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The Middle East has traditionally not ranked among the top destinations for Chinese travelers, but that appears to be changing fast.During this year’s extended Golden Week holiday — which runs Oct. 1–8 — Chinese travel reservations to Doha surged 441% from a year earlier, while bookings to Abu Dhabi rose 229%, according to Trip.com. The online travel agency said its data covered Sept. 27 to Oct. 8, as many office workers took additional leave to lengthen the break.Meanwhile, Dubai saw a 27% increase, placing it among the top 10 destinations outside Asia, according to travel data analytics firm ForwardKeys, which counted…
Jeff CarlisleOct 11, 2025, 04:28 AM ETCloseJeff Carlisle covers MLS and the U.S. national team for ESPN FC.AUSTIN, Texas — At first glance, the term “tale of two halves” doesn’t seem appropriate to describe Friday’s 1-1 draw between the U.S. men’s national team (USMNT) and Ecuador. The U.S. had a sizable possession advantage throughout, created good chances, and dominated La Tri for long stretches. But looking from a different angle, it is applicable.In the first half, even as the U.S. controlled the tempo (64.4% vs. 35.6% possession), it was Ecuador that controlled a key area. They made more of the…
Published 49 minutes ago By Liverpool FCRead a statistical preview of Liverpool’s hosting of Manchester City at Anfield in the Barclays Women’s Super League.The Reds return to the iconic stadium on Sunday for their second of three matches they will play there during the 2025-26 season.Opta have provided the best facts and figures to know ahead of the 4.45pm BST kick-off in L4…Grab your tickets for the Anfield clash here – with adults priced at £12 and juniors just £5Liverpool have won four of their 18 WSL games against Man City, with each of those coming on home soil –…
Beth LindopOct 11, 2025, 04:07 AM ETCloseBased in Liverpool, Beth Lindop is ESPN’s Liverpool correspondent and also covers the WSL and UWCL.With 33 minutes on the clock against Chelsea, Liverpool midfielder Ryan Gravenberch looked down at the turf as an ironic cheer sounded around Stamford Bridge. The Dutchman’s miscued pass for teammate Milos Kerkez had trickled straight out of play, and on an evening when a late strike from Estêvão condemned Liverpool to a third-successive defeat in all competitions, Gravenberch’s error served as a neat encapsulation of his team’s current struggles.Sloppy, disjointed and low on confidence, Arne Slot’s side looks…
United States coach Mauricio Pochettino praised the spirit of his players, who rallied for a 1-1 draw against Ecuador in an aggressive friendly Friday that included a 71st-minute equalizer from Folarin Balogun.”We were so brave in trying to go forward, try to find the space,” Pochettino said postgame about his team’s second-half efforts as the U.S. upped its tempo at Q2 Stadium in Austin, Texas. “Ecuador is a very physical team. Chasing people at the same time, with the possibility and the calm to play, I think we were capable to find the gaps and challenge [them].Editor’s Picks1 Related”I think…
A few years ago, it looked as if the US and China might battle over global hegemony and preeminence. But this looks less likely now, thanks to America’s own behavior. Under Trump 2.0, the US has alienated many of the key allies it would have needed in order to match China’s market size and manufacturing acumen, leaving America standing alone against a country four times its size. Tariffs have hobbled America’s already tottering manufacturing sector. Just a few months after Trump’s inauguration, the idea of a democratic world led by the US standing up to challenge China’s rise now seems more than a…
NEW YORK (AP) — Lawyers for Luigi Mangione asked a New York federal judge Saturday to dismiss some criminal charges, including the only count for which he could face the death penalty, from a federal indictment brought against him in the December assassination of UnitedHealthcare’s chief executive.In papers filed in Manhattan federal court, the lawyers said prosecutors should also be prevented from using at trial his statements to law enforcement officers and his backpack where a gun and ammunition were found.They said Mangione was not read his rights before he was questioned by law enforcement officers, who arrested him after…
Power was restored to over 800,000 residents in Kyiv on Saturday, a day after Russia launched major attacks on the Ukrainian power grid that caused blackouts across much of the country, and European leaders agreed to proceed toward using hundreds of billions of frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine’s war effort.Ukraine’s largest private energy company, DTEK, said Saturday that “the main work to restore the power supply” had been completed, but that some localized outages were still affecting the Ukrainian capital following Friday’s “massive” Russian attacks. Russian drone and missile strikes wounded at least 20 people in Kyiv, damaged residential…
BEIRUT (AP) — Israel carried out intense airstrikes on southern Lebanon early Saturday, killing one person, wounding seven and briefly cutting a highway that links Beirut with parts of south Lebanon, the Health Ministry said.The pre-dawn airstrikes on the village of Msayleh struck a place that sold heavy machinery, destroying a large number of vehicles.A vehicle carrying vegetables that happened to be passing by at the time of the strikes was hit, killing one person and wounding another, according to Hezbollah’s Al-Manar TV.The Health Ministry later said that the one slain was a Syrian citizen, while the wounded were a…
Jeff KassoufOct 10, 2025, 10:13 PM ETCloseJeff Kassouf covers women’s soccer for ESPN, focusing on the USWNT and NWSL. In 2009, he founded The Equalizer, a women’s soccer news outlet, and he previously won a Sports Emmy at NBC Sports and Olympics.Jessica Berman has been given a contract extension to remain as NWSL commissioner, multiple sources confirmed to ESPN.A source with knowledge of the deal said it was for three years, which would run through the 2028 NWSL season, with her original deal set to expire in the coming months.An NWSL spokesperson declined to comment when contacted by ESPN.Editor’s Picks1…