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WASHINGTON (AP) — The State Department will increase staffing at certain U.S. embassies and consulates to accommodate an expected major jump in visa applications from soccer fans wanting to attend World Cup matches in the United States next year. The department said Thursday will send hundreds of additional consular officers to “designated countries” to handle the demand for visa interviews. The number of staffers and the countries where they will go have yet to be determined because the 48-team field for the 2026 World Cup has not been finalized. Tickets for the tournament hosted by U.S., Canada and Mexico went…

EL PASO, Texas (AP) — When Texas first proposed redrawing its congressional map earlier this summer, critics decried it as a political power-grab to appease the president, while state leaders claimed it was necessary after the Department of Justice raised concerns about some majority non-white districts.But now that the map is in federal court, the two sides have swapped stances.The state now claims they acted for purely partisan gain, which the U.S. Supreme Court has said is lawful, while a group of individuals and advocacy organizations argue the Department of Justice’s involvement reveals unconstitutional racial motivation.These plaintiff groups, who are…

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has declared drug cartels to be unlawful combatants and says the United States is now in an “armed conflict” with them, according to a Trump administration memo obtained by The Associated Press on Thursday, following recent U.S. strikes on boats in the Caribbean.The memo appears to represent an extraordinary assertion of presidential war powers, with Trump effectively declaring that trafficking of drugs into the United States amounts to armed conflict requiring the use of military force — a new rationale for past and future actions.“The President determined that the United States is in a…

Bill ConnellyOct 2, 2025, 09:17 AM ETCloseBill Connelly is a writer for ESPN. He covers college football, soccer and tennis. He has been at ESPN since 2019.We’re starting to figure out the rhythm for the new, 36-team Champions League and its league phase. The early matchdays aren’t particularly do-or-die and the stakes are low, but the less work you get done early, the more you leave yourself later on.Paris Saint-Germain took only four points from their first five matchdays last season, had to rally late to qualify for the knockout rounds, then had to face Liverpool in the round of…

Hugo Ekitike has been named in Didier Deschamps’ latest France squad despite coming off injured in Liverpool’s Champions League defeat to Galatasaray on Tuesday.Ekitike, who was forced off in the second-half in Istanbul, received his first France call-up in August, replacing the injured Rayan Cherki, and will travel with Les Bleus again for World Cup qualifiers against Azerbaijan and Iceland in October.”He said he couldn’t continue so we had to take him off. Let’s see how he is for the weekend,” Liverpool boss Arne Slot said after Ekitike was forced off in Istanbul.Crystal Palace’s Jean-Phillipe Mateta earns his first senior…

Money raised last season reached more than £120,000 from the annual Forever Reds events, including the Christmas Lunch and Golf Day. The beneficiaries for this round of donations are Alder Hey Children’s Charity, Alzheimer’s Society and the Hillsborough Survivors Support Alliance (HSA).For Alder Hey the Forever Reds donation will be supporting the new Surgical Neonatal Intensive Care Unit caring for the tiniest patients and their families. Alzheimer’s Society will use the donation to go directly towards local dementia support services in Liverpool. And the Hillsborough Survivors Support Alliance will use the donation to support anyone affected by the events that…

President Donald Trump on Thursday said Democrats have given him an “unprecedented opportunity” to slash federal agencies, signaling plans to harm his political opponents during the 2-day-old government shutdown while blaming them for causing it.Trump’s warning came a day after his administration froze about $18 billion for two major infrastructure projects in New York City and canceled roughly $8 billion more for climate-related projects in Democratic-leaning states.The top Democrats leading the shutdown fight, Sen. Chuck Schumer and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, both represent New York.Both of the funding halts were first announced by Russell Vought, the director of the White House’s…

Paul Merson says Oliver Glasner would not be able turn down Man Utd if they came calling, but warned the Crystal Palace boss is not the right fit for Old Trafford.Ruben Amorim is once again under pressure at Man Utd after defeat to Brentford at the weekend, but Sky Sports News understands the Portuguese boss retains the backing of United’s minority shareholder Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who is desperate to give his first managerial appointment a full season to prove himself. That has not stopped the speculation and Palace boss Glasner is one of the bookies’ favourite to be the next…

A Nvidia HGX H100 server at the Yotta Data Services Pvt. data center in Navi Mumbai, India, on Thursday, Mar. 14, 2024.Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesThis report is from this week’s CNBC’s “Inside India” newsletter, which brings you timely, insightful news and market commentary on the emerging powerhouse. Subscribe here.The big storyThere’s a gold rush underway in India’s nascent but fast-growing data center industry, with global giants, billionaires and even luxury property developers piling in.India’s current data center capacity is around 1.2 gigawatts — just a fraction of global capacity — but the market is set to more than double,…

FIFA is considering moving some kick-off times for next summer’s World Cup to the early hours of the morning UK time in an attempt to avoid the extreme heat in North America that affected the recent Club World Cup.The World Cup will be held across the USA, Canada and Mexico with kick-off times expected to be 5pm, 8pm, 11pm and 2am (all BST) in a similar pattern to what was seen at the Club World Cup earlier this year. The 5pm and 8pm kick-offs suited European broadcasters but caused issues for players, with these games often taking place in the…