200m

Lyles, dethroned as world 100m champion on Sunday as he took bronze, captured gold in his favoured discipline five days later to secure his eighth global title.

He had produced a statement performance in Thursday’s semi-finals, setting the fastest time of 2025 in 19.51 seconds.

After a final where he was just 0.01 seconds slower, he celebrated by raising four fingers to the crowd.

It was at the World Championships two years ago that Lyles asserted himself as the dominant male sprinter on the sport’s biggest stages with three golds in Budapest, before claiming the Olympic 100m title at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Prior to the championships, Lyles told reporters that he would take bronze in the 100m if it meant he would get 200m gold by breaking Bolt’s world-record time.

He got the gold – but Bolt’s record remains elusive for now.

Lyles’ American team-mate Kenny Bednarek had to settle for silver – his fourth in a row across the last four Olympic and world championships.

Bednarek and Lyles have a tempestuous relationship, and almost came to blows at the US trials when Lyles stared down his opponent in beating him to the 200m title, to which Bednarek responded with a shove.

Bronze went to 21-year-old Jamaican Bryan Levell, with Olympic champion Letsile Tebogo fourth. Britain’s Zharnel Hughes ran a season-best 19.78 for fifth.

NOTHING screams luxury like a top-notch yacht, so it’s no wonder Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has been hosting Max Verstappen on his boat in a bid to woo the popular driver away from Red Bull.

The Formula One World Champion, 27, has been spotted sunning himself topless on the vessel just off the coast of Sardinia.

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In photos that emerged last week, he was seen enjoying the heat as he laughed with Toto, 53, who was dressed all in white.

The luxurious yacht, named Mangusta 165, is believed to have cost the racing boss £20million and spends most of the time moored in Monaco when not in use.

F1 is currently on its summer break, with the next race not until August 31 in Zandvoort.

Max’s break with the Mercedes boss has refuelled rumours that he might move to the team when his contract with Red Bull is up.

The four-time world champion told RacingNews365: “I’m in the middle. Maybe it’ll be good, maybe it’ll be bad – we’ll see.

“I’m very open-minded, honestly. I don’t even think about it too much – I’m just enjoying the moment. 

“When I sit in the car next year, we’ll figure it out. I’m not making the rules anyway.”

Toto has owned his yacht, which is 50m in length and has a top speed of 25 knots, since 2023.

It boasts five bedrooms and can host 12 guests, who can also enjoy use of the jet skis and a hot tub.

The Mercedes boss isn’t the only F1 star to own a fancy yacht. Here we look at battle of the boats.

Max Verstappen

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He might have spent the beginning of his summer break on Toto’s yacht, but the F1 driver has his own boat – which has been described as a ‘Bond villain’s weekend getaway’.

He owns 33million yacht Unleash the Lion, which is thought to be worth £11million.

It can hold up to 12 guests alongside five crew, meaning Max and partner Kelly Piquet have ample space for entertaining as well as room for their daughter, Lily, born in May.

It has an open deck to the rear which is fitted with white couches and is thought to have an area to store a speed boat.

He also has a large stateroom inside, but little else is known about the pricey vessel’s interior.

Max moored the yacht in Monaco this year when he was competing in the principality’s Grand Prix but he hasn’t posted photos since its purchase earlier this year.

George Russell

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British F1 ace George, 27, is the latest driver to join the yacht owner’s club with his Pershing 6X.

He splashed out £2.2million on the luxurious vessel following his success on the track.

The boat might be smaller than grid rival Max’s, but it’s not tiny either.

It has four bedrooms, four bathrooms, a kitchen and a spacious upper deck living area.

And he’s been showing the yacht off on his social media with girlfriend Carmen Mundt, 26, and a host of friends on board.

They also have a stash of pricey water toys and the racer has posted videos of him and others on a hydrofoil skimming across the sea.

Like rival Max, George is also spending his summer break from the circuit on the boat off the coast of Sardinia.

Fernando Alonso

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Spanish driver Fernando, 44, has owned a Sunreef Power Eco 60 since 2023 after signing an order for it back in 2021.

Each yacht from the brand is a bespoke creation for the buyer.

The 18.3m long vessel is solar-powered, giving the boat eco-friendly credentials that most yachts don’t have.

“I think [Sunreef] is the only company that takes sustainability to a very serious level,” said Alonso during an interview with BOAT International.

“To have a fully electric catamaran powered by solar panels made perfect sense to me.”

The solar panels cover 68.6m squared across the yacht, including the roof and hull sides.

It’s equipped with two 360kw electric motors and a set of 990kwh batteries which are solar powered – making the yacht essentially silent when moving.

One of the smaller yachts owned by an F1 star, it can accommodate up to six guests and four crew.

But, for Fernando, size doesn’t matter.

Alonso said: “On board, all that matters is peace of mind, fresh air, and good company. Yachting should not be about ego.

“For me, it’s about sharing good moments and being respectful towards the environment.”

Lawrence Stroll

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Billionaire Lawrence, 65, has splashed some of his enormous fortune on a 262-foot long floating mansion for a cool £184.5million.

The Aston Martin F1 team owner downsized from his original yacht, Faith, to Project 714 in March – and has now also renamed it Faith.

The upper decks, enclosed in glass, contain a swimming pool, a games deck and a helicopter landing pad with a hangar below, according to Luxury Launches.

Inside, there are seven guest cabins which can hold up to 14 people as well as space for 20 crew members.

It’s thought the large vessel, which has a top speed of 17knots, has annual running costs of up to £20million.

Lawrence’s previous boat could host up to 18 people across nine cabins and had a crew of 34.

It also boasted a private cinema, nine-meter swimming pool plus a spa and plunge pool.

He sold it to business tycoon Michael Latifi when he decided to downsize to a slightly smaller vessel.

Lewis Hamilton

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British driver Lewis, 40, is also a member of the F1 yacht club with Sunseeker 90, which he is thought to have bought in 2009 for around £2.9million.

And when he’s not feeling like being on his own boat, he charters other vessels that boast a bigger range of rooms and activities.

Sunseeker 90 is 91.9feet and can sleep up to eight guests. It boasts a top speed of 30 knots meaning it’s a speedy boat.

The yacht is normally moored in Monaco, where Lewis resides during the off season.

It features American walnut carpentry, air-conditioning, a huge kitchen and an entertainment area with a shower where guests can rinse off after a dip in the sea.

He was seen entertaining model Bella Hadid, 28, on a yacht back in 2017, but it’s not clear if he used his own boat or rented one for entertaining.

Lewis has also been spotted entertaining pals over the years, including former teammate Nico Rosberg and his own family.

Charles Leclerc

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Ferrari driver Charles, 27, appears to be a big fan of spending time on both his yachts – because who would have one when you could have two?

He owns a Riva 66 Ribelle named Sedici, which is Italian for sixteen – his race number – and a Riva Dolceriva open cruiser.

Sedici is a 20m sports yacht that can reach speeds of up to 37 knots and has three cabins inside.

He brought it to the Monaco Grand Prix this year, like many of his fellow drivers.

It seems to be his favourite of the two boats, as he often shares snaps from holidays on it, many with it in the background while he swims.

His second vessel is named Monza after the world-famous racing circuit – and is a speedy boat.

Charles paid approximately £1.5million for it back in 2020 and reportedly bought it to commemorate winning the Grand Prix at Monza the year before.

It’s 48ft long and can accommodate up to four guests across two cabins.

The lower deck has an L-shaped sofa with a coffee table in the centre. The master cabin has a huge king-sized bed as well as an ensuite.

A police report said footage appeared to show Coleman being shoved into a wall, before Richardson threw an item at him.

She was released on Monday following the incident.

Coleman did not want to participate in the investigation and “declined to be a victim”, the police officer’s report reads.

Richardson refused to speak to waiting reporters after her heat in Eugene, instead wishing them a “blessed day”.

Following her arrest, USA Track and Field said it was “aware of the reports” but would “not be commenting on this matter”.

Coleman qualified for Sunday’s men’s 200m final by finishing behind world champion Noah Lyles with a time of 20.20 secs.

After paving over the Rose Garden and adding gold-filigree decorations to the Oval Office, US President Donald Trump will embark on his most dramatic addition to the White House yet – a new $200m ballroom to be built adjacent to the mansion’s East Wing.

Trump, a former real estate developer, has repeatedly promised to build a “beautiful” ballroom at the White House. In 2016, he offered $100m during Barack Obama’s tenure for the project, which the then-president rejected.

But in a briefing to reporters at the White House on Thursday, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that the “much needed and exquisite addition” to the White House will be approximately 90,000 square feet (8,360 square metres), with a seating capacity of 650.

Most formal White House functions are currently held in the White House’s East Room, which can seat approximately 200 people. According to Leavitt, construction is expected to be completed “long before” the end of Trump’s term in office in January 2029.

She also said that the president and other donors would pay for the renovations, but declined to give details. Renderings provided by the White House show that the ballroom will be similar architecturally to the rest of the mansion.

Leavitt said the ballroom would be built where the “East Wing currently sits”. When asked whether the project would require knocking down that section of the White House, she said the East Wing would need to be “modernised”.

“The White House has a history of expansion to accommodate the changing needs of the nation’s chief executive,” Leslie Greene Bowman, who has served under four presidents on the Committee for the Preservation of the White House, told BBC News.

So, what have those been?

When and how was the White House constructed?

Construction of the White House began in 1792, based on a design by the Irish-born architect James Hoban. Built by enslaved labourers and European craftsmen, it was first occupied by President John Adams in 1800, though it still wasn’t finished when he moved in.

Enslaved labourers were forced to do physically demanding work on the White House, like quarrying and transporting stone and making bricks. They were typically hired out by their enslavers, who were paid for their labour.

During the War of 1812 (also known as the Second War of Independence), British forces invaded Washington and set fire to the White House in August 1814.

Reconstruction began almost immediately afterwards under President James Madison, again led by Hoban.

President James Monroe moved into the restored building in 1817, and later added the South Portico in 1824. The North Portico followed in 1829 during Andrew Jackson’s presidency, establishing the iconic facade of the White House as it is known today.

Over the course of the 19th century, amendments were made slowly. Running water, gas lighting, and furnishings were gradually added. In 1891, under President Benjamin Harrison, electricity was installed in the White House.

What changes were made to the White House in the 20th century?

President Theodore Roosevelt made one of the most transformative changes to the building in 1902. He removed the old Victorian-style interiors and relocated the presidential offices from the second floor of the residence to a new West Wing.

Roosevelt also expanded the State Dining Room – which could only hold 40 guests – by removing a staircase and increasing the size to a seating capacity of 100.

Roosevelt’s renovations modernised the White House to suit the needs of a growing executive branch.

Then, in 1909, William Howard Taft expanded Roosevelt’s West Wing and created the first Oval Office, a symbolic centrepiece of presidential power.

The biggest changes to the White House came under Harry Truman (president from 1945 to 1953). Truman gutted the inside of the building, leaving only the outer walls, while workers rebuilt the internal structure with steel beams and concrete floors.

Truman also added a controversial second-floor balcony on the South Portico, sometimes called the “Truman Balcony”. Later presidents made more subtle, but still meaningful, changes to the White House.

John F Kennedy and First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy led a restoration project focused on historical authenticity, refurbishing rooms with antiques.

In 1969, Richard Nixon added a bowling alley and upgraded the Situation Room.

Under Bill Clinton, the White House saw major technological upgrades, including improved security systems and internet connectivity. George W Bush renovated the press briefing room and restored several historical rooms, including the Abraham Lincoln Bedroom.

In recent years, Barack Obama installed wi-fi throughout the White House and the West Wing. Obama, a lifelong basketball enthusiast, also had part of the White House’s existing tennis courts adapted for basketball use.

Though no official estimate exists, the cumulative costs of construction and renovations amount to roughly $250m (in current dollar terms). As such, maintaining the home – and office – of the US president comes with a significant price tag.

What other building works are under way in Washington, DC?

The timing of the ballroom project is significant. Just a week ago, Trump seized on a sprawling renovation project undertaken by the US Federal Reserve (Fed) to criticise the central bank’s chair, Jay Powell.

Trump zeroed in on the expensive price tag of the project – roughly $2.5bn to renovate two 1930s buildings. During a rare presidential visit to the central bank’s headquarters on July 24, Trump accused Powell of financial mismanagement.

Last month, meanwhile, Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought (a Trump appointee) accused Powell of mishandling the “ostentatious” refurbishment of the Fed’s headquarters in Washington, DC.

Trump has repeatedly demanded that the Fed lower interest rates by 3 percentage points, and has frequently raised the possibility of firing Powell, though the president has said he does not intend to do so. On July 22, Trump called the Fed chief a “numbskull”.

Despite pressure from the White House, the Federal Reserve held interest rates steady at 4.25-4.50 percent on July 30, on par with economists’ expectations, as tariff-driven uncertainty weighs on the US economy.

The White House has announced plans for a new $200m ballroom, with construction to start in September. The 90,000-square-foot space will replace the East Wing and seat up to 650 guests. It will be paid for by Trump and other donors.

New York City-based Columbia University has agreed to pay $221m to settle claims by US President Donald Trump’s administration that it failed to curb anti-Semitism on campus, in exchange for the reinstatement of billions of dollars in federal funding.

The deal, agreed on Wednesday, comes after sweeping university campus protests against Israel’s war in Gaza during the spring and summer of 2024 and this year were criticised as veering into anti-Semitism.

In February, the government cut $400m in federal research funding for Columbia in a bid to force its administrators to respond to alleged harassment of Jewish students and faculty.

The unprecedented agreement marks a victory in Trump’s efforts to exert greater control over higher education, including campus activism, and could offer a framework for future deals with other universities.

What’s in the deal Trump has struck with Columbia?

Columbia has agreed to pay $200m to the government over three years, as well as making a separate $21m payment to settle claims by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

In exchange, the “vast majority” of the frozen $400m in federal funding will be reinstated, the university said. Columbia will also regain access to billions of dollars’ worth of current and future grants under the deal.

Columbia is required, within 30 days, to appoint an administrator who will report to the university president and will be responsible for overseeing the deal’s compliance. This includes verifying that the institution ends programmes that promote “unlawful efforts to achieve race-based outcomes, quotas [and] diversity targets”.

Additionally, Columbia must review its Middle East curriculum to make sure it is “comprehensive and balanced” and appoint new faculty staff to its Institute for Israel and Jewish Studies. 

Columbia said the agreement establishes Bart Schwartz, of the compliance firm Guidepost Solutions, as an independent monitor who will report to the government on its progress every six months.

The university will be expected to compile a report for the monitor to ensure its programmes “do not promote unlawful DEI [diversity, equity, and inclusion] goals”.

Why have they come to this agreement?

Columbia said the agreement formalises already-announced reforms to address harassment of Jewish students and staff, including the hiring of additional public safety personnel, changes to disciplinary processes, and efforts to foster “an inclusive and respectful learning environment”.

The dispute between Columbia and the Trump administration began after Jewish students and faculty complained of harassment on campus by pro-Palestine demonstrators, while pro-Palestinian advocates accused critics of often wrongly conflating opposition to Israel with the hatred of Jews.

Columbia’s acting president, Claire Shipman, said the agreement marked “an important step forward after a period of sustained federal scrutiny and institutional uncertainty”.

“The settlement was carefully crafted to protect the values that define us and allow our essential research partnership with the federal government to get back on track. Importantly, it safeguards our independence, a critical condition for academic excellence and scholarly exploration, work that is vital to the public interest,” she added.

Trump hailed the settlement as “historic” in a post on his Truth Social platform. “Numerous other Higher Education Institutions that have hurt so many, and been so unfair and unjust, and have wrongly spent federal money, much of it from our government, are upcoming,” he wrote.

How have students and activists reacted?

Student activist group Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD) slammed the settlement as “a bribe”. “Imagine selling your students out just so you can pay Trump $221 million dollars and keep funding genocide,” the group wrote on X.

It added that Columbia’s disciplinary action against students, including suspensions and expulsions, this week was a punishment that “hugely” exceeded the precedent for non-Palestine-related demonstrations.

Non-governmental organisation Palestine Legal accused Columbia of “weaponising claims of antisemitism to punish those calling for freedom for Palestinians”.

“It is clear that Columbia’s desire to create a community ‘where all feel welcome’ doesn’t extend to students who call for an end to Israel’s genocide,” the group posted on X.

Hasan Piker, a left-wing activist, political commentator and a critic of Trump, said the US president was “underwater on everything and Columbia is still caving to Trump on everything”, adding “it seems like some of these institutions were looking for the pretext to go right”.

What steps has Columbia already taken to pacify the Trump administration?

In March, Columbia agreed to a list of demands laid down by Trump in return for negotiations to reinstate its $400m federal funding, which he had revoked a month before, citing “a failure to protect Jewish students from antisemitic harassment”.

Among other concessions, the university agreed to ban face mask coverings during protests, as well as to install 36 campus police officers with special powers to arrest students.

Earlier this month, Columbia adopted a controversial definition of anti-Semitism drafted by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), which has been criticised for what some say is conflating criticism of the state of Israel and Zionism with anti-Semitism.

Critics have warned that the definition could be used to stifle dissent and curb academic freedom. In a letter sent to the United Nations in 2023, 60 human and civil rights organisations said the definition should not be used.

“The IHRA definition has often been used to wrongly label criticism of Israel as antisemitic, and thus chill and sometimes suppress, non-violent protest, activism and speech critical of Israel and/or Zionism, including in the US and Europe,” they wrote.

On Tuesday, Columbia also announced it would suspend, expel or revoke degrees for nearly 80 students who participated in a Butler Library demonstration on its campus on May 7, 2025 and a “Revolt for Rafah” encampment on May 31, 2024 during the university’s annual alumni weekend.

During protests, students demanded that the university’s $14.8bn endowment stop investing in weapons makers and other companies that support Israel.

Protest organiser and former student Mahmoud Khalil, 29, was the first person to be detained during the Trump administration’s push to deport pro-Palestinian activists who are not US citizens.

The school also said it would no longer engage with pro-Palestinian group CUAD.

Which other universities has Trump set his sights on, and why?

The Trump administration is focusing attention on 10 universities that it deems noteworthy in its campaign to root out anti-Semitism. These are Columbia; George Washington University; Harvard; Johns Hopkins University; New York University; Northwestern; the University of California, Berkeley; the University of California, Los Angeles; the University of Minnesota; and the University of Southern California.

Columbia University was the first college to see its funding slashed, but several Ivy League schools have been subjected to or threatened with funding cuts since Trump took office in January 2024.

More than $2bn in total was frozen for Cornell, Northwestern, Brown and Princeton universities.

In April, the administration also threatened to freeze $510m in grants to Brown University over alleged violations “relating to antisemitic harassment and discrimination”.

Harvard University was the first – and has so far been the only – major higher education institution to defy Trump’s demands and fight back in federal court.

This week, it argued in federal court that the Trump administration had illegally cut $2.6bn in funding in what were politically motivated attempts to reshape the institution.

Are deals with other universities expected as well?

Some universities are also believed to be in talks with the Trump administration, so more deals could be forthcoming.

In particular, US news outlets have reported that officials from the Trump administration and Harvard are continuing negotiations, despite the court case brought by Harvard.

In June, Trump posted on social media that “if a Settlement is made on the basis that is currently being discussed, it will be ‘mindbogglingly’ HISTORIC, and very good for our Country”.

Settlement marks victory in US President Donald Trump’s efforts to exert greater control over third-level education.

Columbia University, one of the top educational institutions in the United States, has agreed to pay $221m to settle claims by US President Donald Trump’s administration that it failed to police anti-Semitism on campus.

Under the agreement announced on Wednesday, Columbia will see the “vast majority” of $400m in federal grants frozen by the Trump administration reinstated, the New York-based university said.

Columbia will also regain access to billions of dollars in current and future grants under the deal, the university said.

Columbia said the agreement formalised reforms announced in March to address harassment against Jews, including the hiring of more public safety personnel, changes to disciplinary processes, and efforts to foster “an inclusive and respectful learning environment”.

The agreement also commits Columbia to maintaining merit-based admissions and ending programs that promote “unlawful efforts to achieve race-based outcomes, quotas [and] diversity targets”.

Under the agreement, Columbia will pay the federal government $200m over three years, in addition to a $21m payment to settle claims by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

Claire Shipman, Columbia’s acting president, said that while the settlement was “substantial”, the university could not continue with a situation that would “jeopardize our status as a world-leading research institution”.

“Furthermore, as I have discussed on many occasions with our community, we carefully explored all options open to us,” Shipman said in a statement.

“We might have achieved short-term litigation victories, but not without incurring deeper long-term damage – the likely loss of future federal funding, the possibility of losing accreditation, and the potential revocation of visa status of thousands of international students.”

Shipman said Columbia did not accept the Trump administration’s findings that it had violated civil rights law by turning a blind eye to the harassment of Jews, but acknowledged the “very serious and painful challenges our institution has faced with antisemitism”.

“We know there is still more to do,” she said.

The settlement marks a victory in Trump’s efforts to exert greater control over third-level education, including campus activism in support of Palestine and other causes.

Trump hailed the settlement as “historic” in a post on his Truth Social platform.

“Numerous other Higher Education Institutions that have hurt so many, and been so unfair and unjust, and have wrongly spent federal money, much of it from our government, are upcoming,” Trump wrote.

Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD), a student activist group, slammed the settlement as an effective bribe.

“Imagine selling your students out just so you can pay Trump $221 million dollars and keep funding genocide,” the group said on X.

Columbia was among dozens of US universities that were roiled by protests against Israel’s war in Gaza throughout the spring and summer of 2024.

Many Jewish students and faculty complained that the campus demonstrations veered into anti-Semitism, while pro-Palestinian advocates have accused critics of often wrongly conflating opposition to Israel with the hatred of Jews.

On Tuesday, Columbia University’s Judicial Board announced that it had finalised disciplinary proceedings against students who took part in protests at the university’s main library in May and the “Revolt for Rafah” encampment last year.

CUAD said nearly 80 students had been expelled or suspended for between one and three years for joining the protests, sanctions it argued “hugely” exceeded the precedent for non-Palestine-related demonstrations.