Sunday 5 July Tynwald Day in Isle of Man
This digital news digest primarily explores the unique political status and historical traditions of the Isle of Man, a Crown Dependency with its own independent legislative body. It highlights Tynwald, established by Norse settlers over a millennium ago, as the world’s oldest continuous parliament. The text further details why the national Tynwald Day holiday shifted to July 5thfollowing the adoption of the Gregorian calendar. In addition to these historical insights, the source provides a snapshot of current events, including currency exchange rates, sporting achievements, and diverse international news headlines. Through this compilation, the publication offers a blend of …
‘Minions & Monsters’ tops the box office with lower-than-expected haul
The Minions took over theaters this weekend as Universal Pictures and Illumination’s “Minions & Monsters” won the top spot at the box office, though with a lower-than-expected domestic haul.
The animated movie, which follows the Minions’ takeover of Hollywood, took in $61.4 million in the U.S. and Canada for the five-day Fourth of July holiday weekend, according to studio estimates. That haul was lower than analysts’ expectations for a domestic opening of about $68 million. The movie’s three-day total was $36.4 million.
But the Minions performed well internationally, bringing in about $85 million. In total, “Minions & Monsters” made $159.9 million worldwide on a production budget of about $85 million.
The film is the latest in the powerhouse franchise that began with “Despicable Me” in 2010. Across its previous six installments, the “Despicable Me” and “Minions” franchise has made more than $5.6 billion at the global box office. The last movie, 2022’s “Minions: The Rise of Gru,” made more than $940 million worldwide.
“Minions & Monsters” marks the lowest opening for the franchise. Part of the issue could be timing — the box office can be negatively affected when the Fourth of July lands on a Saturday, said Paul Dergarabedian, head of marketplace trends at Rentrak.
Walt Disney Co. and Pixar’s “Toy Story 5” came in second at the box office this weekend with a domestic three-day gross of $31 million. Angel Studios’ biopic “Young Washington” ($20.8 million), Warner Bros. and DC Studios’ “Supergirl” ($9.6 million) and Universal’s “Disclosure Day” ($6 million) rounded out the top five, according to Rentrak.
The haul for “Minions & Monsters,” coupled with the strong holdover performance of “Toy Story 5,” proved again that family films are making a dent in the summer box office.
“Toy Story 5” has now brought in a total of $764.3 million worldwide, and last month, Universal, Illumination and Nintendo’s “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” crossed $1 billion at the global box office, becoming the first film of any kind to do so this year.
The rest of the summer theatrical lineup is also expected to bring in audiences and push domestic box office totals closer to pre-pandemic figures. Next week, Disney will release its live-action “Moana,” followed by Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” and Sony Pictures’ “Spider-Man: Brand New Day.”
To date, the summer box office is now about $2.3 billion, a nearly 12% increase compared with the same period a year ago, according to Rentrak data. Compared with pre-pandemic 2019’s numbers, however, it is still down about 7%.
Monday 6 July National Day in Comoros
Comoros is a series of three islands (Grande Comore, Anjouan and Moheli) located in the Indian Ocean off the eastern coast of Africa.
The islands first encountered Europeans when Portuguese explorers at the start of the 16th century, though it was France who established colonial rule on Mayotte (the westernmost of the islands) in 1841 when a local king ceded the island to France. Political infighting amongst the Islanders meant that resistance to the French appropriation was limited and by 1908 France had unified the islands under one administration.
In 1912 the islands became part of the colony of Madagascar. Madagascar gained its independence from France in 1960, with Comoros given autonomy a year later.
Probably the most famous rediscovered animal ever is the coelacanth fish. This creature was thought to have been extinct for 60 million years until it was found at the start of the 20th century in Comoros.
After an agreement was reached with France in 1973, referendums for independence were held on the four main islands, with Mayotte voting against independence from France.
On July 6th 1975, the Comorian parliament of the other three islands passed a unilateral resolution declaring independence, with Ahmed Abdallah becoming the first president.
World Cup 2026: Brazil need major surgery but is Carlo Ancelotti the man to do it?
Four years ago Brazil were unlucky to go out of the World Cup to Croatia in the quarter-finals. Four years prior that they were also slightly unfortunate to fall to Belgium at the same stage. This time they failed even to get that far and there was nothing unlucky about their loss to Norway.
This, frankly, is an unmitigated disaster.
Carlo Ancelotti arrived with his band aid after a 4-1 thrashing by Argentina in March of last year.
Of his 16 games in charge of the national team he has won 10, drew three and lost three. He turned around a side that had struggled in World Cup qualifying, losing four out of five games prior to his arrival.
But that has not proved enough.
Brazil now need major surgery – starting with the area of the field where they used to be so strong, so creative, so entrancing – the midfield.
Turning their back on imaginative central midfield play has lost Brazil some friends along the way, and it is also losing them matches. The fact that they were comprehensively outpassed by Norway on a warm summer’s afternoon at this World Cup is simply astonishing – but it has to do with the make up of the side.
Ancelotti was a hostage to Casemiro. The first thing the coach did was recall the player from 18 months in the international wilderness.
There were plusses. Casemiro gave the team structure and freed Bruno Guimaraes, who until his early missed penalty against Norway – and what a difference that might have made – was enjoying a fine tournament.
But Casemiro’s vulnerability in open space was always a problem – clear in the second minute when Norway had a goal disallowed. And so the way Brazil defended was to drop deep and watch Norway exchange their passes and grow in confidence.
And then there is the absence of Lucas Paqueta, injured in the previous round against Japan. Ancelotti confessed that he did not have another player with the same characteristics. In came Arsenal’s Gabriel Martinelli, which had the effect of making the team’s attack almost entirely dependent on quick direct breaks.
The coach made an error with his initial call up – having only five midfielders was a serious lapse, and when right back Wesley was injured in the final warm-up game Ancelotti used the opportunity to bring in potential Manchester United signing Ederson. But if the coach is to blame then so is the country.
Belgium ‘astonished’ at FIFA’s U-turn on Balogun red card for USA match | World Cup 2026
Belgium’s football federation (RBFA) says it is “astonished” by FIFA’s controversial decision to suspend the one-match red card ban on USA striker Folarin Balogun and is “investigating all potential options” to uphold integrity in the sport.
The World Cup was plunged into uproar on Sunday after FIFA suspended a red card given to Balogun ahead of the host nation’s clash with Belgium, in a bombshell move welcomed by US President Donald Trump but slammed by Belgian officials.
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The extraordinary FIFA ruling means that Balogun is now free to play for the USA against Belgium on Monday in Seattle, with a place in the quarterfinals at stake.
The Royal Belgian Football Association said it is “investigating all potential options” to “safeguard the legitimate rights of all participating teams and to protect the fundamental principles of fair play in our sport”.
“I didn’t know that at the FIFA World Cup, the 5th of July is now the 1st of April, and that it’s April Fool’s Day,” added Belgium coach Rudi Garcia at a news conference.
“A lot of our thoughts and opinions are in the release,” Garcia said.
“We’re not defending the national team or the federation, we are defending football.”
Balogun had been set to miss Monday’s last-16 knockout clash with the Belgians after receiving a straight red card following a video review for stepping on the foot of a Bosnian defender in a round-of-32 clash that the US won 2-0.
Under FIFA rules, a straight red card automatically triggers a one-game ban, which cannot be appealed by the player’s team.
But FIFA said on Sunday that the ban will now be suspended for a year, in a stunning move for which no specific explanation was offered.
It is the first instance of a red-carded player being allowed to play in his team’s subsequent match since the introduction of the yellow and red card rules at the 1970 edition of the World Cup.
‘We are not the bad men’
Top scorer Balogun has been key to the USA’s progress in the tournament, netting three times, and his absence against Belgium would have been a blow to the team in Seattle.
The stakes are huge for the cohosts, whose strong start to the tournament has raised expectations to fever-pitch levels among the American public, and they are targeting a run to at least the quarterfinals. The last time the USA reached the quarters was in 2002.
Balogun himself had said on Friday that the red card ban was “something I have to just accept”.
However, the 25-year-old celebrated FIFA’s U-turn with an Instagram post of himself in the US team jersey and Michael Jackson’s Bad attached as the audio.
USA players and officials welcomed the news, which they received on their way to training on Sunday morning.
“I think a lot of us thought it was AI at first,” defender Chris Richards said. “I think we were really excited because we found out through social media; it was cool. It was a lot of question marks, but just very, very happy and excited overall.”
“It feels right,” forward Christian Pulisic added. “Really excited for him to have this opportunity. To see the smile on his face and to be able to give us a boost tomorrow is great.”
Head coach Mauricio Pochettino said that “it’s a fair decision because it should have never been a red card”, calling the punishment “too big” for an unintentional foul.
“It’s not that we are victims, but we are not the bad men, the mean ones here,” he said.
FIFA decision ‘a bit of a surprise’
In its statement, FIFA pointed to “article 27 of the FIFA disciplinary code”, which allows the suspension to be “suspended for a probationary period of one year”.
Balogun would serve the ban only if he commits another similar foul in the next year, it said.
There is some precedent for the decision.
Portugal superstar Cristiano Ronaldo earned a three-game ban for an elbow during qualifying last year, but had two matches of his ban suspended.
The move, which allowed Ronaldo to play in Portugal’s World Cup opener, drew criticism at the time.
Belgium goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois said it was “a bit of a surprise” that Balogun was cleared to play just a day before the match.
“Had it been done earlier, we’d have been able to be mentally more prepared, perhaps,” he said.
FIFA’s decision has stirred up a social media storm, with mixed reactions to the suspension.
DR Congo footballer Yannick Bolasie expressed his dismay at the decision by saying the reaction to FIFA’s U-turn would have been quite different had it been taken in the Africa Cup of Nations.
Ministers propose £100,000 donations cap on voters moving to UK
Overseas voters moving to the UK would be prevented from giving more than £100,000 in political donations for a year after their arrival, under new proposals.
Ministers announced the planned restriction alongside tougher checks on company donations, which they believe will help stop foreign money from influencing UK elections.
The government previously announced a £100,000 annual cap on donations from British citizens living overseas backdated to 25 March.
They now want an individual to be based in the UK for a minimum amount of time before their donations can exceed this limit. The change could hit two of Reform UK’s biggest backers, who have previously donated millions to Nigel Farage’s party.
British billionaire Christopher Harborne, a Thailand-based businessman, last year gave a single donation of £9m to Reform – the biggest single donation to a UK political party by a living person.
The cryptocurrency investor and aviation entrepreneur gave £12m in total to Reform in 2025 and a further £3m in January.
The Times last month reported Harborne has registered to vote in the UK, external, and in April he said the government’s planned crackdown on political finance would not stop him from giving money to the party.
Electoral Commission figures also show that Ben Delo, another crypto billionaire, donated £4m to Reform between January and March.
Delo, writing in The Telegraph in April,, external said he will move back to Britain from Hong Kong so he can contribute more to Reform.
Under the government’s planned changes, both Harborne and Delo would be among those donors still covered for a year by the £100,000 cap once they return.
Ministers said other changes will include political donations from companies being assessed against post-tax profits over the previous five years rather than revenue alone.
The government’s aim is to ensure only legitimate UK-linked businesses will be able to donate.
People running for election will also be required to prove that any funding they received before becoming a candidate has come from legitimate sources.
They will have to declare donations above £2,230 received prior to officially becoming a candidate.
The government said the proposals will be introduced as amendments to the Representation of the People Bill, which is currently scheduled to return to the House of Commons for further consideration on 14 July.
Communities Secretary Steve Reed said: “British democracy is not for sale.
“These tough new rules will shut down dodgy funding, stop foreign money influencing our elections and keep our democracy strong.
“By holding overseas donors to tougher standards and requiring candidates to prove where their funding comes from, we are taking world-leading action to protect the integrity of our elections and tackle the threats we face from abroad.”
The changes are part of the government’s response to a review of political funding, external led by former senior civil servant Philip Rycroft.
The review was commissioned last year in response to threats posed by foreign states attempting to meddle in British democracy.
In March, the government announced that donations in cryptocurrency to UK political parties would be banned alongside the move to cap donations of British citizens living abroad at £100,000 annually.
Reform was critical of the changes, with the party’s home affairs spokesman Zia Yusuf accusing Labour of “choking off legal funding for its main rival”.
TV’s Gary Stevenson sets out plan to tax the super rich in new Channel 4 show
The trader-turned-campaigner argues that drastic steps need to be taken to close the UK’s huge wealth gap
Millionaire trader-turned-inequality campaigner Gary Stevenson is proposing a 2% annual tax on all those who have wealth above £10million in the UK.
The TV presenter will set out his argument in a Channel 4 programme in which he explores the growing concentration of wealth in Britain. He says that the UK’s poorest billionaire, with a wealth of just £1billion, makes £50 million a year in passive income at a rate of just 5%. That is nearly £1million every week, without getting out of bed.
And Gary, 40, argues that if nothing changes, the concentration of wealth at the top will only accelerate. “If this continues, it is inevitable that the billionaires and the super-rich will own a larger and larger share of the real wealth of this country, meaning other groups in society, the working class, the middle class, and the government will progressively own less and less.
“If we do not do anything about this system then very, very quickly the billionaires will own everything, and you will own nothing.”
In the UK, the richest 56 people have equal wealth to 27million people. In 2025 alone, the average billionaire grew their wealth by £231million. Meanwhile wages, in real terms, are lower than they were almost 20 years ago and the average student debt in England has soared from £3,200 in 2000 to £53,000 today.
Taxing wealth rather than income is not a new idea – Norway, Switzerland and Spain already have wealth taxes. Under his proposal, a person worth £11 million would pay £20,000 in tax a year, while some one worth one billion would pay £20 million.
Some estimates suggest that this system could raise £24billion annually, enough to fund the NHS, build affordable housing or cut taxes for workers who are on lower incomes.
A poll of 4,142 British adults found that 75% of the public support a wealth tax along with many experts. Gabriel Zucman, Professor of Economics, tells Gary: “There is a problem in our tax systems which is that the very rich have lower effective tax rates than the rest of the population.”
But there are plenty of billionaires, aristocrats, tax experts and finance influencers who argue against it. In the programme Reform party donor and billionaire entrepreneur Bassim Haidar – whose wealth is growing at around 12% a year, says that if it happened, he’d sell his businesses and quit Britain. “I would exit completely. Yeah, even if I sell them at a loss, I don’t care, cause it becomes a matter of principle. Wealth is mobile, so I’ll walk away. And listen, I’ll take a hit for one year, that’s fine. But then I’ll go, and I’ll never come back.”
Gary, who grew up in Ilford, east London, the son of a postman, thinks Haidar is scaremongering. “Rich people generate the majority of their income from owning assets. Your house, your supermarket, the farms that grow your food, the power plants that create your energy,” he argues. “Many wealthy people own assets which are fundamentally fixed to this country.”
He also discovers wealthy people who are quite happy to give a bit more. Julia Davies, who made her fortune building an accessories business and is a member of a group called Patriotic Millionaires, is one of them: “We’ve got to stop normalising this idea that it is normal to try and avoid contributing to public services and infrastructure, if you can massively afford to do that. I’m a millionaire, I’m not going anywhere. Why would I uproot myself and my family just to avoid contributing a bit more?”
– How to Get Filthy Rich with Gary Stevenson, Wednesday 8 July, 9pm, Channel 4
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Quant snapshot: PENG, and LEVI lead top-rated names as EPAC and SMPL lag
Quant snapshot: PENG, and LEVI lead top-rated names as EPAC and SMPL lag
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World Cup 2026: England’s match with Mexico delayed by an hour
England’s World Cup last-16 match with Mexico has been delayed by one hour because of severe weather and is set to kick off at 02:00 BST on Monday (Sunday, 19:00 local time).
There has been heavy rain in Mexico City during the day and reports of lightning above the Azteca Stadium, which is staging the match.
Play cannot begin until 30 minutes have passed since lightning was last detected within an eight-mile radius of the stadium.
Fifa held talks with the English and Mexican football associations on Friday after proposing the match be moved to 19:00 BST on Sunday (12:00 local time) before a U-turn resulted in the kick-off time remaining unchanged.
The game will be broadcast live on BBC One, BBC iPlayer, BBC Radio 5 Live and the BBC Sport website and app.
How a son rescued his father from the rubble of Venezuela’s earthquakes | Earthquakes News
At first, Jesus did not believe it was possible, but then he heard his father shouting out from the rubble, saying: “Don’t leave me here.”
“I said, ‘Trust me: Stay calm. Keep the kids calm over there. I’m not leaving here without you,'” Jesus recalled.
Jose had been trapped for more than an hour by that point, unsure of his fate. He and his two younger sons had survived the collapse with relatively minor injuries, but dangers remained. The debris could still shift and crush them.
“The first thing I thought of was my children. I had the little one right here,” Jose recalled, lifting his hands to his chest. “And I still had the other one. He was right next to me but buried. I couldn’t see his face; I could only see one foot and one hand.”
Still, Jose put on a brave face for his boys. A friendly voice had pierced the rubble: Jesus’s friend, the firefighter.
He had been shouting for survivors. He had also brought Jesus’s old firefighting equipment to the site.

After finding out his father and brothers were alive, Jesus began desperately trying to get them out. But he realised he would have to wait until the next day for the sun to come up and, crucially, to get his hands on a jackhammer that could drill through the floors of rubble separating him from his family.
Finally, the next morning, a specialist squad from the police arrived with the gear they needed to carry out the rescue.
With the help of his firefighting team from La Guaira, who showed up to help their old comrade, Jesus was able to pull his father and two younger brothers from the rubble at about 3:30pm on June 25, more than 20 hours after the earthquakes.
He quickly swept Diego and Santiago into his arms.
“When I saw them, I hugged them, gave them a kiss, and said, ‘I love you, brother,'” Jesus recalled. “Then I stepped away for a moment and started crying.”
Jose is still shaken from the experience, which has changed his life forever. “I am someone who will be grateful for the rest of my life that I was given this opportunity. Not just me, but my two young children.”
Venezuelan leader marks Independence Day with message of ‘no social unrest’ | Earthquakes News
Venezuela has marked its 215th Independence Day as citizens continue to grapple with grief following a pair of deadly earthquakes on June 24.
On Sunday, interim President Delcy Rodriguez sought to project strength during a military service in honour of the annual holiday.
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“There will be no social unrest here,” Rodriguez said. “What we have here is deep social solidarity.”
But Rodriguez’s government has faced backlash since the twin earthquakes struck, hitting Venezuela with magnitudes of 7.2 and 7.5, respectively.
On Sunday, Venezuela’s Ministry of Communication and Information announced that it had recorded 3,342 deaths as a result of the earthquakes, with more expected. Thousands of people remain missing.
In addition, some 16,470 people are injured, while 17,345 have been left without homes.
The powerful seismic activity levelled buildings along Venezuela’s northern coastline, damaging regions like La Guaira and the Caracas metropolitan area.
Critics have accused the United Socialist Party of Venezuela, which has led the country since 2007, of chronic mismanagement and corruption.
That, they say, has left Venezuela incapable of handling a crisis of the current scale. The June 24 earthquakes are the deadliest in a century for the country, and they represent the most catastrophic natural disaster Venezuela has weathered since the flash floods of 1999.
After the earthquakes, residents reported that government aid was slow to reach the most affected areas. Some accused the government of impeding the flow of foreign assistance.
In Sunday’s remarks, Rodriguez accused critics of seeking to stir “hatred” against the state.
“Attempts are being made today to attack Venezuelan institutions,” Rodriguez said. “There can be no room for any kind of conspiracy, internal or external, from whatever source it may come.”
The earthquakes are the first major disaster the Rodriguez government has had to contend with.
Rodriguez was sworn in as acting president in January, after serving as vice president under then-President Nicolas Maduro.
But on January 3, the United States launched a military operation to abduct and imprison Maduro on drug- and weapons-related charges. He is currently facing trial in New York.
Since taking power, Rodriguez has sought to work within the demands of US President Donald Trump. Her government has overseen reforms, for example, to its nationalised mining and fuel industries allowing more foreign investment.
The Trump administration, meanwhile, has stood by Rodriguez, even amid the outpouring of criticism following the earthquakes.
Media reports have emerged that the US has repeatedly rejected requests from Venezuela’s main opposition leader, Maria Corina Machado, to help her return to the country.
Machado had been living in hiding under Maduro for fear she would be arrested for her politics. In December, shortly before Maduro’s abduction, she secretly left Venezuela to collect a Nobel Peace Prize for promoting democracy.
But Machado has yet to return, though she has said she wants to be in the country to help with disaster relief efforts.
Her political coalition, Vente Venezuela, has been organising its own volunteer effort to collect donations and distribute supplies.
In a message to mark Venezuela’s Independence Day, Machado sought to draw a parallel between the US and her country.
“Yesterday, the people of the United States celebrated the 250th anniversary of their Declaration of Independence. Mere hours separate these commemorations, reflecting far more than a coincidence of history,” she wrote.
“They remind us that our nations are bound by the same republican ideals and by a shared commitment to the defense of the free world.”
In January, Machado presented Trump with her Nobel Peace Prize medal, in what was widely seen as an attempt to curry favour with the US president.
She has repeatedly pushed for new elections in Venezuela, claiming that her party has had a mandate to lead since the 2024 presidential race.
That election saw Maduro claim a third term as president, despite published vote tallies indicating he lost the race to the opposition candidate, Edmundo Gonzalez, an ally of Machado.
“We have built an unshakable democratic legitimacy, we have defeated the regime’s lies with the truth, and we have peacefully mobilized an entire nation that today is outraged and desperate for change,” Machado wrote in her Independence Day message.
“Enduring alliances are built on truth and trust. Now is the time to move forward with determination and to carry out, with unwavering resolve, the decisive chapter of our shared strategy.”
Netflix star welcomes twins with TV hunk husband and shares first snaps of ‘rainbow babies’
NETFLIX host Natalie Joy, best known for presenting Age of Attraction, has given birth to twins with her Bachelor star husband Nick Viall.
The couple took to Instagram to announce the safe arrival of the babies, revealing their names in their heartwarming post.
Under an adorable snap of the babies lying together asleep, the caption read: “Dove Tomlin Viall & Iris Parker Viall – our rainbow babies!!!!!”
The couple are already parents to daughter River Rose, who was born two months before they got married in April 2024.
Nick gained fame through his appearances on The Bachelorette and as The Bachelor himself, with him meeting his wife through Instagram years later.
The happy news comes after Nick revealed that Natalie suffered a third devastating miscarriage last year on his podcast, The Viall Files.
Natalie was absent from the episode, usually featuring alongside her husband during recording.
Nick addressed Natalie’s unusual absence, saying: “As you can see, Natalie is not with us.
“There’s no really easy way to talk about this…”
He then got candid with his listeners as he revealed the heartbreaking news.
“Sadly, Natalie experienced another miscarriage. It is her third this year, our third this year…
“There’s no really good way to say it, it f**king sucks.
“She’s obviously at home resting, healing, both physically and emotionally.”
Natalie first suffered a miscarriage in January 2025, before enduring a second pregnancy loss just two months later.
Nick explained to his listeners: “When it happens the first time, the doctors and everyone kind of acknowledge that, while terrible, this is that something that can happen.
“And everyone’s just… don’t freak out, there’s nothing wrong, it sadly can be a part of this process.”
Nick went on: “And then it happened the second time, you know, obviously we have a lot of amazing blessings in our life, first and foremost being River, minus like some morning sickness and things like that, we were very lucky to have a fairly easy pregnancy…
“Really no complications, which was such an amazing blessing.
“Despite what’s going on right now with us, our doctor keeps reminding us that that is the best sign of our future ability to grow our family.
“But right now obviously there’s a little bit of uneasiness. It’s far less normal to have two and three back to back.
“Now we’re kind of in that very scary process of running tests and finding out more about ourselves, and it’s like this weird thing of like you want them to find something, but you don’t want them to find something.
“Because if they find something, you don’t know what that means. We’re in this kind of very uncharted territory of fact finding. Which sucks.”
Nick also said: “I really just wanted to be transparent with you guys ’cause I know she wasn’t there yesterday, people started to notice, and we’re already getting messages with like a lot of concern.
“So overall, Natalie is doing OK physically and healing and she’s OK in that respect and emotionally, we’re currently dealing with that.”
Dodgers’ Edwin Díaz insists links to cockfighting weren’t illegal
Edwin Díaz insists he did nothing wrong.
After facing live batters for the first time Sunday since undergoing elbow surgery in April, the Dodgers’ reliever pushed back against allegations linking him to illegal cockfighting in Puerto Rico.
“I’ve been doing that before because, like the story said, that’s legal in Puerto Rico,” Díaz said.
USA Today published a story in May highlighting social media posts advertising cockfighting tournaments that picture Díaz in his Dodgers uniform. The story also referenced a story in El Nuevo Día, the largest circulating newspaper in Puerto Rico, quoting Díaz.
No one from Major League Baseball has reached out to Díaz about a possible suspension, he said.
“They didn’t reach out to me because I wasn’t doing anything illegal,” Díaz said.
In 2019, a federal law banning cockfighting took effect in Puerto Rico. Before the law, the blood sport had been made illegal in all 50 states, but not U.S. territories. Many Puerto Ricans saw the ban as an attack on their culture and vowed to defy the law.
Puerto Rico responded by passing a law saying that it’s legal to host cockfights as long as people don’t export or import the animals or any goods or services related to cockfighting. The U.S. Supreme Court in 2021 declined to hear a challenge to the federal law brought by a group that argued Congress exceeded its power by applying the ban to Puerto Rico.
Anyone found guilty of taking part in cockfighting faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Spectators could receive a one-year prison sentence.
Still, some Puerto Ricans such as Díaz view the topic as part of the island’s history, initially brought to the Caribbean by 16th-century Spaniards when the island was first colonized.
“It’s a pastime I’ve followed since I was a child,” Díaz told El Nuevo Día in March. “It’s legal in Puerto Rico, thank God. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be here.”
Diaz is on track to return to the Dodgers after the All-Star break, although his exact return date remains unclear. His fastball felt good, so locating his slider was the next step toward his return.
Times staff writer Hannah Fry contributed to this report.
Democrat Mallory McMorrow bows out of Mich. senate primary race
July 5 (UPI) — Mallory McMorrow, a state lawmaker who made in early splash in the race for the Democratic nod in Michigan’s key U.S. senate race, suspended her campaign on Sunday in a surprise move.
McMorrow, who positioned herself between the national party leadership favorite Rep. Haley Stevens and progressive challenger Abdul El-Sayed, said in a social media post she is pulling out of the race “with a deep, deep sense of gratitude.”
“For our thousands of volunteers, for everyone who donated what you could — building a campaign with zero corporate PAC dollars,” she said, adding that while she is suspending her campaign, “I am not leaving the fight.”
McMorrow reiterated her call for “new leadership and a better Democratic Party,” whose top voices, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, have endorsed Stevens to take on the Republican nominee, former Rep. Mike Rogers, in November’s general election.
Her withdrawal leaves Stevens and El-Sayed as the remaining candidates for the Aug. 4 primary, which is now shaping up to be a major test of whether El-Sayed can extend progressives’ winning streak against more establishment figures in Democratic primaries.
“Whoever wins this primary on August 4th will have my full support,” she declared.
The Michigan race is seen as a key in the Democrats’ hopes of capitalizing on the unpopularity of President Donald Trump and flipping the Senate from Republican control in November. To do so, they must keep it in the “blue” column as it is being vacated by Democrat Gary Peters.
McMorrow was an early front-runner in the race and had raised more than $8.6 million by the end of March but has since fallen behind El-Sayed and Stevens in the polls, the Detroit Free Press reported.
El-Sayed, a former Detroit public health official who has the backing of progressive stalwarts Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, has seen a surge of support since May and last month won the endorsement of the United Auto Workers.
Four-term congresswoman Stevens, meanwhile, is picking up backing from some of McMorrow’s supporters, including Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, who on Sunday called Stevens “a seasoned fighter for Michigan who knows how to work in a difficult environment to get essential policies across the finish line.”
Haaland sends Norway into quarter-finals as Brazil crash out
Erling Haaland scores twice for Norway as they beat Brazil 2-1 at the New York New Jersey Stadium to reach the quarter-finals of the World Cup for the first time.
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‘Outraged’ Love Island fans make same complaint minutes into Movie Night
The Love Island villa welcomed Movie Night as secrets were exposed, but viewers ‘spotted’ a problem
It didn’t take long for fans to flock to social media with their complaints.
Fresh drama erupted in the Love Island villa on Sunday evening (July 5) as the notorious Movie Night descended upon the ITV2 reality programme.
The twist enables the Islanders to assemble in the garden and view a giant screen displaying video footage from across the series. It’s during this event that private discussions are laid bare and startling romantic encounters are completely unmasked.
It provides the contestants with an opportunity to uncover whether their partners and romantic interests have been wholly honest, and discover what fellow Islanders have been remarking about them while they were away.
This year’s Love Island Movie Night sparked especially heated rows, particularly for the boys who stayed faithful following Casa Amor yet still snogged and chatted up the bombshells.
The selection for the Movie Night footage featured scandalous headings such as ‘The Affair’, ‘Mamma Mica’, ‘The Princess Jasmine Diaries’ and ‘Samraj Like It Hot’, reports OK!.
It was ‘The Affair’ that thrust Jasmine and Lorenzo’s developing bond into the limelight, leading Kavan to announce, “It’s all there, the affair is clear”. Yasmin also wasted no time in telling Lorenzo, “You don’t have a leg to stand on”.
Mica was next to appear on the big screen, and she promptly faced criticism as the islanders witnessed her burgeoning romance with Samraj unfold. The jaw-dropping scenes left Priya doubting everything as she confessed to other islanders, “I look like a mug all the time.”
‘Samraj Like It Hot’ once more placed Mica and Samraj at the centre of attention, courtesy of their developing romance. As Mica tried to justify herself, Priya remained unconvinced and said, “That’s so dishonest of you.”
Yet Mica and Samraj weren’t the sole islanders to come under fire as Kavan drew parallels between his and Jasmine’s situations following their choices during Casa Amor.
Immediately standing her ground, Jasmine told Kavan, “I did not do the same thing”, which didn’t land well, and the friction escalated.
Despite all the expected fireworks, some Love Island fans grumbled as the ITV programme broke for adverts just minutes into Movie Night.
Heading to X, one Love Island fan exclaimed: “Hydration break and ad break at the exact same time, alright man #loveisland.”
A second stated: “A break!? Seriously!? #loveisland #loveislanduk”, while a third chimed in: “BREAK ALREADY?? #loveisland.”
“Break after break after break, this is why there’s so much unused footage, mate #LoveIsland #LoveIslandUK,” commented one viewer.
“AFTER A 10MIN AD BREAK?! ANOTHER ADVERT?!!! ITV R U TAKING THE P*** ?? @ITV #LoveIsland #LoveIslandUK,” asked another, while another echoed the sentiment: “Did we not just come back from a break?! #loveisland #loveislanduk.”
Love Island airs on ITV2 and ITVX
Mexico vs England: Azteca Stadium issues shelter-in-place order because of severe weather
The Azteca Stadium has issued a shelter-in-place order because of severe weather before the last-16 World Cup tie between Mexico and England.
The match in Mexico City is set to kick off at 18:00 local time on Sunday (01:00 BST Monday).
There has been heavy rain in the city during the day and reports of lightning above the stadium.
The current advice for supporters and media inside the ground is to remain in their seats.
Fifa held talks with the English and Mexican football associations on Friday after proposing the match be moved to 19:00 BST on Sunday (12:00 local time) before a U-turn resulted in the kick-off time remaining unchanged.
U.S. military suspends search for missing sailor in Arabian Sea

July 5 (UPI) — The U.S. military suspended its search Sunday for a missing Naval aircrewman who went missing Wednesday following an emergency landing in the Arabian Sea.
U.S. Naval Forces Central Command announced the suspension of the search in a statement on social media after more than 102 hours.
“The efforts concluded following an extensive search by the U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility,” U.S. Naval Forces Central Command said in a statement. “The Sailor’s name is benign withheld until at least 24 hours after next-of-kin notification is complete in accordance with Navy policy.”
The search spanned more than 14,000 square miles. The military utilized multiple helicopters and other U.S. Air Force aircraft, aircraft carriers and guided-missile to canvas the region.
The missing crewman was aboard a MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter when it crash landed at about 3:30 a.m. EDT on Wednesday. There were four people in the helicopter. The other three crewmembers were recovered and listed in stable condition.
The helicopter was on a routine patrol when it went down.
U.S. officials said the helicopter’s crash landing was not the result of hostile fire.
Super Typhoon Bavi makes landfall on US Pacific islands with huge wind gusts
Residents in the region have been moving to emergency shelters and making last-minute preparations before the arrival of the super typhoon.
In the Northern Mariana Islands, Rota – the southernmost inhabited island, about 50km north-east of Guam – is taking a direct hit, according to the NWS.
The mayor’s office has published an advisory urging residents to prepare for “destructive winds”, adding that “conditions are expected to deteriorate rapidly, making it unsafe to be outdoors”.
The NWS also warned that winds are not forecast to fall below typhoon force until early afternoon on Monday, and below tropical storm force until after midnight.
Guam, usually a sun-soaked tourist destination with a population of about 170,000, has opened five evacuation centres in its schools. These sites have a maximum capacity of around 1,700 and are primarily intended for vulnerable people.
The island’s civil defence office said at 13:00 local time on Sunday that one of the evacuation sites had already reached maximum capacity and that people were being redirected to another site.
Trinny Woodall, 62, signs up to dating app and brands one suitor ‘creepy’ as she swipes alongside daughter
TRINNY Woodall has bitten the bullet and dipped her toe back into the dating pool.
The TV fashionista took to Instagram to document her first day on dating app Hinge – three years after splitting from ex Charles Saatchi.
The stylist, 62, filmed herself swiping through profiles of prospective suitors, declaring that she was having a blast doing so.
“I’ve just joined Hinge for the day to see what it’s like,” she told her followers, before asking: “What do Keir Starmer, Macron, the new leader of Hungary – I can’t remember his name, I’m sorry – and the chancellor of Germany all have in common? They’re all five foot seven!”
Trinny explained that as a taller woman she’d be “cool” dating a shorter man, but that she prefers a bit of height.
“I’m somebody who might be with a really short man and that’s cool, but because I’m five foot 10, it’s challenging,” she said, before reciting some of the blurbs of the men she was perusing.
“My love language is touch. Mmm, a bit creepy!” she said of one.
“The way to win me over is eggs in the morning – so he expects me to cook for him every morning? Eh, sorry, mate!” she said of another, swiping firmly off his profile.
Trinny then appeared to strike gold with a gentleman named Rupert.
“Rupert, oh, Rupert!” she squealed, before reciting his bio: “Dating me is like being treated properly and never being uncertain about where things stand.
“I won’t yoga but I will carry your mat. Probably pick you up and take you for coffee. Fun, honesty, food and warmth.”
Impressed with Rupert’s spiel, Trinny remarked: “That’s rather sweet. He lives in Kensington. I’m sorry, that’s interesting. Is anyone interested in Rupert yet?”
She was overjoyed to learn he was six foot seven.
During the video, Trinny’s daughter Lyla, 22, entered the room and scolded her mother.
“You actually can’t do that. You can’t be mean about people on the internet!” she berated her mum.
“I’m not being mean. We’re just having a girl’s chat,” Trinny insisted, before turning her attention back to Rupert.
“Should I just say ‘where would you take me for coffee?’” Trinny pondered, before typing her first message to Rupert and hitting send.
“I’ve done one! I’m in the game!” she exclaimed.
It comes three years after her last romance ended, with Trinny and her millionaire ex Charles together for 10 years.
Charles, 82, is an art collector and the former husband of TV chef Nigella Lawson. He was seen shortly after splitting from Trinny on a lunch date with model Lady Martha Sitwell, 45.
Women’s T20 World Cup Final: Charlotte Edwards reflects on World Cup final loss
England head coach Charlotte Edwards praised her side’s performance in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup final, insisting “our time will come”, after England are beaten by seven wickets by Australia at Lord’s.
MATCH REPORT: England’s hopes crushed as Australia win T20 World Cup
Available to UK users only.
Delta flight hit by firework during Chicago landing
A Delta crew member reported feeling a “big bang” after a plane was struck with a firework during its landing at Chicago Midway International.
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