Rybakina rarely shows emotion on the court but there was a brief flash of a smile as she clinched her second major victory of an outstanding 2026 season.
That illustrated the sense of satisfaction she felt after winning a title few had predicted – not only because she had never previously gone beyond the last 16 in New York but the circumstances coming into the final major of the season.
With her penetrating serve and thunderous groundstrokes, Rybakina has a brand of first-strike tennis that can take the racquet out of anyone’s hands.
Therefore it has been a surprise she has not enjoyed greater success on the Flushing Meadows hard courts, perhaps a result of her personality not being particularly suited to the brash nature of New York.
“I was coming here for the last 10 years and it was never successful. I’m falling in love with New York more and more,” Rybakina, 27, said.
What makes the second seed’s victory even more remarkable is that she was unsure if she would be fit enough to even play.
Rybakina was unable to walk for several days after injuring her ankle in the Cincinnati Open quarter-finals, putting her chances of competing here in serious jeopardy.
Not only was Rybakina able to play, but she cruised through her opening four matches thanks to a huge service game that rarely allowed opponents to get into points.
Rybakina’s next two wins over China’s Zheng Qinwen and home favourite Coco Gauff required more work after losing the first sets, proving she had the durability to come through tough battles.
Against Sabalenka, she showed both facets of her game, bullying her from the baseline and digging in when necessary to leave her only a French Open title away from the career Grand Slam.
“Some magic is happening. I was unlucky with injury and just going day by day,” Rybakina told Sky Sports.
“We didn’t know how it was going to be so I’m super happy and still can’t believe it.”
Brooks Nader stepped out in another risky outfit in NYCCredit: Instar ImagesThe sexy star gave onlookers a thrill as she ditched the bra againCredit: Instar Images
Brooks stepped out in the Big Apple in a daring bejewelled top.
The sexy star also ditched her bra for the occasion, baring her figure for all to see.
Aryna Sabalenka was fully aware she would have to win the US Open to stand any chance of stopping Elena Rybakina overtaking her as world number one.
Even that would not necessarily be enough. And as the pair prepare to meet in Saturday’s final, Sabalenka knows her 99-week stay at the top of the world rankings is at an end.
Kazakhstan’s Rybakina is assured of replacing Sabalenka at the top of the rankings, guaranteeing that by reaching the semi-finals.
Having also beaten the Belarusian to win this year’s Australian Open title, Rybakina now has the opportunity to inflict further damage.
But that provides extra motivation for Sabalenka before their fourth meeting of the year.
“It is going to be red rag to a bull for her – she is not going to be happy,” said former British number one Annabel Croft on BBC Radio 5 Live.
“Now she has the opportunity to end this year on a high.”
Sabalenka, who has beaten Rybakina in Indian Wells and Miami since the Melbourne final, still has history in her sights as she bids to become only the third woman in the Open era to win the New York singles title three years in a row.
The four-time Grand Slam champion’s victory over American third seed Jessica Pegula in the semi-finals was her finest display in months, playing with a fire and freedom that had been missing previously.
Afterwards, Sabalenka played down the significance of losing her ranking, joking she did not care about it.
But she clearly does. Sabalenka’s coach Anton Dubrov said as much when he spoke about how the issue has been hanging over her.
“I actually like this [losing the ranking] happened. It’s ended and it’s extra fuel,” Dubrov said.
“There is no more extra draining [of mental energy] or thinking about it.
“There’s a next chapter right now. You have to chase again. It’s extra motivation for you. Just go and get it.”
If you want the perfect staycation weekend, this is one of the best
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If you want the perfect staycation weekend, this is one of the best
England is beautiful in the autumn, the leaves come alight with colour, and the many cobbled lanes and cosy pubs scattered across the country begin to beckon to eager tourists. However, there is one place where the magic of autumn shines brightest of all.
It’s jam packed with heritage, atmosphere and charm and perfect for a weekend getaway. The historic city of York is one of the best places to see the seasons change.
Hazel Rickett, travel expert at small-group tour operator Rabbie’ssaid: “There’s something about York in autumn that’s hard to put into words.
“As the temperature drops and the evenings grow darker, the city takes on a wonderfully atmospheric quality, with its narrow cobbled streets, ancient walls and glowing pub windows creating the perfect backdrop for a seasonal escape.”
One of the best things about York is that it’s small and walkable – you don’t need to worry about how you’re going to get around, you can just wrap up warm and wander through its streets, soaking up the history.
York has got history in spades, from the towering Gothic Cathedral of York Minster to the beautifully preserved medieval lanes of The Shambles.
The Shambles are an iconic part of the city. This lane is flanked by timber-framed buildings, leaning so dramatically that they almost touch overhead. It’s packed with independent cafes, shops and boutiques, making it a fabulous place to get lost.
On its outskirts, there’s the city walls which encircle the city and date back to medieval times.
Hazel said: “York is encircled by the longest and most complete medieval city walls in England, tracing a roughly two-mile route around the historic centre. The walls offer a raised walk that takes in some of the city’s finest views.
“Visitors can stroll the ramparts between the historic gateways, known as bars, and look out over the Minster, the rooftops and the surrounding countryside as the trees turn shades of amber and gold.
“It’s one of the most rewarding ways to see the city and appreciate just how much history is packed into its streets.”
For the brave, the city comes alive after dark. Famously one of the most haunted places in Europe, the city is packed with spooky tales of ghosts. Those looking for a paranormal experience can join one of the many ghost tours offered in the city and learn more about the legends said to stalk its streets.
NEW YORK: An Iranian American jeweler from New York has been released from prison in Iran, but he is prohibited from leaving the country, according to his family and federal officials.
Kamran Hekmati was let out of Tehran’s notorious Evin prison on Sept. 5 after completing about half of a two-year sentence, his family recently wrote on a website advocating for his release.
The family said they are also “desperately afraid for his health and well-being” as he requires regular medical checkups to ensure his bladder cancer doesn’t relapse.
“The Iranian regime couldn’t care less,” the family wrote of Hekmati’s medical challenges. “Much like other wrongful detention cases in Iran, Kamran appears to be caught up in Iran’s traditional approach of detaining Americans to obtain political concessions from the US.”
Representatives for the family and the federal government didn’t say where Hekmati, who turned 62 in August, is currently staying in Iran.
But Shohreh Nowfar, Hekmati’s cousin in California, said Friday that the family is “excited” and hopeful that his passport can be returned soon so he can leave the country, which has been at war with the US and Israel for more than six months now.
“We continue to hope this is a signal from the Iranian side as to their willingness to send Kamran home,” added Kieran Ramsey, chief investigative officer at Global Reach, a US nonprofit working on Hekmati’s case.
The Iranian American, who is also Jewish, owns a jewelry business in Manhattan’s Diamond District and has lived with his family for years in Great Neck Estates, on suburban Long Island.
He was arrested by Iranian authorities last July after having his passport seized while trying to fly out of the airport in Tehran that May.
Hekmati’s family says he was charged under an Iranian law that bans Iranian citizens from visiting Israel within the last 10 years. But they maintain his last trip to Israel was 13 years ago — prior to the passage of the law — for his son’s bar mitzvah.
“Mr. Hekmati did nothing wrong,” said US Rep. Thomas Suozzi, a Long Island Democrat who advocated for the State Department to officially designate Hekmati as wrongfully detained earlier this year. “We cannot rest until he is reunited with his family.”
The State Department similarly called on Iran to lift its so-called exit ban so Hekmati can return to the US It also said the country should “immediately release” Iranian American journalist Reza Valizadeh and other Americans “unjustly detained in Iran.”
Valizadeh and Hekmati are the two Americans so far officially designated as wrongfully detained in Iran, while up to eight others who have not been publicly named are prohibited from leaving the country, according to Ramsey.
Valizadeh’s lawyer, Ryan Fayhee, declined to comment Friday, citing the risks his client could face behind bars.
But in recent months, the journalist has sent voice messages describing conditions inside Evin prison, a high-security facility that holds many of the Islamic Republic’s political prisoners.
In an August recording, Valizadeh, who has been imprisoned since 2024, said prison officials have not allowed his family to visit for the past five months. He also said medical care is “almost non-existent,” save for the most basic medications.
“Diseases that were eradicated decades ago have returned inside the prison, including pulmonary and gastrointestinal tuberculosis,” he said in the voice message, which was shared by CBS.
Valizadeh also said that prior to his release, Hekmati had been granted a medical furlough for cancer treatment but was ordered back to prison after about a month, rather than being allowed to begin chemotherapy.
Valizadeh is among at least nine reporters currently jailed in Iran, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.
He was arrested after returning to Iran to visit his elderly parents and charged with collaborating with the US government.
Valizadeh obtained US citizenship in 2022 while working in Washington, D.C., for Radio Farda, the Persian-language arm of Radio Free Europe, which receives US government funding.
The sprawling snack-food factory in upstate New York appeared to be closed when a small army of immigration officers arrived after 9 a.m. Following a brief discussion of whether to force their way inside, a manager opened the front door.
Over the next several hours, body cameras were running as federal authorities from several agencies made 57 arrests, debated which files to seize and when to release employees who were U.S. citizens. They also searched for anyone in hiding.
The footage from September 2025 shows the raid at the Nutrition Bar Confectioners plant in Cato, N.Y., town of 2,500 people east of Syracuse, and offers a rare glimpse inside a workplace immigration sweep. The Associated Press analyzed the video, which was part of a lawsuit filed Thursday that accuses authorities of overstepping their search warrants.
The officers ordered a manager to announce their presence over loudspeakers while they entered the building and caught employees on the production line, in the warehouse and a few in the bathroom. Officers covered all exits while others swept the interior, including homing in on locked doors.
Male officers encountered a locked bathroom and began shouting instructions in broken Spanish at female employees through the door, demanding that they come out. After about 10 seconds, officers broke through the door.
One woman was outside of a stall and another in the stall. A male officer peered through a locked stall door, and his body cam video revealed a woman sitting on the toilet.
“Miss, pull up your pants. Come out of the bathroom,” he told her.
“You have to wait. I can’t come out like this, naked!” she replied.
Investigators interviewed the general manager and said they were looking into hiring practices and potential fraudulent documents. Inside and outside the building, officers checked every office, storage room and hallway for anyone who was hiding.
Employees were lined up and separated into groups of U.S. citizens and potential noncitizens. Officers asked for their immigration status, requested documents and posed questions about their entry into the U.S. Some employees were pregnant.
Some were parents and expressed concern for their children at home. Others said they would not answer questions without first speaking to their attorneys, and officers told them they would be arrested.
One employee refused to answer questions. “Will you let me talk to my attorney?” she asked the officer. He raised his voice and continued asking about her immigration status.
U.S. citizens were asked for personal information, including their phone numbers and addresses before they were allowed to leave.
A Border Patrol agent who spoke to another official wearing a camera used disparaging language about children from other countries when recounting his experience working at a South Texas immigrant detention center. He said President Biden’s administration allowed millions of people to enter the United States from countries where children are treated “differently” than they are by American parents.
“In other countries, kids are more of a commodity or it’s more of like, I’m going to put it in those terms. It’s more like an animal, right? It’s not prized the way that we do it,” he said.
“There’s countries like Brazil and other places where they’re literal street rats at a very young age who commit crimes, and then they come here. I don’t know if you have kids, but they’ll eat our kids for breakfast.”
The Homeland Security Department said Friday that it executed a criminal search warrant at the plant as part of an investigation that is still open. Its statement did not address the contents of the video or the merits of the lawsuit.
Not all officers wore body cameras, but those who did often indicated to other officers that they were recording before they initiated a conversation.
ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations unit is responsible for workplace raids, which have been relatively few and low-key compared with ICE’s removal unit, which arrests people in the street, at homes and in public and also manages detention centers. The Trump administration’s largest workplace raid was last year at a Hyundai electric vehicle plant in Georgia. It resulted in nearly 500 arrests and fueled diplomatic tension with South Korea.
The lawsuit against Homeland Security claims federal officers exceeded the authority of their warrants and violated workers’ constitutional rights against unlawful search and seizure.
“There were no arrest warrants,” said Perry Grossman, a supervising attorney at the New York Civil Liberties Union, which filed the lawsuit with the Worker Justice Center of New York.
“There was no suspicion that individual workers had committed crimes. And they seized easily 100 people for nonconsensual questioning. They arrested 57. Out of those 57 people, criminal charges were brought against only five. And the most serious charge was unlawful reentry.”
Grossman said one employee got her charges dismissed after contending in a lawsuit that her 4th Amendment rights were violated. He said he was not aware of any charges or indictments against the employers.
Officers detained about 60 people and deported some employees, including two plaintiffs who are part of Thursday’s lawsuit. One plaintiff has since been allowed to reenter the country. Attorneys for the second deported plaintiff are seeking his return.
Law enforcement agencies have come under criticism for not using body cameras and for refusing to release footage when they do. ICE, in particular, has been scrutinized after a $75-billion infusion from Congress and an expanding street presence that has led to three fatal shootings this year.
ICE’s own rules on releasing video are unclear. Its policy calls for expedited release of footage after a serious injury or death in custody when doing so is determined to be in the “ best interests of the agency.”
The Trump administration has repeatedly promised to equip ICE field agents with body cameras, as required by Congress. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said last week that the agency was “on track” to do so by the end of September.
Gonzalez and Vancleave write for the Associated Press.
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.
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.
Rybakina, 27, dropped only four points in a near flawless performance on serve against four-time Grand Slam champion Osaka, who said after the match she was struggling with pain in her leg.
She faced the 28-year-old full of confidence, having not dropped a set in her opening three matches at the tournament, and took control of the contest in a dominant first set.
Reigning Australian Open champion Rybakina opened up a double break over Osaka, before sealing the set in just 21 minutes.
Osaka showed greater resistance early in the second set but, after failing to convert her only break point of the match, Rybakina soon seized control again.
She broke to go 4-3 up, before safely seeing out the rest of the match, with Osaka unable to contend with her opponent’s deep groundstrokes.
Rybakina sealed the match inside 66 minutes with her seventh ace of a match where she hit a total of 29 winners to Osaka’s nine.
Asked about the gap of almost six years since her last major win, at the 2021 Australian Open, Osaka said: “I thought about it, and if I win another Grand Slam, it’s not going to change my life.
“That’s kind of crazy that I can say that, because I remember the first Slam that I won, it was, like, a huge whirlwind.”
Harriet Dart and Francesca Jones both fell to seeded players as British interest in the US Open singles ended in the second round.
Dart said she felt “under the weather” during her 6-2 6-2 defeat by Czech 25th seed Marie Bouzkova as temperatures reached around 30C in New York.
Her loss meant Jones was the last Briton standing in either singles draw, and she acquitted herself well before falling 6-4 6-4 to 14th seed and rising American star Iva Jovic.
Nine British players competed in the US Open main draws – the most since 1981 – with four coming through qualifying.
Five of them reached the second round, but Jacob Fearnley was the only player to win a set as they all fell to seeded players.
Lucky loser Fearnley fell in four sets to 27th seed Tomas Martin Etcheverry, while qualifier Toby Samuel was beaten by 18th seed Jiri Lehecka.
Katie Boulter lost to Wimbledon runner-up Karolina Muchova in only 58 minutes on Wednesday.
In the men’s draw, Cameron Norrie, Arthur Fery, Harry Wendelken and Jan Choinski exited in the first round.
Jones, ranked 90 places lower than Jovic, made the American work for one hour and 54 minutes to reach the third round.
Humid conditions meant both players frequently dashed to the back of the court between points to dry their hands and face.
It was Jovic who started on the front foot, opening up a double break and a 3-0 lead as the 18-year-old controlled the rallies with some deep hitting from the baseline.
Jones snatched a break back and kept in touch with Jovic – but she could not make the most of a break point as Jovic served for the set.
After wrapping up the opener, Jovic raced into a 4-1 lead in the second, only to once again be dragged back by Jones.
The Briton saved three match points on her own serve but Jovic produced one of her best service games to seal victory and set up a meeting with good friend Alexandra Eala.
A woman has been shot dead by police in New York’s iconic Times Square. Police say the woman, who was armed with two large knives, had stabbed two people, one fatally. A warning this video could distress some viewers.
Hundreds turned out for a Zohran Mamdani lookalike contest in New York, where nine contestants competed for the crowd’s vote. Part-time actor and Mamdani impersonator Amadeo Fusca won the contest and took home a prize of $100.
Carlos Alcaraz will start his US Open title defence against Russia’s Roman Safiullin in the first serious examination of his fitness following a long-term wrist injury.
Second seed Alcaraz, who won the men’s title in New York last year, has not played a competitive singles match for more than four months because of inflammation in his playing right wrist.
Despite his lack of action, the 23-year-old Spaniard is still considered by many as the favourite to triumph again – particularly because his great rival Jannik Sinner is not playing due to a knee injury.
The pair may have been a cut above the rest of the tour for the past two seasons, but Alcaraz coming back from a prolonged absence with such a delicate injury and beating the rest of the field – even though he is a generational talent – would be remarkable.
The seven-time major champion missed this season’s French Open and Wimbledon as a result of the issue, which did not require surgery, before making his return to court in the US Open mixed doubles alongside Serena Williams earlier this week.
Wearing a long compression sleeve on his right arm, Alcaraz did not look totally convincing in the exhibition-like event. Understandably, he appeared to be holding back on his serve and return as he eased himself back into matchplay.
There is no doubt that a Grand Slam singles bout played over five sets will be another step up physically. Safiullin, with a hefty serve and attacking groundstrokes, is not an ideal opponent to start against.
The 29-year-old Russian, who reached the Wimbledon fourth round last month before falling to Novak Djokovic, is likely to take time away from Alcaraz, test the Spaniard’s durability at the baseline and generally make him feel uncomfortable.
Predicting how Slam draws will pan out is always a fool’s errand, but if Alcaraz does get past Safiullin and goes as far as the fourth round, there are more potential opponents who appear daunting given the length of his absence.
If you analyse Alcaraz’s projected draw by the seedings, he could face rock solid American Tommy Paul or unpredictable Kazak Alexander Bublik in the last 16.
Athletic Frenchman Arthur Fils and huge-serving Ben Shelton are potential quarter-final opponents. Djokovic could lie in wait in the semi-finals.
Nobody outside of Alcaraz and his core team knows how his wrist is likely to stand up to the rigours of playing five-set matches in the heat of a Grand Slam tournament.
A challenging start at Flushing Meadows and a potentially intimidating second week will tell us.
A vibrant UK city with a scenic waterfront has been named as one of the most beautiful places in the world, topping the list for the UK, thanks to its picture-perfect scenes
08:47, 26 Aug 2026Updated 08:49, 26 Aug 2026
This city has been named the UK’s most beautiful (Image: Getty Images)
The most beautiful city in the UK has been named – but it’s not Bath or York.
There’s a never-ending list of stunning destinations across the globe that feel as if they’ve been plucked straight from a postcard. From the bright blue waters of Banff National Park in Canada to the whitewashed houses set against the narrow lanes in Mykonos, Greece, to the cherry blossom-filled ancient city of Kyoto in Japan, there are many placesthat can feel almost otherworldly.
For destinations that offer mesmerising landscapes and authentic charm, it’s an easy choice for a getaway, even after simply gazing at an image online. Yet, we don’t always have to travel across the world to experience some of the most breathtaking places, as a UK city has been ranked as the best.
Thanks to its picturesque and vibrant scenes, Bristol has been named as one of the world’s most beautiful cities. Straddling the River Avon, the city boasts hilly streets lined with colourful houses, a glistening waterfront, and an iconic Victorian bridge, as well as world-renowned street art and a thriving independent scene.
Bristol was the only UK city to be ranked among the top 10, following research by Premier Inn, which used eye-tracking technology to uncover the places people were most drawn to. Banff in Canada topped the list, while Mykonos in Greece followed closely behind, but it was Bristol that earned a place on the ‘world’s most beautiful summer cities’ list for the UK, with a total score of 83.7 out of 100, putting it in 5th position.
The lively city in the southwest even beats the likes of Bath and York, which were ranked 25th and 61st, respectively, on Premier Inn’s list. Yet it’s not surprising to see Bristol earn such a title, with its grand Georgian and Victorian houses brimming with colour and sitting atop the hillside of Cliftonwood and above the city’s scenic harbourside.
Bristol harbourside is packed with historic attractions, including Brunel’s SS Great Britain, M Shed, We The Curious in Millennium Square and Arnolfini, a contemporary arts centre along the quayside. Nestled along the waterfront are pubs that offer scenic views of the hot air balloons that frequently pass over, along with independent eateries at Wapping Wharf and chic coffee houses.
Meanwhile, the Clifton Suspension Bridge is perhaps the most famous landmark in the city, which opened in 1864 and spans the dramatic Avon Gorge and River. It was originally designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel in 1831 as part of a competition, and although he passed away before it was completed, it has consistently been acknowledged as a “stunning piece of engineering.”
Bristol is also known for its vibrant street art, with numerous murals and works by Banksy dotted around the pseudonymous street artist’s hometown. Alongside its vibrant scenes, the city is a thriving entertainment hub, with countless music venues, the historic theatre, the Bristol Hippodrome, and various festivals held annually, in addition to its flourishing independent scene on Gloucester Road and at St Nicholas Market.
Top 10 most beautiful cities in the world
Banff, Canada
Mykonos, Greece
Sydney, Australia
Bruges, Belgium
Bristol, UK
Palma de Mallorca, Spain
Kyoto, Japan
Kotor, Montenegro
Auckland, New Zealand
Los Angeles, USA
Do you have a travel story to share? Email webtravel@reachplc.com
In the mixed doubles competition, Britons Henry Patten and Lloyd Glasspool will both seek to beat some of the sport’s biggest stars after coming through two qualifying matches on Monday.
The US Open mixed doubles was controversially revamped last year to include singles stars in a bid to attract more attention to the format.
Under the new format, the top six pairs with the best combined singles rankings received direct entry into the main draw, with another eight receiving wildcards.
The tournament now takes place over three days in the week before the main draw began, and features a shorter scoring system with only four games required to win a set in matches before the final, no ‘advantage’ scoring and 10-point match tie-breaks instead of a third set throughout.
Both Patten and Glasspool had to come through qualifying with their respective partners on Monday.
Patten, a two-time winner of the men’s doubles competition at Wimbledon, and Czech team-mate Katerina Siniakova defeated Americans Peyton Stearns and Christian Harrison in straight sets in their second qualifying match.
Next, Patten and Siniakova – the respective men’s and women’s world number ones in doubles – will take on 24-time major winner Novak Djokovic and top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka in the first round of the main draw.
After defeating El Salvador’s Marcelo Arevalo and France’s Kristina Mladenovic, Glasspool and New Zealand’s Erin Routliffe will face 23-time Grand Slam singles champion Serena Williams and seven-time major winner Carlos Alcaraz.
Alcaraz will be playing his first match in four months after recovering from a wrist injury, while Williams is making her return to the sport after a four-year absence.
John “Jed” York, the owner and CEO of the San Fransciso 49ers, was arrested this weekend in his home state of Ohio and pleaded guilty to a pair of misdemeanor charges, according to local court records.
York, 45, pleaded no contest to charges of disorderly conduct and possessing criminal tools, Columbiana County Municipal Court records show.
He was arrested Sunday and released on $5,000 bail, court records show. He returned to court Monday morning to be arraigned on charges that were initially listed as engaging in prostitution and possessing criminal tools, but the former was changed to disorderly conduct in his plea.
York was sentenced to two days in county jail, with credit for the day he has already served, and ordered to pay a $1,150 fine, the court file shows. The order also noted that $160 that had been confiscated in the arrest would be forfeited to MVHTTF, which appears to stand for the Mahoning Valley Human Trafficking Task Force. The records also said that officials were to return a phone to York, and that York had “completed online course,” but additional details were not immediately available.
A mugshot from York’s arrest was published by local news site WKBN-27, who said he was arrested Sunday by the East Palestine Police Department. That agency told the news outlet that any additional information from the case would come from the Mahoning Valley Human Trafficking Task Force, a regional task force that includes the East Palestine Police Department and the Columbiana County Sheriff’s Office.
York grew up in Youngstown, Ohio, which is just north of East Palestine.
York had already filed a request to have the charges expunged Monday.
The Times attempted to contact the attorney listed in York’s sentencing records, but he did not immediately respond. The 49ers have not yet addressed the arrest.
Having just been promoted from the National League South, Bromley finished 14th in the National League in the 2015-16 season.
That same year, Leicester City were upsetting the odds with their famous Premier League title win.
Such has been the rise of Andy Woodman’s Bromley, they can expect plenty more comparisons like that this season and, such has been the Foxes’ fall from grace, they will get similar.
While the Ravens are delighted to be in League One, Leicester are still rubbing the bruised ego which followed their disastrous relegation from the Championship on the back of demotion from the Premier League, amid various financial woes and points deductions.
Now under Russell Martin, rather than opening their home campaign against Arsenal, Liverpool or even Brighton, it is Burton Albion who will make the short trip to the King Power Stadium (15:00 BST) and home fans will find Gary Bowyer’s side have little respect for reputations.
Bromley’s home opener against Cambridge United (15:00 BST) may well be a re-run between two promoted sides from last season, but the hosts have already served notice of their intentions with their 1-0 win at Barnsley last weekend.
New York City, United States – Mayor Zohran Mamdani is challenging a new law that would give New York City’s teaching aides a one-time $10,000 bonus, arguing it goes against the city’s collective bargaining laws.
On Wednesday, the bill, which was passed by New York City’s City Council, automatically became law because the mayor had opted not to veto it. Instead, Mamdani filed a lawsuit to block it because the City Council had enough votes to override his veto.
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The bill, called the Respect Check Act, was backed by the United Federation of Teachers (UFT), a labour union representing teachers across New York City’s public school system and was championed by City Council Speaker Julie Menin, who has often clashed with the mayor.
Teaching assistants are among the lowest-paid workers in the city’s school system, according to a statement released by Menin’s office on Wednesday. Their pay is as low as $32,000. According to MIT’s living wage calculator, the living wage in New York City is $79,469 for Manhattan, $67,558 for Brooklyn, $73,258 for Queens, $67,974 in Staten Island, and $60,341 for the Bronx.
When the bill passed in July, Mamdani argued that the law directly violated a state law called the Taylor Law, a nearly 60-year-old law that gives public sector workers the right to organise. The UFT, which endorsed Mamdani in July 2025 ahead of the city’s election, pushed back on the mayor’s claims. The group argued the City Council did not undermine collective bargaining.
“The City Council would not have introduced – let alone passed – this bill if it were illegal, and we would not have supported a bill that threatened our collective bargaining rights,” Michael Mulgrew, president of the UFT, said in a statement provided to Al Jazeera.
“This moment is an opportunity for Mayor Mamdani to create a new, fairer system and build the kind of city he said he wanted to lead. This administration must keep its promises, and we won’t stop until it does.”
The City Council crafted the law to avoid violating New York’s Taylor Law, a UFT representative told Al Jazeera.
Under a 2023 state appeals court ruling, additional payments to public employees are mandated to be independent of a worker’s regular salary and cannot be tied to collective bargaining, they argue.
“The Court of Appeals has found that the Taylor Law does not prevent a municipality from unilaterally providing an economic benefit,” Beth Norton, general counsel for the UFT, said in testimony in front of the City Council in 2025, provided to Al Jazeera.
Pushing back
New York City Hall sees it differently.
“Council labels these ‘stabilisation’ payments; they effectively function as stipends or salary bonuses and, regardless of terminology, are an additional form of compensation and, as such, a mandatory subject of bargaining,” the 18-page filing obtained by Al Jazeera said.
“I think the mayor is right that this sets a bad precedent,” Adin Lenchner, founder of the New York-based political consultancy Carroll Street Campaigns, told Al Jazeera.
“Him and his team are either posturing, negotiating, or using this as a moment to negotiate toward some other kind of deal. I think everyone would agree that, substantively and philosophically, this is aligned with the mayor’s public policy approach and his vision for the city,” Lenchner added.
“So, if I had to guess, this is, on the one hand, about not wanting to establish a bad precedent and, on the other hand, a step toward a longer-term negotiation.”
Citizens Budget Commission (CBC), a nonpartisan think tank, urged the mayor in July to veto the bill, arguing that City Council should not make this decision. It says the now-law would add $325m in city spending.
“The City should continue to determine employee compensation at the bargaining table, not the legislative chamber,” vice president for research at CBC, Ana Champeny, said in a press release in mid-July.
Mamdani echoed that sentiment when he was asked about the law earlier this month.
“Conversations around compensation are better left at the bargaining table,” Mamdani said in a news conference on August 6.
However, the mayor voiced support on the campaign trail for legislation that would provide support payments to these paraprofessionals. That legislation supported recurring payments, not a one-time payment.
“The version he supported last fall made the payment recurring; what passed last month only guarantees it for one year. That’s the line between then and now, so not much of a flip-flop,” Lenchner added.
“We will not allow the political process to replace the collective bargaining table. The City is filing a lawsuit to protect the right of every union to negotiate on behalf of its members, to fight for the workplace they deserve and ensure that workers – not politicians – determine their own futures,” Matt Rauschenbach, a spokesperson for the mayor, said in a statement provided to Al Jazeera.
“We will work towards a quick resolution that respects workers, protects the City’s finances, and ensures that the Council does not interfere with collective bargaining in the future.”
Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz is set to make his return at the US Open after missing four months with a wrist injury.
The 23-year-old triumphed at the Australian Open in January to become the youngest man to win all four Grand Slam titles.
However, the Spaniard has not played a competitive match since 14 April after injuring his right wrist at the Barcelona Open.
The news was confirmed by football influencer Fabrizio Romano in a joint post with Alcaraz on Instagram.
Seven-time major champion Alcaraz also wrote “here we go!” – Romano’s catchphrase – in a post on X, external with an emoji of the American flag and a plane.
As well as playing singles, Alcaraz could also enter the mixed doubles competition that takes place the week before the US Open, with three wildcards still to be handed out.
Alcaraz played in the revamped event last year alongside Britain’s Emma Raducanu, who is out of this year’s tournament with injury.
Alcaraz has been replaced as world number two by Alexander Zverev after being unable to defend his Cincinnati Open title.
Rival Jannik Sinner is well clear at the top of the world rankings, having won Wimbledon in July, while Zverev won the French Open and finished runner-up at SW19.
Sinner – as he did at Wimbledon – will go into the US Open with no match time on a hard court after withdrawing from Cincinnati with a knee injury.
The US Open singles event begins on Sunday, 30 August in New York.
On a Saturday morning in July, a swimsuit-clad crowd of athletic mostly 20- and 30-somethings jumped in and out of ice baths. A DJ performed from a podium adorned with pink disco balls, brands gave away protein drinks and powders and people competed in a pull-up-bar-hanging competition. With matcha lattes in hand, attendees walked around the synthetic turf filming content. It was all very Santa Monica.
Except this wasn’t Santa Monica, or even Venice, where the event organizer, Coffee & Chill, started. It wasn’t Los Angeles at all. It was a rooftop in Queens. Day parties like this are less common in New York City, but people were into it. “This is so fun,” April Zhang-Autio, who often attends art happenings around the city, said while wandering from a cabana area to a merch booth. “You feel like we’re in Miami or L.A.”
L.A. wellness and social events, especially from the Westside, are making inroads in New York City. Besides Coffee & Chill, RummiKlub LA, which started in West Hollywood and throws Rummikub game nights in stylish settings, hosted an event last month at the West Village outpost of San Vicente Clubs, the elite members club operator that is another L.A. transplant. Also last month, SOSO Club, a singles meetup group from Santa Monica, popped up in New York City and returned Sunday.
Coffee & Chill started in Venice as a way to hang out without alcohol.
(Coffee & Chill)
Coffee & Chill attracts L.A. participants who look like they could appear on the upcoming “Baywatch” reboot. But the formula, which includes coffee and cold plunges in what resemble very high-end kiddie pools, has worked elsewhere. Blake Waller, who co-founded the event in 2023 as a way for his friends to gather without alcohol, said they decided to expand as requests came in from people in other cities. First came Miami, followed by New York City in 2025. They also host events in Austin and San Diego.
“We didn’t really feel that there’s anything like it in this space,” Waller said, referring to the New York City scene. He cited Bathhouse and Othership, but those hip wellness places are brick-and-mortar establishments, not pop-up events. (In a reversal of the trend, New York City-based Bathhouse is opening a Hollywood location, in the old Amoeba Music space.)
Whereas L.A. events are often in parking lots, and Miami ones are by the beach or a pool, Coffee & Chill’s New York City organizers have relied on rooftops. At one early event, they had to rig a hose to a bar faucet to fill the ice baths. “Maybe the reality is that Coffee & Chill could have only been born somewhere like L.A. or Miami,” Waller said. “Who would think to fill up an ice bath from a water faucet on a rooftop in Chelsea?”
The gatherings in each city have their own character, Waller said. “The L.A. events feel different than the Miami events, that feel different than Austin, that feel different than New York,” he said. Each city has local organizers. “That’s a space that they want to create, rather than us being transplants,” he said.
Still, local flavor only goes so far. Looking at photos from each of the cities, it can sometimes be hard to tell where they are. “When it comes to the actual event experience, I would say that there is a decent amount of consistency, in terms of what the tubs look like, the merch, what that looks like, even the touch points of what brands we’re working with,” Waller said.
To be sure, L.A. winds up with events from New York City too. Endorphins Running, which I run with, started in 2022 in New York City before expanding to other cities, including Los Angeles, where it hosts runs twice a week in Santa Monica. The Dinner Table Club, where strangers eat together, also launched in New York City and expanded to L.A. But the L.A. to New York City pipeline seems to be a newer trend.
RummiKlub LA, both in Los Angeles, as seen here, and in New York, below is meant to be as much about the mingling as it is about the game play.
(Ashley Gallerani)
Another series, RummiKlub LA, launched in early 2025 and has hosted three events in New York City. The city has plenty of board game gatherings, but founders Marnie Wekselblatt and Laura Galvan, both L.A. residents originally from New York, intend for this one to feel more chic, with RummiKlub-branded game sets and post-game cocktails.
“It’s not just bringing your board to a cafe or a park. It’s really like a night out, where you can get dressed up, have cocktails, mingle, meet friends, and there’s a whole night after the game play is done,” Galvan said. Past L.A. locations have included buzzy restaurant Craig’s and the West Hollywood Edition hotel on the Sunset Strip.
New York City actually came to them. Wekselblatt and Galvan said Tao Group Hospitality approached them about hosting events, resulting in back-to-back game nights at Moxy Lower East Side in July 2025. The people who attended, some of them visiting from L.A., were dressed for a nightclub, not a board game night.
The New York and L.A. crowds are similar. “Both cities are really interested in these gaming experiences,” Wekselblatt said. “Everyone has the same end goal and wants to be part of RummiKlub because it’s this curated event and night out that’s different from the traditional going for drinks and standing at a bar.”
RummiKlub NYC events attract a similar crowd as in Los Angeles: young folks who want to socialize in a non-traditional setting.
(Ashley Gallerani)
The events are similar too. “It almost feels like we’re copy-and-pasting on different coasts,” Galvan said. “I wouldn’t say that we necessarily have an intention to bring L.A. to New York … but from a logistics standpoint, I would say that the flow of the event is pretty much standard throughout.”
Meanwhile, SOSO founders Stephanie Scheele and Mackenzie Zoppi heard the demand from New York after launching their dating event in Santa Monica in 2023. SOSO, or Singles Only Social Club, was born out of a growing desire among young professionals for in-person connections following the pandemic and years of dating app fatigue. New York was just as full of fed-up daters as Los Angeles, so they brought SOSO east.
“We have friends in New York and we know it’s difficult to date in those places,” Zoppi said. “We had people messaging us constantly asking us, ‘When are you coming to New York?’”
They’ve had around seven events in New York City and Brooklyn. Sometimes the founders fly in to host, while other times they enlist what they called a small “boots on the ground” team.
“Whether you’re in L.A. or New York, people want the same exact thing: an excuse to get off their phones and get out of the house and meet people face to face,” Zoppi said. Still, the organizers don’t want their New York City events to feel like L.A. ones. Zoppi added, “We want people to date the New York way.”
A version of this story originally appeared on Max Kutner’s Zephyr Letter substack.
