China’s capital was selected ahead of Almaty, Kazakhstan, in a vote at the 128th International Olympic Committee (IOC) Session in Kuala Lumpur on Friday. MORE: Breathtaking images from ‘14 Winter Games | Scenes from Rio as 2016 approaches A number of cities withdrew from the initial bidding process because of fears of the price tag, leaving only two candidates in contention. Anxiety over infrastructure cost likely worked in Beijing’s favor....
Beijing, in fact, is probably more like Seoul in 1988 than Berlin in 1936. There is no question that the current Chinese leadership will get a boost from a successful Olympics bid. But I think even they do not realize how constrained they will be by such a victory. Like South Korea’s generals, who were unable or unwilling to suppress a flowering democracy movement, Beijing will find itself less able to crush its people’s aspirations under the world’s close scrutiny....
Jonze has an advantage: his work is so good, it can speak for itself. “Being John Malkovich,” which opens Oct. 29, is a bleak, bizarre comedy about a bunch of New York City no-lifes (John Cusack, Cameron Diaz, Catherine Keener) who find a door into actor John Malkovich’s head. They sell tickets, and manipulate Malkovich (gamely playing himself ) into doing all kinds of embarrassing things. Jonze brings a special touch to the script, by first-timer Charlie Kaufman: he plays the whole thing straight, layering a nearly conventional narrative and full-fledged characters onto a story that should be preposterous but winds up feeling eerily real....
Kolesnikova was arrested last year for destroying her passport at the Belarus border to protest her attempted expulsion from the country. Earlier this month, a court in Minsk sentenced Kolesnikova to 11 years in prison charging her for inspiring mass protests, conspiring to seize power against President Alexander Lukashenko’s regime, and calling for actions to damage national security. The Vaclav Havel Human Rights Prize celebrates outstanding civil society action in the defense of human rights....
On Thursday morning, the Waldo County Emergency Agency and the city of Belfast issued an alert regarding a fire that broke out at the Penobscot McCrum potato processing plant, located on Pierce Street. “The Fire Department and Police Department are responding to the fire. Waldo County Emergency Management Agency advises that Belfast residents shelter in place until otherwise notified,” the alert said. At around 9:30 a.m. ET, a spokesperson for the Belfast Fire Department told Newsweek that fire crews were still on scene working to extinguish the fire....
Together with a Christian and a Muslim inmate, Milstein sued Otisville prison officials, saying the removal of the religious books violated their civil rights and presented insurmountable obstacles to practicing and studying their faiths. Particularly forceful was Milstein, who argued the inmates’ side to a judge by phone in May. He used to read the Zohar every day, he said, and “every day we don’t have access to [these books] really presents a problem for us....
These enemies of young Potter arm themselves with this quotation from Deuteronomy: “There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or daughter pass through fire, or one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead.” Conservative Christian leaders continue to make public statements against the book....
American Muslims, especially those in the second generation, say they live in two worlds–the traditional, religious world of their parents and the world of the rest of us. And the success of Primo Moda (Altalib says she’s sold thousands of suits over the past year) is proof that they like it that way. Profoundly unrevealing swimsuits can be found online through a surprising number of companies. One, called Splashgear, based in Huntington Beach, Calif....
On Thursday, People reported that the couple—who were first romantically linked in November 2015—had called time on their relationship. The article was published shortly after TMZ reported allegations that former One Direction star Malik had “struck” the Hadid sisters’ mother, Yolanda Hadid, during a disagreement last week—accusations Malik “adamantly” denies. As reports circulated about the allegations and couple’s romantic status, Bella, 25, shared the cryptic post on her Instagram Story on Thursday....
“The Last Emperor” scored a pulverizing first-round TKO of Chael Sonnen in the Bellator 208 main event at the NYCB Live Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum on Saturday night. Sonnen made good on his promise to charge Emelianenko from the opening bell and was greeted with a vicious left hand that crumpled him to the canvas. MORE: Join DAZN and watch Bellator 208 for free Emelianenko kept bringing the pain, landing hard-hitting lefts and rights, but somehow Sonnen managed to not only take Emelianenko down but mount him....
Say those words to any mixed martial arts fan of a certain vintage and chances are their face will light up, eager to share with you their memories of and opinions about Mirko Cro Cop, the now 44-year-old heavyweight legend who returns to action against Roy Nelson on Saturday night at Bellator 216. Join DAZN and watch Paul Daley vs. Michael Page at Bellator 216 on Feb. 16 Those six words and the reaction they elicit from fight fans tell you everything you need to know about the legacy of the Croatian superstar, who has been competing in MMA for more than 17 years and stands as an icon in the sport the world over....
Before the fight even began, the SBG Ireland product marched across the cage and got up close and personal with Bandejas, raising his arms and taunting the Nick Catone protégé, who showed little concern for his opponent’s antics. It was a brash show of hubris and anyone who understands how the MMA gods work knows they do not take too kindly to such displays. Join DAZN and watch Gallagher vs....
From the opening bell, “The Red King” shook off any self-doubt that he had in April, when he questioned his desire to inflict harm, by attacking Gracie with stinging punches. Although Gracie managed to take MacDonald down a few times, the champ used plenty of veteran savvy to escape the submission specialist’s threats and even come up with his own takedowns. The latter was on display during the third round, when MacDonald showed solid takedown defense up against the cage, before scoring a big takedown of his own....
Traditionally the final event of the Triple Crown, the race will instead be the first of the three races this year, with the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes both postponed until September and October, respectively. Like its Triple Crown counterparts, the Belmont Stakes was also postponed, with organizers moving the race from its original June 6 slot to June 20 due to the COVID-19 outbreak. The calendar reshuffling has also forced the New York Racing Association to shorten the race from the traditional 12-furlong (1....
“Make sure you sit in the Ichiro section,” he said. “We love Ichiro here.” MORE: Barry Bonds’ career, in photos He wasn’t kidding. I just happened to be in Seattle as the city hosted the All-Star festivities — I was in the middle of a meandering month-long road trip through the western half of the country, a handful of years before I started working at Sporting News — and I was going to watch the first Mariners game after the All-Star break with a buddy....
“I told Ben (Bentil) I was a fan today,” he said. “I was literally a fan today to see the ball going in the net like that, and he scored it every imaginable way — drives, shots, step-backs…” MORE: Stats, shot charts and more from Providence’s win | Villanova rolls past Georgetown The 6-8 sophomore forward had the performance of his career on Thursday afternoon, scoring 38 of the Friars’ points en route to a 74-60 victory over Butler in the Big East Tournament quarterfinals....
Whether we believe the mess this rivalry has become is the fault of one side or the other or social media’s ability to disseminate inflammatory statements, it’s obvious this rivalry has gotten entirely out of hand. MORE: 40 most-hated NFL players of all time “I think it can get out of control and it did at times,” Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger told Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review in an interview published Friday....
The voting bill was signed into law by Governor Brian Kemp last month. The law has been widely condemned for adding restrictions to the voting process in the state. Among its much-criticized provisions is a misdemeanor charge against people handing out food and water to voters waiting in lines at the polls. Atlanta-based companies such as Coca-Cola and Delta Airlines have criticized the law. Will Smith’s upcoming film Emancipation pulled its production from Georgia, and Major League Baseball announced it would no longer hold its 2021 All-Star Game in Atlanta....
On March 1, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reported Simmons was considered “week-to-week” because of back soreness. Windhorst revealed the Nets initially had a plan in place to bring back both Simmons and Kevin Durant, who was sidelined at the time after spraining his left MCL on Jan. 15, ahead of their matchup against the Sixers on March 10. Simmons’ injury forced Brooklyn to “scrap” that plan. When can we expect to see Simmons back on the floor?...
It marked the first time since the Draft Lottery was introduced in 1985 that the Pistons have secured the No. 1 pick. While the outcome was down to a combination of pure luck and Detroit being one of the worst three teams in the NBA last season, former Pistons great Ben Wallace deserved all the credit in the eyes of Twitter. Big Ben, who was named into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame last month, was selected by the Pistons to be their representative in the lottery drawing, which aired on ESPN....
