Talk of the “invaders” started in the early spring. Along Italy’s northern Adriatic coast and in Tuscan fish farms workers were pulling up their nets and finding them chewed to threads.

Then they began discovering eels with missing heads and harvested clams and mussels with their meat already devoured.

The culprit, which now threatens millions of euros worth of annual profits in shellfish, is the Atlantic blue crab, first introduced in the bilge water of foreign merchant and cruise ships several years ago.

In just a few years, the foreign critters, which can produce two million eggs a year and hold no natural predators in Italy, have reproduced quickly, wiping out the entire clam and mussel harvest for some fishermen.

Agricultural industry group FedagriPesca estimates that more than half the nation’s clams and mussels were eaten by the blue crab this summer.

Culinary solution

Initially, the government recommended catching and destroying the crabs, which are delicacies in other parts of the world.

And it didn’t take long for some fishermen, their nets laden with the tiny beasts, to monetize the mayhem.

Now Italians are turning the killer crustaceans into a culinary delicacy, introducing them into risotto, pasta dishes and even salads.

Italian farmers’ group Coldiretti suggests serving the blue crab with rosemary in a salad, or with sauteed garlic over spaghetti.

“These are some of the dishes recommended by chefs, fishermen and farmers of [Coldiretti] to fight the invasion of the sea killer, which is devastating the national coasts with damage into the millions of euros,” the group said in a statement in support of harvesting and selling the invasive crabs.

“The goal is to help contain the excessive diffusion of the crab, which is taking over the seabed of our coasts, identifying economic opportunities for the hard-hit territories.”

Marine biologists say warmer seawater and above average temperatures mean that the crabs are thriving – and taking over.

They’ve already been found all along Italy’s vast coastline and even in the Po Delta, a UNESCO heritage site known for its vongole veraci clam variety, which has been largely obliterated this summer.

“Usually when the water temperatures drop below 10 C (50 F), this variety of crab doesn’t survive,” Enridca Franchi, a marine biologist and researcher with the University of Siena, says. “But now the crab finds the ideal temperature 12 months of the year.”

‘Natural disaster’

The Italian government has allocated €2.9 million to help sustain the fishermen and fight the invasion in the country, which is Europe’s largest producer of clams.

Although the crabs seem to prefer shellfish like clams, mussels and oysters, they have also eaten into the profits of eel and seabream fishing in Tuscany.

Coldiretti believes that this “natural disaster” is a threat to Italy’s entire fishing industry, warning that the blue crab invasion has already led to the loss of jobs and put those fishermen who rely on clams and mussels out of business this year.

The Italian government’s ruling Brothers of Italy party has proposed potentially converting tuna and other fish canning factories to crab processing plants as a way to essentially “over-fish” the predator in hopes of reducing its presence.

The blue crabs, which have a market value of around €80 a kilogram in the United States and Asia, have not been able to fetch much on the market in Italy, with the fishing federation capping the legally sold price at €10 a kilo.

But at most supermarkets, the going price is less than €6 a kilogram since the supply far outweighs the demand. By contrast, king crab, a rare treat in Mediterranean countries, sells for up to €100 a kilogram.

Blue crab is fast becoming a feature item at restaurants across the country, primarily as a spaghetti sauce with fresh tomatoes.

Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni was photographed with a plate of the crab in an image shared by her brother-in-law Francesco Lollobrigida, who is also Italy’s minister of agriculture.

Lollobrigida has also posted Facebook videos of his own culinary crab creations, insisting that this predator can be “an economic opportunity for many.”

Selling ‘enemy’ fish

As their popularity grows within restaurants in Italy, animal rights activists are making moves to protect the crabs, particularly the smaller ones, which are allegedly being caught and used as “toys for children.”

Gabriella Gibin from animal rights protection group Coordinamento Tutela Diritti Animali, based in Rovigo, Italy, has denounced the treatment of the blue crabs, claiming that she has seen photographic evidence of the creatures being abused.

“They are put in buckets, tortured until their claws are severed and killed with sticks,” she wrote in a recent Facebook post.

Gibin went on to say that she had also seen evidence of the crabs being caught and released in car parks or along ditches with no access to water. But not all restaurateurs have welcomed this new addition to the food scene.

Lionello Cera, who runs the two-Michelin-starred Antica Osteria Cera di Campagna Lupia, says he has tried it in various dishes, but will not be putting blue crab on his menu anytime soon.

“It is destroying our lagoon and it could be argued that it will soon take the place of the spider crab, so my answer is no,” he said in a recent blog post.

When President Leon Mba of Gabon was toppled by the military in 1964, then-French President Charles de Gaulle sprang into action and immediately sent French troops to restore Mba to power.

With vast iron ore and other vital mineral resources, newly independent Gabon was a jewel in the crown of the former French colony and de Gaulle was keen to protect France’s interests.

Fast forward nearly 60 years later and another coup has taken place in Gabon but this time there will be no French cavalry to the rescue as France comes to terms with another close ally coming under military rule, a sign, analysts say, of waning French influence.

In the aftermath of a presidential election marked by irregularities and an internet shutdown, Gabon witnessed a startling turn of events. Military officers stormed Gabon’s state TV Wednesday and said they were now in charge, annulling the results and dissolving the constitution.

The streets of the capital Libreville echoed with gunfire as the army announced the end of an astonishing five decades of Bongo family rule. The streets would later erupt with the sound of cheers and jubilation as Gabonese celebrated the end of the dynasty that vastly enriched the Bongo family at the expense of their citizens.

The junta later announced that General Brice Oligui Nguema – said to be a cousin of Bongo’s – would act as a transitional leader and that authorities will investigate charges against the president’s son, Nourredin Bongo Valentin, who was arrested alongside six other individuals for “high treason.”

When Bongo surfaced, he looked alone and frightened, pleading for help to international partners in a video aired by the Agence France-Presse (AFP) news agency.

Propping up ‘democratic dictators’

Whilst the international community has condemned the coup in Gabon, it has not attracted the same vehement criticism that last month’s coup in Niger did.

Analysts say Bongo’s time is up.

“The Gabonese just want to end the reign of a dynasty that has not improved their economic conditions in five decades. They did that through the ballot but got shortchanged,” says Oluwole Ojewale of the Institute of Security Studies.

Weakened by a stroke in 2018, Bongo had faced a previous coup attempt in 2019 which he quashed almost immediately and many felt he was living on borrowed time.

French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne said France was watching the coup d’etat in Gabon “with the utmost attention.”

It presents a challenge to France. So far, eight ex-French colonies in West and Central Africa have fallen to military rulers in just three years, each one coming with a wave of anti-France sentiment blamed on interference from the former colonial power.

Mali for example has driven out French troops and cut diplomatic ties with France. It has also changed the official language from French in favor of Malian national languages, while in Senegal, French business interests have been attacked.

In Niger, the French ambassador has been ordered to leave the country but he remains in place as France says it does not recognize the putschists’ authority.

Large crowds supporting the coup gathered Sunday near the French military base in Niamey, with demonstrators displaying signs demanding French troops withdraw.

The evolving political landscape has exposed the vulnerability of the systems of governance that were originally established by colonial powers.

“The systems of government that former French colonies have, which were imposed by Paris are no longer fit for purpose. In a country like Gabon… one family has ruled for about 50 years, that’s not really a government that’s a kingdom and they are not an outlier,” says Ogunmodede.

This phenomenon is not limited to Gabon alone; it resonates throughout Central Africa, where nations like Congo Brazzaville and Equatorial Guinea have single leaders who have ruled for more than four decades. In Cameroon, Paul Biya, who is 90, has been president since 1982 and splits his time between France and Switzerland, barely spending any time in Cameroon, the country he is supposed to govern.

Yet Western leaders and France in particular turn a blind eye to him and others like him.

As Ogunmodede puts it: “The ongoing events in Gabon, taking place in the wake of the coup in Niger, shines another spotlight on France’s dysfunctional relationship with its former colonies in Africa and the damaging ways Western support for autocrats on the continent is just as corrosive to democratic governance as the military coups they claim to oppose.”

This shift in African political consciousness, largely driven by the continent’s youthful demographic, is propelling the anti-French sentiment.

The average age of 20 across Africa underscores the yearning for change among the young population, leading them to seek diverse partnerships beyond the historical ties with France.

Some of those partners include Russia, which has been keen to expand relationships on the continent and where some believe that it is outmaneuvering the US as some African leaders increasingly embrace the Kremlin.

Others are keen to bridge language barriers too. For example, the Commonwealth, a political group of 54 member states, recently admitted Gabon and Togo to its ranks, a pivot that signals a growing desire for association with English-speaking nations.

A complex relationship

The role of France in Africa has undergone major transformations, but there are some who say that France never really left its former colonies.

The ongoing shift in power dynamics also exposes the complexities of France’s relationship with its former colonies.

The practice of “Françafrique,” a term used to describe the continued neo-colonial relationship between France and its former colonies, has perpetuated allegations of French control over African nations’ affairs.

“Françafrique is France’s means of preserving its neo-colonial influence in its former colonies and the intellectual framework that underpins it,” Ogunmodede said.

For example, few things have sparked more controversy than the Central African franc or CFA, a currency used by 14 nations in West and Central Africa including Niger and Gabon.

Countries using CFA Francs are required to store 50% of their currency reserves with the Banque de France, and the currency is pegged to the euro. For many Africans, these mandatory deposits are perceived as remnants of colonial taxation.

While Paris asserts that the system promotes economic stability, others say it allows France to exert control over the economy of the countries using it and enrich itself with African wealth.

Senegalese economist Ndongo Samba Sylla has called for the CFA franc to be abolished.

“For those hoping to export competitive products, obtain affordable credit, work for the integration of continental trade, or fight for an Africa free from imperialist control, the CFA franc is an anachronism demanding orderly and methodical elimination,” he said in a 2019 interview.

France also maintains military troops in many of its former colonies and was involved in a large-scale Operation Barkhane in Niger, which it was forced to pull back recently.

President Emmanuel Macron also recently reframed France’s new policy for Africa and said its military bases would now be jointly run with nations.

The irony is that under Macron France has never been more willing to directly tackle the criticism leveled against the country’s conduct on the continent and has worked hard to reframe the relationship with Africa.

Macron, who spent time in Nigeria as a teenager, has boosted aid given to Africa, initiated the repatriation of cultural artifacts taken during colonial conflicts, and extended his outreach beyond conventional government connections to involve younger generations and civil society.

At the end of a recent tour of Africa in March, Macron was keen to recast the image of France, emphasizing that he wanted to work with Africa on equal terms.

“We want to be long-term partners,” he said. “Africa is a theater of competition. It has to be done in a fair framework … We have our role to play, neither more nor less.”

Ukraine has opened more than 3,000 criminal cases over Russia’s alleged crimes against children in the country, including dozens of torture cases, Ukrainian prosecutors said Thursday.

The allegations include “murders, mutilations, abduction of children, forced displacement, deportation, sexual violence against children and kidnapping,” Yulia Usenko, head of the Department for the Protection of Children’s Interests and Combating Violence of the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine, told Interfax-Ukraine.

Usenko said these alleged crimes are “often combined with torture and illegal deprivation of liberty” and “pretrial investigation bodies and prosecutors document such crimes in more than 3,200 criminal proceedings.”

Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February last year, Ukrainian authorities, rights groups, international bodies and news organizations have documented an overwhelming body of evidence of alleged Russian war crimes and human rights abuses.

Russia has repeatedly denied these accusations of torture and human rights abuses.

According to Usenko, prosecutors documented 75 children who suffered various forms of torture at the hands of Russian forces.

She said 69 of them were located in the village of Yahidne, in Ukraine’s northern Chernihiv region. The children were held in the basement of a school together with adults and their conditions and treatment, “is equated to torture,” Usenko said.

Isolated cases of child torture were also documented in the southern Kherson and northeastern Kharkiv regions, where children were “deprived of their freedom and subjected to physical torture,” Usenko said.

“They were actually in the torture chambers together with adults, it didn’t matter to the occupiers whether it was an adult or a minor child,” she added.

Some children were held because the Russians had claimed they spread information about the movement of Russian military equipment and its troops, Usenko said.

The reports of alleged torture against children came to light after some Ukrainian territories were retaken from occupying Russian forces.

These include 13 alleged cases of sexual violence against children, the youngest of which was a 4-year-old girl, Usenko said.

Russia did not immediately comment on Usenko’s interview.

Child pawns of Russia’s war

The treatment of Ukraine’s children by Russia has long been under international scrutiny.

In March, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russian official Maria Lvova-Belova for an alleged scheme to deport Ukrainian children to Russia.

The Russian government has defended the practice, saying they are saving the children and deny that the deportations are forced. The Kremlin has labeled the ICC’s actions as “outrageous and unacceptable.”

Lvova-Belova – Russian ombudswoman for children’s rights – and other Russian officials said in July that more than 700,000 Ukrainian children have been taken from from conflict zones in Ukraine to Russia since the beginning of the war.

Ukraine however, claims the children were illegally deported and that a much smaller number of children have been taken – an estimated 19,500.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had previously said “371 children have been returned to Ukraine from deportation. At the same time, we know for sure about at least 19,505 deported Ukrainian children, and this is only a part of all our little Ukrainians who are still with the enemy. And we must return them all.”

A report released in February detailed allegations of an expansive network of dozens of camps where children underwent “political reeducation,” including Russia-centric academic, cultural and, in some cases, military education.

A United Nations Security Council briefing last week focused on the war’s impact on Ukraine’s children, with the deportations and treatment of children taking center stage.

Since the war began, at least 545 children have been killed and nearly 17,000 injured, though the actual numbers are likely to be much higher, according to Rosemary DiCarlo, UN Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs.

Ukraine’s representative to the UN Sergіy Kyslytsya said Russia has pursued a policy of mass abduction and forceful indoctrination of Ukrainian children since 2014.

“Russia’s aggression is about Ukraine’s future, and there is no future without children,” he said.

Last week, the US State Department rolled out new sanctions targeting more than a dozen individuals and entities involved in the forcible transfer and deportation of Ukrainian children.

The US had already sanctioned Lvova-Belova for her involvement in the scheme. The fresh measures target five Russian politicians who have been “involved in facilitation of the deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia and their adoption by Russian families,” the State Department said.

At least two people have died in central Spain after Storm Dana lashed the country with torrential rain.

One man, in his 20s, died in the small town of Casarrubios del Monte due to the devastating consequences of Storm Dana, police spokesperson Ramon Cuevas said.

Another man was found dead in the town of Bargas, Cuevas added.

The president of the Castilla La-Mancha region, which has been most heavily hit by the storm, described its impact on Sunday as “very hard and hostile.”

Images showed overturned cars and damaged property in central Spain on Monday.

Garcia-Page explained that during Sunday’s events, emergency services couldn’t remove the water on numerous occasions because they had prioritized rescuing trapped people, which “shows the amount of water that fell and how quickly that did it.”

Emiliano García-Page said the La Mancha government will analyze the impacted areas. He praised the emergency services for their “tremendous” work, reminding listeners that despite the death in Casarrubios del Monte, we should “also count dozens of people who were saved.”

Spanish authorities also said at least a 55-year-old woman was reported missing in the municipality of Valmojado, while two others were missing in the Madrid region.

Dry weather is expected to return for much of the country on Tuesday.

Residents in Madrid had been instructed by city authorities to stay indoors on Sunday, when Storm Dana was set to hit.

The state meteorological agency, AEMET, issued a warning for Madrid, Toledo and Cadiz, initially predicting that up to 120 liters per square meter of rain could fall over Madrid in 12 hours.

Valencia, on the Mediterrenean coast, had earlier seen intense rainfall already, AEMAT said.

Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa was sworn in for a second five-year term Monday, a week after securing an absolute majority in a disputed presidential vote.

The 80-year-old Mnangagwa took the reins of power for another term in a colorful ceremony attended by thousands of Zimbabweans and regional leaders including the presidents of South Africa, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Mozambique.

Mnangagwa was reelected after winning more than 2 million votes – 52.6% of the total ballots – to defeat his main challenger, Nelson Chamisa of the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) party, who received 44% of the votes, according to the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission.

Chamisa’s party rejected the results, alleging electoral fraud, and called for fresh elections. The hotly contested poll was also criticized by observers, who said the election process fell short of many regional and international standards.

In a preliminary report, the European Union Election Observation Mission (EU EOM) said “fundamental freedoms were increasingly curtailed” during the elections, and that “acts of violence and intimidation” resulting in a “climate of fear” were also witnessed during the polls.

A total of 41 election monitors were arrested by Zimbabwe’s police, ahead of the final tally of the votes, for allegedly coordinating the release of results.

The arrests had followed the release of a report by the Zimbabwe NGO Forum that documented irregularities on polling day, according to Amnesty International.

“Our courts are compromised … it’s pointless to seek remedy in a lopsided court,” said CCC spokesperson Promise Mkwananzi.

“We are challenging the results politically and diplomatically,” Mkwananzi added. “We are calling for a fresh, free and fair election … We’ll be applying pressure at the diplomatic level and also locally in the country, in which we are saying the citizens must insist that their votes must be respected, and their votes must count.”

The August 23 vote was the second election in Zimbabwe since authoritarian leader Robert Mugabe was deposed by the military in 2017.

Mnangagwa, nicknamed “The Crocodile,” succeeded Mugabe after helping to orchestrate the coup that ousted him.

Jeļena Ostapenko extended her impressive unbeaten record over world No. 1 Iga Świątek on Sunday, eliminating the defending US Open champion in the round of 16 at Flushing Meadows.

The sheer power from the big-hitting Ostapenko once again proved too much for Świątek, with the Latvian winning 3-6 6-3 6-1 to improve to 4-0 in their head-to-head record.

Ostapenko, the 20th seed in New York, struck 31 winners en route to her victory, ending Świątek’s 75-week run as world No. 1. Belarus’ Aryna Sabalenka is set to take over top spot for the first time after the US Open.

“I think the main thing is she doesn’t really like to play big hitters,” Ostapenko told reporters after her win. “She likes to have some time. When I play fast, aggressive and powerful, she’s a little bit in trouble.

“I always expect a tough battle against Iga, she is such a great player and very consistent … but I just went for it. I know I had to play my game and be aggressive because that is not what she likes.”

After losing the opening set, Ostapenko then went on to dominate the match and hurried to a remarkable 5-0 lead in the deciding third set.

Świątek, who was yet to drop a set at this year’s tournament, managed to avoid one of the bagels that she so often hands out to opponents, but there was ultimately nothing she could do to halt Ostapenko’s power and precision.

“I’m surprised that my level changed so drastically,” Świątek told reporters. “Usually when I play bad, I play bad at the beginning, then I catch up or problem solve. This time, it was totally the opposite.

“I don’t really know what happened with my game. I felt no control suddenly.”

Coco Gauff marches on in New York

Ostapenko, the 2017 French Open champion, will play Coco Gauff in the quarterfinals after the teenager beat the returning Caroline Wozniacki 6-3 3-6 6-1.

Gauff, who had to come back from a break down in the third set, won the biggest title of her career in Cincinnati ahead of the US Open and has continued her fine form in New York.

The sixth seed and one of the favorites to lift the title in an open field, Gauff is bidding to reach a second grand slam final and her first on home soil.

Her victory ended Wozniacki’s remarkable return to the sport after the Dane retired three and a half years ago to start a family. This was Wozniacki’s first appearance at a grand slam since the 2020 Australian Open after only returning to the tour last month.

Wozniacki’s run at Flushing Meadows, during which she eliminated 11th seed Petra Kvitová, will no doubt fill her with confidence ahead of the new season.

“There’s a lot of positives to take with me going forward. I’m on the right track,” Wozniacki, the 2018 Australian Open champion, said.

“I’m finding my form, I’m finding my feet. I’m excited to take on more events and more players.”

He learned to survive and then thrive, but many years later, shortly before his 26th birthday, things were suddenly awkward again. Now, he was sitting in the dugout at Yankee Stadium in New York, and all his teammates were ignoring him. But there was nothing malicious about it – they were trying to help him. Abbott was about to pull off a no-hitter, one of the rarest feats in Major League Baseball. And he was going to do it one-handed.

‘I felt that anything was possible’

It never really occurred to Abbott that he had a disability; at least, it never really occurred to him that there was anything he couldn’t do. “I don’t think about what could have been or what was taken away,” he mused. “My dad used to say to me when I was a kid that what’s been taken away once will come back twice.

“I loved all sports. I loved football, basketball and baseball. But I always seemed to have a talent for throwing things. There was never a plan of playing in the major leagues; it was sort of a dream. I lived for it.”

Abbott recalls that he spent much of his childhood tucking his stump into his pocket, trying to put others at ease: “I know that it was a big part of my life. I wanted to prove myself and be a part of something.” Growing up in Flint, Michigan, he was surrounded by athletes and competitors, and he found a support system that saw only potential in his future. “I certainly ran into friction,” he said, “but I felt that anything was possible. I was surrounded by parents and coaches and teachers and mentors, and I didn’t face resistance. I faced encouragement and optimism.”

During his high school years, Abbott played both as a baseball pitcher and a football quarterback, and then at the University of Michigan, he led the Wolverines to two Big Ten Conference championships from the mound. Around the time he turned 21, he was really being noticed, becoming the first baseball player ever to receive the prestigious James E. Sullivan award, which is given annually to the best amateur athlete in the country. It was a recognition that propelled his name into the pantheon inhabited by the likes of Carl Lewis, Peyton Manning and Michael Phelps. In 1987, he was the US flagbearer at the Pan American Games, and he returned from the Seoul Olympics the following year with a gold medal. By the time he was picked in the first round of the 1988 MLB draft, his disability was almost a forgotten inconvenience.

The no-hitter

During his 10-year career as a professional, Abbott played for the then California Angels, the New York Yankees, the Chicago White Sox and the Milwaukee Brewers, but there is one game that stands out clearly above all the others. On September 4th, 1993, Abbott threw a no-hitter against the then Cleveland Indians, a feat he describes as the greatest highlight of his career.

No-hitters are incredibly rare; the Yankees have played more than 18,000 games since 1903, and they’ve only ever managed 13 of them. Baseball insiders will tell you that nobody ever sees a no-hitter coming, and that was certainly true for Jim Abbott. Not just because of his disability, but because nobody in the famous pinstripes had thrown one in more than a decade when Abbott stepped onto the mound on a cloudy afternoon in the Bronx. And the last person expecting to see a no-no was Abbott himself.

“I had some pretty serious anxiety about that game,” Abbott said in 2013. He was up against the same Cleveland lineup that had smashed him all over the park just five days previously. Facing him on the mound were some of the most impressive batters of the day; power hitter Jim Thome would end up with 612 homers to his name, putting him No. 8 in the all-time list, and although Manny Ramirez was only three days into his major league career, he’d make it to 15th on the home-run list with 555.
Albert Belle was one of the leading sluggers of the day, and Kenny Lofton was renowned as one of the best lead-off men of his generation.

When he’d faced them in Cleveland the previous week, Abbott gave up 10 hits and seven runs and was taken out of the game before he’d been able to complete four innings. “I had gotten absolutely shelled,” he recalled. He was reportedly sent on a three-mile run as punishment. For the next start against the Indians, Abbott and his catcher Matt Nokes came up with a plan to mix it up with more curveballs and other breaking balls – and it worked.

“I remember looking up at the scoreboard in the fifth inning and saw we were winning by four to nothing,” he recalled. “It wasn’t a perfect game, but I noticed that they didn’t have any hits.” Abbott remembers trying to control his emotions despite the anticipation building in the stadium, the cheers of more than 27,000 fans gaining in volume with every out, and his teammates abiding by the “stupid superstition” of ignoring him in the dugout. “Those final few innings are nerve-wracking; you feel it in your heart, your knees and in your breathing,” noted Abbott.

There was a scare in the ninth when Lofton attempted a bunt that rolled foul down the third base line. But he was retired shortly afterwards, followed by Felix Fermin, whose fly ball was caught in center field by Bernie Williams. Abbott’s place in MLB history was then secured when Carlos Baerga hit a grounder to shortstop Randy Velarde, who fired to Don Mattingly at first base for the final out.

Mattingly has spoken of the goosebumps he could feel tingling his arms in the last couple of innings because he knew how special it would be for a player like Abbott to throw a no-hitter. “Overall, he struggled with us through those years, but the competitor he was, and how much he cared, was awesome. I loved playing with this guy.”

The aftermath and lasting legacy

Since Abbott’s masterpiece had come on a day game on a Saturday, an evening of celebration in New York was inevitable. Mattingly recalls that they headed to one of his favorite chicken wing restaurants downtown for a few beers and a few cocktails. Abbott concurs that he had “a bit of a headache” the next morning.

“I was blown away by the reaction,” he said. “I was signing autographs, taxi cabs were honking, and people were running across the street, and I’ve been so heartened that people have remembered that game.”

But the legacy of Jim Abbott is about much more than just that September day in 1993.

By pitching from the mound in the iconic Yankees pinstripes and by playing for a decade in MLB, Abbott became a role model to disabled children all over the country. He can’t say how many he has helped, but he says that in every town or city there were always young families who came to be inspired by his story. “I wouldn’t be able to guess the numbers, they’re sort of staggering, but I think of the kids a lot, and the look in their parents’ eyes.”

In 1999, at the age of 32, he called time on his playing career: “I just lost some velocity, like a lot of people do. I played for 10 years, I would have liked to play for more, but I loved every second of it.” Retirement wasn’t the end of his story though; Abbott was able to hit the speaking circuit, where he continued sharing his message of hope.

The ultimate validation of his legacy would be for another one-handed player to make it in Major League Baseball, and Abbott is sure it will happen one day. “I absolutely think it’s possible,” he stated emphatically. “There’s just too many talented kids out there. There’s a world of possibilities for people born with challenges, that require them to do things differently, but that doesn’t mean you can’t do them just as well.”

Mattingly is still involved in the game; he’s currently working as a bench coach for the Toronto Blue Jays. He says he hopes to see another player like Abbott in the Major leagues.

“Lightning strikes more than once,” he said. “There’s a child out there that loves this game but may have a similar disability. Jim has already cut that trail, and even though it may be a little overgrown, that trail is still out there. It can be done.”

Abbott tries not to hide his stump anymore. He’s come to terms with who he is and he’s thankful for it. If he’d been born with two hands, he can’t even say that he would have been a better player.

“I don’t know that I would have had the ambition, which wasn’t always pretty. I believe that the push from having one hand took me to places I probably wouldn’t have gone without it.”

No athlete attracts an A-list crowd quite like Lionel Messi, as demonstrated by Sunday’s Major League Soccer game between Inter Miami and Los Angeles FC.

A long list of celebrity names watched from the stands during Miami’s 3-1 victory in California, including Prince Harry, Hollywood stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Owen Wilson, Edward Norton, and Will Ferrell – who is a co-owner of LAFC – actress and musician Selena Gomez, and rapper Tyga.

The star-studded audience was testament to Messi’s ongoing impact on soccer in the US. Ticket demand for Miami games has soared since the Argentinian’s arrival, with the average prices around $690 for Sunday’s match – the most expensive MLS game ever, according to online marketplace TickPick.

Since moving from Paris Saint-Germain, Messi is having a huge impact on the pitch, as well as off it. Miami, on a nine-game winless run prior to the 36-year-old’s debut, is now unbeaten in 11 games and captured its first trophy last month.

The victory against defending MLS Cup champion LAFC was the latest win in Miami’s dramatic turnaround, which has also been sparked by the arrival of Messi’s former Barcelona teammate, Sergio Busquets.

But it was another former Barcelona star, Jordi Alba, who scored one of Miami’s three goals on Sunday. Facundo Farías gave the visiting team the lead in the first half with an unconventional sliding finish – despite LAFC controlling the opening stages of the game – before Alba was put into space by Messi’s pass and calmly placed his shot past goalkeeper John McCarthy.

Messi was also the provider for his team’s third goal, capitalizing on a mistake from LAFC defender Aaron Long and putting Leonardo Campana through to score.

Ryan Hollingshead pulled one back with a glancing header from a corner, but it was too little, too late for LAFC, which had 22 shots over the course of the match. The home side was left to rue numerous squandered chances, notably through misfiring forward Dénis Bouanga.

As well his two assists, Messi also had a glorious chance to add to his tally of 11 goals since joining Miami, only to see his first-half effort brilliantly saved by McCarthy.

The combination of Messi’s shot and McCarthy’s quick reactions seemed to impress Gomez in the stands: she appeared to watch on in astonishment with her mouth agape.

“We said before the match that it was a good test for us to see where we were at and what we are capable of,” Messi, who later signed autographs for “Zoolander” and “Cars” star Wilson’s family, told MLS Español.

“We played in a difficult stadium against a very good opponent, the defending champion. And yeah, it’s a good result for what’s up ahead.”

He added: “The truth is, every day the group grows. We’ve said it since the beginning that when we were all together, we had the luck to win a tournament [the Leagues Cup], to get into a final and, well, now we’re going to try to get into the final eight to try to win the league.”

After winning the Leagues Cup last month, Miami is looking to climb up the Eastern Conference having been bottom of the standings before Messi’s arrival.

It next faces Sporting Kansas City on September 9, while LAFC, currently third in the West Conference standings, plays the Portland Timbers.

The United States drew first blood in a month of international golf battles, fighting back to defeat Great Britain and Ireland at the 49th Walker Cup on Sunday.

Team USA’s top men’s amateur players had trailed by three points heading into the final day at a windy St. Andrews in Scotland, but roared back to clinch a 14.5 – 11.5 victory on the iconic Old Course.

The Americans, captained by Mike McCoy, won three of the four Sunday foursomes and seven of the 10 singles matches to claim their fourth consecutive Walker Cup victory and extend their commanding overall record to 39 wins, nine losses and one draw.

“It’s pretty special. It’s certainly the pinnacle of my golfing life,” McCoy, who suffered a bruising 16.5 – 9.5 defeat in his sole Walker Cup playing appearance in 2015, told reporters.

“2015 was tough. We felt crummy for our team, felt crummy for the captain. We just got outplayed.

“This is a great feeling. I tried to put a lot of effort into this for two years and tried to do anything I could that would help make the team successful … I learned a little bit about what made each of them tick, and it just worked out.”

‘They didn’t turn up with their ‘A’ games’

Buoyed by strong home support, with over 14,000 spectators in attendance, Stuart Wilson’s GB & Ireland team punched above its underdog status from the outset, building a 7.5 – 4.5 Saturday lead despite the visitors boasting eight of the world’s top 10 amateur golfers.

At world No. 14, England’s John Gough was the host’s best-ranked player – a position that would have put him second from bottom on the US roster.

The Americans’ quality shone through on the deciding day, with amateur world No. 1 Gordon Sargent and US amateur champion Nick Dunlap both playing starring roles.

Sargent finished the tournament with a flawless 4-0 record, while Dunlap overturned a three-stroke deficit against Barclay Brown to clinch a crucial half point in the singles matches.

“It was a great performance from the boys yesterday to get those three points ahead and then still have a slight advantage going into the singles. We were all still quite optimistic,” Scotland’s Wilson told reporters.

“But I think the Americans just handled the conditions slightly better than us, and to be fair to the boys, without being too harsh or that, I’m sure they’ll be quite disappointed in the way they played themselves.

“They tried their hardest, but they didn’t turn up with their ‘A’ games this afternoon I would say in some matches. They’ll be the ones that will feel it and hurt tomorrow, but the good thing is for them is they’ve got the future. They’ve got tomorrow. I’m sure they can start focusing on the next thing.”

First blow landed

It’s a boost for American golf ahead as it seeks to avenge defeats in a Solheim Cup and Ryder Cup doubleheader later this month.

Typically staged in alternative years, the postponement of the 2020 Ryder Cup due to the coronavirus pandemic means both the women’s and men’s events will be played across a two-week period.

Finca Cortesin in Spain will host the Solheim Cup between September 22 to 24 before Italy’s Marco Simone Golf & Country Club hosts the Ryder Cup from September 29 to October 1.

Team USA will hold home advantage in its bid to make it five in a row at the 50th Walker Cup at Cypress Point, California, in September 2025.

One of Greece’s most famous landmarks is trialing limiting its daily visitors, starting today.

The Athens Acropolis archaeological site attracts visitors from around the world keen to marvel at the ancient cultural spot. Going forward, visitors will be capped at 20,000 a day, with a booking website keeping track of footfall and enforcing an hourly slot system.

In an interview with Greek radio station Real FM in August, Greek culture minister Lina Mendoni said that the Acropolis currently has up to 23,000 daily visitors, calling this a “huge number.”

While the site is open until 8.p.m, Mendoni said the majority of visitors were choosing to visit in the morning hours, creating bottlenecks and “unpleasant conditions for the site, the visitors and the staff who are trying to accommodate this high volume of people.”

The goal is the new system – which is currently in its trial stages and will likely be formally enforced from April 2024 – will tackle overcrowding and guarantee the safety and longevity of the monument.

Built on a rocky hill in the fifth century BC, the ancient Acropolis is home to a collection of historic ruins, buildings and artifacts – the most famous being the Parthenon temple, dedicated to the goddess Athena.

The site and its monuments “form the greatest architectural and artistic complex bequeathed by Greek Antiquity to the world,” according to UNESCO.

Earlier this summer, the Acropolis closed due to soaring temperatures amid a record-breaking European heatwaves. Photos of the site from late August show it bathed in smoke from the recent Greek wildfires.

Starting April, the new booking system will also apply to other Greece archaeological sites that operate with electronic tickets, accounting for 90-95% of visitors to Greek sites.