Chelsea Football Club is pleased to confirm Mauricio Pochettino will become head coach of the men’s team from the beginning of the 2023/24 season.

The Argentine will begin his new role on 1 July 2023 on a two-year contract, with a club option of a further year.

Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley, Chelsea’s co-sporting directors, said:

'Mauricio’s experience, standards of excellence, leadership qualities and character will serve Chelsea Football Club well as we move forward. He is a winning coach, who has worked at the highest levels, in multiple leagues and languages. His ethos, tactical approach and commitment to development all made him the exceptional candidate.'

Owners Todd Boehly, Behdad Eghbali, José E. Feliciano, Mark Walter and Hansjörg Wyss added:

'The sporting team conducted a diligent and thoughtful process that the Board is proud of. We are delighted that Mauricio will be joining Chelsea. Mauricio is a world-class coach with an outstanding track record. We are all looking forward to having him on board.'

Pochettino is a coach renowned for his sides’ high-energy and eye-catching style and he has built a reputation for helping young players realise their full potential within a strong squad ethos.

The 51-year-old has several seasons of Premier League experience in addition to coaching in Spain and France. He was most recently in charge at Paris Saint-Germain and guided the club to a Ligue 1 title and the Coupe de France.

Mauricio’s staff will include Jesus Perez, Miguel d’Agostino, Toni Jimenez and Sebastiano Pochettino.

Welcome to Chelsea, Mauricio!

Today, I feel so blessed and grateful as I announce that I have been awarded the prestigious Member of the order of the Federal Republic (MFR) award by the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Today also marked my 100th game for Napoli and I was fortunate to score 2 goals for my club, it is an amazing moment and feeling for me to be able to achieve this feat for this great club.

This MFR recognition also means a lot to me, as it symbolizes the appreciation and support of the great Nigerian people for the dedication and hard work they have always put into their individual career to make Nigeria Proud.

My deepest gratitude goes to the Federal Republic of Nigeria for recognising me at such a national level, and I am so humbled and grateful. I am proud to be a Nigerian and represent Her.
I would like to extend my sincere appreciation to the Ministry of Youth and Sports Development for their continuous efforts in promoting and developing sports in our country. Their support has contributed to the growth of myself and every other athletes in the country.

To my amazing family, who have been my rock and source of inspiration throughout my journey, I am forever indebted to your love and support. I love you all and this award is as much yours as it is mine.

And to my fans and supporters, both in Nigeria and around the world, you all are super amazing and I am so grateful for all you do for me. Your constant support, well wishes and cheers have uplifted me in moments of triumph and provided solace during challenging times.

I am immensely honored to achieve this feat for Napoli and I’m also honored to receive this MFR award, and I consider it a responsibility to continue striving for excellence, more records and making meaningful contributions to people’s live with the sport I love.
Thank you everyone.

GOD IS THE GREATEST 🙏🏽🇳🇬❤️

With a sense of tremendous disappointment, Celine Dion’s Courage World Tour today announced the cancellation of all remaining dates currently on sale for 2023 and 2024. As the world has emerged from the pandemic, Celine has continued to be treated for a diagnosed medical condition that prevents her from performing. Celine is working hard on her recovery, but at this time is unable to successfully prepare for and perform the remainder of the tour, which was scheduled to run from August 26, 2023 in Amsterdam through October 4, 2023 in Helsinki; then continuing from March 6, 2024 in Prague through April 22, 2024 in London. We do have every hope that someday soon, Celine will be able to come to all of these cities in Europe to perform for her amazing fans, but that time simply is not now.

“I’m so sorry to disappoint all of you once again. I’m working really hard to build back my strength, but touring can be very difficult even when you’re 100%. It’s not fair to you to keep postponing the shows, and even though it breaks my heart, it’s best that we cancel everything now until I’m really ready to be back on stage again. I want you all to know, I’m not giving up… and I can’t wait to see you again!” said Celine.

Celine had completed the first 52 dates of the Courage World Tour in North America before the pandemic emerged and paused the tour in March 2020. In early 2021, when the entertainment industry was still working under tight COVID restrictions, Celine filmed her first motion picture, Love Again, co- starring Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Sam Heughan. Since then, Celine has revealed that she has been diagnosed with a rare condition called Stiff Person’s Syndrome, which causes severe and persistent muscle spasms, and which has prevented her from performing. Celine’s medical team continues to evaluate and treat the condition.

Tickets purchased for the forty-two cancelled dates will be refunded via the original point of sale. For further ticket inquiries or options, ticketholders should reach out to their original point of purchase.

The Arkansas man who was photographed on Jan. 6, 2021, with his feet on a desk in then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office was sentenced Wednesday to four and a half years in prison.

Federal prosecutors had asked the judge to sentence Richard "Bigo" Barnett to more than seven years for his actions before, during and after the riot at the U.S. Capitol.

They noted in a court filing that a picture of a smiling Barnett lounging in Pelosi's office became "one of the best-known images of that day, symbolizing the rioters having wrested control of both the hallowed space and the political process from the nation’s elected leaders."

Barnett's lawyers had argued he shouldn't get more than six months behind bars. "Mr. Barnett is 63-year-old retired firefighter and bull rider from rural Arkansas who came to DC for his very first time to peacefully protest and was unfortunately caught up in the events that turned an ordinary Wednesday into what will forever be known as 'January 6,'" his lawyers contended.

U.S. District Court Judge Christopher Cooper disagreed, sentencing him to 54 months in prison.

Barnett was convicted in January on eight charges stemming from the Capitol attack, including theft of government property and entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds with a deadly or dangerous weapon; in addition to the stun device, Barnett armed himself with a ten-pound steel pole, prosecutors said.

Barnett became a widely known symbol of the riot when he was photographed reclining in a chair in Pelosi’s office, with his feet propped up, and what the government referred to as a “stun device” tucked in his pants. Before he left Pelosi’s office, Barnett took an envelope that he later displayed for cameras outside the Capitol.

He also acknowledged leaving what he later called a “nasty note” for Pelosi. It read, “Nancy, Bigo was here,” and ended with a sexist expletive to refer to Pelosi.

Barnett expressed remorse for his actions when he took the witness stand in his own defense. “I shouldn’t have put my feet on the desk,” Barnett told jurors. “At the time I thought it was funny,” he said, but after reflection, it seems “crass.”

After he was convicted, however, he maintained he was the victim of "political persecution" and said the jury that convicted him was "not a jury of my peers.”

Prosecutors pushed back on Barnett's claims that he'd been unintentionally swept up by the crowd during the Capitol riot and said in court filings that the evidence was clear that Barnett had come to Washington, D.C., that day looking for a fight.

"Barnett was aware of the significance of January 6, 2021. He believed that the United States would be taken over by communists if President-Elect Biden became president and was prepared to do 'whatever it takes,' (as he said on social media), including occupying the Capitol, to prevent that from happening," their filing said.

"He prepared for that violence by arming himself with a stun device and a ten-pound steel pole, both capable of inflicting serious bodily injury. And then he traveled to Washington, D.C. with those weapons," the filing continued, noting that he only left the Capitol after he was hit by chemical spray - and then bragged about his actions to reporters.

After his arrest, "Barnett sought to profit from his notoriety and criminal conduct," including by selling autographed pictures of himself in Pelosi's office, prosecutors said. They added that he's continued tweeting "disinformation" and conspiracy theories about the Jan. 6 attack since his conviction.

They said those statements show "he is without remorse and would readily engage in similar conduct in the future."

Net migration to the UK hit a record 606,000 in 2022, official figures showed Thursday, heaping pressure on the government which has pledged to cut dependency on foreign labour.

Immigration has long been a key political issue in the UK, and was one the main battlegrounds of the Brexit referendum in 2016 which saw the country leave the bloc.

"A series of unprecedented world events throughout 2022 and the lifting of restrictions following the coronavirus pandemic led to record levels of international immigration to the UK," said Jay Lindop, director of the centre for international migration at the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

The main drivers were people coming to the UK from non-EU countries for "work, study and for humanitarian purposes", he said.

The figures included those arriving from Ukraine after Russia's invasion and Hong Kong, where the UK relaxed entry rules for holders of British overseas passports after China's squeeze on civil rights.

The Conservative government has repeatedly promised that by leaving the EU, and ending the free movement of people from member states, the UK could "take back control" of its borders.

Since 2018, the country has also seen thousands of people successfully cross the Channel in small boats to claim asylum.

More than 45,000 arrived last year, prompting the introduction of tougher new measures to try to stem the flow of migrants deemed to have entered the country illegally.

One of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's predecessors, Boris Johnson, agreed a deal with Rwanda last year to relocate failed asylum-seekers to the central African country.

But the scheme has been mired in legal battles and is yet to get underway.

Al Hamdullilah 🤲🏾❤️ a new Pogba member has arrived 😍 .. so proud of my Queen 👸🏼 @zulaypogba I’m so so so happy 😍😍 #Daddyofthree💙💙💙

Vinicius Junior will not be suspended after receiving a red card in Sunday's LaLiga match at Valencia and the club will have to close the stand where the Real Madrid forward was racially abused for five games after a ruling by the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) on Tuesday.

The Brazilian winger was sent off in stoppage time by referee Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea for striking an opponent following a scuffle with Valencia players in which Vinicius appeared to be grabbed around the neck.

The RFEF's Competition Committee found that while De Burgos saw VAR images of Vinicius hitting Valencia forward Hugo Duro, he was not shown earlier footage of Duro restraining the Brazilian. De Burgos was not able to take decision based on all the facts, and therefore Vinicius' suspension should not stand.

Vinicius had earlier been racially abused by fans at the Mestalla Stadium, which led to the game being halted for 10 minutes as the player pointed out people who were abusing him in the stands.

"The RFEF Competition Committee considers that the referee's assessment was determined by the omission of the entirety of the play that took place, which affected the refereeing decision."

"The fact that he [the referee] was deprived of a decisive part of the facts led him to adopt an arbitrary decision. And this is because it was impossible for him to properly assess what happened."

Vinicius is now free to play in Real Madrid's next LaLiga game at home to Rayo Vallecano on Wednesday, however sources told ESPN that he will miss the match after missing training on Tuesday due to pain in his left knee.

He was left off Madrid's squad list for the game, announced before his suspension was rescinded.

Earlier, Video Assistant Referee Ignacio Iglesias Villanueva was dropped from Wednesday's LaLiga game between Real Betis and Getafe, the Spanish Football Association (RFEF) said in a statement on Tuesday, with sources telling ESPN the decision is punishment for his role in the sending off of Vinicius during Madrid's 1-0 defeat at Valencia.

The RFEF also announced that Valencia's south stand will be partially closed for five matches and the club fined €45,000 ($49,536) after the racist abuse suffered by Vinicius.

"It is considered proven that there were racist shouts at Vinicius during the aforementioned match. A financial penalty of 45,000 euros is imposed on Valencia," the Competition Committee of the RFEF said in a statement.

Valencia said that they would appeal the verdict to the RFEF's Appeals Committee on Wednesday, calling the decision to close the stand "unjust and disproportionate."

"Valencia CF would like to publicly state that the RFEF Competition Committee's decision includes evidence which contradicts what the police and LaLiga have said," the club said in a statement. "Furthermore, this punishment is based on evidence which the club has not been able to see.

"Valencia has condemned, condemns and will condemn any racist or violent act... Valencia has worked from the very beginning with the police and the relevant authorities to clear up the events of last Sunday. In addition, we have applied the maximum punishment possible, banning the fans identified by the police for life from our stadium.

"For that reason, we believe that punishing all the fans who were not involved in these disgraceful incidents and depriving them of the ability to watch their team is a totally disproportionate, unfair, unprecedented measure."

Seven people have been arrested in connection with two separate racist incidents involving Vinicius Junior, Spanish police said Tuesday.

Three of the arrests were related to the racist abuse aimed at Vinicius during the match with Valencia, while four arrests in Madrid involve the hanging of a mannequin wearing a Vinicius shirt from a bridge near Real Madrid's training ground in January.

We are proud to announce that former German international, World Cup Winner and FIFA World Player of the Year, Lothar Matthäus has joined Accra Lions Football Club as board member and shareholder.

Matthäus, a distinguished figure in world football as the ex-captain of Germany and 1990 World Cup winner, expressed his excitement about this new venture. "Ghana has always had a huge potential of talent and I’m thrilled by the idea of supporting the sportive development of young footballers with my knowledge and experience."

Accra Lions Football Club, now under the ownership of Matthäus, the Ghanaian professional footballer Frank Opoku Acheampong (Shenzhen FC - China) and the club’s chairman Oliver König, aspire to tap into Ghana's football potential and become a driving force in player development. The investment will particularly emphasise bolstering the training infrastructure to ensure the players receive excellent preparation.

#yennyinaadea #accralions #BetPawaPremierLeague

Lawmakers approved an amendment to Iran's Parliamentary Elections Law during a session of the parliament on Sunday.

The new measure will be added as the 12th provision of Article 30 in the Law.

Based on the new provision, Iranian nationals holding permanent residency in another country, as well those who possess or have acquired citizenship of another country, will not be eligible for parliamentary seats.

Lawmakers said the amendment is aimed at addressing concerns about dual loyalties and making sure that elected representatives have exclusive allegiance to the Islamic Republic of Iran.

In 2016, the Iranian parliament formed a special committee to investigate reports that a number of Iranian officials, including some MPs, were dual nationals or had permanent residency of other countries.

The parliament passed a bill in 2020, banning dual citizens from running for president in Iran.

Meta has been fined $1.3 billion by EU regulators over a data breach - and has been asked to stop the transfer of Facebook's European user data to US servers within five months.

BREAKING: Facebook owner Meta fined record $1.3 billion after EU regulators said it failed to protect personal information from the prying eyes of American security services

At least 10 people were killed and nine were wounded when an apparent team of gunmen ambushed a car rally in Baja, Mexico, about 73 miles from the U.S. border, authorities said.

The horrific attack unfolded just after 2 p.m. on Saturday in San Vicente, near Ensenada, on the Pacific coast of the Baja Peninsula, the Reuters news agency reported.

The violence erupted during the last day of a two-day all-terrain car rally, local officials said. Video purportedly of the shooting was posted on social media, showing off-road vehicles lined up along a road and capturing the sounds of screams and numerous rounds of gunfire.

Several people who appeared to have been shot were seen in the online footage lying on the ground.

Multiple shooters wielding rifles emerged from at least two gray vans at a gas station and opened fire on participants of the car rally gathered there, according to Reuters, citing 911 calls.

Following the volley of gunshots, the perpetrators got back in the vans and fled the scene, which is about 86 miles from San Diego, California, according to Reuters.

There were no reports of any arrests being made.

Ensenada Mayor Armando Ayala Robles said state Attorney General Ricardo Ivan Carpio Sanchez commissioned a special group to investigate the massacre.

The car rally was organized by the group calling itself Cachanillazo, which posted a message to Instagram expressing sympathy to those affected by the tragedy, adding that "unfortunately, what happened during the tour was not in our hands."

At 9:45 Friday morning, May 19, 2023, Layton PD dispatch received a call from a man who stated he had just killed his wife, mother-in-law, and father-in-law.

Officers immediately responded to the home at 1832 E. Gentile St.

The man remained on the phone with dispatchers, and was instructed to exit the home where he was taken into custody. Officers then entered the home and located three deceased victims.

Those victims are identified as:

Anastasia Stevens – 36 years old – Wife of suspect
Becky Stevens 61 Step-mother of victim Anastasia
Donald Stevens – 73 Father of victim Anastasia

The suspect is identified as 34 year-old Jeremy Bailey. Jeremy Bailey and Anastasia lived at the residence where the incident occurred.

Becky Stevens and Donald Stevens were Nevada residents who were visiting this address.

In addition to the three victims, three of the family’s dogs had also been killed.

A motive for these crimes has not been determined yet, and the cause of death is still being investigated.

Russia’s foreign ministry has said former President Barack Obama is among 500 US citizens who will be banned in response to the latest round of sanctions announced by Washington.

The ministry also said on Friday that Russia had refused the latest US request for consular access to the detained Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who was arrested in March on suspicion of spying.

This move was triggered by the US refusal last month to give visas to media traveling with the foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, to the United Nations, it said in a statement.

“Washington should have learned a long time ago that not a single hostile attack on Russia will go unpunished,” it added.

Earlier on Friday the United States announced punitive measures against more than 300 targets, aiming to punish Russia for its invasion of Ukraine and intensifying one of the harshest sanctions efforts ever implemented.

“Today’s actions will further tighten the vise on [Vladimir] Putin’s ability to wage his barbaric invasion and will advance our global efforts to cut off Russian attempts to evade sanctions,” the US treasury secretary, Janet Yellen, said in a statement.

The treasury department said it imposed sanctions on 22 people and 104 entities with touchpoints in over 20 countries or jurisdictions, including companies that import, ship or manufacture electronics components, semiconductors and microelectronics to Russia.

The US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, said Friday’s action targeted an international network that procures components for the Russia-based entity responsible for the manufacture of the Orlan drone, which Russian forces and their proxies are using in Ukraine.

Among the targets on Friday were Russian intelligence services procurement networks and agents, including in Liechtenstein and the Netherlands. The Foreign Intelligence Service of the Russian Federation was also hit with sanctions.

The treasury department said it was also imposing sanctions on Russia’s energy educational and research institutions in a bid to “limit Russia’s future extractive capabilities”.

Russian authorities have put International Criminal Court prosecutor Karim Khan on a "wanted" list after the Hague-based court issued an arrest warrant for President Vladimir Putin in March.

Khan's picture could be seen in the Russian interior ministry's database on Friday.

The notice described him as a man born on March 30, 1970 in Edinburgh, Scotland but did not specify his offence.

In March, Russia opened a criminal probe into Khan after the ICC announced an arrest warrant for Putin on the war crime accusation of unlawfully deporting Ukrainian children.

The court also issued an arrest warrant against Maria Lvova-Belova, Russia's presidential commissioner for children's rights.

Russia's Investigative Committee, which probes major crimes, said in March that Khan was being probed for the "criminal prosecution of a person known to be innocent."

He was also being invstigated for allegedly preparing "an attack on a representative of a foreign state enjoying international protection," investigators said.

Kyiv says more than 16,000 Ukrainian children have been deported to Russia since the beginning of Moscow's offensive in February 2022, with many allegedly placed in institutions and foster homes.

Russia, which is not a member of the ICC, has said the warrant is "void".

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has hailed the court's move as a "historic decision from which historic responsibility will begin."

US President Joe Biden said the arrest warrant for Putin was "justified".

Latest Update:
The FCDO now advise against all but essential to Anambra state following an attack on a US convoy.

The FCDO advise against all travel to the riverine areas (ie the river and swamp locations accessible by boat, but not by road) of Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Cross River States.

The FCDO advise against all but essential travel to Abia State and non-riverine areas of Delta, Bayelsa and Rivers States and now also to Anambra State in the Ogbaru area, close to Delta state. This follows an attack on a US diplomatic convoy on 16 May 2023. The incident is under investigation.

The US Supreme Court left in place a broad liability shield for social media companies for content posted by users, insulating Twitter Inc., Facebook Inc. and Google LLC from claims that they provided assistance to Islamic State terrorists.

Acting in a case involving Google, the court said it wouldn’t rule on efforts to limit the immunity internet companies have enjoyed under a decades-old law known as Section 230. In a related case, the court tossed out a lawsuit that said social media companies bore responsibility under an anti-terrorism law for a 2017 shooting in an Istanbul nightclub.

The unanimous decisions together amount to a triumph for social media platforms, assuaging fears that the tech industry might face a new deluge of lawsuits and remove speech across their platforms. At least for the time being, the outcome means it would take an act of Congress to broadly open social media companies to lawsuits over third-party content.

The ruling in the Istanbul case put new limits on lawsuits under the US Anti-Terrorism Act. The court rejected allegations by the family of victim Nawras Alassaf that three social media companies didn’t do enough to remove Islamic State videos.

Writing for the court, Justice Clarence Thomas said any connection between the companies and the nightclub attack was “far removed.”

“The allegations plaintiffs make here are not the type of pervasive, systemic, and culpable assistance to a series of terrorist activities that could be described as aiding and abetting each terrorist act by ISIS,” Thomas wrote.

The high court’s Section 230 case involved Nohemi Gonzalez, a 23-year-old US citizen who was one of 130 people killed in attacks by the Islamic State group in Paris in November 2015. Her family said Alphabet Inc.’s Google, through its algorithm-driven YouTube recommendations, aided the Islamic State in violation of the Antiterrorism Act.

In an unsigned opinion, the court said that lawsuit “appears to state little, if any plausible claim for relief.” The justices set aside a federal appeals court decision that had let the suit go forward.

Tech companies and their allies said weakening Section 230 would have had disastrous effects, forcing social media platforms, search engines and online marketplaces to radically reconfigure their businesses to protect themselves. Critics of the industry called those worries overblown, saying internet companies need to bear more responsibility for the proliferation of dangerous hate speech and disinformation.

Enacted as part of a broader 1996 law, Section 230 is widely credited with helping the internet flourish, giving platforms assurance that they wouldn’t be at risk of lawsuits for things their users post.

But the provision has drawn criticism from both sides of the political aisle. Conservatives including former President Donald Trump complain Section 230 shields tech companies that censor right-wing voices, while many liberals say it lets platforms ignore hate speech and extremism.

The cases are Gonzalez v. Google, 21-1333, and Twitter v. Taamneh, 21-1496.

Montana became the first state in the U.S. to completely ban TikTok on Wednesday when the state’s Republican governor signed a measure that’s more sweeping than any other state’s attempts to curtail the social media app.

The measure is expected to be challenged legally and will serve as a testing ground for the TikTok-free America that many national lawmakers have envisioned.

Some lawmakers, the FBI and officials at other agencies are concerned the video-sharing app, owned by the Chinese tech company ByteDance, could be used to allow the Chinese government to access information on American citizens or push pro-Beijing misinformation that could influence the public. TikTok says none of this has ever happened.

When Montana banned the app on government-owned devices in late December, Gov. Greg Gianforte said TikTok posed a “significant risk” to sensitive state data. More than half of U.S. states and the federal government have a similar ban.

Gianforte signed the legislation after it easily passed through Montana’s GOP-controlled Legislature.

Montana’s new law prohibits downloads of TikTok in the state and would fine any “entity” — an app store or TikTok — $10,000 per day for each time someone “is offered the ability” to access the social media platform or download the app. The penalties would not apply to users.

Opponents argue this is government overreach and say Montana residents could easily circumvent the ban by using a virtual private network, a service that shields internet users by encrypting their data traffic, preventing others from observing their web browsing and other activities. Montana state officials say geofencing technology is used with online sports gambling apps, which are deactivated in states where online gambling is illegal.

TikTok, which has said it has a plan to protect U.S. users, has vowed to fight back against the ban, along with small business owners who said they use the app for advertising to help grow their businesses and reach more customers. The ACLU of Montana opposed the bill, arguing it was an unconstitutional restriction of free speech.

The app’s fun, goofy videos and ease of use has made it immensely popular, and U.S. tech giants like Snapchat and Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, see it as a competitive threat.

Ivan Toney has been suspended from all football and football-related activity with immediate effect for eight months, which runs up to and including 16 January 2024, fined £50,000 and warned as to his future conduct for breaches of The FA’s Betting Rules.

The Brentford FC forward was charged with 262 breaches of FA Rule E8 in total between 25 February 2017 and 23 January 2021. The FA subsequently withdrew 30 of these breaches and he admitted to the remaining 232.

His sanctions were subsequently imposed by an independent Regulatory Commission following a personal hearing. He is permitted to return to training only with his club for the final four months of his suspension starting from 17 September 2023.

The independent Regulatory Commission’s written reasons for these sanctions will be published in due course, and The FA will wait to review them before commenting further.

Elon Musk on Tuesday said a new Twitter chief executive will let him devote more time to Tesla, but that he will continue to tweet his unfiltered thoughts even if it hurts his businesses.

"I don't care," the billionaire said during a CNBC interview when asked what he thought of his controversial tweets potentially hurting Tesla shares or making it harder to sell ads on Twitter.

"I'll say what I want to say and if the consequence of that is losing money, so be it."

UPDATE @ 1:54pm:
At this time we don't believe there is a second suspect. All lockdowns have been lifted.

Original post:
Farmington Police Department, San Juan County Sheriff’s Office, and the New Mexico State Police are on scene investigating an incident involving an active shooter in Farmington. At this time, the details we have are that multiple officers from the Farmington Police Department were involved in an officer involved shooting. One suspect was confronted and killed on scene. The suspect’s identity is unknown and there are no other known threats at this time. Two officers were shot, one from the Farmington Police Department and one from New Mexico State Police, both currently at San Juan Regional Medical Center being treated for their injuries and in stable condition. There are multiple civilian victims with at least 3 deceased. We will provide more details as they become available. If anyone has any immediate information on this incident, please call dispatch at 505-334-6622.

While the incident is being investigated, Dustin Avenue is shut down between Ute Street and Apache Street. Please avoid the area and use alternate routes of travel.

New Zealand authorities said Tuesday that multiple people have died after a fire broke out overnight at a four-story hostel in the capital, Wellington.

Emergency services were called to the Loafers Lodge hostel about 12:30 a.m.

Wellington Fire and Emergency District Manager Nick Pyatt said 52 people have been accounted for, but that a number still remained unaccounted for.

“I can sadly report that this will be a multi-fatality incident. Our thoughts at this time are with the families of those who have perished and with our crews who valiantly rescued those (they could) and attempted to rescue those that they couldn’t,” Pyatt told reporters.

“This is our worst nightmare,” Pyatt said. “It doesn’t get worse than this.”

Police can confirm a number of fatalities following the fire in central Wellington this morning.

Officers remain at the scene at Loafers Lodge on Adelaide Road where fire broke out around 12:30am.

Our initial assessment is that the number of deceased is fewer than 10, however, we are not in a position to be any more specific until we can access the building. It is currently unsafe and until we can access the building - and reconcile numbers of people who are safe - we are not in a position to determine how many people are deceased or unaccounted for. Our focus is on identifying those people as soon as we can.

We are asking people to please come forward if they, or someone they know, has been staying at the property, so we can eliminate them from our inquiries.

At the stage the cause of the fire is unexplained, and Police will be working alongside FENZ to determine cause.

Adelaide Road between John Street and the Basin Reserve is expected to remain closed for much of the day while Fire and Emergency NZ work at the scene alongside Police.

Chelsea have reportedly agreed terms with Mauricio Pochettino for him to become their next manager.

The former Tottenham boss was identified as a candidate by Blues chiefs following Graham Potter's exit last month, having previously held talks with him earlier in the season. And according to Sky Sports, a deal is now in place for him to take the reins from next season.

Pochettino has been out of work since leaving PSG last July. He'd been linked with the vacant Manchester United role which Erik ten Hag eventually filled.

And a return to his former club Spurs, who are also hunting for a new manager, had been mentioned. But their rivals at Stamford Bridge look to have secured his services.

Given Chelsea chairman Todd Boehly has sacked both Thomas Tuchel and Potter in his first season at the helm, rival fans teased "Pochettino to be sacked by Christmas", "sacked within six months" and "odds on him to be sacked by Xmas?".

Having started his managerial career with La Liga side Espanyol, the former Argentina defender enjoyed a successful 18-month spell with Southampton in his first role in England.

He attracted the attention of Tottenham, who appointed him on a five-year contract in May 2014. During his time in north London, he guided them to their highest league finish since 1990 and a Champions League final.

But he was axed in November 2019, five months after the 2-0 defeat to Liverpool, with Spurs sitting 14th in the Premier League table.

"Selfish, egotistical" young Italians should have more children and fewer pets, the Pope has told a conference of pro-family organisations in Rome.

He was speaking with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in an effort to urge political leaders to reverse a "demographic winter" in the country, which last year saw a population dip of more than 300,000.

After blasting couples who were choosing to have pets instead of children, the Pope said dedicated resources should be diverted to help them grow families, adding it was necessary to "plant the future" with hope.

"Let us not resign ourselves to sterile dullness and pessimism," Francis told an annual gathering of pro-family organisations in Rome.

"Let us not believe that history is already marked, that nothing can be done to reverse the trend."

Italy had a record low of live births in 2022, at 392,598, which when combined with a high number of registered deaths, at 713,499, has meant the country has accelerated a demographic trend that could impact its social security system.

Ms Meloni, who is considered to be a right wing leader in Italy, and her government, is backing a campaign to encourage at least 500,000 births every year by 2033, which is the rate demographers say is needed to protect the economy from collapse so that more people can work as the rate of pensioners increases.

The premier ran on a pro-family campaign of "God, family, fatherland", with her government proposing several measures to encourage families to have more children.

Italy's fertility rate is among the lowest in the world, at 1.24 children per woman.

A lack of affordable childcare, low pay, and unstable work are among the reasons why many women put off having children.

Warning that pets were replacing children in some households, the Pope recounted how a woman had opened her bag and asked him to "bless her baby".

Except it was not a baby, but a small dog.

"I lost my patience and told her off: there are many children who are hungry, and you bring me a dog?" he added, triggering a round of applause from the crowd.

Ms Meloni, who does have a child with her partner, told the conference she wants to reverse the declining trend of births, but warned surrogacy should be avoided, touching on broader political points around migrants and same-sex couples.

"We want a nation where it is no longer scandalous to say that - whatever the legitimate, free choices, inclinations of each person - we are all born of a man or a woman," Ms Meloni said, to applause.

"Where it is not taboo to say that motherhood is not for sale, that wombs are not for rent and children are not over-the-counter products that you can choose on the shelf as if you were in the supermarket and maybe return if then the product does not match what you expect."

She also spoke in a religious sense, saying her government wants to begin by "respecting the dignity, the uniqueness, the sacredness of every single human being, because each of us has a unique and unrepeatable genetic code. And this, like it or not, has something of the sacred".

New York City has passed a bill outlawing discrimination based on weight, joining a growing movement in the US to make size a protected trait on par with race and gender.

More than 40% of American adults are considered obese and studies show weight stigma is pervasive.

The bias can bring sharp costs, such as lower wages, especially for women.

City Councilman Shaun Abreu said weight discrimination was "a silent burden people have had to carry".

During public hearings, supporters cited difficulty navigating seating at restaurants and theatres, getting turned away by landlords, and butting up against weight limits on the city's bike sharing programme.

Councilman Abreu, who sponsored the bill, said he became more aware of the issue when he gained more than 40lb (18.1kg) during lockdown and saw a shift in how he was treated. He said the lack of protections had amplified the problems people face.

"They're being discriminated against with no recourse and society saying that's perfectly fine," he said.

New York City Council member Shaun Abreu sponsored a bill barring weight discrimination

The measure is expected to be signed into law by New York's mayor later this month. The effort received widespread support, passing 44-5, despite scepticism in some quarters.

New York City council's minority leader, Joseph Borelli, who is a Republican, told the New York Times he was worried the law would empower New Yorkers "to sue anyone and everything".

"I'm overweight but I'm not a victim. No-one should feel bad for me except my struggling shirt buttons," he said.

Michigan has barred workplace discrimination based on weight since 1976 and a handful of other cities, including San Francisco and Washington DC, have legislation on the books.

State-level bills have now been introduced in New York, Massachusetts, Vermont, and New Jersey.

The efforts follow a dramatic increase in obesity rates over the past 20 years.

Tegan Lecheler says weight discrimination is a "civil rights issue"

Tegan Lecheler, advocacy director for the National Association for the Advancement of Fat Acceptance, which worked with Councilman Abreu on the New York City bill, said she hoped the measure would "encourage a larger conversation of framing this beyond health".

"It's not a health issue. It's a civil rights issue," she said. "This is really about if people are safe and protected and have the right to be in spaces."

New York's human rights law already bars discrimination in housing, the workplace and public accommodation based on 27 characteristics, including age, marital status, disability and national origin.

The bill adds weight and height to that list, while including exceptions for jobs in which weight and height are a "bona fide occupational qualification" or where there is a public health and safety concern.

Councilman Abreu said he hoped the move by the largest city in the country would encourage other cities and states to follow suit.

"We want this bill to send a message to everybody that you matter, regardless of if you're above or below average weight," he said. "That's why we pushed this."

The United States has sounded a warning that it would be wise for countries to step back from any kind of engagement with the Russian military.

That’s the view of the Head of the US Office of Sanctions Coordination Ambassador Jim O’Brien.

He was reacting to claims by the US ambassador to South Africa Reuben Brigety that Pretoria had allowed weapons and ammunition transfers to Moscow via a Russian cargo ship that docked in Simonstown in early December last year.

O’Brien says they are working with G7 colleagues and other allied governments to communicate the importance of not supplying the Russian war machine.

“We are we are working with governments around the world to restrict access to to anything that will support the Russian military on the ground in Ukraine. I’m not going to discuss any specific possible punitive measures. I do think any country that reads the press can see that even the European Union is preparing to provide itself with additional tools to address actions by third countries. So it’s clear this is moving in the direction that, you know, I think it’d be wise of countries to to step back from any kind of engagement with the Russian military.”

Earlier on Thursday, President Cyril Ramaphosa told Parliament that the matter was being looked into. In other developments, the US says it will continue to engage governments around the world to support the UN Charter.

That view was expressed by US envoy to the United Nations and a member of President Joe Biden’s Cabinet – Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield.

“We continue to certainly have a strong bilateral relationship with South Africa. We have worked over the course of the past two years to encourage all countries to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and not to give any support to those efforts. We will continue to have conversations along those lines with all countries here in New York to ensure that they take on the important position of supporting the UN Charter and supporting our commitment to not allowing one country to invade another country and compromise the territorial integrity of that country.”

But President Cyril Ramaphosa’s office hit back, saying it was “disappointing” that Brigety had “adopted a counter-productive public posture.”

The remarks “undermine the spirit of cooperation and partnership” between the two nations, Ramaphosa’s spokesman Vincent Magwenya said in a statement.

“While no evidence has been provided to date to support these allegations, the government has undertaken to institute an independent enquiry to be led by a retired judge.”

South Africa has refused to condemn the invasion of Ukraine, which has largely isolated Moscow on the international stage.

The country — an African powerhouse that also wields moral clout for its victory over apartheid — says it wants to stay neutral, and champions dialogue as the means to end the conflict.

But critics cite a number of recent incidents as evidence of a tilt towards the Kremlin.

Britain has delivered multiple Storm Shadow long range cruise missiles to Ukraine, UK defence secretary Ben Wallace will reveal today.

According to government officials Wallace will confirm to MPs that Britain has armed Kyiv’s forces with the new long-range strike weapons. The move comes ahead of Ukraine launching its highly anticipated counter offensive against the Russian military.

Rishi Sunak, UK prime minister, first raised the prospect in February of offering unspecified “longer-range capabilities” to Ukraine to reduce pressure on their front lines and curb Russia’s ability to destroy the country’s critical national infrastructure.

Britain has donated thousands of short and long-range missiles to Ukraine, along with battle tanks and vehicles equipped with Starstreak missile launchers.

A man has been caught storing his dead father's body in his freezer.

Police in the town of Landgraaf, in the Netherlands, reportedly discovered the corpse after concerns were raised by a family doctor who was worried about the 101-year-old father's health.

Dutch media reported the man's son, 82, told officers he "did not want to let him go, or I would miss him".

De Limburger newspaper said the son claimed he decided to put his parent's corpse in the freezer when he died of natural causes 18 months ago, so he could "continue to talk to him".

Police are reportedly now investigating whether any fraud has been committed.

Council officials who visited the house are said to have described it as a "mess" and given the son a week to clear it up.

Argentine superstar Lionel Messi will play in Saudi Arabia next season under a "huge" deal, a source close to the negotiations told AFP on Tuesday.

"Messi is a done deal. He will play in Saudi Arabia next season," said the source, speaking on condition of anonymity and without naming the club.

"The contract is exceptional. It's huge. We are just finalising some small details," added the source, who is not authorised to speak to media.

Asked about the comments, Messi's current club Paris Saint-Germain simply noted he remains under contract until June 30.

A separate PSG source said: "If the club had wanted to renew his contract, it would have been done earlier."

The 35-year-old World Cup winner was suspended by Qatari-owned PSG last week for an unauthorised trip to Saudi, where he is a tourism ambassador.

Messi's expected arrival in the oil-rich kingdom follows in the footsteps of his arch-rival Cristiano Ronaldo, who joined Saudi Pro League club Al Nassr in a massive deal in January.

Ronaldo's agreement to June 2025 is said to total more than 400 million euros ($439million), making him the world's highest paid athlete according to Forbes.

Both deals are being bankrolled by the Public Investment Fund (PIF), one of the world's biggest sovereign wealth funds with more than $620 billion in assets, the source said.

"The negotiations didn't take as much time as the ones with Ronaldo. As we now know the recipe to contract world-class players," said the source.

"It's Saudi Arabia that brought him not a specific club. The Money comes from one place -- PIF."

Ronaldo's arrival has not had the impact Al Nassr would have hoped for on the pitch.

They have lost top spot in the Saudi Pro League table and are out of the running in the King's Cup and Super Cup.

French coach Rudi Garcia departed in April.

- PSG protesters -

Messi, who turns 36 in June, has had two lacklustre seasons in Paris after a glorious era at Barcelona where he won four Champions League and 10 La Liga titles, and is still worshipped by the fans.

The record seven-time world player of the year, joining a mouth-watering attack featuring Kylian Mbappe and Neymar, scored just 11 goals in his first season as he helped PSG to a routine Ligue 1 title.

But PSG have got no closer to a coveted maiden Champions League victory, bowing out twice in the last 16 even with the illustrious Argentine in the line-up.

Frustrations boiled over last week when black-clad PSG protesters let off flares and sang hostile chants targeting the underperforming Messi, Neymar and Italian midfielder Marco Verratti.

The angry scenes contrasted with Messi's career-crowning moment in December, when he led Argentina to a breathless World Cup final victory over Mbappe and France in Doha to fill the biggest gap in his resume.

Qatar's emir draped him in a traditional bisht robe at the trophy ceremony, a reminder of the fossil-fuel riches pouring into football and Messi's bank account via PSG.

However, Messi is also a highly paid tourism ambassador for Qatar's neighbours and sometime rivals Saudi Arabia, the world's biggest oil exporter that is attempting to diversify its largely single-stream economy.

MTN Nigeria Communications will continue to operate its 3G mobile services for another 15 years in Africa’s biggest telecommunication market after it paid the Nigerian Communications Commission N58.66bn for licence renewal.

As of February 2022, Nigeria had 227.18 million active lines, according to the NCC.

MTN said on Tuesday that it had received proposal from the Nigerian regulator to renew 2100MHz spectrum for a period of 15 years, from 1 May 2022 to 30 April 2037.

MTN said, “In addition, having accepted NCC’s offer to renew our 2100MHz spectrum for a period of 15 years, effective from 1 May 2022 to 30 April 2037, MTN Nigeria has paid N58.66 billion to the NCC. The 2100MHz spectrum licence enables the provision of 3G mobile services on our network.”

The network service provider also revealed that it received approval for the spectrum lease transaction between MTN Nigeria and Natcom Development and Investment Limited (NTEL) for the lease of NTEL’s 5MHz Frequency Division Duplex (FDD).

It said NCC has “approved a spectrum lease transaction between MTN Nigeria and Natcom Development and Investment Limited (NTEL) for the lease of NTEL’s 5MHz Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) in the 900MHz spectrum band and 10MHz FDD in the 1800MHz spectrum band covering 19 states.

“The transaction is for a period of two years, effective 1 May 2023, at a cost of N4.25 billion, including taxes, regulatory fees and ancillary charges.”

Mtel came to be following the acquisition of core telecom assets previously owned by Nigeria’s national fixed and mobile operators- NiTel/MTel- by NatCom Development & Investment Ltd. (NatCom) in a liquidation process supervised and approved by Nigeria’s Bureau of Public Enterprises and a court-appointed liquidator.

The liquidation process was concluded in May, 2015 with NiTel/MTel core assets wholly transferred to NatCom.

MTN Nigeria CEO, Karl Toriola said, “This is a significant milestone in delivering our Ambition 2025 strategy. The access to NTEL’s 900MHz and 1800MHz spectrums broadens our spectrum holdings and improves our 3G and 4G user experience as coverage and capacity will be enhanced by utilising these spectrums.”