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Messi’s magic is expected at Barca’s famous home and it was there in abundance again as the Argentine hit an amazing poker to surpass 300 goals at the stadium for the Catalan club. And Paulinho, on his first start for the Blaugrana, was also on target in an effective display. Barcelona 17/20 to win La Liga Eibar pressed persistently in the first half and gave Barca plenty to think about, Valverde’s side needing a penalty from Messi won by Nelson Semedo to open the scoring, before Paulinho made it two when he headed home a corner....

Nature–How beautiful it looks on the cover of the Patagonia catalog; how profound it is in the hands of the right travel writer. If nature didn’t exist, we’d have to invent it, because otherwise there’d be nowhere to go in the summer but Atlantic City. Nature teaches us about death, which is an abstraction to most of us now, something to be warded off with the right balance of lipoproteins....

And all over town the deliverymen come and go from offices and apartment buildings, carrying cases of wine, trays of hors d’oeuvres, arrangements of flowers, amaryllis and poinsettias and sprays of evergreens, all the holiday accouterments that in mid-January will seem so beside the point, an esthetic hangover. Amid all this Father Robert J. O’Donnell sits in the parish offices of the Church of St. Paul the Apostle, a mile north of Times Square, slightly southwest of Lincoln Center....

The IRS, witnesses said, is almost never held accountable for its many errors and sins. It is an agency that audits people on a supervisor’s whim, frames taxpayers with false claims, seizes property and places liens illegally, and retaliates against anyone it pleases, including tax protesters–in one case even auditing a critic who wrote a letter to the editor. ““These tactics,’’ testified Jennifer Long, the only IRS employee willing to reveal her name, ““are used to extract unfairly assessed taxes from taxpayers, literally ruining families, lives and businesses....

So Hu opted to bide his time, looking for the right opportunity to pounce. He first launched an anticorruption drive in Beijing, Tianjin and within the ranks of the Chinese Navy. Then in August, news emerged of a $1.25 billion social-security-fund scandal in Shanghai. Soon after, Hu flattered Jiang with an effusive launch for the former president’s new book. But more than 100 Beijing investigators poured into Shanghai, arresting one of Chen’s close aides....

Multiple state-run Beijing publications continue to openly mock Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo for increasing trade sanctions they say are aimed at improving the “balance” of U.S. interests in the global marketplace. Pompeo announced an increase in sanctions against China Monday over human rights abuses in Hong Kong, which prompted state-run outlets to ridicule Trump’s election loss to Democratic candidate Joe Biden this past week. The Global Times on Monday said Trump lost manufacturing and farming states like Pennsylvania and Wisconsin because of his “roaring nationalism” which removed Americans from global trade....

The Lebanese Army said the fire had broken out in a warehouse storing oil and tires at the duty-free market in the port of the Lebanese capital. “Operations have begun to extinguish the fire and army helicopters will take part,” the military said in a statement on Twitter," the army said in a statement on Twitter. Videos posted on social media showed thick columns of black smoke billowing into the air above the area largely flattened by the explosion just over a month ago....

Tsikhanouskaya told Ukrainska Pravda that if Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko ordered his troops to fight in Ukraine that “the Belarusians will not fight. They will flee, surrender immediately, as your ‘I want to live’ campaign urges.” The “I want to live” campaign is a Ukrainian hotline that encourages Russian soldiers to surrender and helps them with resources if they decide to give up. “We are disseminating this information through our networks to our military: ‘Apply immediately, do not fight,’” Tsikhanouskaya added....

Bader (25-5) has a perfect record 3-0 in Bellator. In his first Bellator contest, he defeated Phil Davis by unanimous decision to capture the light heavyweight championship at Bellator NYC in June 2017. The 35-year-old advanced to the semifinals by knocking out Muhammad Lawal in just 15 seconds at Bellator 199 in May. MORE: Join DAZN and watch Bellator 207 for free Mitrione (13-5) is also undefeated in his Bellator run, having gone 4-0....

Mousasi won via TKO at 1:25 of the round to retain the Bellator middleweight title Friday night in Dublin. Mousasi said afterward that he is the most confident he has ever been in his life, and he is ready to show the world why he is a top fighter. Vanderford came into the fight as confident as he could be. He told Sporting News during the lead-up that he believed he had all the skills to match up well against Mousasi....

Rich Strike won the Kentucky Derby before sitting out the Preakness Stakes. He is back in action for the Belmont, but Preakness winner Early Voting has opted not to participate in the event. So, if we’re going to see a two-time winner among the three biggest races on the horse racing calendar, it will have to be Rich Strike. Rich Strike comes into this race with a bit more pressure on him than when he was an 80-1 long shot at the Kentucky Derby....

There is uncertainty about the latter part. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Saturday that Roethlisberger has told members of the organization and former teammates that he expects 2021 to be his last season as the team’s quarterback. That perception would seem obvious: Roethlisberger is in the final year of his contract, he’s 39 and his play has been below-average. MORE: Steelers’ potential QB options for 2022 And while sources told Schefeter that that the Steelers are assuming Roethlisberger will call it a career after the season, and while Roethlisberger has indicated in the past that he doesn’t want to play for any other team, one source left a sliver of wiggle room by saying it was “highly unlikely” the veteran would play elsewhere in 2022....

Bailey has exploded this season, scoring nine goals and providing five assists in 24 Bundeslliga appearances. The Jamaica Under-23 international has subsequently been heavily linked with a move to the Premier League, but said in February that he would be comfortable making United and Chelsea wait as he looks to make his name in Germany. And defensive midfielder Bender, who is an awe at the speed of the 20-year-old winger, believes he is right to remain at Leverkusen for the foreseeable future....

This article provides basic information about yoga and its benefits during cancer care. It also offers some tips on how to get started and any precautions you should know about before you do. What Is Yoga? Yoga combines intentional positions and stretches, rhythmic breathing, and meditation. The word comes from the Sanskrit word “yuj” which means to join or unite. Yoga seeks to unite the body, mind, and spirit. It is a philosophy of creating wholeness within oneself to promote health and vitality....

Cincinnati moved to 8-0 and kept the pressure on the Patriots and Broncos in the race for the top seed in the AFC. MORE: Top photos from Thursday’s game | Watch Manziel’s TD pass The Browns fell to 2-7 in Johnny Manziel’s second start of the season. Should Manziel keep the job heading into next week’s matchup at Pittsburgh? Here are five things we learned Thursday: 1. Eifert is a go-to guy....

Two weeks into the season, it was just Green’s words. Now it’s his probably suspendable act. Put together, they state the obvious — the Bengals have one of the NFL’s most electric players, and they’re draining the life out of him. MORE: NFL Mock Draft 2018 Green went way off Sunday, to be sure, so far that after he got a completely justified ejection, he still had to be restrained by coach Marvin Lewis, then escorted to the locker room by a staffer as he continued to shout, glare and point at everyone on the field....

For the past three seasons, Cincinnati has relied on the committee of Jeremy Hill and Giovani Bernard, to mixed health and results. Hill, drafted in the second round in 2014, has been the team’s leading rusher in that span as the power back replacement for BenJarvus Green-Ellis. Hill dominated as a rookie at 5.1 yards per carry, but with near-exact workloads (222, 223 and 233 carries), he’s maintained only his TDs since, as that number has plummeted to 3....

The 22-year-old, who was acquired by Newcastle from Norwich City for a fee of £10 million in July, has played a handful of matches, lasting only 199 minutes in total. Atsu has made his season-long loan from Chelsea permanent in a four-year deal and has been one of the Magpies’ top performers this season. “You can use the money [the club used to purchase him] as an excuse for anything but Matt Ritchie and Christian Atsu also cost us money," Benitez told the Chronicle....

In a tweet from hospital on Thursday, the 39-year-old British reporter shared a picture of himself with one eye bandaged, saying he felt “pretty damn lucky to still be here.” “To sum it up, I’ve lost half a leg on one side and a foot on the other,” he said. “One hand is being put together, one eye is no longer working, and my hearing is pretty blown… but all in all I feel pretty damn lucky to be here—and it is the people who got me here who are amazing....