Leslie, a two-time WNBA champion and member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, became the first female professional athlete to receive a statue outside of Crypto.com Arena on Sunday. After the ceremony, the Sparks earned a 105-84 win over the Portland Fire.
Leslie’s friends and family gathered outside the arena for the unveiling of the statue Leslie dubbed “The First Lady,” celebrating her 12-year pro basketball career in Los Angeles. Many speakers, including former Sparks coach Michael Cooper and Lakers legend Magic Johnson, noted Leslie’s accomplishments while also saluting her as a kind person.
Leslie became the second WNBA player to be honored with a bronze statue outside of a U.S. pro basketball arena, joining the Seattle Storm’s Sue Bird.
Lisa Leslie celebrates on stage after her statue is unveiled outside Crypto.com Arena on Sunday.
(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
“We know there is a low percentage of women who have statues in our country,” Leslie said. “I just feel like we are just starting to get our flowers and reap some of the benefits of hard work, blood, sweat and tears that we put into it.”
Leslie sat courtside with her family watching her former team beat the expansion Fire. Rae Burrell led the Sparks with 20 points and added two assists. Nneka Ogwumike finished with a double-double and Ariel Atkins had 14.
Burrell led the team with 13 first-half points. The Sparks led by as many as 20 points in the third quarter, during which several Sparks reached double-figure scoring.
The Sparks kept their foot on the gas in the fourth quarter despite playing without Cameron Brink, Dearica Hamby and Aaliyah Nye.
Many Sparks said they felt blessed to have formed relationships with Leslie. Burrell said Leslie has been a big help during her career. The retired star has responded when players around the WNBA have sought advice.
Ogwumike said the team was happy to attend the pregame statue reveal.
Sparks legend Lisa Leslie takes photos with family and friends at her statue unveiling outside Crypto.com Arena on Sunday.
(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
“That’s history, you know? I am very adamant about players coming in and knowing their history,” Ogwumike said. “That’s something you can’t let go of. I think we can see, especially in the NBA, where they are honoring these legends and they are coming back. I think we’re entering an era where there is so much history.”
Leslie grew up in Compton. During the ceremony, she spoke about watching her siblings whenever her mother went to work as a truck driver. She said she pushed to make good things happen for her siblings and didn’t quit or make excuses when life was difficult. She embraced challenges and often challenged herself.
Cooper said Leslie would go head-to-head with some of the Lakers players during practice to give herself a bigger challenge and it was impressive to watch her hold her own. Leslie was determined to be the first player in the WNBA to dunk, which helped redefine what was possible in women’s basketball.
The statue outside of Crypto.com Arena depicts her dunking a basketball.
Lisa Leslie and her family celebrate as her statue is unveiled outside Crypto.com Arena on Sunday.
(Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)
“I hope they see themselves out there. I hope you can find a girl that looks like you, whether she has long hair or short hair,” Leslie said. “That’s the key for kids in general. You have to see yourself. If you see it, then you also start to dream and believe that you can be it.”
Leslie recalled walking around Los Angeles as a child. Her affection for the city receiving a statue here more meaningful.
“I also feel a certain level of pride,” she said. “I feel like we are such good people in L.A.”
Leslie’s statue stands next Lakers Hall of Famer Kobe Bryant and his daughter, Gigi Bryant. Leslie called Kobe her younger brother during the ceremony and is happy to be close to him again.
Leslie’s career will be hard to repeat, but she sees it as a blueprint WNBA players can follow.
She said she is pleased with the direction the WNBA is heading, leaps and bounds ahead of her experience joining the league in 1997. She said it’s been great to see sponsors pouring in and helping the game grow.
“I am so proud of where the women’s game is,” Leslie said. “But the dream was always that we hoped that our USA, everybody across the board, could see the beauty in us, could see the strength in us and our resilience. I am so proud of the product that’s on the floor.”
The announcement late last year that the iconic train company would start running double-decker trains across its network from 2031 was big news for those of us who love the towering carriages found in Italy, France and Spain
Eurostar’s new trains will be up and running by 2031
Eurostar’s new-look trains will feature two-storey bars, maximizing passenger capacity and Continental drinking opportunities.
The announcement late last year that the iconic train company would start running double-decker trains across its network from 2031 was big news for those of us who love the towering carriages found in Italy, France and Spain, but never in the UK. The height of UK tunnels means we’re stuck trundling around on lower-capacity, single-storey trains.
Except that is on the high-speed line from London to mainland Europe, which is perfectly capable of taking taller trains, a la France’s TGV Duplex, Switzerland’s SBB IR Dosto and Germany’s DB IC2.
Eurostar’s double-decker announcement last year was exciting enough, but now the Belgium-headquartered firm has announced that its new Celestia trains will feature two-storey bars as its “star attraction”. A Eurostar spokesperson told Euronews Travel: “The name Celestia means ‘heavenly’, reflecting the idea behind the double-decker bar: to create a travel experience beyond the ordinary.”
Eurostar has ordered 30 Celestia trains, with the first scheduled to begin service in May 2031. As well as sporting the bar, the classic blue, grey, and yellow livery that high-speed train fans have become used to seeing whizzing through the countryside will be replaced by a new, more understated grey and green. Their capacity will also be increased.
A Eurostar spokesperson explained: “Eurostar Celestia will have a bespoke design to capture the unique, premium experience Eurostar passengers expect. It is expected that each 200-metre set will have around 540 seats. If running in 400m formation (as through the channel tunnel today), there would be around 1,080 seats per service, a 20% increase from today.
“The first trains are due to join the fleet in January 2031, with commercial services launching in May 2031. Six new trains will be operational at that time, marking the beginning of a new era for travel on board Eurostar Celestia. Once delivered, the new trains will operate alongside the current fleet of 17 e320s, bringing the total fleet to 67 trains – a 30% uplift overall versus today.”
The train company has pledged that the new trains will offer 20 to 50% energy savings compared to the current fleet.
Eurostar is upping its game ahead of the arrival of a potential competitor on the rails. In August, Virgin was granted track access by the Office of Rail and Road, having announced plans to run a rival rail service to Eurostar through the Channel Tunnel. The access will allow Virgin to run up to 20 daily return services between London and Paris, Brussels or Amsterdam, with the agreement running from 1 October 2030 to 31 December 2040.
Eurostar has held a monopoly on passenger services since the tunnel opened in 1994. Before Virgin can join it on the tracks, it needs to secure rolling stock for the services and get safety approval from UK and EU authorities. The ORR approval only covers the HS1 route from London St Pancras to the Channel Tunnel, and not on rail networks in mainland Europe.
Crew Girl heartthrob Sam Braun is openly dating a fellow actress
Actor Sam Braun stars in Netflix’s new romance drama, Crew Girl (Image: Getty )
Crew Girl viewers have been left curious about Sam Braun’s off-screen love life, and it’s not as tangled as his character’s.
The Canadian actor plays popular boy Josh Regis in the brand new young adult show, now available to stream on Netflix. The drama follows Teagan (played by Miku Martineau), a skilled teenage rower who is forced to move to a small town after a family scandal.
She hopes to have a fresh start at the prestigious Easton Prep, but soon discovers she will be the only female on her new school’s rowing team. A synopsis reveals: “Thrust into a world of old money and brutal competition, Teagan must find a way to lead a team that doesn’t want her and somehow bring them together.”
As well as juggling her rowing ambitions and family complications, Teagan also finds herself at the heart of a heated love triangle with Josh and Cam (Kyle Clark). We won’t spoil who she chooses in the end, but many fans have already rallied behind Team Josh.
But what is there to know about actor Sam’s real-life romances?
Who is Sam Braun’s partner?
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Sam appears to be dating fellow actress Shanti Harris. The couple often posts loved-up pictures on Instagram, documenting everything from their romantic trips to work collaborations.
She has theatre experience as well as credits in short films, including Untethered, The First Dance, and Laundry. Sam and Shanti are also performing together on a new play called The Truth and Darers, which was written by Shanti.
It’s currently showing at the Vancouver Fringe and follows six teenagers who strike up a high-stakes game of Truth or Dare.
The first season of Crew Girl landed on Netflix on Thursday morning (September 10), and some fans are already hoping it’ll return for a second series. There’s no news yet on the future of the show, but the leading stars have ideas on where the story could go next.
“If we go to season 2, I think we should go on summer break or something, get lost in the woods,” Sam told Tudum. “It’d be really fun to do a summer bash and be on the lake boat and see what their life is [like] outside of rowing too.”
Meanwhile, Kyle added: “We really want to step it up if we have more time.” With leading lady Miku stating: “Who knows what can happen in season 2? A love square — is that even possible?”
The Channel 4 hit show returned to our TV screens on Friday (4 September) night, as the sofa watchers shared their hilarious reaction on the best and worst of this week’s TV. Long-running favourites Jenny and Lee, Pete and Sophie, Ellie and Izzi and the Malone family were all back as they welcomed viewers into living rooms yet again.
This time, they weren’t alone as fans of the BAFTA-winning series welcomed the show’s first cast member with Down’s syndrome as two new families joined the hit programme.
The newest additions include Newcastle brothers Steve and Mark, as well as Sandy and her TV fanatic son Max, who is the first person with Down’s syndrome to feature on the show. Opening up about joining the show, Max joked: “I’m much funnier than my mum, so that’s good.”
“I’m all about spreading the love and showing other learning-disabled people what we can achieve. And my mum is my greatest supporter,” he added.
Sandy called joining Gogglebox “total magic”, sharing: “To have people see the superstar, who is my son, and realise that a person with a learning disability can be smart, opinionated and hilarious is very important for me. My greatest joy is being his mum.”
Speaking about signing-up for the series Max further shared: “Friday nights with Gogglebox and wine has been a tradition in our house for years. It’s one of my favourite shows ever.
“So, it’s surreal that we’re going to be part of it, and it’ll be such a laugh doing this with my brother. He’s super funny and it’s a great excuse to hang out.”
Viewers watching at home have wasted no time sharing their reaction on social media to the newcomers and it’s clear they can’t get enough of mother and son duo, Max and Sandy.
One viewer wrote: “Go Max and Sandy! Lovely friends of mine, knocking it out of the #Gogglebox park.”
Another commented: “Really like Max #gogglebox.” A third said: “This was the first time I’ve ever instantly loved a new family on #gogglebox smiled from ear to ear with Max. How lovely. Not sure on the other new additions yet.”
Another said: “#gogglebox Loving Max and his mum! Brilliant!” Another fan commented: “Love Max and his mum. The new brothers are ok too. #gogglebox.”
One wrote: “Absolutely L-O-V-E Sandy and Max #Gogglebox.” Meanwhile another fan added: “Max and his mum are a good addition. They make me laugh in a good way.”
Weekly insights and analysis on the latest developments in military technology, strategy, and foreign policy.
There is a report of a new ship attack in the Strait of Hormuz, highlighting the difficulty of ending hostilities with Iran. The strike came hours after the Trump administration on Monday unleashed the threat of harsh new sanctions to further isolate the Islamic Republic. Though details were sparse, and no deadlines were issued, the goal was to compel the Iranians to return to negotiations by inducing additional economic pain instead of through bombardment. Originally touting the announcement as an “economic D-Day” against Iran, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s lack of firm timelines presented Monday doesn’t seem to match that initial rhetoric.
Monday evening, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center (UKMTO) said it “received a report of an incident 9NM northeast of Ash Shishah, Oman.”
“The Master of an oil tanker reports the vessel has been struck by an unknown projectile causing damage to the engine room and disabling the vessel,” UKMTO reported on X. “Crew are reported safe. Environmental impact is unknown at time of report. Vessels are advised to transit with caution and report any suspicious activity to UKMTO. Authorities are investigating.”
UKMTO didn’t assign blame, but it’s obviously extremely likely the attack was carried out by Iran.
Hours before Bessent’s sanctions announcement, the Houthi rebels of Yemen also attacked another Saudi ship in the northern Red Sea. These strikes are a stark reminder that the war launched on Iran by the U.S. and Israel on Feb. 28 is still sending kinetic shockwaves around the region and roiling the global economy.
At a press conference in Washington, Bessent formally announced the broad outlines of a new list of measures to cut Iran off from global trade. The move comes as the Iranian economy, which was reeling even before the war broke out, continues to suffer after months of war and an ongoing U.S. naval blockade of its ports.
“We are level-setting with every country to tell them our expectations. We know who they are. They know who they are,” Bessent told reporters. “So when the hammer of U.S. Treasury actions falls upon them, they will have no one to blame but themselves.”
Dubbed “Operation Economic Outcast,” the plan calls for every country to “be given a defined timeline to shut down its Iran-related business activity,” Axios noted. “If it fails to do so, the U.S. will impose secondary sanctions.”
As part of this effort, the Treasury Department “issued determinations against five critical sectors––digital assets, technology, gold, aviation, and shipping––that the Iranian regime uses to try to prop up its failing economy,” it explained. In addition, the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) “sanctioned nearly 60 entities, individuals, and vessels in multiple jurisdictions that enable the Iranian regime’s recklessness, including illicit nuclear and missile technology procurement, cyber operations, and oil‑revenue generation networks.”
OFAC also “suspended several general licenses that previously authorized certain remittance payments to Iran and Iranian access to the U.S. cultural and academic system,” Treasury noted. “OFAC issued additional guidance on the sanctions risks of bowing to Iranian demands related to shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.”
Asked by a reporter what actions the U.S. might take against China, Bessent hinted that Beijing is not exempt. China has been a major importer of Iranian oil and its banks have helped support Tehran’s economy.
“We want to make clear here today that no one is above the reach of U.S. sanctions,” Bessent responded. “That if they facilitate transactions and are part of the ecosystem that turns Iranian oil into money, into repression, they will be targeted.”
BIG: Bessent on China and Iran:
We want to make clear here today that no one is above the reach of U.S. sanctions.
That if they facilitate transactions and are part of the ecosystem that turns Iranian oil into money, into repression, they will be targeted. pic.twitter.com/hVuFLlgaZa
Bessent did not offer any further specifics. He was equally vague about any timelines for this effort.
“We are giving everyone the opportunity to remedy bad behavior,” Bessent told reporters. “Why would I want to blow up the global financial system?”
For their part, the Iranians dismissed Bessent’s plan and promised their own harsh response to the new sanctions.
“Americans know that no one buys their bombast; the United States is not in an economic position to further restrict its relations with other countries,” Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, speaker of the Iranian parliament, stated on X. “Iran’s trading partners, both in the media and through messages sent to us, have made it clear that they don’t take these statements into account anywhere.”
آمریکاییها میدانند که کسی گُندهلافیهای آنها را باور نمیکند؛ آمریکا از لحاظ اقتصادی در شرایطی نیست که بخواهد روابط خود با دیگر کشورها را محدودتر از این کند. شرکای تجاری ایران، هم در رسانهها و هم با ارسال پیام به ما اعلام کردهاند که این اظهارات را به هیچ جا حساب نمیکنند.
— محمدباقر قالیباف | MB Ghalibaf (@mb_ghalibaf) August 24, 2026
Baghaei did not offer specifics, but Iran still possesses missiles and drones that it can use to strike U.S. and allied interests in the region. In addition, Tehran still maintains a large degree of control over shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. Even the threat of additional attacks could affect the flow of oil through the strategic chokepoint.
In addition, on Saturday, Mohsen Rezaei, the head of Iran’s national security council, threatened to attack U.S. businesses, The Telegraph reported. He also warned allies of the U.S. that they would be considered enemies, and their interests harmed if they joined Trump’s economic warfare. Cyberattacks on U.S. water systems that officials suspect may be linked to Iran-backed hackers have been reported in at least a dozen states, CBS News reported earlier this month. Iranian-linked hackers are also suspected of forcing a small British power generator offline for four days last month. Aside from that, there are still many U.S. business interests in the Middle East, and especially energy firms, with major facilities right across the Persian Gulf.
While the U.S. and Iran trade threats, the Houthis carried out a fresh strike on Saudi shipping as we noted earlier in this piece.
The Iranian-backed group claimed it hit the oil tanker Amzan off the coast of Yanbu. That’s the kingdom’s key port on the northern Red Sea, about 600 miles north of Houthi territory.
🔺Ansarallah says it struck the Saudi oil tanker Amzan with a ballistic missile off Yanbu in the northern Red Sea, declaring the attack part of its maritime blockade on Saudi Arabia and its “blockade for blockade” campaign.
Both the UKMTO and the Ambrey maritime security company confirmed the attack, which took place about 64 nm west of Yanbu, Ambrey noted.
After the vessel was hit, “the Egyptian Navy was reported to have responded and was transiting to the area of interest to conduct a rescue operation,” Ambrey stated. “At the time of the attack, the vessel was not transmitting its AIS signal. Its previous AIS transmission was recorded at 02:33 UTC on 8 August.”
The ship attack was the latest Houthi strike against the Saudis. The Yemen-based group had already struck Saudi ships in the southern part of that body of water and refineries along the northern portion after imposing a blockade on the Bab al-Mandeb Strait (BAM), leading several oil tankers in the Red Sea to avoid that route in favor of the Suez Canal. The expansion of the Houthi campaign against Saudi shipping began earlier this month with an attack off the port of Yanbu on the NCC Wafa, a Saudi oil tanker.
Bab al-Mandeb Strait. (Google Earth)
Though both the Strait of Hormuz and the BAM remain under pressure, ship traffic ticked upwards in both chokepoints last week, according to the Kpler global trade intelligence firm. Those numbers alone, however, don’t paint the full picture, Kpler cautioned.
“Traffic edged higher through the Strait of Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb last week, but headline volumes obscure contrasting risk signals,” Kpler cautioned on X. “Hormuz crossings rose 2.5% to 121, while laden transits fell 27% and sanctioned crossings increased from 9 to 16. Use of Iran’s unilateral routing scheme also climbed to 46.3% of crossings.”
“Bab el-Mandeb traffic rose 3.1% to 269 crossings,” the firm added. “Dark transits declined, but sanctioned and shadow fleet crossings remained broadly flat at 74 combined. The data suggest commercial substance is weakening at Hormuz even as overall traffic holds up, while Bab el-Mandeb remains resilient despite an active threat environment.”
Hormuz traffic masks rising risk
Traffic edged higher through the Strait of Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb last week, but headline volumes obscure contrasting risk signals. Hormuz crossings rose 2.5% to 121, while laden transits fell 27% and sanctioned crossings increased from 9 to… pic.twitter.com/iHKsCigEJL
While the U.S. is threatening further moves to hurt the Iranian economy, doing so has inherent risks. For decades, Iran has weathered sanctions and isolation and yet the regime has persevered. It withstood mass protests against it earlier this year with bloody crackdowns that played a big role in moving U.S. President Donald Trump to take military action.
Iran continues to wield the cudgel of threatening the U.S. by resuming attacks on its assets in the region as well as against allies. In July, Tehran took rare initiative with a surprise attack on U.S. forces in Jordan, a contrast to its previous pattern of responding to strikes.
For the U.S., continued conflict risks further expenditure of its stocks of high-end offensive and defensive weapons and strain on its troops and equipment. It would also add new economic pressure. To help mitigate gasoline prices that shot up during the war, the Trump administration began releasing a large amount of oil from the strategic petroleum reserve. That move set off a cascade of downstream effects.
“Stocks of crude oil in the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) fell by about 3.7 million barrels to 289.7 million barrels last week, the lowest level since November 1982,” Reuters reported, citing data from the Department of Energy. “The drawdowns are part of a U.S. agreement to release 172 million barrels from the facility.”
Barchart, the global market data and technology firm, offered a stark assessment of the state of the SPR.
“The U.S. has just 41 days of crude oil inventory left, the lowest level in half a century,” Barchart noted on X.
While that doesn’t mean gas pumps in the U.S. are about to shut down, the alarm bells are ringing.
Earlier this month, the president said his new strategy was to be “low-keying it” in Iran, a suggestion wants to avoid further major military action. However, in addition to global and domestic economic pressure, there are other factors weighing on Trump as he decides what to do next with regard to Iran.
The war is unpopular and the midterm elections are fast approaching. The White House and Republican leadership remain keenly aware that the conflict dragging on until November won’t help the party’s bid to hold onto control of both the Senate and the House.
We will have to see if the Treasury’s plan is actually enacted and what Iran’s response will be. As it sits now, the administration is clearly hoping the threat of such economic isolation will press them to the negotiating table, but Iran has shown no signs yet that it will.
