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The chatter among Barcelona fans this summer was all about who would be the club’s next star striker after Robert Lewandowski – the team’s top scorer for the past four seasons – left to play in the United States.

The 18-year-old Egyptian, Hamza Abdelkarim, was not an answer anyone would have given at the beginning of preseason. This time last year, he had only played a single game at senior level, and that was for Cairo giants Al Ahly.

But as Barca’s dogged pursuit of Argentinian striker Julian Alvarez from rivals Atletico Madrid ended in failure, and the club only managed to secure a 10 million euros ($11.5m) move for Gabriel Jesus on the transfer window’s deadline day on September 1, Abdelkarim emerged from obscurity to dominate headlines in Catalonia and Egypt.

Abdelkarim’s four goals in five games made him Barcelona’s top scorer during preseason. He even scored against his boyhood club, Al Ahly, in the Joan Gamper Trophy – the fixture that is used to introduce the team to the fans and inaugurate the league season – but chose not to celebrate the goal as a mark of respect.

“Hamza offers something different,” Adrian Healey, ESPN’s La Liga match commentator, told Al Jazeera.

Fans in Egypt and Barcelona have taken to calling him the Egyptian Erling Haaland on account of his physical prowess and presence in the box.

When the striker caught the eye of FC Barcelona, a low-risk, low-commitment agreement was struck in the winter transfer window with Al Ahly to bring him to Spain. A six-month loan period was cut in half due to paperwork issues, but Abdelkarim made up for lost time by scoring goals; not for the first team, or even the reserves, but the Under-19 team – netting six times in 11 games.

Abdelkarim had also impressed for Egypt at the 2025 U17 World Cup, grabbing two goals and an assist in four appearances.

Despite the lack of top-level experience, Abdelkarim had done enough to prompt Egypt national team manager Hossam Hassan to take a gamble by selecting the uncapped teenager for his World Cup 2026 squad.

The veteran Mostafa Mohammed was left at home in favour of Abdelkarim, who went on to make his debut against Brazil in a friendly and featured in four World Cup matches.

On the advice of Mohamed Salah, the striker decided not to take a vacation after the World Cup and returned to Barcelona immediately after Egypt were knocked out by Argentina in the round of 16.

“Mohamed Salah is always talking to me, and I follow everything he says. He is an example to be followed, and the success he achieved is not by accident,” he told Egypt’s OnSport after FC Barcelona lifted the Joan Gamper Trophy.

The exposure to a professional like Salah has only served to supercharge Abdelkarim’s development.

Barcelona had already seen enough and decided to make his loan move permanent in June, paying Al Ahly 1.5 million euros ($1.75m) for his services.

“I am not surprised at all in Hamza’s [emergence],” Ismail el-Hamalawy, a footballing content creator who has closely followed the young striker’s journey, told Al Jazeera, citing his World Cup performances.

“He is the striker Egypt has been missing for two decades,” el-Hamalawy told Al Jazeera.

The only other Egyptian-born player to have played in La Liga was Mido, who came through the ranks at Zamalek before leaving Egypt as a 17-year-old in 2000 and played in Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain, France, Italy and England.

At the turn of the century, most Egyptians followed Mido’s progress through newspapers and local talk shows. Now, Egyptians can easily track Abdelkarim’s development in real time online.

The interest has been so profound that Barcelona signed a surprise sponsorship with EgyptAir through the 2028-29 season this week as both entities look to leverage the image of Egypt’s next great footballer for commercial gain.

The club is now scrambling to improve his contract so that a larger buyout clause can be installed. As it stands, the 18-year-old could be poached by a rival club for only 15 million euros ($17m), so the Catalan giants are looking to place a 150 million euros ($174m) buyout clause to ward off any potential suitors.

An unused substitute in the first two matches of the season, Barcelona coach Hansi Flick has repeatedly told the media that the striker’s time will come.

“He deserves to play, and he will play,” Flick said. “I see him improving day by day. He has the right attitude and mentality.”

With such little top-level experience, it could have been considered irresponsible of the club to give the youngster too much responsibility too soon.

“He will have to [be] patient, but he will get minutes,” Healey said. “[But] I am not sure the signing of [Gabriel] Jesus changes much for him, as I see [Jesus] as just a stopgap solution. Abdelkarim might have had less minutes had Alvarez signed.”

On August 31, Abdelkarim replaced Raphina in the final five minutes of Barcelona’s 5-2 win over Rayo Vallecano.

With an official debut out of the way, the striker can focus on clearing the next hurdle – scoring his first official goal for the La Liga champions.

A critical issue we ought to pay more attention to is the rapid urbanization seen across the Middle East and North Africa, which is undoubtedly reshaping the region’s demographic and economic landscapes.

Many people are attempting to find better economic opportunities, services and connectivity and, as a result, cities are expanding at unprecedented rates. Without doubt, this transformation is driving growth across MENA, but it has also intensified pressure on air quality.

The levels of fine particulate matter such as nitrogen oxides and other pollutants from vehicles, industry, construction and energy production now exceed safe thresholds in many major urban areas.

As a result, clean air is going to be one of the defining challenges of the region’s urban future. This issue should no longer be treated solely as an environmental or public health concern due to the fact it is increasingly a determinant of economic competitiveness, tourism appeal, quality of life and long-term urban attractiveness.

Data from recent global assessments point to the scale of the problem. The World Health Organization’s air quality guidelines state that the level of fine particulate matter of 2.5 micrometers or less in diameter should not exceed 5 micrograms per cubic meter. But many MENA cities record multiyear averages several times higher.

Addressing the challenge requires a practical, multipronged approach that major cities can initiate immediately

Dr. Majid Rafizadeh

For example, Cairo, Egypt’s megacity of more than 20 million residents, has frequently registered annual concentrations of about 40 micrograms per cubic meter. Baghdad has recorded levels of up to 44 micrograms per cubic meter. Kuwait City has also appeared among the higher-ranking capitals in regional assessments. Abu Dhabi and Doha have reported averages in the low-to-mid 30s, still well above WHO guidelines.

Analyses using the Air Quality Life Index framework indicate that more than 90 percent of the MENA region’s population lives in areas exceeding the WHO guideline, with residents in the most polluted zones potentially losing several years of life expectancy.

These elevated levels of particulates carry well-documented health consequences, such as increased rates of respiratory and cardiovascular disease and premature mortality.

But the implications extend far beyond health statistics. Air quality should be regarded as a material factor in the region’s economic competitiveness. Chronic exposure reduces labor productivity, with World Bank estimates placing the economic cost of air pollution in the Greater Cairo region alone at about 1.4 percent of Egypt’s gross domestic product.

Cities that fail to reverse pollution also become less attractive to skilled workers and international firms. Tourism and investment flows are similarly sensitive to this issue. The MENA region has invested heavily in positioning itself as a global destination for leisure, business and transit traffic. Poor air quality undermines visitor experiences, particularly for families, older travelers and those who are susceptible to respiratory issues.

Another issue is that the reduced quality of life caused by air pollution influences the domestic retention of educated people.

In short, clean air should be viewed as an input into the region’s broader development, rather than merely an environmental issue.

Addressing the challenge requires a practical, multipronged approach that major cities can initiate immediately. For example, expanding clean public transport ranks among the highest-impact measures. This means investing in metro and bus rapid transit systems, including electric bus fleets, to reduce reliance on private vehicles and cut emissions.

Cairo’s efforts to introduce electric buses and expand mass transit are a step in the right direction. Other actions to reduce vehicle emissions can include stricter fuel quality standards, the more widespread use of electric and hybrid vehicles, and the adoption of low-emission zones in city centers.

One significant move would be increasing green spaces, which offer both direct and indirect benefits. Urban vegetation cleans air, as the strategic expansion of parks, street trees and green corridors can lower pollutant concentrations. Transitioning to cleaner energy sources is also vital, as this lowers both particulate and gaseous emissions.

While public health gains are foundational, the economic, touristic and quality-of-life returns are equally consequential

Dr. Majid Rafizadeh

None of these steps constitute a quick fix. Air quality improvement is cumulative and requires sustained actions, policy, financing and public engagement. The alternative — continued high exposure — will increasingly constrain the outcomes cities seek: a healthier population, more productive workforce, vibrant tourism sector and competitive investment conditions.

Therefore, the central argument should be that clean air must be treated as a strategic priority because improvements compound over time and because air quality will shape the relative success of cities in the decades ahead.

While public health gains are foundational, the economic, touristic and quality-of-life returns are equally consequential. Cities that move without delay on issues such as cleaner transport, emissions standards, green infrastructure, planning and technology will position themselves more favorably for the future. Those that delay will face mounting costs in terms of health, productivity and attractiveness.

In a nutshell, clean air is critical to the future of the region and must not be viewed as merely an environmental concern. It is a foundational driver of sustained economic growth, tourism competitiveness, investment attractiveness, public health and overall quality of life. Taking it seriously now is not merely prudent environmental policy, it is an investment in the long-term viability and competitiveness of the region.

One rule I’ve developed in years of writing about financial scandals is that, as bad as a scheme appears at first, it’s more likely than not that the facts will turn out to be nastier than they appeared at first.

Case in point: The scandal swirling around the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Assn. and their billionaire owner, former Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer.

The story was initially broken one year ago by sports podcaster Pablo Torre, who reported on a suspect endorsement deal between a sustainability company named Aspiration and All-Star forward Kawhi Leonard that smelled like an attempt to circumvent the NBA’s strict salary cap. (Torre won a Pulitzer Prize for his reporting.)

By Sept. 2, when the NBA issued a series of nuclear sanctions against the team and Ballmer, it had become much bigger. The team, according to an investigative report the league released, actually orchestrated endorsement deals for Leonard with four companies that had been angling for business arrangements with the team, not just one, and took steps to hide the deals from public view.

Because of the extent to which these deals violated league rules and perhaps because the Clippers are repeat offenders (they were fined $250,000 in 2015 for a similar endorsement scheme involving then-free agent DeAndre Jordan), the league hit the team with its maximum penalties.

It fined the team $30 million and took away its first-round draft picks for five years, 2029-2033 (the team already had ceded its first-round picks for the next two years in trade deals). It suspended Ballmer from any league or team activities for one year and imposed a one-year suspension on Gillian Zucker, the team’s president of business operations, and a six-month ban on Lawrence Frank, its president of basketball operations.

The Clippers said they “vehemently reject” the accusations and called them the product of a “heavily biased investigation.” They said they would appeal the sanctions, though it’s unclear how they could do that.

Leonard, who appears to be on his way back to the Toronto Raptors, from whence he came to the Clippers in 2019, issued a statement accepting “full responsibility for lapses in judgment by people within my inner circle.” That’s an apparent reference to Dennis Robertson, his business manager and uncle, who the investigators said was a key figure pushing the Clippers to find “off-court income” for Leonard.

The report released by the NBA’s investigators at the law firm of Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz portrays Ballmer and the team as treating the league’s salary cap rules not as strict mandates, but as obstacles to be evaded, like traffic cones. And it describes efforts at subterfuge that seemed to reach a Gilbert & Sullivan-esque level of absurdity.

Ballmer is called out to an extent that one almost never sees when applied to the millionaires and billionaires who own most professional sports teams. That’s even more remarkable given his status in the NBA: With a reported net worth of more than $150 billion, he is the richest team owner by an enormous margin, outranking the next-place owners, the Adelson family, owners of the Dallas Mavericks, by about $115 billion.

The other NBA owners were reportedly stunned by the sheer arrogance of the Clippers’ behavior. That’s saying something, since one would expect that those in the billionaire class have had plenty of rannygazoo paraded past their eyes in the course of their business careers. Ballmer, who can often be seen bouncing around like a hyper-caffeinated party animal in the Clippers’ home arena, Intuit Dome, is no shrinking violet — he was known as a ferociously hard-charging, hands-on leader at Microsoft. The NBA faults him for being “knowingly” engaged in the team’s dealings with Leonard and creating its anything-goes culture.

The NBA values its salary cap as a key to a competitive balance, enabling even mid-market teams to reach the Finals — over the last 10 seasons, eight teams have reigned as champs. Its rules bar teams from initiating endorsement deals or other such arrangements for players by interpreting them as an underhanded breach of the cap; if teams are approached by a potential endorsement partner for a player, they can refer the partner to a player’s representatives but can’t participate in the dealmaking. They’re also required to report any such overtures to the league. The Clippers violated those rules, the investigators say.

The investigators say the team tried to circumvent the initiation clause via emails Zucker sent to three companies in 2020, implying that she was responding to their requests for introductions to Leonard.

The investigators found “no documentary evidence” that the companies genuinely initiated the requests. They viewed the emails merely as efforts to “create the appearance” that the Clippers were complying with the rules. The companies were Boingo, a wi-fi company at which Zucker’s husband was then chairman; Daktronics, a maker of scoreboards and video displays; and Lockton, an insurance brokerage.

All three were seeking to launch business relationships with the Clippers. The investigators asserted that the team implied to them that participating in its scheme to make illicit payments to Leonard by signing him to endorsement deals would help them win the contracts. They also found that the Clippers essentially assured the companies that it would cover their payments for the endorsement deals via their other contracts.

The investigators called these multi-year, multimillion-dollar endorsement deals, totaling $18 million, “peculiar.” None of the companies had ever signed an endorsement deal “of remotely the same financial magnitude” as these, nor have they done so since.

None of the deals was publicly announced, even though the whole point of signing a pro player to represent your company is to shout it from the rooftops. In any case, Leonard was nothing like a big, popular star—the investigators charitably referred to his “relatively insubstantial endorsement profile.” That hardly mattered, since the deals didn’t require Leonard to actually do anything for the money.

The key deal was with Aspiration, which was guided by the Clippers into paying Leonard $48 million over four years. When Joseph Sanberg, Aspiration’s co-founder and a board member, presented the deal to top executives, they were dumbfounded. “I have no idea why we’d do this,” one wrote in an email, according to the investigators.

But Sanberg assured them that the Clippers would adjust their contract with Aspire to cover the expense. Seeing that the deal was “cashflow neutral,” as an executive observed, they agreed.

Inside the Clippers’ front office, the contract for Aspiration to provide environmental services was seen as “super shady,” according to a text from one executive to another cited in the report.

Ballmer maintained in at least one interview that the endorsement deal was initiated by Aspiration: “They were off to the races on their own,” he told a television interviewer. “We weren’t involved.”

In fact, the investigators say, the Clippers initiated the contact with Aspiration, put the firm in touch with a business agent who was already a team contractor, and provided the agent with proposed deal terms. The investigators found that the endorsement deal was such a departure for Aspiration that Sanberg needed to be educated about what it should require from Leonard in return for his fees. Sanberg “doesn’t really know what to ask for,” the agent told his associates.

Ballmer maintains that he was the victim in this arrangement. He points the finger at Sanberg, who he says enticed him into investing $60 million in his failing firm, thereby causing him “reputational harm.” But Sanberg might be viewed as a target of convenience, given that he pleaded guilty last year to federal fraud charges associated with the collapse of Aspiration and has been sentenced to 14 years in prison. (The NBA investigators told the court in a pre-sentence letter that Sanberg “substantially assisted our investigation”—though in the investigative report they said they “remained cautious in relying on Mr. Sanberg’s information” unless it was “corroborated by other evidence.”)

Where does this leave the Clippers? Nowhere good. Ballmer’s acquisition of the team in 2014 was seen as a major step toward ending its years-long record of futility, dating to its origin as the Buffalo Braves in 1970. The team still has never played in the NBA Finals. Leonard hasn’t lived up to expectations — injuries have kept him off the court for nearly half of his games as a Clipper, as my colleague Mirjam Swanson notes.

Basketball mavens see the NBA sanctions as condemning the Clippers to as long as 10 more years in John Bunyan’s Slough of Despond. For a brief moment, Ballmer got Southern California fans excited about the team. Ten years from now, will anyone even remember they exist?

The continental games will officially open on September 19, but several team competitions will get under way earlier.

The Asian Games have begun in Japan with Qatar beating Iran in men’s basketball, the first action in the continental multisport showpiece that has more participants than the Olympics.

Qatar held off a comeback from Iran to win their Group B encounter 59-35 at the Aichi International Arena in Nagoya on Thursday.

It was the first match of a men’s basketball competition that will have medal finals on September 20, the day after the opening ceremony.

“We know we need to win at least one game so we can qualify for the next round,” said Qatar’s Michael Lewis, the United States-born player who scored a game-high 21 points.

“Feels good to get some team camaraderie back, and now we have got to keep going.”

Later in Group B, Taiwan beat Jordan 83-80.

More than 17,000 athletes and officials are expected to take part in 43 sports at the Nagoya-Aichi Games, which do not officially start until the opening ceremony on September 19 and will run until October 4.

Several events such as basketball, football, cricket, hockey and modern pentathlon will get under way before the opening ceremony.

Los Angeles 2028 Olympics qualifying spots are up for grabs in several sports at the Asian Games, which are returning to Japan for the first time since 1994.

Organisers hope the athletes will have a “unique experience” staying in accommodation ranging from a cruise liner and wooden containers to standard hotel rooms.

Officials are confident that the plan will not be affected by Japan’s typhoon season, which is usually in full swing in September-October.

Weather has already caused disruptions, with record rainfall two days ago forcing hundreds of athletes briefly to evacuate their accommodation.

Rainwater also leaked into some competition venues, with more wet weather forecast for the coming days.

Among those in action at the Games will be Philippine tennis sensation Alexandra Eala and a pair of world-class teenage talents: 15-year-old Indian cricketer Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and 13-year-old Chinese swimmer Yu Zidi.

Comparing the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art to a spaceship has become an internet cliche, but the otherworldly campus really does feel like it exists in a galaxy far, far away. Nestled in Exposition Park beside the Natural History Museum and down the block from the soon-to-open Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center (with its actual spaceship), the Lucas Museum’s Ma Yansong-designed building sticks out like a green thumb.

There are 11 acres of lush public park space to explore, dotted with “Star Wars”-themed statues and a hanging garden, as well as benches and an amphitheater for outdoor events. A waterfall tucked on the north end of the building acts as a cooling mechanism for the 300,000-square-foot structure, but also serves as a gathering spot for jovial seagulls.

If you get peckish, there are two options: A cafe on the ground floor with typical sandwich and salad fare as well as a Starbucks; and a fifth-floor restaurant called Skywalker Grill with a full bar, curved cherry wood walls and lovely views of downtown L.A. (Nab a reservation or you’ll likely never get in.)

There are 100,000 square feet of gallery space, with the art spread mostly across the fourth floor — and in a fifth-floor murals gallery where you’ll find a selection of Banksys hidden in a back corner. More than 30 discrete galleries have something for almost everyone and are curated by broad themes including motherhood, community, romance, sports, science fiction and comics.

And, yes, there is a “Star Wars” exhibit, but it’s just a small part of the overall scene. If you come explicitly for that, your day will be filled with unexpected discovery.

Here’s a useful map to guide your way.

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1. Galleries
2. Galleries
3. Library
4. Sculpture garden 

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5. Education lobby
6. Lucas plaza
7. Oculus
8. Galleries
9. Private event space
10. Main lobby
11. Cafe
12. Gift shop 

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13. Theaters
14. Skywalker Grill
15. Galleries
16. The History of Narrative Art: Heroes, Myths, The Sacred
17. Waterfall 

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4th Floor Galleries 

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4th Floor Galleries 

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4th Floor Galleries 

BRUSSELS: Asylum applications to the EU dropped to a five-year-low in the first half of 2026, continuing a downward trend partly brought about by a hardening of migration policy, the bloc’s asylum agency said Thursday.

The European Union plus Switzerland and Norway (EU+) received 332,000 applications for international protection from January to June, 17 percent fewer than in the same period last year.

“This is the lowest number recorded in the first half of a year since 2021,” the European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA) said.

The agency attributed the decrease to the political transition in Syria, which has resulted in a massive drop in applications filed by the country’s nationals, as well as to the EU’s “efforts in cooperating with countries of origin and transit”.

Brussels has recently struck deals with Northern African countries including Tunisia and Mauritania, providing aid and investments in return for help with migration.

War in the Middle East had also not translated into a feared increase in applications from the countries affected, the EUAA said.

Afghans were the largest group of applicants, with 39,000 requests for protection, followed by Venezuelans and Bangladeshis.

Less than a third of applications processed in the first six months of the year were successful, the agency said, noting that this was due to have an impact on future requests.

Under rules that came into force in June, applicants from countries that have a recognition rate of less than 20 percent undergo an expedited procedure linked to swift deportation in case of rejection.

The same is true for applicants from countries the EU deems “safe”.

“In the first half of 2026, nearly 56 percent of applications were from citizenships meeting one or more of these criteria,” the EUAA said.

Among EU nations, France received the highest number of applications (69,000), followed by Italy (66,000), Spain (55,000) and Germany (55,000).

With 23,000 requests Greece was the country that received the most applications per capita.

Jude Terry and Armindo Sieb each scored a goal, Hugo Lloris had his MLS-leading 12th shutout this season, and LAFC beat the New York Red Bulls 2-0 on Wednesday night to end a six-game winless streak.

The Red Bulls (7-11-6) are winless in six straight dating to a 3-2 home victory over Orlando on Aug. 1.

Lloris finished with one save for LAFC (11-7-7).

Son Heung-min cut back to evade a defender, darted toward the end line past another and then fired a shot from the left side of the area that was parried by goalkeeper Ethan Horvath at the near post. Terry, a 17-year-old homegrown, tapped in a first-touch putback from the top of the penalty box in the 21st minute.

Sieb subbed on for Jacob Shaffelburg in the 60th minute and his first MLS goal capped the scoring in the sixth minute of stoppage time. The 23-year-old forward, acquired Aug. 13 from Bayern Munich of the Bundesliga, made his debut for LAFC in a 2-2 tie at Real Salt Lake on Saturday.

LAFC is 11-0-2 this season it scores first.

Dennis Nelich and Sekou Kone, who were added earlier Wednesday from Red Bull New York II, made their MLS debuts. Kone came on for the Red Bulls in the 33rd minute when 17-year-old midfielder Adri Mehmeti went off due to an apparent leg injury.

New York had 57% possession but was outshot 15-8, 8-1 on target.

Horvath had six saves, including three in the closing minutes of the first half.

Defending champions the Seattle Seahawks came from behind to beat the New England Patriots 13-10 in the opening game of the NFL season.

For the first time in 10 years the season began with a rematch of the Super Bowl, in which the Patriots were dominated by a Seahawks defence known as ‘the Dark Side’.

Again they stepped up after Seattle lost quarterback Sam Darnold to a hip injury in the game’s opening drive, claiming three interceptions in the final quarter at Lumen Field.

The Patriots went into a 10-0 lead, with rookie tight end Eli Raridon scoring the first touchdown of the season in the second quarter.

Back-up quarterback Drew Lock got the Seattle offence going late in the third quarter, with Jason Myers cutting the gap with a field goal.

Seahawks cornerback Nehemiah Pritchett claimed his first career interception at the start of the fourth quarter, after a Drake Maye pass was deflected by rookie Rodney Thomas.

On the next possession Lock found wide reciever Jaxon Smith-Njigba in space and last season’s offensive player of the year charged through the Patriots defence for a 45-yard touchdown.

Julian Love then picked off Patriots quarterback Maye, giving Myers the chance to edge the Seahawks in front with a 26-yard field goal.

New England were well within field-goal range with 21 seconds remaining, but chose to go for the win rather than settle for overtime, and the move backfired as Maye’s hopeful pass towards Mack Hollins was intercepted by Josh Jobe in the end zone.

The only game in which Maye threw multiple interceptions last season was the Super Bowl, and he was picked off on the Patriots’ final three possessions in the season opener.

Seattle head coach Mike Macdonald said initial tests showed Darnold had not fractured a hip.

Week one continues with the NFL’s first regular-season game in Australia. The Los Angeles Rams meet the San Francisco 49ers in Melbourne on Thursday (01:35 BST, Friday).

Harimoto, whose record 3,085 career hits still stands, was inducted into the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame in 1990.

Japanese baseball legend Isao Harimoto, who survived the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and became the first player from his country to reach 3,000 hits, has died aged 86, reports said.

Born to Korean parents in Japan, Harimoto learned to play left-handed when an accident at the age of four left him with severe burns and limited mobility in his right hand.

He survived the atomic bombing as a five-year-old, his mother jumping in front of him and his sister to shield them from the blast.

He went on to rack up 3,085 career hits, which still stand as a record in Nippon Professional Baseball.

He played for several teams in Japan, including the all-powerful Yomiuri Giants, and earned himself the nickname “Hit Machine” for his batting prowess.

He retired in 1981 after 23 professional seasons and worked as a TV commentator.

Harimoto was inducted into the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame in 1990.

Reunited three-time US Open men’s doubles champions Joe Salisbury and Rajeev Ram knocked out last year’s winners Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos to reach the semi-finals.

Britain’s Salisbury won the title at at Flushing Meadows in New York alongside American Ram in 2021, 2022 and 2023, but they split in 2024 before teaming up again this year.

They won 6-4 6-4 against the second seeds and will face 2024 runners-up Kevin Krawietz and Tim Putz from Germany on Thursday.

In the other half of the draw, Briton Henry Patten and Finn Harri Heliovaara saved three match points on their way to a 6-7 (7-9) 7-6 (7-3) 6-2 triumph over seventh seeds Manuel Guinard and Guido Andreozzi.

Wimbledon champions and top seeds Patten and Heliovaara spurned four set points in the opening set and had to stave off match points in the second.

They will meet Briton Neal Skupski and American Christian Harrison, who beat Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori 6-3 6-2 in the last quarter-final.

In the women’s doubles, top seeds Katerina Siniakova, from the Czech Republic, and American Taylor Townsend are one victory away from lifting all four Grand Slam titles together after winning 6-0 7-6 (10-8) against Diana Shnaider and Elise Mertens.

They will contest Friday’s final with Americans Robin Montgomery and Ashlyn Krueger, who saved three match points and came from 8-2 down in the match tie-break to beat second seeds Luisa Stefani and Gabriella Dabrowski 4-6 6-4 7-6 (10-8).

Blockx’s dream run in New York ended in cruel fashion earlier on Wednesday as the Belgian was forced to retire after suffering a series of injuries in his quarter-final against Khachanov.

Playing in his first Grand Slam quarter-final, the 21-year-old first received medical treatment for a blister on his foot before struggling with a back issue.

“I think today my body just gave up,” said Blockx, who had come close to retiring from his fourth-round win against Francisco Cerundolo with a rib injury.

“During the match, it was quite funny to me. I just had to laugh it off because it was just something new the whole time.

“I felt it was getting worse and worse. I couldn’t land without feeling pain, without feeling my back, my ribs. So I just didn’t want to yeah, maybe make it worse to miss the entire season.”

Khachanov wished Blockx a “speedy recovery” after he secured his place in a Grand Slam semi-final for the first time since the Australian Open in 2023.

A former world number eight, a disappointing run of results over the past few months have resulted in Khachanov’s ranking dipping to 50 and he is unseeded at a major for the first time since 2018.

The 30-year-old said he will have to come up with his “best form” to defeat Zverev and reach his first major final.

“He’s been in the top five for so many years. This year he did also step forward. He won his first Grand Slam, played the final in Wimbledon, as well. He’s coming up really in hot form,” Khachanov said.

Zverev, meanwhile, says he will have to be wary of his opponent and his extensive knowledge of the game.

“We call him [Khachanov] ‘The Professor’, actually, because he knows everything about tennis, and he knows every single string tension, knows what everybody does, so that’s quite fun,” Zverev said.

The sheer ferocity of the strike to beat Jan Oblak was one thing, but the raw emotion shown by Alexis Mac Allister as he grabbed the Liverpool badge on his shirt and celebrated in front of the Kop told you all that you needed to know.

Just a day earlier, Mac Allister had spoken with a different kind of emotion inside the press room at Anfield as he expressed his sadness at Liverpool not offering him a new contract during the summer.

The Argentine, who is currently contracted until 2028, spoke passionately about his love for the club and the city and how he didn’t feel like he had anything to prove – but there was an admittance that he needed to show the level he knew he could perform at.

Thankfully for Andoni Iraola and Liverpool, Mac Allister did just that by letting his football do the talking in their 2-1 win over Atletico Madrid.

From the outset against Diego Simeone’s side, the midfielder seemed like a man on a mission. He blazed over early on from outside the box then picked up a booking just before the half-hour mark. Seeing Simeone wave an imaginary yellow card when he wanted a second booking for his compatriot just before half-time told a story in itself.

Simeone could only watch on when Mac Allister’s left foot connected with the ball from outside the box and leave a diving Oblak with no chance – turning the game on its head after Marcos Llorente’s opening goal and Dominik Szoboszlai’s equaliser.

It wasn’t quite like the strike that produced an actual seismic event – reaching a peak magnitude of 1.74 on the Richter scale – when Mac Allister found the top corner against Tottenham in 2025 on the day Liverpool won the Premier League, but it was more than good enough to beat one of the best goalkeepers in the world.

For the Premier League’s biggest clubs, this competition is usually an opportunity to blood youngsters and give fringe players valuable minutes.

However, only 35-year-old Danny Welbeck, who scored twice, emerged from the starters with a compelling case for more regular involvement.

Even Valentin Barco, despite scoring Chelsea‘s fifth goal, was partly at fault for Leeds‘ second and was among several players who repeatedly surrendered possession during a difficult first half.

Young attackers Estevao Willian and Jamie Gittens suffered the disappointment of being substituted at half-time, while £40m signing Geovany Quenda, who joined from Sporting, did not add to his solitary substitute appearance for the club as he watched from the bench.

Midfielder Reggie Watson, making his debut at the age of 16, was also withdrawn at the break after being booked.

Alonso later said he would not take a “cynical” view as some on the outside might about the difference in level between his proven stars and Chelsea‘s back-up options.

He added: “I know that probably I have to take the right decisions for them to show their best level, so it’s something that I will analyse and learn from today.”

Nevertheless, reaching the fourth round is important for Chelsea.

It is not only about preserving their hopes of silverware in a season without European football, but Chelsea are also a club that need as many competitive fixtures as possible.

They have a 27-man squad, supported by a strong academy pipeline, and these matches are vital for keeping a large group of players engaged throughout the campaign.

There is an irony, then, that Palmer, Rogers and Chelsea‘s other established stars may have secured future opportunities for the very fringe players whose performances had put the club’s EFL Cup campaign at risk.

NEW YORK Drawing inspiration from Frances Tiafoe’s rally from two sets down to reach the US Open semi-finals, Coco Gauff saved two match points in her own fightback victory on Wednesday.

World number four Gauff, a 22-year-old American and two-time Grand Slam winner, was on the edge of defeat in a second-set tie-breaker before ousting reigning French Open champion Mirra Andreeva 2-6, 7-6 (9/7), 6-2 to reach the US Open semi-finals.

Gauff advanced to a Thursday match at Arthur Ashe Stadium against Elena Rybakina, who beat Chinese qualifier Zheng Qinwen 3-6, 6-1, 6-4, to ensure the second-ranked Kazakh star will leap to world number one next week.

Gauff’s victory was much like compatriot Tiafoe’s comeback triumph Tuesday over fellow American Alex Michelsen in a dramatic five-setter.

“Sometimes you just need a little bit of inspiration, and Frances was that for me in that moment,” Gauff said.

“Frances was looking — I was watching the end of that set and it looked like he was down and out. And sometimes you just need a chance, and I think I got my chances today.”

Gauff struggled in the first set and battled through four service breaks in a row for the two until a tie-break where Russian teen Andreeva had two match points but each time fired an errant forehand. Two unforced errors on the final points gave Gauff her chance and she rolled through the final set.

“I was just really determined to not lose that second set, because I felt like I worked so hard to give myself opportunities and lost them,” Gauff said. “I didn’t know how the third set would go, but I was just really focused on trying not to lose that second set.

“One point turned into another. Once the third set started, I felt pretty confident I was going to come out with that one.”

Tiafoe, who faces American Ben Shelton in Friday’s men’s semis, has provided motivation beyond his never-say-die example at Flushing Meadows.

“Frances is such a light and such a joy to have on tour. Always been so nice and just hyping me up and my family up,” Gauff said. “He’s a special type of person and almost everybody on tour can agree that he’s one of the few players who is always lighting up the room and giving respect towards us women too.

“He’s a rare person in this world and in this sport.”

Not that Gauff is going to tell Tiafoe any of that, adding, “I don’t like to give him any credit. Hopefully he doesn’t see these (remarks).”

Gauff did not message either Tiafoe or Shelton, whose early morning upset of Carlos Alcaraz was the latest-ever US Open finish.

“I feel like it’s a bad luck or omen, so I usually don’t like to text anyone while they’re playing in a tournament,” Gauff said.

‘It’s so incredible’

Gauff, the 2023 US Open and 2025 French Open winner, is excited that three black players — herself, Tiafoe and Shelton have a chance to win at Ashe, named for a legendary 1960s black tennis pioneer. Either Tiafoe or Shelton will play for the chance to be the first US men’s major winner in 23 years.

“It’s so incredible. Honestly, especially on the men’s side, I never thought I’d be able to have the chance to see like an all-Black semi-final between the guys in my lifetime,” Gauff said.

“And to have also me in the semis, I think it’s really cool.”

It helps sustain Gauff’s belief in herself and her game.

“Just believing is all I can do. I mean, the game may not always show up, but I can control the belief in myself,” she said.

“Even if it’s delusional, the more instances I keep showing up and maybe being successful in those moments, maybe that delusion will be more factual.”

BIRMINGHAM, England: Pakistan’s new-look team was unable to shake off old problems as it was bowled out for a paltry 133 after being put into bat by England in the third and final cricket test at Edgbaston on Wednesday, before Emilio Gay and Harry Brook carried the hosts further into the ascendancy.

Josh Tongue claimed 4-42 while Ollie Robinson and Jofra Archer shared six wickets as Pakistan’s shake-up since going 2-0 down in the three-match series had minimal impact.

Gay and Brook then made fifties to lift England to 156-4 at stumps on day one, leading by 23 despite captain Joe Root being out lbw for the 10th time in 13 innings.

Robinson conceded just 15 runs in 11 overs, as he went from 99 to 102 test wickets, while his average of 19.1 is the best post-war of any bowler with more than 100 dismissals.

England claimed a first breakthrough when the recalled Saim Ayub was trapped lbw for a duck to give quick bowler Robinson his 100th test wicket.

Jofra Archer then forced Azan Awais into offering mid-on fielder Josh Tongue a low, diving catch off a leading edge.

Abdullah Shafique was next to go, caught low down by Dan Lawrence at third slip off Robinson.

Shan Masood became the fourth wicket to fall when he lobbed the ball to mid-wicket off fast bowler Archer following a poor cross-bat stroke.

Fellow paceman Tongue then removed Pakistan captain Babar Azam before dismissing debutants Ghazi Ghori and Imran Randhawa, lbw and clean bowled respectively, before lunch.

Razaullah Khan, another debutant, fell for 11 in the afternoon session. Saud Shakeel, who made a fighting 97 in a losing cause at Lord’s, was the one shining light for Pakistan as he top-scored with 43 before being clean bowled by a sharp inswinging delivery from Tongue.

Archer took the final wicket when he had Mohammad Abbas caught in the slips for 21 to finish with figures of 3-25. Robinson picked up 3-15 in a miserly 11-over stint and Tongue 4-42.

Then, in England’s first-innings reply, Ben Duckett was removed by Mohammad Ali for 11 before Jordan Cox fell to Abbas for 4.

England took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series after beating Pakistan by 194 runs at Lord’s.

LIV Golf and its related entities have filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection four years after the league’s debut as a heavy-spending, player-friendly alternative to the PGA Tour.

Rather than signal the end of LIV, though, the move is designed to help the league move into the future without Saudi funding.

“We are excited about what lies ahead and yet, there is still much to accomplish in the months ahead,” CEO Scott O’Neil said in a statement released by the league on Tuesday. “We believe deeply in LIV Golf’s future, the opportunity in front of us, and the people who will help us realize it. We will not rest until we deliver on LIV Golf’s full potential.”

After launching in June 2022, LIV once paid nine-figure signing bonuses to lure away top players from the PGA Tour. Spending had reached an estimated $6 billion by the time the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia decided to end its financial support in April.

On Tuesday, LIV said it has entered a restructuring support agreement with BC Partners Advisors and voluntarily entered a court-supervised restructuring process under Chapter 11 in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of New Jersey.

Last month, O’Neil announced a long-term plan that would have the golfers become the majority equity holders in the league. In a letter to fans on Tuesday, he said that this week’s moves are steps toward the league’s long-term goals.

“Now it is time to enter the next phase of LIV Golf,” O’Neil said. “Today, we took an important step forward to get there. LIV Golf has entered a court-supervised restructuring process that provides us with the time and framework to address previous financial obligations and complete a transaction that will make the League’s next phase a reality. Put simply, this process is designed to build a stronger and more sustainable future for LIV Golf.”

O’Neal said the new league model will expand the field for events from 57 to 75 players, introduce a 54-hole cut and create Monday qualifiers. It will “be built around a sustainable business model and deeper alignment between players and the League, with team golf at its core,” he wrote.

“Players will have the opportunity to share directly in the value they help create, while teams will be positioned to grow into enduring global sports businesses. And fans will remain at the center of everything we do.”

In its bankruptcy filing, LIV listed estimated assests of between $100 million and $500 million and liabilities of between $500 million and $1 billion. Players Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau, Dustin Johnson and Cameron Smith were listed as the four leading creditors.

The league ended its season in August. Four vendors already have filed lawsuits because they have not been paid.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

NEW YORK: Elena Rybakina is headed to the US Open semifinals and to the top of the women’s tennis rankings.

Rybakina edged Zheng Qinwen 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 on Wednesday, guaranteeing she will become No. 1 in the WTA rankings.

The Australian Open champion will face No. 4 Coco Gauff or No. 5 Mirra Andreeva on Thursday. Top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka faces No. 3 Jessica Pegula in the other semifinal.

But no matter what happens in the remaining matches, Rybakina will end Sabalenka’s 99-week stay at No. 1 when the new rankings are released Monday.

“It’s just a number right now and of course I’m in the semis so my goal is to win the tournament,” Rybakina said. “It’s an amazing achievement but you know how quick everything can change in tennis, ranking-wise, during the match, so I feel like I just need to focus on my game, try to recover and enjoy tomorrow.”

Rybakina and Zheng were scheduled to start about eight hours after Ben Shelton finished off his victory over defending champion Carlos Alcaraz at 3:33 a.m., the latest finish in U.S. Open history.

Rybakina said she struggled with the sun and shadows in Arthur Ashe Stadium early on after starting later in the day in her previous matches.

Zheng capitalized on Rybakina’s early struggles to get her only break of the match against one of the best servers in women’s tennis and take a 5-3 lead in the first set.

But Zheng, who had been playing from behind so much in Flushing Meadows, couldn’t hold onto the lead and Rybakina rolled through the second set in 38 minutes.

Zheng, the 2024 Olympic gold medalist from China, had to come through the qualifying tournament just to make the main draw after elbow surgery dropped her down the rankings to her current place of No. 121. Once ranked No. 4, she is guaranteed to move back into the top 60.

She made a dramatic run to the quarterfinals, erasing a 5-0 deficit in the third set against Madison Keys in the third round and then climbing out of another 5-0 hole in the first set in her fourth-round victory over No. 8-seed Iga Swiatek.

But a double-fault gave her opponent a 5-4 lead in the third set and Rybakina served it out to reach the U.S. Open semifinals for the first time.

“I think the wins that I had so far are great, but obviously today in the match I got a lot of chances in the third set, but I didn’t take it,” Zheng said. “That was a bit pity for me to lose this match, but obviously I could take positive things from U.S. Open this year.”

Rybakina came into the tournament needing only to reach the semifinals to ensure she would move past Sabalenka. Had the 27-year-old from Kazakhstan lost before the final four, Sabalenka, Pegula or Gauff could have been No. 1 next week by winning the tournament.

Top-seeded Alexander Zverev was to face Botic van de Zandschulp in one quarterfinal match Wednesday, with No. 28 Alexander Blockx playing Karen Khachenov in the other. The winners will meet Friday, the same day Shelton and No. 11 seed Frances Tiafoe will square off in an all-American semifinal match.

Ben Shelton messed up.

Sure, the U.S. tennis star advanced to his second U.S. Open semifinal in epic fashion, knocking off defending champion Carlos Alcaraz in a five-set marathon that did not end until 3:33 a.m. ET Wednesday.

It was during his on-court interview afterward, however, that Shelton committed a bit of a faux pas while discussing the match that ended later than any other in tournament history.

“I’m just hoping that my best friend and my sister over there don’t have to be at work at 6 a.m. in three hours,” Shelton said following the 6-7 (5), 6-1, 6-3, 1-6, 7-6 (10-7) victory. “It’d be huge from their employers to let them have the day off today.”

Shelton certainly didn’t have to give a shout out to two of his loved ones for hanging in there for the entire 4 hours 28 minutes … but since he did, there’s one other person Shelton probably should have mentioned as well: soccer star Trinity Rodman, who also was sitting courtside throughout the match. TV cameras showed her laughing and apparently saying, “What about me?”

Shelton and Rodman have been dating for more than a year, after going Instagram official in May 2025. They are seen in the stands at each other’s sporting events when their schedules allow.

For the record, Rodman apparently did have to work hours later. The U.S. national team and Washington Spirit player posted a video later Wednesday morning on TikTok that showed her inside a gym with the caption, “Yes, I’m at training now.”

She doesn’t seem to hold a grudge over her boyfriend’s omission, though. Rodman posted a video on her Instagram Story of the match’s aftermath, with the caption, “The moment belongs to Shelton!”

And Shelton actually did include Rodman in that moment, with the two of them making eye contact and flashing his signature “dialed-in” hand motion to each other as he celebrated.

Rodman’s schedule with the Spirit hasn’t allowed her to attend all of Shelton’s matches at Flushing Meadows, but she has been to at least three. For his Round 2 victory against Hubert Hurkacz, Rodman wore a black crop top that read, “I ❤️ my boyfriend.”

For the quarterfinal, Rodman carried a Shelton figurine, possibly as a good luck charm.

Shelton will face fellow U.S. player Frances Tiafoe in Friday’s semifinals.

After 99 weeks, there will be a new women’s world number one – and it will be Elena Rybakina.

Rybakina confirmed she will replace Aryna Sabalenka at the top of the world rankings on Monday with her US Open quarter-final victory over China’s Zheng Qinwen.

Despite losing a set for the first time in the tournament, Rybakina fought back and saved a break point in the deciding set to complete a 3-6 6-1 6-4 win.

She is the first Kazakhstani man or woman to reach the top of the singles standings.

Rybakina has been in hot pursuit of Sabalenka this season and arrived in New York as one of three women who threatened the Belarusian’s position, alongside Americans Jessica Pegula and Coco Gauff.

However, the other three contenders each needed to win the title and hope Rybakina exited before the semi-finals to capture the number one spot.

Sabalenka’s consecutive 99-week reign as world number one stretches back to 21 October 2024 and stands as the sixth-longest streak in WTA history.

The top two players could yet meet in the US Open final – just as they did at this year’s Australian Open, where Rybakina prevailed in three sets.

For Rybakina, the trophy is more important than her new ranking.

“It’s just a number right now. My goal is to win the tournaments which I play,” the 27-year-old sad.

“It’s an amazing achievement, but you know how quickly everything can change in tennis ranking-wise.”

Rybakina will face either Coco Gauff or Mirra Andreeva in Thursday’s semi-finals, while Sabalenka takes on Jessica Pegula.

TEHRAN: Iran’s Guards said on Wednesday that a new “prohibited zone” outside the Strait of Hormuz would cover parts of the Gulf of Oman and beyond, adding that they would announce the exact coordinates later.

“It approximately starts from the direction of Chabahar, covering part of the Sea of Oman and another part of the Arabian Sea, along the route that can lead to the Strait of Hormuz,” Guards spokesman Hossein Mohebi told state television.

“If a vessel enters that area without coordination, it will be subject to our sanctions… It means, for example, that if it later wants to come and use the Strait of Hormuz, if it wants to receive services somewhere, such as insurance or other related services, we will refrain from providing those services,” he added.

The announcement comes after Iran reported “significant progress” with Oman, both coastal states on Hormuz, in discussions of a temporary shipping route through the strait.

Iranian forces have restricted traffic through Hormuz, a vital energy conduit, since the start of the war with the United States on February 28. The US has imposed a counter-blockade on Iranian ports.

Tehran has required vessels to seek permission to transit, insisting there will be no return to the pre-war system of unrestricted navigation.

On Tuesday, Iranian forces said they have struck 10 vessels which attempted to cross Hormuz without coordination.

US President Donald Trump said in recent days that American forces have helped facilitate the passage of vessels through the strait, “averaging 30 ships a night.”

Iran’s security chief Mohsen Rezaei said Sunday that the US tries each night to help five or six ships through, “and usually these ships get hit.”

During his interview on Wednesday, Mohebi said the US should also “release $24 billion in Iran’s frozen assets, and refrain from any interference in the country’s nuclear and missile capabilities.”

Emilio Gay produces a gritty, determined innings to guide England out of early trouble as he hits 60 off 114 balls to help his side recover from 39-3 to 143-4 on day one of the third and final Test against Pakistan at Edgbaston.

FOLLOW LIVE: England v Pakistan – Third Test, day one

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DUBAI: The US has accused Yemen’s Houthis of triggering the latest escalation in violence in the country, as renewed fighting threatened to unravel years of relative calm and draw it deeper into the wider regional conflict.

The US Embassy in Yemen said on Wednesday that the Iran-backed group had brought “nothing but suffering” and accused it of turning Yemen into a base for Iran to “undermine Arab unity and security.”

“The terrorist Houthis and their Iranian backers miscalculated by underestimating the resolve of the Republic of Yemen’s legitimate government, the Yemeni Armed Forces, and the Yemeni people to end Houthi aggression and brutality,” it said on X.

It cited an Aug. 7 statement by the UN Security Council, which condemned Houthi missile attacks against Saudi Arabia and commercial vessels and warned that the group’s actions threatened regional security, navigational rights and efforts to secure peace in Yemen.

The statement came a day after a major Houthi attack on southern Saudi Arabia wounded 73 people, including women and children, and struck energy facilities in Abha, Khamis Mushait, Jazan and Najran.

Fires broke out at several sites and operations at some facilities were temporarily halted, according to Saudi authorities, who described the attacks as a “dangerous escalation” and vowed to take measures to deter further strikes.