Carrick’s initial victories over title challengers Manchester City and Arsenal were unexpected. The ones against Fulham and Tottenham were anticipated but did not arrive without problems that had to be solved.
Combined with the failings of Chelsea and Liverpool, the end outcome is United are fourth, with a handy, but by no means pivotal, advantage in the hunt for a Champions League return, something few could visualise in the wake of Ruben Amorim’s dismissal following the draw at Leeds on 4 January.
“We know how hard it is to put a run together in this league,” said Carrick, whose side are now unbeaten in nine league games, which spanned three managers, including initial interim Darren Fletcher.
“Sometimes it comes naturally, it flows and everything clicks. You look really dangerous and there’s a spark. Sometimes it’s a little bit stodgy.”
The question being asked of Carrick is whether his side can deliver winning performances against opposition they are expected to beat.
Many felt West Ham were in that category, even though Nuno Espirito Santo’s side were aiming for their fourth win in five league games and they had led Chelsea 2-0 in the one that got away.
Carrick did not manage a victory.
What he did do was take a risk to try and get something from a game that appeared lost.
When Manchester United drew against West Ham at Old Trafford in December, Amorim’s only substitution involving an offensive player was Mason Mount for Joshua Zirkzee, 12 minutes from time.
His last change was one defender, Lisandro Martinez, for another, Luke Shaw. Midfielder Kobbie Mainoo and young forward Shea Lacey remained on the bench.
At London Stadium, Carrick gambled. Not so much with Sesko, who replaced Matheus Cunha, who had been ineffective, a charge that could be levelled at all United’s attacking players on this occasion.
It was through his introduction of Zirkzee for full-back Diogo Dalot eight minutes from time where the risk and reward element came.
Carrick switched to a back three and pushed men forward.
He knew there was a chance of conceding a second. It didn’t happen, thanks to two superb saving tackles from another substitute, Leny Yoro, and a Senne Lammens save.
It meant as the clocked ticked past five minutes of injury-time played of the seven added, Carrick’s side still had a chance. Sesko’s brilliant finish ensured they did not head home empty handed.
“It’s always worth it to try and get something out of the game,” said Carrick of his substitution.
“We all want the perfect kind of performance, to be the best we can be.
“Sometimes it doesn’t quite happen, but it doesn’t mean you give up.
“Obviously we went for it, with three at the back and the rest all attacking basically to try and find that goal. That’s the way we should do it.”
It’s an attitude straight out of the Sir Alex Ferguson playbook. He was always prepared to gamble in order to get a desired outcome and felt it was why he enjoyed so many late successes in his stellar career.
An 87th-minute winner against Arsenal, a 90th-minute winner against Fulham, and now a 95th-minute equaliser against West Ham.
Carrick is pleased with 13 points out of 15 from his first block of games.
As he regroups before the next run of three matches, he will be just as delighted at the spirit and never-say-die attitude that helped to get them.
Ilia Malinin of United States slides across the ice during the Men’s Singles Figure Skating Team Event in Milan, Italy, after several fires damaged Italian rail lines on Saturday morning. Photo by Richard Ellis/UPI | License Photo
Feb. 7 (UPI) — Several fires damaged Italy’s northern rail line on the first day of the Winter Olympic Games in what investigators are calling acts of sabotage by arsonists.
Local authorities said three separate fires damaged railroad infrastructure and disrupted travel along the Bologna and Venice rail lines, causing travel delays of up to 2.5 hours on Saturday morning.
Rail service to Venice also was disrupted, and another fire was reported along tracks leading to the coastal city of Pesaro.
Italian railway officials ruled out any technical problems or accidents as the cause of the fires and damage and are treating them as deliberate acts of sabotage.
Investigators found an explosive device and severed cables, which officials for Italy’s Ministry of Transport described as “serious sabotage” that is similar to damage done to French rail lines during the Paris Summer Olympics in 2024.
“These actions of unprecedented seriousness do not in any way tarnish Italy’s image in the world, an image that the Games will make even more compelling and positive,” Matteo Salvini, deputy prime minister and transport minister, told the BBC.
No one has claimed responsibility for the damage that briefly stopped rail service on Bologna’s high-speed line, which was running again by the afternoon.
The rail line is among several that enable spectators to visit various events that are held in an area spanning hundreds of miles in northern Italy’s Alps and Dolomite mountains.
Transportation and anti-terrorism law enforcement teams also are investigating the matter.
Who: England vs Nepal What: 2026 ICC T20 World Cup Where:Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai, India When: Sunday, February 8, at 3pm (09:30 GMT) How to follow: We’ll have all the buildup on Al Jazeera Sport from 06:30 GMT in advance of our text commentary stream.
England are undoubtedly among the frontrunners to lift the T20 World Cup title, but, unlike years gone by, they do not start as one of the red-hot favourites.
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Despite his undoubted ability with the bat, questions surround the captaincy of Harry Brook, while English cricket as a whole is licking its wounds following recent woes – including the Ashes humiliation in Australia.
Al Jazeera Sport takes a look at their open against Nepal.
What have England said about the pressure on Brooks?
All-rounder Will Jacks said on Friday that under-fire England T20 captain Harry Brook had “100 percent” support from the players after going through a “tough time”.
The 26-year-old Brook, in charge at a global tournament for the first time, has recently been in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons.
He had to apologise last month for being involved in an altercation with a nightclub bouncer during England’s white ball tour of New Zealand last year, something that had been a “terrible mistake”.
Jacks has been close to Brook since they were roommates with England Under-19s.
“Obviously, it’s been a tough time, and that’s been well documented in the media,” Jacks told reporters before team training in Mumbai on the eve of the tournament.
“I wasn’t actually in New Zealand, so I didn’t know anything about it.
“He’s obviously made the wrong decision, but he’s accepted that. He’s obviously making amends on the pitch, and we all back him 100 percent.”
Brook, a richly gifted run-scorer, has an early chance to shift the focus back onto his batting in England’s opening match against Nepal in Mumbai on Sunday.
“He wants his cricket to do the talking,” said Jacks.
(Al Jazeera]
What is England and Brook’s T20 form before the World Cup?
England come into the World Cup in good form in T20, heartened by a 3-0 series win in Sri Lanka – one of the tournament co-hosts – this week.
In the preceding ODI series against the same opposition, the explosive Brook bludgeoned 136 off just 66 balls.
“It’s not so much we are taking momentum from that, but team unity, feeling strong within ourselves,” said Jacks.
“We have been performing well over the last 12 months, since Harry’s become captain, and we’re very happy with that.
“What we did in the last few weeks in Sri Lanka is another stepping stone.”
Who else is in England and Nepal’s group?
England are expected to make the Super Eight stage from a Group C that also features two-time winners West Indies, debutants Italy and Scotland.
“We come into here full of confidence and belief that we can go a long way in this tournament.
“But that doesn’t guarantee us anything. We know that there’s amazing teams in this World Cup.”
“India, on home soil, I think everyone knows who’s favourites.”
What is England’s T20 World Cup record?
England are the joint-record winners of the T20 World Cup with two trophy lifts to their name, alongside West Indies and holders India.
Paul Collingwood captained the English to the third edition of the competition, before Jos Buttler’s side sealed their second win in 2022.
[Al Jazeera]
What is Nepal’s T20 World Cup record?
Nepal made their debut at the 2014 edition of the competition, but had to wait until the West Indies and US co-hosted tournament in 2024 to make a second appearance.
On both occasions, the Nepalese were eliminated at the first stage, with 12th- and 17th-placed rankings.
Salt passed fit for England’s opener
Hard-hitting batsman Phil Salt was passed fit as England named their team on Saturday for their first match in the T20 World Cup.
He will open the batting alongside wicketkeeper Jos Buttler against Nepal at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium on Sunday in Group C.
Salt missed Tuesday’s third T20 against Sri Lanka with a back spasm, but trained successfully on Friday and will take his place at the top of the order.
Tom Banton, fresh from a sparkling 54 off 33 balls against Sri Lanka five days ago, is preferred to Ben Duckett and will bat at number four.
Left-arm fast bowler Luke Wood gets the nod ahead of Jamie Overton and joins express man Jofra Archer and Sam Curran in the seam attack.
England have opted to have four spinners at their disposal, with spearheads Adil Rashid and Liam Dawson backed up by all-rounders Jacob Bethell and Will Jacks.
England’s starting lineup
Phil Salt, Jos Buttler, Jacob Bethell, Tom Banton, Harry Brook (capt), Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Liam Dawson, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Luke Wood
England squad
Harry Brook (captain), Rehan Ahmed, Jofra Archer, Tom Banton, Jacob Bethell, Jos Buttler (wicketkeeper), Sam Curran, Liam Dawson, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Jamie Overton, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt (captain), Josh Tongue, Luke Wood
Three-time Grammy Award winner Bad Bunny will headline the Super Bowl LX halftime show.
It will be Bad Bunny’s second Super Bowl halftime show performance after he made a guest appearance with Jennifer Lopez and Shakira during the 2020 Super Bowl halftime show.
“What I’m feeling goes beyond myself. It’s for those who came before me and ran countless yards so I could come in and score a touchdown,” Bad Bunny — whose real name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio — said in a statement, noting that “this is for my people, my culture and our history.”
Jay-Z’s Roc Nation, which has partnered with the NFL on halftime shows since 2019, will again produce the show.
Most Super Bowl halftime shows include special guest artists, but no one has been officially confirmed by Roc Nation or the NFL.
Who: Liverpool vs Manchester City What: English Premier League Where: Anfield, Liverpool, UK When: Sunday at 4:30pm (16:30 GMT) How to follow: We’ll have all the build-up on Al Jazeera Sport from 13:30 GMT in advance of our live text commentary stream.
Liverpool host City for a match with huge ramifications for the title race and the battle to qualify for next season’s Champions League.
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City trail leaders Arsenal by six points and could find themselves nine adrift by the time they kick off, with the Gunners hosting Sunderland on Saturday.
Liverpool could also be four points outside the top five, which should secure a place in the Champions League, should Manchester United and Chelsea win on Saturday.
The champions head into the weekend in sixth place on 39 points but in high spirits after a commanding 4-1 win over Newcastle United last weekend, while City dropped points against 14th-placed Tottenham Hotspur, surrendering a two-goal advantage in a 2-2 draw.
Hugo Ekitike and Florian Wirtz, two of Liverpool’s big-money summer signings, are beginning to deliver returns. Ekitike scored twice in the win over Newcastle to take his tally for the season to 15, while Wirtz has netted six times in 10 matches since ending a 22-game wait for his first Liverpool goal.
City’s Erling Haaland, meanwhile, is experiencing an unusual lean spell with just two goals in his last 12 games. He has never scored for City at Anfield.
Ekitike, left, and Wirtz celebrate scoring against Newcastle on Saturday [Jon Super/AP Photo]
Slot targets improved display against City
Liverpool are eager to showcase how far they have progressed after losing 3-0 to City in November, manager Arne Slot said on Thursday.
“I mainly remember the game we played at Etihad, and we were outplayed for large parts in the first half,” Slot told reporters.
“So, this is another moment to see where we are in the development of this team. We know the importance of a result.”
Liverpool have endured a difficult season so far, but have regained some measure of form in recent weeks.
“It’s the end phase of the season, so results matter more,” Slot said.
“We have not found the consistency for the results, but we have shown against all the [teams], that we can compete.”
Liverpool know there has to be ‘life after Virgil’
Slot also explained the club’s decision to recruit four central defenders during the winter transfer window – Jeremy Jacquet, Ifeanyi Ndukwe, Mor Talla Ndiaye and Noah Adekoya – describing it as planning for life after captain and star centre-back Virgil van Dijk, who will turn 35 this year.
“Hopefully, Virgil can stay fit for multiple years, but this club is not stupid,” Slot said.
“We do know, somewhere in the upcoming years, there is life after Virgil, but that is for every position. We don’t think about short term only.”
Slot singled out the Jacquet for extra praise. The France under-21s defender was also linked with Chelsea, but will move to Anfield in July after Liverpool agreed to a big-money deal to sign him from Rennes, where he will finish the season.
“Such a big talent and another example of the model we’re using at this club,” Slot said.
“Young, very talented players, sometimes at the start of their careers or sometimes already a little bit a few years into their career, but always players that are young and can improve us in the short term but also definitely in the long term.”
Van Dijk remains a rock on Liverpool’s defence but will turn 35 this year [Stu Forster/Getty Images]
Guardiola emphasises mental fortitude ahead of tough trip
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola said mental strength separates elite players from the rest as his team prepares for the game against Liverpool.
“The biggest stages and the biggest games always need big personalities,” Guardiola told reporters on Friday.
“I have said many times, it’s not about the skills of the players in the top leagues. In the top clubs, the skills are there. I never know one player that is not good enough to play in the top clubs, it is how you behave.
“How you play in the latter stages of the biggest competitions is what defines you as a player. The mind of the players you have defines the big teams.”
Guardiola said that despite their travails this season, playing Liverpool at Anfield is still one of the toughest away fixtures in football.
“They remain an exceptional team,” he said. “Top-class manager and an exceptional team, no doubt.”
Haaland leads the top scorer charts with 20 goals, but the striker has not found the net in his last three league games [Oli Scarff/AFP]
City boss lauds Haaland as ‘world’s best striker’ but won’t confirm Liverpool start
Guardiola insisted Haaland is the “best striker in the world” despite refusing to confirm if the misfiring City star will start Sunday’s crucial clash.
“I don’t know until tomorrow. But all I say is Erling is the best. Erling is the best striker in the world,” Guardiola told reporters.
The 55-year-old also doubled down on his comments about the “hurt” he feels for victims of conflicts in Palestine, Ukraine and Sudan after Jewish community leaders told him to “focus on football”.
“To be honest, I didn’t say anything special. I think, why should I not express how I feel just because I am a manager? So I do not agree, but I respect absolutely all opinions,” he said.
“What I said basically is how many conflicts there are right now around the globe or around the world. How many? A lot, right? I condemn all of them. All of them.”
Head-to-head
The two clubs have faced each other on 219 occasions, with Liverpool winning 110 of those games, City winning 61, and 58 ending as draws.
While City comfortably won their home league game against Liverpool this season, their only victory away to Liverpool since 2003 came in an empty stadium during COVID restrictions in 2021.
Liverpool’s team news
Slot confirmed that defender Jeremie Frimpong will miss the game, but Joe Gomez could return to the squad to bolster the defensive line.
Dominik Szoboszlai is expected to continue deputising for Frimpong at right-back.
Alexander Isak, Conor Bradley and Giovanni Leoni all remain on the sidelines with long-term injuries.
Predicted lineup:
Alisson (GK); Szoboszlai, Konate, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Gravenberch, Mac Allister; Salah, Wirtz, Gakpo; Ekitike
City’s team news
City could be without Bernardo Silva, who has a back issue, so Nico O’Reilly could move into midfield to replace him.
Ruben Dias has returned from injury but likely lacks full match fitness and sharpness, so Abdukodir Khusanov will likely start in the centre of defence alongside new signing Marc Guehi.
Feb. 6 (UPI) — A handful of events began earlier in the week — curling, figure skating and ice hockey — but the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics officially got underway Friday afternoon in Italy.
The opening ceremony started at 2 p.m. EST at Milan’s historic, 100-year-old San Siro Stadium in Milan, a nearly 4-hour celebration of the Games that is expected to include a range of performances, the parade of nations and, finally, the lighting of the Olympic cauldron.
The Milano Cortina Olympics will be the first to include two venues in the opening ceremony and the first to light two caldrons for the Games: one in Milan at the Arco della Pace and another at Piazza Dibona in central Cortina d’Ampezzo.
Organizers have said that lighting two cauldrons is meant to represent harmony between the two cities of Milan and Cortina — which are jointly hosting the Games — as well as other areas that the Games are being held.
In addition to dance, light and special effects shows at San Siro, performances by Maria Carey, Andrea Bocelli, The White Lotus and The Paper star Sabrina Impacciatore, Italian actor Pierfrancisco Favino and Italian singer Laura Pausini have been announced.
Events at this year’s Winter Games have been spread among several towns in northern Italy, in addition to the two towns, which the Olympic ceremony director, Maria Laura Iascone, told NBC News is among the efforts of Italy chart “a new course” and innovate “a new spirit” of the opening ceremonies.
The Big Show
The majority of the intricate, ornate opening ceremony is being held at San Siro Stadium, which opened in 1926, has hosted several World Cup-linked events and is home to two Italian soccer clubs.
The Olympics is set to be its final event before the owners of those two teams demolish the stadium to build a newer, more modern facility for the two clubs.
In addition to San Siro, the cauldron will be lit elsewhere in Milan, and athlete parades are set to be held at other venues in the city as organizers have sought to show off Milan, Cortina and other parts of the country. Overall, there are 13 venues hosting Olympic competition this year.
The two cauldrons — at Milan’s Arco della Pace and Corina’s Piazza Dibona — are in addition to opening ceremony events in Cortina, Livigno and Predazzo.
On top of splitting up the ceremonies, there are multiple Olympic villages that athletes are staying in, a decisions made so that they will not need to travel far between lodging, sporting venues and the opening and closing ceremonies.
Events get underway
The ceremony opened with the Italian Olympic Committee spotlighting the southern European country’s position as a “Winter wonderland,” which included video presentations of mountains and towns that gave way to dance routines focused on community, love and harmony, according to organizers.
The glittery winter look moved toward an ode to Italian operat with actors dressed as Gioachina Rossini, Giuseppe Verdi and Giacomo Puccini performing to Rossini’s William Tell Overture.
Maria Carey, who performed for free, sang the Italian classic “Volare” in Italian blended with some of her song “Nothing Is Impossible,” and wowed the crowd ahead of introductions of the President of Italy and of the International Olympic Committee were introduced.
In a significant tribute to legendary fashion designer Giorgio Armani, dozens of models decked out in loose red, white and green suits — the colors of the Italian flag — filed out into the center stadium.
Model Vittoria Ceretti, who is also known for dating Leonardo Dicaprio, carried an Italian flag out to an honor guard before Pausini sang the Italian national anthem, “Fratelli d’Italia” and Favino recited the Giacomo Leopardi poem “L’inifnito.”
As dancers once again filled the center of the arena, two rings — with actors reclining on them — floated out to the stage. Once the actors got off the rings, they joined three others high above the crowd to form the Olympic rings.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates throughout the afternoon and evening.
Myles Garrett arrives on the red carpet at the 2026 NFL Honors in San Francisco on February 5, 2026. Garrett won Defensive Player of the Year. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo
The pounding music and disco lights lent a sense of occasion to the first action of this year’s Games in the high-end Italian resort of Cortina d’Ampezzo.
The snow which had hammered down all day in the Dolomites had turned to sleet by the time the four matches started in front of a healthy crowd inside the 3,500-capacity arena.
But many of those spectators were cast into darkness for four or five minutes early on until someone put some change in the meter,the scoring screens flickered back into life and play resumed.
“I didn’t mind the lights going off,” said Mouat. “It was a bit of a boogie, a rave… it was like a nightclub.”
When the dancing stopped, Norway’s husband and wife team of Magnus Nedregotten and Kristin Skaslien initially took control before the sides fell into a cagey contest.
Mouat and Dodds seized the initiative in a splendid second end – the final accounting reached after some lengthy deliberation with the measuring stick – and led 4-3 at the break after edging a tight fourth against the 2002 silver medallists.
The interval did check the momentum of the childhood friends a little, as Norway – who also won bronze in 2018 – drew level again.
Nedregotten’s flawless play was keeping Norway in it – wife Skaslien’s struggles threatening a little domestic disharmony – but even his efforts could not prevent Team GB snatching three in the sixth end thanks to a stunning Dodds throw.
That opened a three-shot lead with two ends to play.
And, although the Norwegians invoked the powerplay to cut the deficit to one, Mouat and Dodds did likewise in the last end to close out a statement 8-6 win.
“It took us a bit of time to work out one end was curling more than the other, but once we did we took a step up in performance and took control from there,” Dodds said.
“It’s a good confidence builder to start the week.”
Prop Jeremy Loughman will make his first Ireland appearance in two years against France in the opening game of the 2026 Six Nations on Thursday, but there is no place in the starting team for James Lowe, James Ryan or Tadhg Furlong.
With Ireland’s three first-choice loose-heads, Andrew Porter, Paddy McCarthy and Jack Boyle, all missing through injury for the game at the Stade de France (20:10 GMT), the 30-year-old Loughman will play at Test level for the first time since the Six Nations of 2024 and make his first international start since November 2022.
Loughman’s Munster team-mate Michael Milne, who won his only two previous caps against Georgia and Portugal in July, will be the loose-head back-up on the bench.
With Hugo Keenan missing because of the fractured hand he sustained in training last week, Jamie Osborne starts at full-back in what will be his first action since Ireland faced Japan in November.
Osborne had been expected to be in a straight shootout for the 15 jersey with Jacob Stockdale, but the Ulster player instead takes the place usually occupied by James Lowe on the left wing.
The exclusion of British and Irish Lion Lowe is not the only big call made by head coach Andy Farrell, with Connacht’s Cian Prendergast wearing six in the absence of Ryan Baird.
With Tadhg Beirne, who was another option to start at blind-side, joining Joe McCarthy in the second row, that means there is no place in the starting line-up for James Ryan who is one of six forwards on the bench.
Manchester United produce stunning winner to beat Fulham 3-2 in Premier League thriller at Old Trafford.
Published On 1 Feb 20261 Feb 2026
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Manchester United interim manager Michael Carrick extended his perfect start as Benjamin Sesko’s stoppage-time strike sealed a pulsating 3-2 win over Fulham on Sunday.
United took the lead through Casemiro’s first-half header and looked in command when Matheus Cunha netted after the interval at Old Trafford.
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In an incredible finale, Raul Jimenez’s penalty with five minutes left gave Fulham hope before Kevin’s wonder-goal hauled the visitors level in stoppage time.
To United’s immense credit, they hit straight back as the much-maligned Sesko’s fourth goal in his last four games sealed Carrick’s third successive victory.
After new manager Carrick masterminded surprise wins over Manchester City and Premier League leaders Arsenal, this remarkable encounter suggested the former United midfielder might have the Midas touch.
Unbeaten in their last seven league matches, United moved up to fourth place as their bid to qualify for next season’s Champions League gathers pace.
Reaching the Champions League would be a significant statement for Carrick, who was sacked by second-tier Middlesbrough last year.
Only once in former manager Ruben Amorim’s turbulent 14-month reign did United win three games in a row. And Carrick has matched that run within weeks of his appointment until the end of the season.
United’s hierarchy may have to consider hiring Carrick on a permanent basis if he can continue his impressive run.
Whether that is enough to appease the 1958 Manchester United fans group is another matter after they staged a protest against the owners outside Old Trafford before kickoff.
Hundreds of fans, some wearing clown masks, gathered to express their frustration with United’s decline under the Glazer family and the lack of improvement since co-owner Jim Ratcliffe took charge of football operations.
The group claimed United are “being dragged through chaos by clown ownership” and are “run like a circus”.
Fans chanted against the owners and held aloft banners as flares filled the air on Sir Matt Busby Way.
When the smoke cleared, Carrick’s intuition paid off as he brought Cunha into the starting lineup to replace the injured Patrick Dorgu after the Brazilian scored the winner at Arsenal last weekend.
Only Arsenal had taken more points than in-form Fulham over the previous eight games, but United found the formula to end that strong spell.
United thought they had won a penalty for Jorge Cuenca’s foul on Cunha.
But a VAR check showed the offence took place just outside the area.
It was only a temporary reprieve for Fulham as United took the lead from the resulting free kick in the 19th minute.
Bruno Fernandes swung his delivery to the far post, and Casemiro rose highest to thump a towering header past Bernd Leno.
United struck again in the 56th minute with Cunha’s sixth goal this season.
It was a goal made in Brazil as Casemiro’s clever no-look pass found Cunha inside the Fulham area, and he smashed a fine finish past Leno from an acute angle.
Fulham were controversially denied a lifeline when VAR disallowed Cuenca’s 65th-minute goal.
Samuel Chukwueze was ruled offside by the narrowest of margins when he prodded Jimenez’s free kick to Cuenca.
But United were wobbling and Jimenez converted an 85th-minute penalty after the Mexican was fouled by Harry Maguire.
United looked to have collapsed in stoppage time when Kevin cut in from the right wing and curled a sublime strike into the far corner from the edge of the area.
Two minutes after Kevin’s leveller, United showed their spirit as Sesko took Fernandes’s pass and drilled high into the net from 12 yards to spark wild celebrations.
Celebrations as flight carries dozens of passengers from Port Sudan to Sudanese capital.
Published On 1 Feb 20261 Feb 2026
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The international airport in Khartoum has received its first scheduled commercial flight in more than two years as the Sudanese government continues to assert its control over Sudan’s capital city after years of fighting.
The Sudan Airways flight travelled to Khartoum from the Red Sea city of Port Sudan on Sunday, carrying dozens of passengers.
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Reporting from near the runway where the flight had landed, Al Jazeera’s Taher Almardi described scenes of jubilation following the arrival of the plane.
He said the reopening of the airport will help connect the capital to other regions in Sudan, with officials saying the facility is now ready to welcome as many as four flights daily.
Sudan Airways said in a statement that the flight, which was announced on Saturday with ticket prices starting at $50, “reflects the return of spirit and the continuation of the connection between the sons of the nation”.
The Sudanese military announced regaining full control of the capital from its rival, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group, in March of last year.
Last month, Sudan’s army-aligned authorities moved the government’s headquarters back to Khartoum from their wartime capital of Port Sudan, which has also housed the country’s international airport since the early days of the war that began in April 2023.
Khartoum International Airport has come under repeated attacks, including an RSF drone assault in October that Sudanese officials said was intercepted.
On October 22, the airport said it had received a Badr Airlines flight, which was not pre-announced. But no further operations of commercial flights resumed until Sunday.
Sunday’s flight from Port Sudan to Khartoum carried dozens of passengers [Screengrab/Al Jazeera]
The war started as two top generals – Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the leader of the military, and Mohamed Hamdan “Hemedti” Dagalo, the RSF chief – and their forces clashed for power and control over Sudan’s resources.
The fighting has ravaged towns and cities across Sudan, killing tens of thousands of people and forcing millions of others from their homes.
Violence continues to rage in central and western Sudan, particularly in Darfur, where the war has led to mass displacement and a humanitarian crisis.
“In Darfur today, reaching a single child can take days of negotiation, security clearances, and travel across sand roads under shifting frontlines,” Eva Hinds, spokesperson for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), said in a statement on Friday.
“Nothing about this crisis is simple: every movement is hard-won, every delivery fragile.”
The 2023 World Baseball Classic ended with a matchup between then-Angels teammates, Shohei Ohtani on the mound against Mike Trout. In a showdown between two MVPs, Ohtani struck out Trout on a 3-2 slider, giving Japan its third WBC championship.
There will not be similar dramatics for this edition. During DodgersFest on Saturday, manager Dave Roberts cleared up one key question heading into spring training and the tournament.
“[Ohtani’s] not gonna pitch in the WBC, but he will be ramping up his arm to get ready for the season,” he said, adding that the player made the call.
“I wasn’t surprised,” Roberts said. “I can’t even say I was relieved. Understanding what he did last year, understanding what he had to go through, to then how best to prepare himself for ’26 to do both, it just seemed like the right decision.”
Ohtani said in November he would participate in the WBC but did not signal at the time whether he would pitch. When Team Japan’s roster was announced Monday, manager Hirokazu Ibata did not say if Ohtani would pitch, only saying they would get a better sense in spring training.
While speaking with reporters before Roberts, Ohtani said he wasn’t sure if he would pitch during the tournament.
“In terms of the World Baseball Classic, I just have to see how my body feels, continue to feel the progression and see what happens so I’m gonna be fully prepared as a DH,” he said.
The expectation going into the season had been he would be able to pitch without restrictions from the start for the Dodgers.
“I’m not going to manage him differently as far as each outing,” Roberts said. “There’s certainly going to be extra time, it’s not a five-day, six-day rotation. So there’s going to be rest in between. But outside of that, it’s not going to be the two-inning, three-inning [start], he’s just going to be used as a normal pitcher.”
In the 2023 WBC, Ohtani won tournament most valuable player with a .435 batting average and 1.86 ERA, helping Japan to the title. Five months later, Ohtani was pulled from a start at Angel Stadium against the Cincinnati Reds for what ultimately was revealed to be a torn UCL.
During his first year on the mound for the Dodgers, Ohtani finished the regular season with a 2.87 ERA in 47 innings. In the playoffs, Ohtani posted a 4.43 earned run average in 20.1 innings over four starts — including one in Game 4 of the NLCS in which he struck out 10 batters while hitting three home runs, a performance Roberts called “probably the greatest postseason performance of all time” and earned him the series MVP.
MLB players like Ohtani and Dodgers right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto are expected to join Team Japan for exhibition games on March 2. Japan will open WBC play on March 6 against Taiwan.
Dodgers right-hander Roki Sasaki, who will be returning to the starting rotation after missing most of last year’s regular season because of a shoulder injury, said on Saturday that the Dodgers made him unavailable for the WBC. Sasaki was on Team Japan in 2023, starting two games — including a dramatic semifinal win over Mexico.
MELBOURNE — Elena Rybakina finally won her second Grand Slam title with a victory over top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka at the Australian Open on Saturday, and it was something of a testament to quiet achievers.
After some tumult at the start of 2025, including the suspension of her coach, Rybakina finished off last year with a title at the WTA Finals in November. And now she has started the new year with a major championship.
Her low-key celebration was symbolic of her understated run through the tournament: a small fist pump, a quick embrace with Sabalenka, a handshake with the chair umpire, a smile, and a few hand claps on the strings of her racket and a wave to acknowledge the crowd.
It happened quickly after Rybakina closed with an ace to cap a third-set comeback and a 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 win over a regular rival who beat her in the final here in 2023.
“The heart rate was definitely beating too fast. Even maybe [my] face didn’t show, but inside it was a lot of emotions,” the 26-year-old Rybakina, who was born in Moscow but represents Kazakhstan, said of her calm and clinical finish.
She knew she had to capitalize quickly this time, after she acknowledged getting tight and needing almost a half-hour from her first match point to her match-winning point in a semifinal win over Jessica Pegula.
Elena Rybakina plays a backhand return during the women’s singles final at the Australian Open on Saturday.
(Dita Alangkara / Associated Press)
Three years ago, Rybakina won the first set of the Australian Open final but lost the match in three.
This time, after breaking in the first game and taking the first set, she rallied after losing the second set and going down 3-0 in the third. She won five straight games to regain control.
“It gives me a kind of relief,” she said, “also, a lot of confidence for sure for the rest of the season.”
It was a second major title for fifth-seeded Rybakina, who won Wimbledon in 2022 and entered that Australian final three years ago as the only major winner in the contest.
While Sabalenka went on to win another three majors, including back-to-back triumphs in Australia and the 2024 and ’25 victories at the U.S. Open, Rybakina’s results dipped and she didn’t reach another major final until this tournament.
Career change
A win over Sabalenka at the season-ending WTA Finals has changed her career trajectory. She has the most match wins on tour since Wimbledon, and is now on a roll of 20 wins in 21 matches.
“Last year I didn’t start so well,” she said. “I qualified for the [WTA] Finals late. I just hope I can carry this momentum. Do a good job with the team and continue this way.”
Rybakina is 10-0 in her last 10 matches against top-10 players, and she’ll return to No. 3 in the rankings.
Kazakhstan’s flag was unfurled on the court at Rod Laver Arena after Rybakina had paraded the trophy around and posed for photos with her team.
Coaching team
She paid tribute to her coach, Stefano Vukov, who spent time under suspension last year by the women’s tour. Vukov received a silver plate from the tournament organizers for being the champion’s coach.
“Of course I would like to thank my team,” she said. “Without you it wouldn’t have been possible. Really. We had a lot of things going on [last year]. Thank you to all of you, and hopefully we can keep on going strong this year.
“It’s a win for all the team, all the people who support me,” she said. “I just hope that I can carry this moment throughout the whole season and keep on improving.”
She said she’d been working with Vukov since 2019 and she finds it helpful to hear the constant stream of technical and tactical advice he conveys from his seat beside the court. The more, the better, she said, because eventually she listens.
“We won many titles together,” Rybakina said. “And even last year in Ningbo, WTA Finals, and now this trophy I felt just, again, proud and thankful to my team for the work.”
Win some, lose some
Aryna Sabalenka reacts after winning a point against Elena Rybakina in the women’s singles final at the Australian Open on Saturday.
(Dita Alangkara / Associated Press)
For Sabalenka, it’s back-to-back losses in the final in Australia after going down in an upset last year to Madison Keys.
“Of course, I have regrets. When you lead 3-love and then it felt like in few seconds it was 3-4, and I was down with a break — it was very fast,” she said. “Great tennis from her. Maybe not so smart for me.
“But as I say, today I’m a loser, maybe tomorrow I’m a winner. Hopefully I’ll be more of a winner this season than a loser. Hoping right now and praying.”
Rybakina went on the attack from the start and her serve was strong, with six aces and — apart from the two breaks at the end of the second set and the start of the third — she fended off six of the breakpoint chances she faced.
While Sabalenka’s emotions intensified, Rybakina maintained a determined quietness throughout.
Who: Carlos Alcaraz vs Novak Djokovic What: Men’s singles final – Australian Open 2026 When: Sunday, February 1 at 19:30 (08:30 GMT) Where: Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia How to follow: Al Jazeera’s live text and photo stream gets under way at 05:30 GMT
Novak Djokovic stands one step away from cementing his place as the greatest tennis player of all time. In his way, though, is Carlos Alcaraz – a modern adversary seeking a career milestone of his own.
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Tennis history will be rewritten when the pair meet in the men’s singles final of the Australian Open 2026 on Sunday.
Djokovic is seeking his 25th major title to go past Margaret Court in the all-time Grand Slam winners’ list in the Open Era, while Alcaraz – 16 years his junior – is looking to become the youngest player to complete a Career Grand Slam by winning the only one eluding his trophy cabinet.
At 38 years old, the Serb is already the oldest man to have qualified for a Grand Slam final, but he will be looking to make the most of his appearance in Sunday’s blockbuster final to seal a record-extending 25th men’s title.
Meanwhile, Alcaraz, who was the last man to beat Djokovic in a Grand Slam final at Wimbledon 2024, will aim to convert his debut final at the Australian Open into a night when he seals a career Slam.
Both men enter the match on the back of epic semifinal wins on Rod Laver Arena on Friday, with top seed and world number one Alcaraz having a slightly longer recovery period than fourth-seeded Djokovic.
What’s the Alcaraz-Djokovic tennis rivalry?
In the five years since his first appearance in the main round of a Grand Slam, Alcaraz has swiftly become the face of men’s tennis, and his brief history with the iconic Djokovic is often seen as a passing-of-the-baton inter-generational rivalry.
Alcaraz is known for his speed and power, while Djokovic relies on his experience, consistency and resilience to fend off the next generation of tennis talents.
The young Spaniard’s first meeting against Djokovic came at the Madrid Open in 2022, where the home favourite beat the veteran in straight sets.
Since then, the pair have met in Grand Slam settings on five occasions, with Alcaraz winning both finals but Djokovic emerging victorious at the Olympics to complete his Career Super Slam.
Overall, the Serb edges his rival by five wins to four in their nine meetings.
Their last encounter was in the semifinals of the US Open 2025, where eventual champion Alcaraz was too strong for the four-time winner Djokovic.
The match ended 6-4, 7-6 (7-4), 6-2 in Alcaraz’s favour.
How did Alcaraz reach the Australian Open 2026 final?
An ailing Alcaraz battled past Alexander Zverev in a five-set epic to reach his first Australian Open final in a match lasting five hours and 27 minutes. The world number one outlasted the German third seed in hot conditions with a cramping body.
Road to the final:
First round: Beat Adam Walton 6-3, 7-6(7-2), 6-2
Second round: Beat Yannick Hanfmann 7-6(7-4), 6-3, 6-2
How did Djokovic reach the Australian Open 2026 final?
Djokovic stunned reigning champion Jannik Sinner early on Saturday, with the veteran turning back the clock to upset the Italian in a gruelling four-hour-nine-minute match.
Road to the final:
First round: Beat Pedro Martinez 6-3, 6-2, 6-2
Second round: Beat Francesco Maestrelli 6-3, 6-2, 6-2
Third round: Botic van de Zandschulp 6-3, 6-4, 7-6(7-4)
Fourth round: Beat Jakub Mensik via walkover
Quarterfinal: Beat Lorenzo Musetti 4-6, 3-6, 3-1 retired
What’s being said about the Djokovic-Alcaraz Australian Open final?
Tennis experts, fans and former champions have been weighing in on what promises to be a modern epic.
Rafael Nadal: “I think the favourite is Carlos. He’s young, he has the energy and he’s in his prime. But I mean, Novak is Novak. He’s a very special player. I think it’s a positive example of commitment, of resilience. Novak, for obvious reasons, is not at his prime, but he is still very, very competitive at an age that is difficult to be very competitive. So full respect.”
Andy Roddick: “Man regrets inspiring child.”
How much is the prize money for the Australian Open champion?
The men’s singles champion and runner-up will receive $2.9m and $1.5m, respectively, from the total tournament prize money of $78.1m.
How to stream and follow the Australian Open 2026 final?
Al Jazeera’s build-up to the final will begin at 05:30 GMT, before the live score, photo and text commentary stream from 08:30 GMT.
WASHINGTON — President Bush, in a surprise announcement, disclosed Friday that he will seek a $500-million increase in government funding next year for Head Start, a 25-year-old program intended to help disadvantaged youngsters prepare for elementary school.
Bush said the proposed 36% jump in federal spending is intended to expand the program–one of the few remaining elements of Lyndon B. Johnson’s War on Poverty–so it can reach 70% of the disadvantaged 4-year-olds in the nation.
Elsewhere in the draft $1.23-trillion federal budget for the fiscal year that begins next Oct. 1, Bush is expected to propose $37 billion in spending cuts and revenue increases to meet a congressionally mandated deficit-reduction target of $64 billion next year.
The budget–Bush’s first full-scale statement of his priorities for the federal government–will include a renewed call for a lower capital gains tax rate, tax credits for adoptions and for child care, and a proposed “family savings account” that would allow people to accumulate tax-free earnings on up to $5,000 put away each year.
Although the package contains no general tax hikes, it is expected to include as much as $12 billion in various revenue increases that would take money out of people’s pockets, including $5 billion in proposed user fees.
The plan calls for further cuts in Pentagon spending after adjusting for inflation, but Congress is expected to demand even deeper savings. Bush’s spending blueprint will call for modest savings of about $3.8 billion from holding defense outlays to $292 billion next year, compared to the $286 billion total for this fiscal year.
Deputy Defense Secretary Donald J. Atwood, who briefed congressional staff members Friday, called the Pentagon’s budget request “realistic” and said its efforts to scale back its budget in the next five years deserve support.
In tentative spending plans for the next five years, the Pentagon has proposed to reduce its budget by 2% annually after accounting for inflation, which would allow only a gradual rise from $292 billion next year to $311.8 billion in fiscal 1995.
Congressional sources said that Defense Secretary Dick Cheney had slated a long list of relatively small weapons and ordnance programs for termination. None of the Pentagon’s most costly programs, including the B-2 Stealth bomber–for which $5.5 billion will be sought in 1991–were killed or scaled back significantly.
Cheney is certain to raise hackles on Capitol Hill with decisions not to seek additional funds for production or development of the Marine Corps’ V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft and the Navy F-14 fighter jet. The Pentagon last year proposed to terminate both programs, prompting angry lawmakers to restore some funds to keep the programs alive.
The budget also contains about $5 billion in proposed Medicare savings, along with another $2.5 billion from yet another Administration attempt to require state and local workers to pay for Medicare coverage.
Altogether, about 18 or 19 programs would be terminated.
On the other side of the ledger, Bush is expected to call for increased spending on the environment, particularly a stepped-up program to combat global warming, and a boost in spending on space, drug enforcement and treatment, and AIDS research and prevention.
The overall education budget would rise by $500 million, but not enough to keep up with inflation. As a result, some college students would lose their eligibility for Pell Grants, and others would be required to accept smaller stipends.
The 1,592-page budget document was in its final press run on Friday, said Donna Alexander, a spokeswoman for the Government Printing Office. Some 24,000 of the blue-jacketed documents are being printed, and they will go on sale Monday at government book shops for $38 each.
Bush, his aides, and other government officials have carefully disclosed most of the key elements on his agenda this year. He will be free in the State of the Union address Wednesday evening to focus on the overall direction he would like to see the country take this year, rather than having to present a “laundry list” of problems and programs.
In disclosing the Head Start funding proposal to an audience of adopted children and parents taking part in a White House program on adoption, Bush said he would seek “the largest increase ever–half a billion additional dollars–for Head Start.”
“This new funding will increase the Head Start enrollment to 667,000 children and bring us to the point where we can reach 70% of this nation’s disadvantaged 4-year-olds through Head Start,” he said.
Bush said “every American child with special needs, whether physical, emotional, or material, deserves the opportunity for a full and happy life.”
The increase is approximately 10 times as big as the additional amount sought for the program by the Department of Health and Human Services, White House Press Secretary Marlin Fitzwater said.
The President’s announcement surprised advocates of assistance for children and Democratic politicians, with one Democratic political adviser remarking: “That’s smart politics.”
Bush, who said frequently during the 1988 political campaign that he wanted to become the “education” President, had come under increasing pressure to move toward that goal by increasing federal funding for a variety of education programs.
Such pressure emerged at the meeting Bush led at the University of Virginia last September, where he conferred with the nation’s governors on education needs across the country. Fitzwater said the Head Start proposal stemmed directly from that conference.
The Head Start program grew steadily during the Ronald Reagan Administration from about $800 million in 1981 to about $1.2 billion when he left office. In 1990, the Head Start program is receiving $1.386 billion. It provides early educational skills, health care and social counseling for preschool children from families living at or below the poverty level. Staff writer Melissa Healy contributed to this story.
Before arriving at CBS News in October to become editor in chief, Bari Weiss had never been inside a television control room.
But on Tuesday, she presented her plan for taking the storied news division forward after a series of moves that has damaged its standing among viewers, failed to improve ratings, lowered internal morale and generated highly negative press coverage.
Weiss, addressing the staff gathered at the CBS Broadcast Center in Manhattan, reached out to those who have not been impressed with what they have seen so far. “I’m not going to stand up here today and ask for your trust,” she said, according to a transcript provided by CBS News. “I’m going to earn it, just like we have to do with our viewers.”
The statement was an acknowledgment that the early days of Weiss’ tenure have not been smooth. Weiss has dealt with her own lack of familiarity with TV news procedures, the entrenched culture of a legacy media institution and suspicion that partisan politics are driving changes. The town hall-style meeting was an attempt at a reset.
Weiss fought the claims that her mandate at CBS News is to provide friendlier coverage to the Trump administration as parent company Paramount pursues an acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. She said she has never discussed CBS News coverage of the White House with Paramount Chief Executive David Ellison, to whom she reports.
Paramount Chief Executive David Ellison attends the premiere of “Ghosted” at AMC Lincoln Square in New York in April 2023.
(Evan Agostini/Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)
“I’m here to do one thing,” Weiss said. “It’s not to be a mouthpiece for anybody. It’s simply to be a mouthpiece for fairness and the pursuit of truth.”
She told employees her business goal for CBS News is to expand its reach on digital platforms.
“We are not doing enough to meet audiences where they are, so they are leaving us,” she said, adding that the network’s strategy until now has been “to cling to the audience that remains on broadcast television. If we stick to that strategy, we’re toast.”
Weiss said she wants to focus on expanding the most successful CBS News programs — “60 Minutes,” “CBS Sunday Morning” and true crime magazine “48 Hours” to other platforms, including podcasts, newsletters and live events. “We need to shift to a streaming mentality immediately,” she said, adding that “our competitors are not just the other broadcast networks.
The pronouncement — which could have been made five to 10 years ago — was welcomed by some CBS News employees who believe the operation has lagged in using its resources to expand beyond traditional TV. Overall, they were encouraged by Weiss’ remarks.
“She went a good way to bring people together,” said one attendee. “That was a good start.”
One question posed to Weiss, which is likely to loom over her tenure, is how much time does CBS News have to replace the substantial revenue still generated by traditional TV with digital enterprises. Ad rates for digital platforms are substantially lower than those for TV, which means greater dependence on subscriptions and other revenue sources.
Weiss did not provide any specifics on the level of investment for the new initiatives. “The emphasis going forward is going to be building things that people are ultimately willing to pay for,” she said.
Weiss said the network is recruiting “fresh young talent” that will focus on reporting first through social media, “but will appear everywhere else too.” She showed three recent hires based in London, Kyiv and New York who deliver their stories across different platforms using their iPhones.
Weiss also announced the hiring of 19 new contributors, several of whom have already appeared on the Free Press, the digital news site that CBS News parent Paramount acquired as part of the deal to bring her into the company.
The dependence on contributors, who are not employees but paid for their TV appearances, is commonly used on cable news networks that need to fill hours of programming.
Weiss has acknowledged to colleagues that she’s not familiar with the process of moving the assembly line of stories from the assignment stage, through the reporting and editing process and onto a schedule of programs, some of which run 365 days a year.
Her lack of experience was glaring in her handling of “60 Minutes,” the network’s most prestigious and profitable program. CBS News staffers were stunned when she decided to pull a segment on the abuses at an El Salvador prison used by the U.S. government to detain undocumented immigrants from Venezuela.
“CBS Evening News” anchor Tony Dokoupil and the network’s chief national correspondent Matt Gutman.
(CBS News)
The story had been researched and reported for months by correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi and fully vetted by the standards department when Weiss yanked it one day before its originally scheduled Dec. 21 air date. Alfonsi called the move political and the conflict added to the narrative that Weiss is trying to placate the White House.
Weiss insisted Alfonsi’s story needed more reporting including an interview with an administration official, even though the White House had already declined requests to participate. The segment ran a month later with only minor additions to the reporting which executives inside the news division say was not worth the public drama created by Weiss’ editorial decision.
At the meeting, Weiss acknowledged she would have approached the matter differently but defended her intent.
“It’s always gonna be my prerogative as editor of this newsroom to say that I want more information, and to push to get more information,” she said. “Now, am I ever going to hold something again after it has been put out there with promos? I don’t want to make that exact same decision again, no I do not.”
Weiss added that Paramount management had no influence on her decision to hold Alfonsi’s story. “I wanna just say this as plainly and clearly as possible,” she said. “I was not pressured by David Ellison or anyone else.”
She said the journalism standards at the network have not changed since she arrived, but believed the division has been more welcoming to a wider range of viewpoints.
“I don’t think a year ago CBS News would’ve had [former National Rifle Assn. spokesperson] Dana Loesch, let’s say, on the morning show,” Weiss said. “I think that’s something to be proud of.”
Weiss praised the revamped “CBS Evening News with Tony Dokoupil” — with a new anchor she handpicked, even though critics have been harsh and the ratings have slipped. All three of the major network evening newscasts are down in January compared to a year ago, but CBS is off the most at around 20%.
Segments on the program, such as Dokoupil’s frothy tribute to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and a brief item on the fifth anniversary of the Jan. 6 insurrection in Washington that had President Trump calling it the fault of the Capitol police, were widely panned. But the attention has died down as the program has settled into being a straight-ahead newscast.
While the fiascoes involving “60 Minutes” or the first week of the “CBS Evening News” have been demoralizing, some journalists in the division are still hopeful Weiss can be a catalyst for change and want her to succeed.
But her rocky start will be tough to turn around according to Tom Bettag, a former network news producer who is now a lecturer at the University of Maryland’s Philip Merrill College of Journalism.
“Weiss started off so miserably with ’60 Minutes’ and the Dokoupil launch, that you wonder if she can redeem herself,” Bettag said. “You only get one chance to make a first impression.”
Weiss isn’t the first executive to be put in charge of a TV news operation without any hands-on experience. It was not easy for the others, either.
Michael Gartner, a Pulitzer Prize-winning newspaper editor was appointed to oversee NBC News in the mid-1980s. During his turbulent five-year tenure, he struggled with talent egos as he tried to get costs under control. Walter Isaacson came from Time magazine to run CNN in 2001. He was gone after 18 months, expressing bewilderment over the public scrutiny of every network move.
Weiss’ previous management experience was running the Free Press, which has a staff of 60 compared to the sprawling CBS News operation with more than 1,200 employees around the world.
Weiss is also an anomaly as she comes to the job with an established point of view. Her journalism career was as an opinion writer before she launched the Free Press. The site gained a following for its criticism of the progressive left and purveyors of so-called “woke” policies.
Weiss has been vocal in telling CBS News employees that the public has less trust in legacy media, an assertion that is often pushed by Trump and his supporters. (She told the meeting that the network needs to target “independents … those who want to equip themselves with all the facts, who are curious to hear what’s going on, even if it offends their sensibilities.”)
Weiss carries that agenda while she tries to overcome the whispers of “she’s not one of us” at CBS News, which even loyal insiders believe leans too heavily on its storied history defined by 20th century journalism icons such as Walter Cronkite and Edward R. Murrow.
“I think this place has allowed the ghosts of the past to walk these halls a little too much,” one CBS News journalist said. “They need to be acknowledged, but not obsessed over every day. The New York Yankees don’t sit around dwelling on Babe Ruth every day. They focus on winning.”
While “60 Minutes” and “CBS Evening News” are the editorial backbone of the division and are getting the bulk of Weiss’ attention, the division also has to chart a future course for “CBS Mornings,” a major revenue generator. Co-host Gayle King’s contract is up in May and last year there were leaks to an industry trade suggesting that Paramount wants her to return in another role and presumably a lower salary.
“CBS Mornings” is in third place behind ABC’s “Good Morning America” and NBC’s “Today,” but still has a following and King is the most recognizable star in the news division. Morning show viewing is habitual and a change in the host chair could lead King’s fans to abandon the program. Once viewers leave, it’s hard to get them back, especially in today’s fragmented media environment where consumers have a seemingly endless array of alternatives.
At the town hall, Weiss gave a positive shout-out to King, who is angry over the press reports. “I’ve had people come and pet me like a puppy and say, ‘I’m sorry that you’re leaving CBS, I won’t watch those guys anymore,’” King said.
“I just want everyone here to know that she’s absolutely beloved,” Weiss said. “And we see her long into the future here at CBS.”
People close to the morning program who were not authorized to comment publicly believe King would return for another contract. But the network is already preparing for the future if King does depart.
Adriana Diaz and Kelly O’Grady were named co-hosts of “CBS Saturday Morning” and will be the principal fill-ins for King on the weekday program, clearly an attempt to get them familiar with the audience. “It’s a very explicit attempt to start building a bench,” said one insider.
Before the town hall meeting on Tuesday, many CBS News veterans were frustrated that Weiss had not addressed the entire division during the first three months of her tenure. King, who told colleagues she was impressed overall with the presentation, told Weiss they needed to meet sooner.
“For many people — they’ve never even heard your freakin’ voice,” King said. “So it’s good to hear, to see you’re a real person and this is what you want.”
Dr. John Isaacs from Newcastle University in the United Kingdom speaks on a next-generation rheumatoid arthritis and cancer therapy, Penetrium, during a symposium in Seoul on Tuesday. Photo courtesy of Hyundai ADM Bio
SEOUL, Jan. 27 (UPI) — South Korea’s Hyundai ADM Bio announced plans to launch global clinical trials of its new drug, Penetrium, for rheumatoid arthritis and prostate cancer during a symposium held in Seoul on Tuesday.
Citing promising preclinical results, the biopharmaceutical company said that it aims to begin the clinical tests in the near future.
“In the field of rheumatoid arthritis, we expect to enter clinical trials simultaneously in South Korea and the United States,” Hyundai ADM Bio CEO Cho Won-dong said. “For prostate cancer, we have already received approval from the Korean authorities.”
Dankook University professor Choy Jin-ho, who played a key role in the development of Penetrium, expressed hope that the new-concept drug could bring about a paradigm shift in the fight against multiple diseases, including other types of tumors in addition to prostate cancers.
“A significant portion of anticancer drug resistance is not caused by genetic mutations in cancer cells themselves, but rather by the formation of stroma around them during treatment, which acts like a fortress wall blocking drug penetration,” he said.
Choy said Penetrium was designed to target the “fortress wall,” or the supportive structure around cancer cells, so that drugs could be delivered more effectively.
The symposium brought together experts at home and abroad. Among them were Dr. John Isaacs, professor clinical rheumatology at Newcastle University in the United Kingdom, and Dr. Frederick Millard, a professor of medicine at UC San Diego Health.
Isaacs is one of the leading experts on rheumatoid arthritis, while Millard is known for his contributions to prostate cancer research.
Noting that conventional rheumatoid arthritis treatments often involved immune suppression and significant side effects, Isaacs praised Hyundai ADM Bio’s approach of controlling only the metabolism of pathological cells without suppressing the immune system.
Millard expressed optimism about the new strategy breaking down the protective barriers that shield cancerous cells, instead of targeting them for direct destruction.
The share price of Hyundai ADM Bio jumped 13.56% on the Seoul bourse on Wednesday. Its parent company, Hyundai Bioscience, surged by the daily limit of 30%.
Doris, who has made 23 Six Nations appearances, will lead Ireland out against a France side shorn of some high-profile players.
While fit-again captain Antoine Dupont is back, head coach Fabien Galthie opted not to select France’s all-time top try-scorer Damian Penaud, veteran centre Gael Fickou and back row Gregory Alldritt, who skippered the side in Dupont’s absence last year.
Having faced Alldritt on several occasions for both club and country, Doris admits he was surprised by the 28-year-old’s omission.
“If you look at the Top 14 week in, week out, there’s so many quality players at the top level, they’ve got an abundance of talent to choose from,” added Doris.
I was surprised Alldritt wasn’t in it. I obviously faced him and La Rochelle a few weeks ago. I rate him very highly but they’ve got quality across the back row and I’m sure [Anthony] Jelonch will represent the eight shirt very well.
“It’s always a big threat playing against France, especially away from home at a hostile place like Stade de France, so looking forward to it.”
