said. “Don’t worry about it…I’m a winner.”
Crawford has knocked out 11 of his past 12 opponents but will be jumping up two weight classes, from 154 to 168 pounds, to challenge the Mexican superstar. Not only does he believe his record will remain unblemished, but he will also make history by adding all four major world title belts in a record third weight division.
“For sure those belts are coming home with me,” Crawford said. “I’m taking them and ain’t nothing you can do about it come fight night.”
William returned to work weeks later, accepting cards on his father and Kate’s behalf during his visit to Surplus to Supper in Surrey, which combats food waste and the the scourge of hunger due to poverty.
When a volunteer entreated him to look after his wife, William assured her, “I will, thank you very much.”
Kate, who still was attending to some duties from home, said in her video that her work had always brought her “a deep sense of joy” and she was looking forward to getting back out there as soon as she was able.
When she and the kids emerged at the 2024 Trooping the Colour (the monarch’s official birthday celebration) last June, Nicholl called it a “wonderful surprise,” explaining, “We know that as the King and the Princess of Wales have gone through this cancer journey together, they’ve very much been supporting each other behind the scenes. Well this is the ultimate show of support.”
Panama has declared an emergency in its main banana-producing region, after shops were looted and buildings vandalised in ongoing protests over a pension reform.
The government says constitutional rights will be suspended for the next five days in the north-western Bocas del Toro province.
The measure restricts freedom of movement and allows the police to make arrests without a warrant.
Troubles in the region began a month ago, when the local banana workers union joined a nationwide protest against proposed pension cuts and declared a strike.
“In the face of the disruption of order and acts of systematic violence, the state will enforce its constitutional mandate to guarantee peace,” said Juan Carlos Orillac, minister of the presidency.
The measure, he added, would allow to “rescue the province” from radicals.
Protests across the Latin American nation erupted back in March over the pension reform.
In Bocas del Toro, the unrest has been largely led by workers at a Chiquita Brands banana plantation.
The confrontation escalated last month after the company sacked thousands of striking employees.
Protesters have been setting up roadblocks in the province, often clashing with police.
Earlier this week, crowds damaged one of Chiquita Brands’ facilities as well as a local airport.
According to Cybernews, only one of the exposed datasets had previously been reported. Researchers also claim that datasets like these emerge every few weeks, a sign of how prevalent it is for sensitive information to be compromised.
According to a report published this week, Cybernews researchers recently discovered 30 exposed datasets that each contain a vast amount of login information — amounting to a total of 16 billion compromised credentials.
The 16 billion records count covers datasets researchers have uncovered since the start of the year. That’s about two passwords for every person on the planet, numbers-wise.
Many of the datasets were only exposed briefly, long enough for researchers to find them, but not long enough to discover who was behind the data.
What’s in the records?
There is no way to compare data between different data sets easily, but many of the records are likely duplicates, making it hard to determine how many people or accounts were exposed.
It’s also important to note that the leaked login information doesn’t span from a single source, such as one breach targeting a company. Instead, it appears that the data was stolen through multiple events over time, and then compiled and briefly exposed publicly, which is when Cybernews reports that its researchers discovered it.
Most of the information appeared to include a URL, login details and a password, including services from Apple, Facebook, Google, Telegram and GitHub, along with government services.
The information could be used for phishing campaigns, taking over accounts, ransomware attacks and attacks that compromise business emails.
How big is the risk?
It’s unclear who owns the data, but it’s likely to include datasets owned by cybercriminals who use large datasets to scale up attacks.
With so many records, even a tiny success rate can lead to millions of individuals falling prey to scams that get them to reveal more sensitive information, such as financial account information.
What can you do to protect yourself?
Because these are compiled data sets, it’s difficult to determine if your data was included or what sites may have been compromised.
However, you can still take general security precautions to protect yourself, including using a password manager to generate strong passwords and updating passwords on a regular basis.
You should also use multifactor authentication as much as possible and monitor your accounts for suspicious activity.
If you receive texts or calls purporting to be from a bank or company, do not disclose sensitive information. Instead, hang up and call back using the organization’s customer service department.
