Here’s a look at the 2024 presidential debates.
Event Type: Republican Debate
Location: Fiserv Forum Milwaukee, WI
Hosts: Fox News
Moderators: Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum
Event Type: Republican Debate
Location: Ronald Reagan Presidential Library Simi Valley, CA
Hosts: FOX Business, Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute, Rumble and Univision
A long, emotional day for Australian soccer fans turned into an even longer trip home when severe delays stranded thousands on train platforms at Stadium Australia after the nation’s disappointing 3-1 loss to England in the World Cup semifinal.
For many, it was a fitting end to a draining night that saw Australia’s newest sporting superstars, the Matildas, fall frustratingly short of their first ever World Cup final.
After the match, a downcast Sam Kerr – Australia’s talismanic superstar and captain – told reporters she was lost for words.
“Unfortunately, this World Cup hasn’t gone as planned. I can’t blame it all on myself, but it’s hard not to feel bad right now,” she said.
Before the match kicked off, Australians had lifted their heroes onto their shoulders, but when the final score gave the game to England, they weren’t prepared to put them down.
“They’ve still got the hard work to do. And they will rally, and they will make us proud on Saturday,” she said, referring to Australia’s clash against Sweden in the third-place playoff.
“Rose gold,” added Harold Marshall. “That’s what we call it.”
After Wednesday’s game, politicians, sports stars and supporters lined up to commend the players.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said they had “shown incredible skill, ferocity and flair,” while Foreign Minister Penny Wong said they had “made Australia so proud.”
“You played some great football and along the way you have changed the country. We’re all behind you, always,” Wong posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Olympic runner Cathy Freeman, whose 400-meter dash for gold captivated the nation at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, also added words of encouragement.
“So incredibly proud of our girls! You gave it everything and inspired an entire nation! Hold your head up high and here’s to the future!” she posted on X.
So incredibly proud of our girls! You gave it everything and inspired an entire nation! Hold your head up high and here’s to the future! #matildas
— Cathy Freeman (@CathyFreeman) August 16, 2023
Emotions ran high throughout the evening as spectators perched on edge of their seats, ready to spring to their feet every time Australia had a shot at goal.
The sound of drums echoed and fans launched into songs whose lyrics were distributed online by the Matildas’ dedicated supporters’ group: “Come on, Matildas!”
Sam Kerr’s stunning kick – arguably the goal of the tournament – to equalize the score at one goal apiece shook the stadium as fans roared their approval.
But as England pulled ahead with a second goal and then a third, the singing lost some of its volume and exuberance, and some fans sat quietly down, despair etched on their foreheads.
As the time ran out on a dream comeback, the dejected players huddled before walking around the pitch to thank their supporters.
Kerr gave Chelsea teammate Millie Bright her jersey, which the Lionesses defender wore as she told reporters that the England team had “started to click.”
“We’re getting the ball in the back of the net, which is nice,” she added.
Outside the stadium, the Australian flags that had been held aloft earlier in the night were wrapped around shoulders for warmth as fans attempted to go home.
Normally, trains run frequently to the city center, but hours after the match, thousands were left stranded in long queues on the platform after officials said a nearby station was damaged by vandalism. Some people gave up and started walking.
Jennie Gannaway, 72, and her son, Christopher, 34, had left their home in Newcastle on the New South Wales coast at 10 a.m. local time on Wednesday to take the 2.5-hour train ride to Sydney for the game.
They had planned to be home by about midnight, but as the clock ticked into Thursday, they were still standing with others on the platform near the stadium, phoning home to warn family they’d be late. At best, they hoped to be home by 4 a.m.
The mother and son have completed the same journey many times to see the Matildas play in Sydney, and though her back ached after the 14-hour day, Gannaway had no regrets.
Fan Mariela Pocklington said, win or lose, this Women’s World Cup had shown the joys of soccer to new audiences and she expects more girls will sign up to play the Beautiful Game.
“The effect after the Lionesses won the Euros was massive. They had a lot of girls that joined. Here will be the same,” she predicted.
The question remains if England can add another trophy to the cabinet and complete a historic major tournament double when they meet Spain in the final on Sunday.
The day before, the Matildas will look to salve the pain somewhat and take on Sweden for third place.
Australian defender Steph Catley told reporters Wednesday the team was determined to win.
“We’ve gone home from the Olympics empty handed. We’re not going to be doing that this time,” said Catley.
“We’re going to bounce back, we’re going get ourselves right and turn up for that game and give everything we have, like we always do.”
It’s a sentiment that epitomizes this Australia side and one which – win or lose on Saturday – will undoubtedly make this nation proud.
Here’s a look at some statistics from Hurricane Katrina.
Katrina makes landfall near Grand Isle, Louisiana as a Category 3 storm with winds near 127 mph.
– Severe flooding damage to cities along the Gulf Coast, from New Orleans to Biloxi, Mississippi.
– Numerous failures of levees around New Orleans led to catastrophic flooding in the city.
– About 25,000 storm evacuees were sheltered at the Louisiana Superdome, a sports arena. Wind and water damage to the roof created unsafe conditions, leading authorities to conduct emergency evacuations of the Superdome.
– The total damage from Katrina is estimated to be $125 billion (or $193.8 billion in 2023 dollars), according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
NOAA report
– Direct deaths: 520
– Indirect deaths: 565
– Indeterminate cause: 307
– Total number of fatalities: 1,392
In an analysis of 971 fatalities in Louisiana and 15 additional deaths of storm evacuees, 40% of deaths were caused by drowning. 25% were caused by injury and trauma and 11% were caused by heart conditions.
Nearly half the fatalities in Louisiana were people over the age of 74.
Insurance Information Institute Report
Insurance companies have paid an estimated $41.1 billion on 1.7 million different claims for damage to vehicles, homes, and businesses in six states. Nearly 56% of the losses occurred in Louisiana and nearly 30% occurred in Mississippi.
By 2007, 99% of the 1.2 million personal property claims had been settled by insurers.
The National Flood Insurance Program paid out $16 billion in claims.
June 2006 – The Government Accountability Office releases a report that concludes at least $1 billion in disaster relief payments made by FEMA were improper and potentially fraudulent.
More than one million people in the Gulf region were displaced by the storm. At their peak, hurricane relief shelters housed 273,000 people. Later, approximately 114,000 households were housed in FEMA trailers.
During the first ten years after the storm, FEMA provided more than $15 billion to the Gulf states for public works projects, including the repair and rebuilding of roads, schools and buildings. The agency also provided $6.7 billion in recovery aid to more than one million people and households.
The majority of all federal aid, approximately $75 billion of $120.5 billion, funded emergency relief operations.
The population of New Orleans fell from 484,674 in April 2000 to 230,172 in July 2006, a decrease of over 50%. By 2022, the estimated population had increased to 369,749, according to the Census.
70% of New Orleans’ occupied housing, 134,000 units, were damaged in the storm.
A video of a tourist climbing into Rome’s iconic Trevi Fountain to fill her water bottle has circulated online.
The footage, filmed last month, shows the woman walking over a row of rocks to reach the center of the 18th-century landmark as onlookers watch in horror.
After filling her bottle from a spout of the fountain, she attempts to walk away, before a guard blows a whistle and paces towards her.
The two engage in a brief discussion before the guard takes the tourist away. It remains unclear what happened to the tourist after the incident, and whether she was arrested or fined.
@perrinebridge
What is this lady thinking?! Video credit to @lex #trevifountain #italy #rome #romeitaly #trevi
♬ original sound – Walmart Jason Statham
Tourists can be fined up to 500 euros for entering the fountain, which is widely considered one of the city’s best known landmarks.
Legend states that anyone who throws a coin into its waters will ensure their return to Rome.
Each year around 1-1.5 million euros ($1.1-$1.6 million) in coins are collected for the Catholic charity Caritas. Around 3,000 euros ($3,200) a day are thrown into the fountain during busy tourist months, according to Rome’s tourism board.
Currently, the fountain sits slightly below the square. Visitors must climb down steps to reach it – but they normally take up residence on the steps, or perch on the fountain’s edge – leading to calls for police to install checkpoints and continuous foot patrols along the surrounding roads.
As the number of international visitors jetting off to Rome skyrockets since the end of Covid-19, tourists have been criticized for disrespecting the city’s famous monuments.
In June last year, two American tourists caused $25,000 worth of damage to the Spanish Steps in Rome, while a month earlier, a Saudi visitor drove his rented Maserati down the travertine staircase, fracturing two of the steps.
Last month, a tourist was filmed apparently carving his name into a wall of Rome’s 2,000-year-old Colosseum, causing Italy’s culture minister to call for a manhunt to identify the culprit and his companion.
Elsewhere in Italy, tourists routinely swim in Venice’s canals, which double as the city’s sewer system. In August last year, two Australians surfed down the Grand Canal, while in May, Americans stripped off for a skinny dip beside the 14th-century Arsenale landmark.
Also last August, an Australian decided to ride his moped around the ancient Roman site of Pompeii, while in October, an American smashed two priceless sculptures in the Vatican Museum, apparently after being told that he could not see the pope.
Earlier this month, a group of young German tourists posing for pictures to post on social media were accused of toppling a valuable statue at a villa in northern Italy, the villa’s manager said.
At least 60 people were injured and eight remain unaccounted for following an explosion at an industrial plant northeast of Moscow on Wednesday, Russian state news agency TASS reported quoting a local official
The blast took place at Zagorsk Optical and Mechanical Plant, in the town of Sergiev Posad, TASS reported. The plant is a developer and manufacturer for optical and optoelectronic devices for the Russian military, law enforcement agencies, industry and healthcare.
In the hours following Wednesday morning’s explosion, Russian state media reported that the source of the detonation was a pyrotechnics warehouse rented by a third company on the site of the Zagorsk Optical and Mechanical Plant.
Rescue teams continued to work at the site on Wednesday afternoon amid concerns that more people could remain under the rubble. “Rescuers will need about 12 hours to clear the rubble. There may still be people left, three have already been removed – doctors assess their condition as serious,” Andrei Vorobyov, governor of the Moscow region, said.
In an interview with Russian state media outlet RIA Novosti, the governor said: “One thing is clear, that the explosion was powerful, and it was in the pyrotechnics workshop.”
An eyewitness named Nikolai said in an interview with MASH, an independent Russian media blog present at the scene, that there used to be a munition factory at the site before “it was sold and turned into pyrotechnics factory.”
“The company went bankrupt; it is not clear who worked there and what they did there. What caused the explosion is also unclear,” Nikolai said.
Russia’s Investigative Committee has opened a criminal investigation into the incident.
A representative from the Investigative Committee told TASS news agency there was no evidence that the plant had been hit by a drone, and that the cause of the blast was being investigated. Ukraine has launched a series of drones at Moscow in recent weeks.
“As for the explosion, it was very powerful,” they said. “And now the operational services are engaged, investigating. I cannot comment on what it was, because journalists traditionally ask the question: Was it a blow from above or an explosion inside – this is done by specialists.”
Windows in several houses nearby were shattered by the blast wave, TASS added.
Sergiev Posad is part of what’s called the Golden Ring – a cluster of ancient towns with Russian orthodox churches around Moscow. The city’s main cathedral and surrounding buildings are on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
It’s been a banner year for nudity around the globe.
Berlin recently announced that women can now go topless at the German capital’s public swimming pools while Nantucket Island went topless last December after locals voted in favor of “gender equality on beaches.”
After a multi-year Covid hiatus, the Free the Nipple campaign was back with topless parades in New York City, Vancouver, Paris and elsewhere. And the barely veiled female figure was the fashion statement du jour at the Met Gala, Milan Fashion Week, the BRIT Awards in London and other top-shelf events.
Meanwhile, there are more places than ever to sun, swim or build sandcastles au naturel at clothing-optional beaches on every continent.
From rocky coastlines to talcum-powder fine sands, and big city bays to secluded shores, there are now hundreds of beaches where it’s perfectly legal (or at least de facto legal) to frolic beside the sea in nothing more than your birthday suit.
“Soft, smooth sand, warm ocean breeze, gentle ocean waves and lots of other naturists makes for a great clothing-optional beach,” says Nicky Hoffman of The Naturist Society, who’s also the managing editor of Nude & Natural magazine and co-author of “The World’s Best Nude Beaches & Resorts.”
While clothing-optional beach destinations may seem like a modern invention, it’s actually quite an old idea, a product of the otherwise prudish Victorian era.
During the 1880s, American poet Walt Whitman extolled the virtues of the “Adamic air bath” – his nude walkabouts and swims along Timber Creek in New Jersey, writing of “The free exhilarating ecstasy of nakedness in Nature.”
Channeling that same vibe, the naturist movement took off in Europe and North America during the first half of the 20th century, with city parks, camp grounds and eventually beaches established for those who wanted to experience nature nude in their most natural state.
One of the spin-offs of the socially and sexually liberal 1960s was a “free beach” movement that saw a proliferation of nude beaches around the world.
And their popularity continues today, with more and more popping up each year. Here are 20 of the best nude beaches around the world:
Located about a 30-minute drive from Punta del Este, Uruguay’s best-known nude beach overlooks Portezuelo Bay on the Atlantic coast.
Photogenic dunes and water temperatures that reach 25 Celsius (77 F) and higher even in the southern hemisphere winter add to the strand’s allure.
After decades as an unofficial naked getaway, Chihuahua finally achieved legal status in 2000.
Since then, amenities have expanded to include the Hotel El Refugio Nudista Naturista clothing-optional resort.
Playa Naturista Chihuahua, Avenida Las Amarras, 20003 Chihuahua, Uruguay
The chilly Baltic Sea may not seem like the most obvious place to skinny dip. But this gorgeous strand on the long, sandy Curonian Spit offers one of Europe’s most picturesque spots to take it all off.
With its wildflower-covered dunes (among the highest in Europe) and shoreline forest, the beach was the focus of a 19th-century artists’ colony that attracted many of the leading painters, poets and writers of the time.
Walk far enough south along the strand and you eventually come to a fence that marks the Lithuania-Russia border.
Nida Nude Beach, Nidos-Smiltynės pl., Nida, Lithuania
Although it’s technically legal to go naked on any beach in personal-liberty-loving New Zealand, the nation’s naturists tend to congregate at well-known clothing-optional spots like Little Palm Beach on Waiheke Island.
Reaching the secluded strand entails a 40–60-minute ferry ride from Auckland, a taxi or rideshare to the island’s north shore, and then a short downhill hike.
You can top or tail your beach adventure at Waiheke’s many wineries, restaurants, and art galleries.
Little Palm Beach, Miro Road, Waiheke Island 1081, New Zealand
Flanked by sheer cliffs and shades by pine trees, this remote beach on the mainland opposite Brač island is reached via a narrow path that seems ready made for goats rather than people seeking an apparel-free escape on the Adriatic.
Be sure to bring a thick towel or even a beach chair — like many Croatian beaches the surface is pebbles rather than sand.
Nugal is about a half-an-hour walk from the nearest town, although it can also be reached by boat or sea kayak from Makarska or Tučepi.
Nugal Beach, 21300 Makarska, Croatia
Perched at the island’s western extreme, Moshup is a long curving strand that wraps around a headline crowned by the historic Gay Head Lighthouse (built in 1799).
Located right below the ancient light, the clothing optional portion lies beneath rust-colored sandstone cliffs that were declared a National Natural Monument in 1966.
Moshup is open free of charge to anyone who wants to take their clothes off, as opposed to Lucy Vincent, the island’s private nude beach.
Moshup Beach, 71 Moshup Trail, Aquinnah, MA 02535
Set beneath the 100-meter-high cliffs of Torrey Pines, Blacks has been the Golden State’s favorite place for all-over tans for more than 50 years and was once the only legal nude beach in the entire United States.
Long, wide and blessed with great surf, the beach is reached via the zig-zag Ho Chi Minh Trail from the cliff-top Torrey Pines Gliderport near the University of California, San Diego.
Black’s Beach, Torrey Pines Scenic Drive, San Diego, CA 92037
Although it sometimes seems like just about any beach in Australia is clothing optional, there are a number of official nude beaches here such as Lady Bay. (also known as Lady Jane Beach.)
Perched just inside the South Head of Sydney Harbour, it’s small and narrow, but incredibly secluded for such a big city location.
The rocky ledges around South Head are also used for nude sunbathing.
Lady Bay Beach, Watson’s Bay, Sydney, Australia
“Grin and bare it” might well be the motto for nudists on this North Sea island, where the average water temperature in summer is a chilly 17 C (63 F).
Technically all of the beaches on Sylt are clothing optional, but Buhne 16 was the first and is still the foremost location for nude sunbathing along the German shore.
It’s a place where beachgoers can chill in the famous blue and white striped wicker beach chairs or let it all hang out at summer beach parties.
Buhne 16, Listlandstr 133b, 25980 Kampen (Sylt), Germany; +49 4651 4996
Billed as one of the world’s longest nude beaches at 7.8 kilometers (4.9 miles) long, Wreck Beach is actually a series of sandy strands, pebble flats and rocky outcrops wrapped around the end of Point Grey.
With the University of British Columbia just across the street, a steady stream of students and teachers have shed their clothes on this beach since the early 1970s, when it first became popular.
Evergreen trees along the shore and snowcapped peaks across the water complement the Canadian ambiance.
Wreck Beach, Vancouver, British Columbia; Canada + 604 224 5739
This secluded shore on the south side of Crete is a hotspot for nude sunbathing in Greece.
Named after its ocher-colored sand and cliffs, Red Beach (or Kokkini Ammos) is reached via a 20-minute hike from Matala or a very short boat ride from the village waterfront.
Pioneered by Euro hippies during the 1960s, the beach offers chair and umbrella rentals and is home to a funky little bar called Yiannis that’s renowned for its mojitos.
Note: the mysterious rock carvings at the end of the beach are a modern creation and definitely not ancient Minoan relics.
Red Beach, Matala, Crete 702 00, Greece
While the Caribbean may be full of wonderful, chilled out beaches, this wild, white sand strand on the rear side of St. Barts is one of the few places on the islands where public nudity is tolerated (although sunbathing naked is technically prohibited in St. Barts.)
Anse de Grande Saline (or Saline Beach) is another self-catering beach. Visitors will need to bring along everything they need for a day at the shore, especially sunscreen, as there is no shade to speak of.
L’Esprit, an excellent French restaurant, is within walking distance of Grand Saline and well worth a visit. Just make sure to put your clothes back on before heading over.
Anse de Grande Saline, St. Barthélemy
Set between the deep blue Mediterranean and multi-colored salt pans near Ibiza’s southernmost point, official nudist beach Es Cavallet is separated into various different sections, including a beach club party section, a gay scene and a more secluded, middle section where the clothing-free crowd hang out.
However nude sunbathers aren’t the only beings who frequent this area. Those bright pink things you’ll see pacing in the background aren’t sunburned tourists, but rather flamingos that like to gather in the shallow salines.
Platja des Cavallet, 07818, Balearic Islands, Spain
Flanked by ancient lava flows and backed by a volcanic cinder cone, Little Beach would be super-cool even if you couldn’t take your clothes off.
Part of Makena State Park on the island’s southeast coast, it overlooks a national marine sanctuary renowned for its sea turtles, dolphins, whales and tropical fish.
Gnarled trees behind the sand provide a modicum of shade and the cove is well protected for swimming.
Additionally, a drum circle and fire dancers entertain the crowd during Sunday sunsets.
Little Beach, Makena State Park, Makena Rd, Kihei, HI 96753, USA
Sometimes called the “Naked City,” Cap d’Agde Naturist Village is the world’s largest clothing-optional beach resort, attracting as many as 40,000 guests on any given day during high season.
Visitors are free to be naked wherever they want – restaurants and stores, post offices or banks, sailing their boat or lounging on the long public beach (where nudity is obligatory, even for those not staying at the resort).
Non residents can stay overnight at the naturist hotel, camp ground or rental units.
Cap d’Agde Naturist Village, Rond-Point du Bagnas, 34300 Agde, France; +33 4 67 26 00 26
South Africa’s only official nude beach – and perhaps the only legal clothing-not-obligatory strand on the entire African continent – is located in the Mpenjati Nature Reserve south of Durban.
Its legal status was achieved in 2014, but this came with a list of prohibitions including no staring, no photography, no suggestive behavior, etc.
Local clergy and others continue to mount protests (legal and otherwise) against the naked designation.
Mpenjati Nature Reserve, Palm Beach, Port Edward, South Africa
Live your “Y Tu Mamá También” fantasies at the beach where so many of the scenes from the sensuous 2001 Mexican movie starring Gael García Bernal were shot on location.
Pioneered by Mexican and American hippies during the 1960s, the strand stretches about two kilometers with rocky bluffs at either end, and is famed as a clothing-optional beach (although it isn’t legal here.)
While the main beach here is backed by budget hotels and cafes, a tiny sliver of sand at the eastern end called Playa del Amor offers far more privacy.
Playa Zipolite, San Pedro Pochutla, Oaxaca, Mexico
Float nude in the warm, ultra-buoyant salty water and smear your entire naked body with soothing, mineral-infused black mud at this rocky beach on the western shore of the Dead Sea.
Perhaps the only place in the Middle East where any kind of public nudity is tolerated, Metsoke Dragot is located about an hour’s drive from Jerusalem and requires a short but rough drive along an unpaved road to reach the shoreline.
Primitive camping is aloud along the shore. The only nearby hotel and bar is the cliff top Metzoke Dragot Travelers Village.
Metsoke Dragot, Highway 90, Dead Sea, Israel
The string bikinis on Copacabana may expose an awful lot of Brazilian flesh, but not nearly as much as this naturist beach along the Bahia coast.
A two-hour drive north of Salvador, the nude beach is about a one-kilometer walk from the parking lot along the shoreline flanked by coconut palms, rolling dunes and very surfable waves.
Praia Massarandupió, Bahia, Brazil
Located on the gorgeous Cinque Terre, this primo Italian nude beach looks like something out of a movie (think “Swept Away ” – the 1974 version directed by Lina Wertmüller.)
Adding to the beach’s mystique is the fact that it can only be reached via an old, abandoned railway tunnel (bring a flashlight) on a path from Corniglia village.
Guvano is totally primitive, with no facilities of any kind, so bear this in mind when planning your visit.
The beach is also pebble rather than sand, but the water is clear, clean and gorgeous.
Spiaggia di Guvano, 19018 Vernazza, SP, Italy
The most popular public nude beach in the United States, Haulover attracts more than 1.3 million bare bottomed people to its white sands and warm water each year.
The clothing-optional portion, marked at either end by picket fences, offers rental beach chairs and umbrellas, as well as lifeguards.
Given the stellar weather in south Florida, there’s usually someone in the buff on any given day.
But the biggest crowds gather during National Nude Recreation Week in July and whenever Haulover is trying to set a new Guinness World Record for skinny dipping.
Haulover Beach Park, 10800 Collins Ave, Miami Beach, FL 33154; + (305) 944-3040
Editors’s note: This story was updated and republished in May 2023.
Rammed back into the bushes, out past destroyed Bradleys and ageing Humvees, the Soviet-era T72 lowers its turret to fire. Its targets are Russian positions, imperiled by Ukraine’s push south, just past the building over the horizon. Three rounds whistle into the distance, the tank is spotted, and is gone in a swirl of dust.
“They are wrong,” says Vitaly, a tank operator from the 15th National Guard, of Western criticism of their progress. “We have success. Sometimes more, sometimes less. It depends on how fortified they (the Russians) are.” The Russian troops had a year to get ready, he notes, adding: “The biggest problem is underestimation of the enemy.”
Lotos, a tank unit commander, says the telegraphing of the attack’s focus in the press did not help. “It won’t be as easy as in Kharkiv. Here the enemy was ready, unfortunately. Everybody chatted for months that we would move here.” He adds: “We expected less resistance. They are holding. They have leadership. It is not often you say that about the enemy.”
Yet the major handicap Ukraine faces in this already difficult fight is palpable in the cratered streets of Orikhiv. Russian air superiority is taking Ukrainian lives daily, with half-ton bombs landing frequently – sometimes 20 in as many minutes.
Beyond the view of Ukraine’s armchair critics is a fast-trained, motivated army being asked to use Western donations to achieve a swift breakthrough against a Russian army that has had a year to lay minefields and fortifications – a difficult feat at the best of times. But Kyiv has one extra handicap. It is attempting this without something NATO militaries would insist on: air superiority. Ukraine’s air force is smaller, and NATO has yet to deliver F-16s, meaning that the threat of a Russian Su-35 overhead often forces troops here to head to the bunkers.
Life underground is nerve-shredding. A Russian rocket – or guided glide bomb – could hit at any time, and they have been showing some accuracy, says one Ukrainian soldier. Ukrainian troops constantly relocate and hide their vehicles at every opportunity to frustrate Russian targeting.
Still, vast destruction has plagued Orikhiv’s main buildings. The “invincibility point,” a converted school where the few remaining civilians received handout food and could wash, was hit in June, killing five. That building and several nearby are leveled, and smoke from another blast that morning still smolders. The smell of death haunted one apartment block that was torn through by a missile. Some streets of the town smell of explosives. Military casualties are not declared.
Among the most closely hunted of Ukraine’s forces are Orikhiv’s military medics, whose lives are spent mostly underground, their last two triage points bombed. Their bunker is where they wait, nocturnal even in the day, a cardboard Sharpie sign saying “Night club” on the wall. Only dark humor fits here and death is close enough to be shrugged off.
“When they hit further than 100 meters away from us we don’t pay attention,” says one medic, Eugene. “If it’s closer we just laugh hysterically.”
His colleague Vlad adds: “I tell everybody, we will all die. But a bit later. Maybe in 50 years.”
Disrupting casualty evacuations appears to them to be a Russian priority. “The Russians let the ambulance get to the casualty,” Eugene says. “But as soon as we load them, they unleash everything on us. Anti-tank rockets, grenade launchers, mortars. We lost five wheels on our APC during two days of the assault.”
Eugene adds that they rarely treat casualties at the collection point. “We do everything inside (the ambulance) at high speed. And the road isn’t the best one. What was our speed record? 180 km an hour.”
After months of headlines about Russian incompetence and disarray, they are learning that Moscow’s better troops – the paratroopers on the southern frontlines – have not forgotten their training. “You shouldn’t honor the enemy,” says Vlad. “But don’t underestimate him.”
There is little danger of that in this team, who lost a colleague on Friday to artillery fire during an operation. Andrei, aged 33, was hit when traveling in his car. They buried him Monday.
The men linger in a silent gaze when they talk about racing to one of their own. “We went there immediately,” says Eugene. “Another team picked up his driver who got lucky. And I got the hardest thing I ever did – pick up the body and deliver it to the morgue.”
Vlad adds: “His family, his mother… They are in temporarily occupied territories. They couldn’t even come to the funeral.”
At another casualty evacuation point near Orikhiv, shells fly back and forth over the head of another medic, Julia, as she describes their morale. “We are still optimistic but not as we used to be. Assaulting is emotionally easier. It was very hard standing in defense for 18 months.”
She says many of the wounded they treat seek to return to the frontline. “They know it’s not going be the same – they won’t be in the assault squad. But they want to come back. Because thirst for revenge is very strong. Hatred is very strong.”
Poland is planning to move around 10,000 troops to its eastern border with Belarus amid mounting concerns over Wagner forces in the region.
Wagner troops have been stationed within Belarus – a close ally of Russia – in the wake of a short-lived rebellion carried out by the group.
The Polish Defense Minister, Mariusz Blaszczak, told public radio that while 10,000 soldiers will be on the border, 4,000 will directly support the border guard and the remaining 6,000 will be in reserve.
Explaining the move, Blaszczak cited alleged violations of Polish air space by two military aircraft, accusations Belarus called “far-fetched.”
“The violation of Polish space by Belarusian helicopters cannot be underestimated because of the Belarusian approach,” Blaszczak said, calling it another provocation.
“Everything that is happening in Belarus is coordinated with the actions of Russian,” he said.
On Wednesday, Blaszczak agreed to send more troops to the border but did not detail an exact number, according to Polish state news agency PAP.
Meanwhile Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu also discussed plans for Russia to build up its forces on its western borders, according to a readout from a board meeting published by the Defense Ministry on Wednesday.
Among the reasons for the move, Shoigu blamed increasing militarization in Poland.
Poland has been sounding the alarm about Wagner forces in Belarus in recent weeks.
The beginning of August saw increased activity near a thin strip of land between Poland and Lithuania, known as the Suwalki gap or corridor, which troops from the Russian mercenary group Wagner are moving toward in an apparent attempt to increase pressure on NATO and EU members.
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki recently warned that Wagner fighters could pose as migrants to try crossing the border.
Another of Belarus’s neighbors, Lithuania, has also shored up its border, citing the threat from Wagner fighters.
In just one month with Inter Miami, Argentine superstar Lionel Messi already has his team reaching new heights.
With a 4-1 victory over Philadelphia Union Tuesday, Miami advanced to the CONCACAF Leagues Cup final to put the club in position to win its first trophy in four seasons of competition.
Messi’s goal against Philadelphia was his ninth in just six games since joining Inter, scoring in each of his six matches so far to sit atop the Leagues Cup scoring chart.
After just a few weeks at Inter Miami, Messi is already third on the club’s all-time scoring list and is just 20 goals behind compatriot Gonzalo Higuain at the top.
After Josef Martinez opened the scoring for Miami, Messi scored in the 20th minute with a low rocket from more than 30 yards out. His shot skipped past the outreached fingers of Union keeper Andre Blake and bounced off the right post into the net.
Spanish veteran Jordi Alba added a third Miami goal in first half stoppage time, his first goal in four appearances since recently joining Inter, before Alejandro Bedoya pulled one back for Philadelphia with 17 minutes to go.
David Ruiz put an end to any thoughts of a late Union comeback with a fourth goal for Miami after 84 minutes.
In the other Leagues Cup semifinal Tuesday, Nashville SC defeated Monterrey 2-0 to set up a final against Miami.
The trophy will be decided when the two teams face each other August 19 in Nashville, Tennessee.
The Leagues Cup, an annual tournament between MLS and Mexico’s Liga MX, was expanded this year to include all teams in each league.
Tori Penso watched the 2019 Women’s World Cup at home with her eight-month-old daughter in her arms. A mother to three young girls, Penso was dreaming that she would be on the field the next time the tournament came around in 2023.
She wouldn’t be the leading goalscorer, or assistant manager, or team captain. She would be in the middle of it all – as the lead referee.
Four years and countless professional matches later, Penso will proudly walk onto the pitch with Australia and England to referee the semifinal match of the Women’s World Cup at Sydney’s Stadium Australia on Wednesday.
Penso had been refereeing since she was 14 years old but never considered it her full-
time career. She asked herself: “What if I gave it a shot? What if I tried making that stage in four years? Is it even possible?”
She took a risk and left a steady job in advertising, a job that she loved, and two years later became the first and only full-time female referee in Major League Soccer (MLS), the top professional men’s soccer league in the US.
Two years after that, Penso was selected by soccer’s world governing boy FIFA as one of six American referees to go to Australia and New Zealand for the 2023 Women’s World Cup.
“If you told me six years ago that I would be here talking to you about to head to New Zealand and Australia for the Women’s World Cup I would have said no way,” she said.
“To be here today is just an amazing experience and one I certainly don’t take for granted.”
“No success happens overnight,” reflected Penso, and like every journey hers had its ups and downs.
“I’m a female referee in a men’s top division. There’s a lot of challenges that come with that,” she said. “We don’t just show up on a Saturday night at the fields with the lights shining. It takes a lot to get there. A lot of experience coming up through the ranks.” The job is physically demanding.
As the players get faster, Penso has had to get faster too.
“Our training is very much like a player,” Penso said, “I do everything from sprint training to high intensity strength training two to three times a week … you’re looking at an hour and a half to two hours of training, six days a week.”
Along with the physical aspect of officiating soccer games, professional refereeing takes a toll mentally due to the amount of travel involved, according to Penso.
“Just like players, we’re doing sometimes three games in a 10-day span, and there’s travel that goes with that,” the Florida native said. “That could mean a six-hour flight for me from Florida to Portland for a game and back, and then maybe to New York for a midweek game.”
Penso compared referees and players again, saying “behind every referee there’s a person that has worked incredible hard to get there … just like the players they’re competing for that next opportunity.”
Time away from her husband and daughters isn’t easy, Penso said, especially on holidays and weekends.
“They’re my why. I know that even they don’t want to pick up a whistle and be a referee, there will be something … to see females in different capacities I think inspires girls to think of themselves in that role,” the mother of three said.
“They love watching me. They really enjoy the games, they scream ‘mommy’ and point.”
Her husband is also a referee, so Penso described their lives as “all soccer all the time,” though that mantra began when she was 10 years old and first started playing.
“I grew up in a soccer family. All of my bridesmaids I met in college on the soccer field. I live and breathe soccer, and I love the game.”
In 2020, Penso became the first full-time female referee in MLS. Women had refereed MLS games before, but none of them had done so on a full-time basis.
Refereeing for both MLS and the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL), Penso noted major differences between the way the male and female players interact with the referees.
“I can tell you many times I had what felt like a stadium of 60,000 booing me for what was the correct decision on the field,” she said.
“We have a saying in refereeing: you’re only as good as your last game,” she said with a cautious smile, “this game is not forgiving.”
Penso said she’s relishing the challenge. Her selection for the Women’s World Cup, once her main goal, is now a stepping stone along her journey to the top of the women’s and men’s game.
Ideally, Penso says there will come a day when women refereeing men’s games wouldn’t draw any attention. She wants to pave the way for that normalization to take place.
“It’s the stereotypes that stop us from getting opportunities,” she said, “across the globe when we get opportunities we’re more than ready for them, and we deliver.”
Penso says she drew inspiration from watching the coverage of the women referees at the 2019 tournament.
“That was the first time I really got to see behind the scenes … many of them were mothers like me,” she said, “and to see them at that stage in that capacity as professionals and mothers was really inspiring for me.”
Women bring a unique set of skills to refereeing that their male counterparts cannot, according to Penso, in the form of motherhood. “I think being a mother has made me frankly a better referee,” she said, adding that “empathy and understanding is something that is just nature and nurture for females.”
“When we perform at the highest level, I think that helps people accept that we can have a role in this capacity on these fields and be a force to be reckoned with.”
Penso’s goal is to motivate and inspire people to take risks that challenge the status quo. She wants to be a role model so young girls can see females on the field and know that anything is possible for them.
She said her success has come largely thanks to the support of many, including mentors, to get where she is today and on to the next level.
“While sometimes I may feel like I’m alone charging the path, I’m certainly not,” said Penso.
“I’m ar-in-arm not just with the women that are taking the pitch in soccer and across the globe, but also with the women who came before me and helped pave the way so that my path was maybe a little easier,” she said.
“And that’s what I hope to do for the next generation.”