Women’s World Cup 2023: Live scores, fixtures, results, tables and top scorers

Spain and Japan became the first two teams to book their spots in the knockout stage of the 2023 Women’s World Cup on Wednesday.

Japan comfortably beat Costa Rica 2-0 to all but guarantee its qualification before Spain’s dominant 5-0 win over Zambia assured that both teams made it to the last 16.

The two sides will face each other in the finale of Group C on Monday, July 31, knowing that the winner will face the runner-up of Group A and the loser will face the top team of Group A.

Tournament favorites?

After its straightforward opening win against Costa Rica and with a plethora of stars at its disposal, many are tipping Spain to make it deep into the Women’s World Cup.

And La Roja once again proved its title credentials from the opening exchanges against Zambia at Eden Park in Auckland, New Zealand.

Its slick interchange between its attacking talent – including Jennifer Hermoso, two-time Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Putellas and her Barcelona teammates Aitana Bonmatí and Salma Paralluelo – had the Zambia defense lost at sea and was a delight to watch.

But it was the team’s holding midfielder, Teresa Abelleira, who broke the deadlock in emphatic fashion.

In the ninth minute, Abelleira picked up the ball on the edge of the box before smashing it into the top corner – the fastest goal of the tournament so far.

Just five minutes later, the lead was doubled as Hermoso headed home from the far post after an exquisite Putellas cross set the 33-year-old up on her 100th national team appearance.

With an early lead, Spain turned on the style, leaving the Zambia defense flummoxed as it attempted to stop the waves of attacks.

After the halftime break, Zambia put in a much more impressive display, offering much more of an attacking threat to a Spanish defense that had been rarely tested throughout its first two matches.

However, Spain once again put the ball in the back of the net, with halftime substitute Alba Redondo coolly rounding the goalkeeper before tapping home in the 69th minute.

The lead ballooned to 4-0 just a minute later when Hermoso slammed home her second of the game – the goal was initially ruled out for offside but later awarded by the video assistant referee (VAR).

Despite bringing so much positivity and energy to the World Cup, Spain’s fourth goal seemed to dent Zambian spirits as the realization that their World Cup exit had been all but guaranteed.

It didn’t end there though for the African debutant with Hermoso missing out on a chance for a hat-trick by hitting the bar before Redondo got her second of the game with a calm finish from the center of the box.

The late flurry capped off an emphatic overall performance from Spain which sees it and Japan through to the next round where both teams could face any of the teams in Group A with all outcomes possible with one game left; all of Switzerland, New Zealand, the Philippines and Norway can make it to the knockout round.

In form Japan

Having comfortably beaten Zambia 5-0 in its opening game, Japan continued its impressive showing at the World Cup against Costa Rica.

Through its slick passing maneuvers and tactical rigidity, it looked a class above the world No. 36, creating chances at will.

The breakthrough finally came in the 25th minute, Naomoto emphatically punishing an ill-timed mistake from a Costa Rican defender, powering the ball into the bottom corner to open the scoring.

And just two minutes later, the Asian nation had its second of the game.

19-year-old forward Fujino, showing some tight dribbling skills and explosive speed to evade one defender, burst into the box before smashing the ball past Las Ticas goalkeeper Daniela Solera at her near post.

With its lead, Japan never let up, continuing to show its effective combination build up play and hard work off the ball as it stifled any Costa Rican attacks.

Although it will face much stiffer tests going forward, Japan has shown its credentials for competing for a second World Cup title.

As for Costa Rica, it will be eliminated from the World Cup if Spain avoids defeat against Zambia.

Dangerously high temperatures that have already proven deadly in multiple states are expected to remain for at least one more week, as they also threaten ocean ecosystems and fuel wildfires that emit harmful particulates.

Tuesday continued to bring unprecedented heat to parts of the US, particularly in Texas, Arizona and Florida. And over the next seven days – at least – more than 85% of Americans will experience temperatures 90 degrees and higher.

The stifling forecast has pushed Connecticut’s governor to activate the state’s extreme hot weather protocol on Wednesday to provide cooling centers for vulnerable residents.

“We’ve experienced a pretty warm summer so far, but it’s expected to get particularly hot this week, including during the evening hours,” Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont said.

And the heat has been affecting everyone: Last month was the hottest June on record dating back to 1850, according to a climate report by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

“Globally, June 2023 set a record for the highest monthly sea surface temperature anomaly of any month in NOAA’s 174-year record,” the agency said. “June heat was not limited to the ocean surface; the Southern Hemisphere had its warmest June on record and the Northern Hemisphere tied 2019 for its warmest June.”

Scientists agree that human-induced climate change is the main culprit causing record high temperatures, which have led to hospitalizations and deaths in the US. Additionally, wildfires burning in Canada and US have been exacerbated by the unrelenting heat, tanking the air quality for many in both countries.

The vicious, weekslong heatwave has been inflicting triple-digit temperatures and unbearable humidity to parts of the West and South, where temperatures remained quite high even during night hours, leaving little room for relief. Ocean temperatures around Florida are so high that experts reported a mass event of coral bleaching, which could worsen if the extreme warmth persists.

After putting millions under heat warnings in the South and Southwest, the sultry heat is expected to move east into the Mid-Atlantic region by Thursday, where the air could feel more than 100 degrees Fahrenheit.

And before temperatures begin to subside next week, here are some of the impacts it had on communities in recent weeks.

A fatal heatwave

Dozens of people across Arizona and Nevada have died this year from the physical impacts of extreme heat.

In Arizona’s Maricopa County – home to Phoenix – 25 deaths have been reported to be heat-related so far this year as of Tuesday, the county said in a weekly report. Another 249 deaths are under investigation for whether heat was a cause.

Extreme heat is the leading cause of weather-related deaths in the US, killing more people than hurricanes or tornadoes.

And it also leads to illnesses. Last week, at least 570 hospital visits in Arizona were related to heat-related complications, the state department of health services said.

“Fire departments and Emergency Medical Service (EMS) providers have reported treating an increasing number of patients for heat-related illness too. These incidents are only the tip of the iceberg. We urge Arizonans to take this extreme heat extremely seriously,” the department said in a statement Tuesday.

“I chose to hike alone, without water, and I did not check the weather. When I returned, I was clammy, shaking, ash gray, had a splitting headache and felt nauseous. It took over a day to recover. Always have plenty of water.” https://t.co/0BOZ4yzAL0 #NMwx pic.twitter.com/PPNhqp2osr

— NWS Albuquerque (@NWSAlbuquerque) July 24, 2023

Wildfires plummet air quality

Another health risk extreme heat has brought is the fueling of wildfires, which inevitably decreases air quality for millions.

As of Tuesday, there were nine wildfires in each of Arizona and New Mexico, according to the National Interagency Fire Center.

Also, smoke from hundreds of wildfires burning across Canada continued to waft south, tanking air quality and polluting air in Chicago and Detroit. Both cities were among the 10 top cities with the worst air quality in the world, according to IQAir, with Chicago ranking fifth and Detroit ninth as of early Wednesday morning.

“Today, air quality in the City of Detroit will be Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups (AQI Orange) range,” the Detroit health department said Tuesday. “The air quality is being impacted by the presence of fine particulate matter (PM-2.5).”

In addition to the poor air quality, Detroit is also facing extreme heat this week, when some areas are expected to feel as hot as 99 degrees Thursday and Friday, according to the city’s National Weather Service.

“Very hot and muggy conditions are likely later this week with heat index values approaching 100 degrees,” the weather service said on Twitter.

Extreme heat impacts oceanic ecosystem

The consequences of dangerously high temperatures have stretched beyond land.

The record-breaking heatwave led to surging water temperatures off Florida’s coast, where multiple reefs around the Keys area are currently completely bleached or dead.

The mass bleaching event unfolded in two weeks, according to coral experts, who said they expect the “complete mortality” of the bleached reefs in just a week.

Because it is extremely sensitive to temperature changes, experiencing too much heat for too long causes coral to bleach and turn white as they expel their algal food source and slowly starve to death.

The water is typically in mid-80s in the region, but experts have recorded 90-degree temperatures, according to Cynthia Lewis, who heads the Keys Marine Laboratory at the Florida Institute of Oceanography.

“It is very alarming,” she said in a news release.

Teams from the University of South Florida and the Florida Institute of Oceanography Keys Marine Laboratory conducted a rescue mission for more than 1,500 corals by harvesting them from at risk sites and bringing them into a temperature controlled laboratory.

Sweltering temperatures are also posing a risk to the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Current, a vital system of ocean currents which includes the Gulf Stream.

A study published Tuesday in the journal Nature found the current may collapse around the middle of the century or as early as 2025.

The AMOC is a complex tangle of currents that works like a giant global conveyor belt. It transports warm water from the tropics toward the North Atlantic, where the water cools, becomes saltier and sinks deep into the ocean, before spreading southwards.

It plays a crucial role in the climate system, helping regulate global weather patterns. Its collapse would have significant implications, including much more extreme winters and sea level rises affecting parts of Europe and the US as well as a shifting of the monsoon in the tropics.

Kanota, Rajasthan, is a dusty obscure hamlet these days.

But it once bridged India’s two ancient kingdoms: the Mughal court in Agra and the Royal court of Jaipur. On this road lies the Villa Palladio boutique hotel and resort.

A colorful history

Jaipur is known as “the pink city” for its pastel buildings. The Villa is half an hour away, but it feels like its own world.

For one thing, it’s not pink. It’s also not decked out in the floral or geometric patterns Jaipur is known for.

Instead, the structure has walls in a shade of scarlet borrowed from the Roman Catholic cardinals, pomegranates inspired by the paintings of Botticelli and palm trees, a symbol of Roman status.

The Villa was once a residence of the royal family of Kanota and was converted into a boutique hotel by Italian entrepreneur Barbara Miolini and Dutch designer Marie Anne Oudejans.

Both are now Jaipur residents.

Miolini grew up in Switzerland, came to Jaipur in 2005 on what was supposed to be a sabbatical, and ended up staying for good.

She spent the early years of her career in the Venetian countryside, influenced by historical and architectural references of one of the greatest Italian architects of the 16th century, Andrea Palladio.

Palladio was known for combining the elements of Renaissance and contemporary French practices, creating an altogether unique style known as Anglo-Palladianism.

Miolini wanted to create something similar, blending the Indo-Mughal and Italian Rococo styles to create something unique.

“The Jaipur court has been the center of Indian luxury production for nearly 300 years, while Venice was the capital of European luxury for centuries,” Miolini says. “There is incredible sophistication and presence of history in the aesthetics of both cities, and when conversing, they speak together beautifully.”

Winning over the locals

The building that became Villa Palladio has a brief but fantastic story.

It was built by the Kanota nobleman Abhay Singh in 1960 in a Rajasthani heritage style, with open pavilions, scalloped arches, courtyards, turrets, and fort-like walls.

Miolini says that the structure was in good shape and had been well cared for. “This place had a sense of Italian nostalgia for how one would encounter abandoned homes and castles on once-historical routes. I wanted to keep the structural interventions to a minimum.”

Marie Ann Oudejans, the Jaipur-based Dutch designer who collaborated with Miolini, adds: “The countryside has given me visual inspiration: the women in the fields, the royal princesses in their finery and veils. I mixed it with the exuberance of Italian flair.”

From there, the Villa started taking a shape.

The castellated watch towers were converted into guest rooms, painted in candy stripes. Italian sun umbrellas and spindly loungers were installed around a Mughal-style swimming pool.

The hard work and attention to detail paid off in a place that can sometimes be unwelcoming to new designs.

“Jaipur has its own distinct style,” Dr. Vibhor Mukul Singh, who has done architectural projects in both Italy and Rajasthan, says. “It is indeed challenging to get an acceptance for some foreign architecture here. The key is that Villa Palladio is Italian on the face and at the same time deeply rooted in the land.”

One way of staying true to the Villa’s heritage was by involving local craftspeople as much as possible. Miolini explains that the hotel’s comforters, cushions, rugs, lamps and chairs were all made in Jaipur.

In many cases, the local artisans had never been to Italy and didn’t know its traditions, but they followed Oudejans’ handmade sketches to create everything.

That didn’t come as a surprise to the designers.

“In our projects, we have realized that simple craftspeople have best understood our design and sensibility,” says Miolini.

The end result is a place where two countries cooperate rather than collide.

Villa Palladio, Abhay Niwas Palace Sumel, Jamdoli Chouraha, Rajasthan 302031, India; +91 141 296 9762

A vacation with your pals should be the perfect opportunity to unwind, catch up and have fun with some of your favorite people in – ideally – a fabulous setting.

But coordinating large groups isn’t always easy. We’ve all heard travel horror stories of fighting over finances, itinerary arguments and barbed comments over cocktails.

Whether you’re currently planning a future friend vacation, or about to embark on a long-awaited group trip, here are some top tips to keep the trip as smooth and fun as possible.

Think carefully about who’s coming

So first things first, who are you inviting? Maybe the answer’s obvious because you’ve got a gang you always travel with, or a ready-to-go group of close pals who you’ve always wanted to vacation with en masse.

But if you’re planning a trip with a friend group that’s never traveled together before, or you’re thinking of bringing together a mix of friends from different parts of your life, it’s worth considering the potential group dynamic.

It sounds obvious, but if you’ve got friends who prefer outdoorsy hikes and adventures, they may or may not gel with the group who enjoy bar-hopping and city breaks.

Plus, travel can be stressful – some friends might get on really well at social events, but their personalities could clash when they’re under pressure to make a flight, or dealing with a vacation rental that doesn’t live up to the listing.

So, generally speaking, the closer the group, the more likely the vacation success. But traveling together can also be a great way to get to know people better, so definitely don’t rule out an invitee just because they’re a newer addition to your circle.

A vacation could also be a great opportunity to get to know a friend’s partner a little better, so extending the invite to significant others could be a great shout, just – again – keep the overall dynamic in mind. If the trip suddenly goes from a college pals reunion to a couples trip featuring a sole single friend, that might be a less-than-fun outcome for that one person who’s not coupled up.

Of course, everyone is different, and there’s no general rule for any of these situations – it’s just worth being considerate and thoughtful in the inviting.

On that note, also bear in mind the potential for a friend being offended if they’ve not made the cut. Not everyone can come to every trip, but be mindful that you don’t want to lose friendships before you’ve even boarded the plane.

Have a budget and stick to it

Talking about finances can be awkward, but it’s part and parcel of vacation planning. The best strategy is to set a budget early on for accommodation and travel costs.

If you want to make sure no one is priced out, ask everyone to be upfront from the beginning and make sure there are no surprise extra costs later down the line.

Chelsea Dickenson, the 33-year-old founder of website Cheap Holiday Expert, suggests one way of avoiding anyone feeling uncomfortable in the group chat is to set up a Google Form that everyone can fill out anonymously, detailing their preferred budget and any other concerns or thoughts.

How you split costs both before and after vacation will depend on your group dynamic, your respective financial positions and your own preferences – but whatever the answer, it’s best to have that conversation before you embark on the trip.

While some friends might be happy to adopt an “I paid for the Uber, you buy the drinks” policy, others may feel more comfortable knowing everything’s been split evenly.

Apps like Splitwise do the complicated sums for you, keeping tabs on who spent what when. Or if everyone in your party happens to use banking apps like Monzo or Revolut (both of which generally allow spending internationally without extra fees) you can set up a shared tab and pay as you go.

Pick your destination and accomodation carefully

So the gang’s assembled and the budget’s confirmed. Now you’ve just to figure out where you’re actually going.

If you’ve not already had to consider the word compromise in the planning process, here’s where it’s almost guaranteed to come up. Maybe one of you fell in love with the beauty of Sicily while watching “The White Lotus” and is desperate to fly to Palermo, but someone else already ticked Italy off their bucket list and is dreaming of hiking the fjords of Norway. Maybe some of the group love the idea of spending evenings chilling in a secluded cabin with a hot tub, but your other friends would prefer to stay in a buzzy city hotel with a rooftop bar.

A group vacation is – generally speaking – more about the group than the destination. After all, while exploring a fantastic place together is theoretically the purpose of your trip, if you wanted free rein to go wherever in the world you like, you’re better off traveling alone – or picking just one like-minded travel buddy.

If you’re going on a friend vacation, you’re going somewhere to hang out with your friends, so you should consider their needs and preferences as much as yours. That doesn’t mean totally abandoning your dream trip, it just means being candid and going into the experience knowing what everyone wants out of the trip and making sure you’re all, more or less, on the same page.

And even if the group ends up voting on a destination you’ve visited before, returning with a different group at a different stage in life is always going to be rewarding.

Know your individual strengths – and your group dynamic

Some people are natural organizers. Others are great at map reading. Some people love driving. Others are pros at finding the best flight deals. Some bring the vibes on the day, arriving with a speaker and vacation-approved playlist.

Knowing your own strengths – and those of your friends – will help you plan and orchestrate the vacation as smoothly as possible.

If you’re vacationing with people you’ve never traveled with before, this dynamic might be a little more of an in-the-moment surprise, but you’ll still likely cotton on to people’s natural roles early on.

And depending on how big your group is, some people will naturally step up into organizing roles, while others might take a backseat. If you’re all natural organizers, you might have to reluctantly cede control to a friend – but if they’re your close pal, you know they’ll do a good job and that you can trust them. Enjoy taking a backseat for once and go along for the ride.

Plan in advance – but also leave room for spontaneity

You don’t want to force your friends to commit to a by-the-hour schedule, but it’s worth having some idea of what you’re hoping to see and do on the trip before you set off.

This is especially important the larger the group – if there are 12 of you vacationing together, you might need to prebook restaurants or organize museum entry in advance. Plus, having a pre-planned schedule avoids 12 different people wasting hours each morning just agreeing on the day’s activity.

To avoid ideas getting lost in a torrent of messages in the group chat, you could create a shared Google Doc pre-vacation and encourage everyone to add in ideas and research they’ve done in advance of the trip. As departure day gets closer, you can highlight the favorite ideas, or wait and go through them upon arrival, glass of wine in hand.

And while planning is always useful, some of the best moments in travel happen spontaneously. Don’t commit to a concrete schedule that can’t be switched around in the day, or leaves no room for improvisation.

Some of your best memories are going to be made at that little cove you randomly stumble upon, or the bar built into the clifftops you spot last minute, or just lying on the couch in the evening enjoying quality time with your best pals.

Take time to yourself when you need it

In a big group, people might naturally go their own way over the course of the vacation – everyone has different interests and it’s unrealistic to expect you all to stick together for the whole trip.

Plus, no matter how close you are to your friends, you might find yourself craving a bit of alone time as the days roll on. Don’t be afraid to take time to yourself, if and when you need it – whether that’s popping out for a solo coffee or taking yourself to see that landmark that only you’re interested in seeing.

If you find yourself getting frustrated with any of your fellow vacationers, taking some me time is also a good way to diffuse the situation without ending up doing or saying anything you’ll regret.

Resist the urge to badmouth a friend to another friend mid-trip. If you really want to vent, text someone neutral back home.

Cherish the moment

Long after you move past the weird Airbnb your friend booked, or the restaurant that would never have been your first pick, or the slightly fraught conversation about splitting the grocery store bill – you’ll remember the quality time you spent with your friends.

It sounds cheesy, but cherishing the moment is the most important tip on this list. A getaway with your friends can become harder and harder with the passing years, as life’s commitments build up and people become more settled in their homes and jobs.

No one is flawless, and no trip is perfect, but there can be perfection in that imperfection. Love your friends for their quirks – which may be out in full force on vacation – and they’ll love you for yours.

And before you know it, you’ll be back home sharing your favorite vacation photos and planning the next trip.

Mountain rescuers came to the aid of a woman and her pet parrot in the United Kingdom this week after she became stranded trying to find one of her feathered friends, who was scared off by a peregrine falcon.

The woman was part of a group of parrot owners from Derbyshire walking in Eryri, or Snowdonia, in Wales, on Monday, according to Facebook post from the Ogwen Valley Mountain Rescue Team.

However, a peregrine falcon attacked the group, causing one of the parrots to fly off, rescuers said.

“The owner’s tracker showed it to be high on the upper cliffs of Glyder Fawr and she climbed up to retrieve it,” continues the post.

“Unfortunately the parrot decided freedom was great and flew back down to the group unassisted, leaving the owner and her second bird now stuck.”

Rescuers climbed to the base of the cliffs and sent a team member up to make the woman safe, it adds.

“On arrival at the casualty, Jeckyll, the second parrot, perched on her owners’ rucksack, greeted our team member with a ‘Hello,’” reads the post.

Both parrot and owner were then lowered down the cliffs and guided down the mountain, it adds.

The episode is vying for the title of the most unusual animal rescue from mountains in the UK.

In May, rescuers had to bring a dog down from Scafell Pike, the highest peak in neighboring England, using a stretcher.

“Despite being quite a large dog at 33kg it was a joy to carry such a relatively lightweight casualty. The casualty remained cool, calm and positively regal throughout,” reads the statement from the Keswick Mountain Rescue team.

And this was not the first time that rescuers have had to help a dog back down Scafell Pike.

In July 2020, a 121-pound St. Bernard named Daisy needed saving after showing signs of pain in her rear legs and refusing to move.

When British singer Matty Healy grabbed bandmate Ross MacDonald for an onstage kiss during their Malaysia concert on Friday, following a profanity-laden speech slamming the country’s anti-LGBTQ laws, he likely thought it an act of protest and solidarity.

But for many in Malaysia’s LGBTQ community, it was quite the opposite.

The 1975’s concert, which was the headline performance in Kuala Lumpur’s Good Vibes Festival, has sparked a wave of criticism and dismay from the community, who say Healy’s stunt may have done more harm than good to a vulnerable group already under threat in Malaysia’s repressive, conservative society.

Homosexual acts are illegal in Muslim-majority Malaysia and punishable by fines and up to 20 years in prison. After The 1975’s show, the government canceled the rest of the three-day music festival, citing Healy’s “controversial conduct and remarks.”

LGBTQ activists fear that could be just the start of a larger clampdown – and their anger has been exacerbated by the singer’s flippancy. On Saturday, a day after the concert, Healy joked on Instagram that it’s “not as easy as it looks” to refrain from kissing MacDonald, and posted an image of his name trending on Twitter, the platform recently rebranded as X.

“What Matty Healy did, he thought he was doing something for us, but it’s giving white savior complex,” said Carmen Rose, a Malaysian drag performer. “He thinks we need saving, he thinks we need fixing, when in reality we have queer organizations here already doing the work.”

“If he wanted to advocate for queer rights here, he wouldn’t just fly off and leave the mess behind,” she added. “I don’t think he’s doing it for the community, he’s just doing it for himself … it was a publicity stunt.”

Numerous other queer Malaysians posted similar criticisms online after Healy’s show, calling his actions hollow at best.

“He is totally ignorant to the actual experience of the LGBT community in Malaysia and his performative ‘display’ has put the entire Malaysian queer community in the cross-hairs of an already conservative (government),” one person wrote on X.

The 1975 was scheduled to play in Indonesia and Taiwan next, but have since canceled those shows. The Indonesia festival, We The Fest, shared a statement from the band on its Instagram, which read: “The band never take the decision to cancel a show lightly and had been eagerly looking forward to playing for fans in Jakarta and Taipei but unfortunately, due to current circumstances, it is impossible to proceed with the scheduled shows.”

LGBTQ concerns

“I do not see the point of inviting The 1975 to a country and then telling us who we can have sex with,” he said at the start of a three-and-a-half minute speech that at one point raged against online accusations of inappropriate behavior with children.

Within the context of Malaysia’s conservative society, Healy’s use of profanity and alcohol onstage “builds into the stereotype of how LGBT people are rude, against local norms … are seen as these people who are not within society,” said Thilaga Sulathireh, founder of the Malaysian human rights and transgender advocacy group Justice for Sisters.

Rose, the drag performer, echoed this point, criticizing Healy for going “on a rant while intoxicated.” Homophobia already runs so deep in Malaysia that Healy’s attempt at activism might have simply reinforced the public’s negative perceptions toward the community, she said.

“The majority of the country is ultra-conservative. They don’t like us already, and this … gives them more ammunition to discriminate against us and ostracize our community,” she said. “There might be further crackdowns enhanced on the community.”

In Malaysia, a country of nearly 33 million where 60% of the population is Muslim, many gay people are not open about their sexuality. Advocates say Islamic laws have increasingly used to target the Southeast Asian country’s LGBTQ community, with a rise in arrests and punishments ranging from caning to jailing.

In recent years there have been police raids on suspected LGBTQ events, including a 2018 raid on a private residence on suspicion men inside were attempting gay sex. Five men were sentenced to jail, caning and fines, sparking outrage among human rights activists.

Just last year, Rose had helped organize a Halloween party attended by many members of the LGBTQ community – which was raided by the police, who detained a number of participants, she said.

These crackdowns and tightening restrictions mean that “on a daily basis, LGBT in Malaysia live in a state of high levels of stress and anxiety,” said Sulathireh. “There is an increase of self-censorship, there is an increase of desire to seek asylum, and desire to migrate.”

This anxiety had already been running high before The 1975’s concert; Malaysia is currently holding several state elections, and election seasons always see an uptick in homophobia as politicians look to garner votes through anti-LGBTQ rhetoric, said both Sulathireh and Rose.

Many politicians have been calling for “increased restrictions and regulation of LGBT people,” said Sulathireh, who uses they/them pronouns.

They added that while they supported freedom of expression, and it was “fine” for Healy to criticize the Malaysian government, the controversy had come at a bad time – and the musician’s “lack of awareness on the context” had made matters worse.

That’s not to say international musicians can’t speak up about LGBTQ rights in Malaysia. But there’s a way to do it responsibly, that elevates local advocates and seeks to minimize harm done, activists said.

“They would have to work with local organizations and educate themselves on the history here, the current context, how it’s working here,” said Rose. “What they can do is to listen and learn from the locals themselves, because what works in the West does not necessarily work here.”

Other criticisms

Apart from the LGBTQ community’s concerns, Healy has also come under criticism for triggering the cancelation of the festival – which has impacted other local artists and businesses, and could spell trouble for future foreign performers.

Talitha Tan, a Malaysian singer who was slated to perform at the Good Vibes Festival, slammed Healy for his “reckless ignorance, selfishness & inability to adjust or respect different cultures” in an Instagram post on Saturday. She had been planning to dedicate her performance to her recently deceased mother, she said.

“Malaysia’s not perfect. But man, I am shattered,” she wrote. “So yeah, (Matty Healy), I am furious at you and your white privilege, thanks for nothing.”

Rose, too, pointed to the impact to Malaysia’s already-struggling music industry, adding that it was always difficult to get big foreign artists to perform in the country. This incident could well push authorities to tighten rules around foreign performers, making it even more challenging in the future, she said.

British band Coldplay recently came under pressure from a Malaysian Islamic party to cancel an upcoming show in Kuala Lumpur due to the band’s acceptance of gay rights.

And in 2015 religious protesters gathered outside a Selena Gomez concert.

The cancellation of The 1975’s next two shows in Jakarta and Taipei has also been met with disappointment – and some confusion.

Indonesia is also highly conservative, with widespread homophobia and discrimination; there have been multiple incidents over the years of men being publicly caned for gay sex. Last year, the country passed new laws banning cohabitation and sex outside marriage, effectively outlawing same-sex relations.

But Taiwan has long held a reputation as one of Asia’s most progressive places toward LGBTQ people.

In 2019, the island became the first jurisdiction in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage; earlier this year, it passed a bill granting same-sex couples the right to jointly adopt a child neither of them are related to, clearing one of the final hurdles in achieving full marriage equality.

It’s not clear why The 1975 has canceled its concert on the island, which had been scheduled to take place on Tuesday.

Editor’s Note: This report contains graphic detail of alleged sexual abuse and violence.

The suit alleges, in part, that the sexual abuse was directed at male players because of their sex “in an effort to ‘break’ them, punish them, control them or ‘get them in line,’” in violation of the Illinois Gender Violence Act.

He noted that players were forced to do acts in the nude, and as punishment and initiation rituals they were “physically dry humped” while adding that this all occurred while he and other players – aged just 17 and 18 – were “just trying to fit in” and make their mark in college sports.”

There are also allegations in the lawsuit that upperclassmen would “run” freshman players and sexually assault them. In one particular event described in the suit, a player was also “run” while held upside down with his head underwater in a used ice bath.

“I think that one of the things that was really apparent was the subtle trauma effects in the moment. Obviously, because it was very violent, graphic and dehumanizing, these different acts that we had to do. Realizing how that impacted myself eight or nine years later after college, it is just a really a devastating experience,” Yates continued.

After being asked about former football head coach Pat Fitzgerald, who was fired as a result of the allegations made by former players, Yates cited the longstanding culture at the school and said he believed it was “nearly impossible for the coaching staff to not know what took place,” adding “this was very widespread within the organization.”

Fitzgerald has previously said he was not aware of the alleged hazing. However, the former head coach is being sued by a former player.

“This is an institutional issue, it is bigger than one individual, it was embedded in the culture of every athletic program at Northwestern University, and we want to see them stop it. It’s that simple, you have to have the courage to say if anyone is hazing, you let us know and that individual will be expelled immediately not to condone it, we have to condemn it,” said Yates’ attorney Ben Crump.

Yates added: “What we’re learning is that this is much, much bigger than my individual story and that we want to eradicate this within sports altogether. These sorts of behavior, these sorts of cultures that exist, that have persisted. They’re just not acceptable and we think that by bringing this to light, we can make real change.”

“These steps, while necessary and appropriate, are just the start, and we will be augmenting them in the coming weeks.”

A former Illinois inspector general began conducting the independent investigation in December after an anonymous email address sent a complaint at the end of the 2022 season, according to an executive summary of the investigation made public by the university.

The investigation revealed 11 players, past and present, said hazing was ongoing in the program, said university president Michael Schill.

Previously Fitzgerald’s attorney, Dan K. Webb, pointed to the findings of the investigation.

“As far as we can determine, neither the filed complaint nor the press conference presentations set forth any facts or evidence to support any legal claims against Coach Fitzgerald,” Webb said in a statement.

“As we have stated previously, we will aggressively defend against these and any other allegations with facts and evidence. Further, we intend to move to dismiss the civil suits filed against Coach Fitzgerald and, as appropriate, for sanctions for frivolous filings.”

Bronny James, the older son of NBA star LeBron James, suffered a cardiac arrest during basketball practice at the University of Southern California and was hospitalized Monday, according to a statement from a family spokesperson.

He is out of the intensive care unit and in stable condition, the statement said.

“Yesterday while practicing Bronny James suffered a cardiac arrest. Medical staff was able to treat Bronny and take him to the hospital. He is now in stable condition and no longer in ICU,” the statement said.

“We ask for respect and privacy for the James family and we will update media when there is more information.

“LeBron and Savannah wish to publicly send their deepest thanks and appreciation to the USC medical and athletic staff for their incredible work and dedication to the safety of their athletes.”

Bronny, 18, is an incoming freshman for USC’s basketball team after graduating from Sierra Canyon High School in Los Angeles this spring. The 6-foot-3 combo guard was rated a four-star recruit and shined in the McDonald’s All-American Game in March featuring some of the country’s top high school basketball players.

He averaged 14.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.7 steals his senior year of high school, and joined a USC team seeking to reach the NCAA Tournament for the fourth consecutive time.

“So damn proud of you kid!” his father wrote on Instagram after Bronny committed to attend USC. “I have no words besides I LOVE YOU!!!”

James, 38, will enter his 21st season in the NBA and his sixth season with the Los Angeles Lakers. The four-time NBA champion and four-time MVP has said one of his final goals is to play in the NBA with Bronny, who will be eligible to join the NBA next year.

“My last year will be played with my son,” James told the Athletic in 2022. “Wherever Bronny is at, that’s where I’ll be. I would do whatever it takes to play with my son for one year. It’s not about the money at that point.”

At the ESPY Awards two weeks ago, James stood on stage alongside his wife, Savannah, and sons Bronny, Bryce and daughter Zhuri, who he described as the “greatest blessing in my life.”

“I’m so proud of these two men standing right behind me tonight,” he said, pointing at his teenage sons. “See, they’re on their own basketball journey. And no matter how far they choose to go, they’re not cheating this game. And that inspires me.”

Cardiac arrest and sports

Cardiac arrest occurs when electrical disturbances cause the heart to suddenly stop beating. It may be fatal if not immediately treated, but it can be reversed by CPR and shocks from a defibrillator, according to the American Heart Association.

Sudden cardiac arrest among young athletes is rare but not unheard of. An examination of NCAA student-athlete sudden deaths between 2004 and 2008 found cardiovascular-related sudden death was the leading cause of death in 45 cases, or about 9 each year, according to a 2011 study.

One of the most well-known cases was Hank Gathers, a star forward for Loyola Marymount University who collapsed and died during a conference tournament game in 1990.

A task force convened by the NCAA released guidance in 2016 recommending universities create and practice an emergency action plan for sudden cardiac arrest.

USC’s medical staff has recent experience with such an incident. Last July, USC freshman forward Vince Iwuchukwu suffered a cardiac arrest during a summer workout. In a video posted to Twitter earlier this year, Iwuchukwu said he felt dizzy during a practice water break and then collapsed.

Athletic trainers, including Jon Yonamine, Erin Tillman and Lauren Crawford, performed CPR on him and shocked him back to life, USC said. Iwuchukwu recovered and ultimately made his basketball debut in January, over six months later.

Head coach Andy Enfield praised the training staff in January.

“They really do an amazing job, not only keeping our players healthy, but when something happens, they do therapy, and when something serious happens like in Vince’s case, they’re ready to respond immediately.”

In January, Damar Hamlin of the NFL’s Buffalo Bills suffered a cardiac arrest in the middle of a “Monday Night Football” game and was hospitalized for over a week.

“Prayers to Bronny & The James family as well,” Hamlin wrote on Twitter on Tuesday. “Here for you guys just like you have been for me my entire process.”

In April, Hamlin said his cardiac arrest was caused by commotio cordis.

Commotio cordis can occur when severe trauma to the chest disrupts the heart’s electrical charge and causes dangerous fibrillations.

Hamlin went into cardiac arrest after making a tackle and appearing to be hit with a helmet in his chest.

He has been cleared to return to football.

Correction: A previous version of this story gave the wrong date for Damar Hamlin’s collapse. It was January 2, 2023.

Two-time NBA all-star swingman Jaylen Brown has agreed to a five-year, $304 million supermax contract extension with the Boston Celtics, his agent Jason Glushon told ESPN.

The deal is the richest in NBA history, eclipsing the $276 million contract of Denver’s Nicola Jokić, signed in 2022, according to salary tracking website Spotrac.

Citing sources, Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium tweeted that the contract is fully guaranteed.

Last season, Brown, a guard/forward, averaged a career-best 26.6 points, 6.9 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game.

The 26-year-old was named to the 2022-23 All-NBA second team. Brown, the 2016 No. 3 overall pick, was eligible for the new contract as a result of making the All-NBA team.

NBA.com: Tracking every new deal of the offseason

In seven seasons in Boston, Brown has helped the Celtics advance to five Eastern Conference Finals and an NBA Finals appearance in 2022.

ESPN reported the contract extension begins in the 2024-2025 season and runs through the 2028-2029 season, when Brown will be 32.

His previous contract was a four-year, $106 million deal, according to Spotrac.

UK holiday operator TUI has canceled all flights to the Greek island of Rhodes for the next few days as authorities continue to fight raging wildfires.

The company will also not operate holidays for customers traveling to “impacted hotels” on the island up to and including Sunday, July 30, according to the statement.

Tour operators such as TUI have scrambled this week to evacuate holidaymakers in Greek areas grappling with wildfires. So far, TUI has carried out five repatriation flights which according to the company brought “hundreds of customers” home to the UK.

Return flights from Rhodes to the UK and Ireland are set to continue as scheduled, TUI said, stressing that “the safety and well-being” of its customers remains the “top priority.”

Bailey, who was evacuated to the UK by TUI, stressed that larger tour operators such as TUI have “a responsibility to look after their customers” and she was disappointed by her treatment.

Holidaymakers who have purchased package holidays to Rhodes for dates up to and including July 30 will have have the option to request a full refund or amend their holiday to another destination, according to the TUI statement.

Meanwhile, the Netherlands has issued a warning to all those thinking of traveling to the popular holiday destinations of Rhodes, Corfu and Evia. The Dutch foreign affairs ministry upgraded the color code for the three islands from green to yellow this week, indicating an increased travel risk.

In the travel guidance, travelers are advised to plan their trip “well” and be aware that the security situation in the yellow coded country is different to that of the Netherlands.